I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5437 

To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program is accessible to 

rural areas, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 

Mr. FINSTAD (for himself, Mr. STAUBER, Mr. GOLDEN of Maine, and Mr. 

VAN ORDEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program 

is accessible to rural areas, 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 ‘‘Protecting Infrastruc5 ture Investments for Rural America Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RURAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION GRANT PRO7 GRAM. 

8 Section 173 of title 23, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘over 

2 200,000’’ and inserting ‘‘20,000 or less’’; and 

3 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(3) SMALL COMMUNITY.—The term ‘small 

5 community’ means an area that is outside an urban6 ized area and that has a population of 5,000 or 

7 less.’’; 

8 (2) in subsection (b)(2)— 

9 (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

10 at the end; 

11 (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the 

12 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

14 ‘‘(D) to generate economic growth and de15 velopment in rural areas to improve the quality 

16 of life for citizens in rural areas and small com17 munities.’’; 

18 (3) in subsection (e)(1)— 

19 (A) in subparagraph (F) by striking ‘‘or’’ 

20 at the end; 

21 (B) in subparagraph (G) by striking the 

22 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

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

24 ‘‘(H) a highway, road, bridge, or tunnel 

25 project that would benefit the economic developVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:24 Sep 14, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5437.IH H5437

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1 ment or quality of life for citizens of the com2 munity in which the project takes place.’’; 

3 (4) by striking subsection (i); 

4 (5) by redesignating subsections (j), (k), (l), 

5 (m), (n), and (o) as subsections (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), 

6 and (n), respectively; 

7 (6) in subsection (i) (as so redesignated)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘para9 graph (2)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs (2) or 

10 (3)’’; 

11 (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 

12 paragraph (4); and 

13 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

14 following: 

15 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE FOR PROJECTS IN SMALL

16 COMMUNITIES.—The Federal share of the cost of a 

17 project carried out in a small community with a 

18 grant under the program may not exceed 90 per19 cent.’’; 

20 (7) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated) by 

21 striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) PROJECTS IN SMALL COMMUNITIES.—The 

23 Secretary shall use not less than 5 percent of the 

24 amounts made available for the program for each 


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1 fiscal year to provide grants for eligible projects in 

2 a small community.’’; and 

3 (8) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated) by 

4 striking ‘‘subsection (l)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub5 section (k)(1)’’. 

Æ 


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