II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2285 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to authorize a pilot program within 

the nationally significant freight and highway projects program to increase State infrastructure investments, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 25, 2019 

Mr. BRAUN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend title 23, United States Code, to authorize a pilot 

program within the nationally significant freight and 

highway projects program to increase State infrastructure investments, 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 ‘‘Crossroads of America 

5 Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. STATE INCENTIVES PILOT PROGRAM. 

7 Section 117 of title 23, United States Code, is 

8 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (d)(1), in the matter pre2 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘subsection 

3 (e)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsections (e) and (o)’’; 

4 (2) in subsection (g), in the matter preceding 

5 paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘subsection (e)’’ and in6 serting ‘‘subsections (e) and (o)’’; 

7 (3) in subsection (j)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘The 

9 Federal’’ and inserting ‘‘Except for a grant 

10 under subsection (o), the Federal’’; and 

11 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘Federal 

12 assistance other’’ and inserting ‘‘Except for a 

13 grant under subsection (o), Federal assistance 

14 other’’; and 

15 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(o) STATE INCENTIVES PILOT PROGRAM.— 

17 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 

18 pilot program to award grants to eligible applicants 

19 for projects eligible for grants under this section (re20 ferred to in this subsection as the ‘pilot program’). 

21 ‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under the 

22 pilot program, the Secretary shall give priority to an 

23 application that offers a greater non-Federal share 

24 of the cost of a project relative to other applications 

25 under the pilot program. 


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1 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 

3 other provision of law, the Federal share of the 

4 cost of a project assisted with a grant under the 

5 pilot program may not exceed 50 percent. 

6 ‘‘(B) NO FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—For grants award8 ed under the pilot program, except as pro9 vided in clause (ii), an eligible applicant 

10 may not use Federal assistance to satisfy 

11 the non-Federal share of the cost under 

12 subparagraph (A). 

13 ‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—An eligible appli14 cant may use funds from a secured loan 

15 (as defined in section 601(a)) to satisfy the 

16 non-Federal share of the cost under sub17 paragraph (A) if the loan is repayable from 

18 non-Federal funds. 

19 ‘‘(4) RESERVATION.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts made 

21 available to provide grants under this section, 

22 the Secretary shall reserve for each fiscal year 

23 $150,000,000 to provide grants under the pilot 

24 program. 


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1 ‘‘(B) UNUTILIZED AMOUNTS.—In any fis2 cal year during which applications under this 

3 subsection are insufficient to effect an award or 

4 allocation of the entire amount reserved under 

5 subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall use the 

6 unutilized amounts to provide other grants 

7 under this section. 

8 ‘‘(5) SET-ASIDES.— 

9 ‘‘(A) SMALL PROJECTS.— 

10 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts 

11 reserved under paragraph (4)(A), the Sec12 retary shall reserve for each fiscal year not 

13 less than 10 percent for projects eligible 

14 for a grant under subsection (e). 

15 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—For a grant 

16 awarded from the amount reserved under 

17 clause (i)— 

18 ‘‘(I) the requirements of sub19 section (e) shall apply; and 

20 ‘‘(II) the requirements of sub21 section (g) shall not apply. 

22 ‘‘(B) RURAL PROJECTS.— 

23 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts 

24 reserved under paragraph (4)(A), the Sec25 retary shall reserve for each fiscal year not 


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1 less than 25 percent for projects eligible 

2 for a grant under subsection (i). 

3 ‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—For a grant 

4 awarded from the amount reserved under 

5 clause (i), the requirements of subsection 

6 (i) shall apply. 

7 ‘‘(6) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 

8 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

9 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on En10 vironment and Public Works of the Senate and the 

11 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 

12 the House of Representatives a report that describes 

13 the administration of the pilot program, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) the number, types, and locations of 

15 eligible applicants that have applied for grants 

16 under the pilot program; 

17 ‘‘(B) the number, types, and locations of 

18 grant recipients under the pilot program; 

19 ‘‘(C) an assessment of whether implemen20 tation of the pilot program has incentivized eli21 gible applicants to offer a greater non-Federal 

22 share for grants under the pilot program; and 

23 ‘‘(D) any recommendations for modifica24 tions to the pilot program.’’. 

Æ 


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