I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4338 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that States set aside certain funds for construction 

and operational improvements on high risk rural roads, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2019 

Ms. FINKENAUER (for herself and Mr. WESTERMAN) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that States set aside 

certain funds for construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Road Safety 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. HIGHWAY SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 148 of title 23, United 

3 States Code, is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (g)(1)— 

5 (A) by striking ‘‘If the fatality rate’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL—If the fatality 

7 rate’’; 

8 (B) by striking ‘‘for fiscal year 2009’’ and 

9 all that follows through the period at the end 

10 and inserting ‘‘for the previous fiscal year for 

11 high risk rural roads under subsection (l).’’; 

12 and 

13 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT OF PROJECTS.—Not15 withstanding any other provision of law, 

16 projects carried out under this paragraph shall 

17 be treated as projects on a Federal-aid highway 

18 under this chapter.’’; and 

19 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘(l) HIGH RISK RURAL ROADS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts appor22 tioned to a State for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal 

23 year thereafter under this section, the State shall 

24 obligate for construction and operational improve25 ments on high risk rural roads an amount that is 


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1 not less than 7.5 percent of such amount appor2 tioned for such fiscal year. 

3 ‘‘(2) SPECIAL RULE.—A State may use funds 

4 apportioned to the State pursuant to this subsection 

5 for any project under this section if the State cer6 tifies to the Secretary that the State has met all of 

7 State needs for construction and operational im8 provements on high risk rural roads. 

9 ‘‘(3) TREATMENT OF CONSTRUCTION AND

10 OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS.—Notwithstanding 

11 any other provision of law, construction and oper12 ational improvements under this subsection shall be 

13 treated as a project on a Federal-aid highway under 

14 this chapter.’’. 

15 (b) UPDATE OF HIGH RISK RURAL ROADS BEST

16 PRACTICES.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

17 enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation 

18 shall submit to Congress an update to the manual de19 scribed in section 1112 of MAP–21 (23 U.S.C. 148 note) 

20 to include any best practices not listed in such manual 

21 for communities to reduce fatalities on rural roads. 

22 (c) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

24 of the United States shall submit to Congress an update 

25 to the report published by the Government Accountability 


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1 Office on May 28, 2004, titled ‘‘Highway Safety: Federal 

2 and State Efforts to Address Rural Road Safety Chal3 lenges’’ describing— 

4 (1) ongoing funding and policy challenges to 

5 addressing rural road safety; and 

6 (2) successful risk mitigation measures taken 

7 on the Federal and State levels. 

Æ 


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