I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2924 

To establish a program to award grants to entities that provide transportation 

connectors from critically underserved urban communities and rural communities to green spaces. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 30, 2021 

Mr. GOMEZ (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SOTO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. CHU, Ms. SA ́NCHEZ, 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. 

CARBAJAL, and Mr. CA ́RDENAS) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To establish a program to award grants to entities that 

provide transportation connectors from critically underserved urban communities and rural communities to 

green spaces. 

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 ‘‘Transit to Trails Act 

5 of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TRANSIT TO TRAILS GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘‘com2 munity of color’’ means a geographically distinct 

3 area in which the population of any of the following 

4 categories of individuals is higher than the average 

5 populations of that category for the State in which 

6 the community is located: 

7 (A) Black. 

8 (B) African American. 

9 (C) Asian. 

10 (D) Pacific Islander. 

11 (E) Other non-white race. 

12 (F) Hispanic. 

13 (G) Latino. 

14 (2) CRITICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.— 

15 The term ‘‘critically underserved community’’ 

16 means— 

17 (A) a community that can demonstrate to 

18 the Secretary that the community has inad19 equate, insufficient, or no park space or recre20 ation facilities, including by demonstrating— 

21 (i) quality concerns relating to the 

22 available park space or recreation facilities; 

23 (ii) the presence of recreational facili24 ties that do not serve the needs of the com25 munity; or 


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1 (iii) the inequitable distribution of 

2 park space for high-need populations, 

3 based on income, age, or other measures of 

4 vulnerability and need; 

5 (B) a community in which at least 50 percent of the population is not located within 1 6 ⁄2

7 mile of park space; or 

8 (C) any other community that the Sec9 retary determines to be appropriate. 

10 (3) DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF ADVERSE

11 HUMAN HEALTH OR ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS.— 

12 The term ‘‘disproportionate burden of adverse 

13 human health or environmental effects’’ means a sit14 uation where there exists higher or more adverse 

15 human health or environmental effects on commu16 nities of color, low income communities, and Tribal 

17 and indigenous communities. 

18 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti19 ty’’ means— 

20 (A) a State; 

21 (B) a political subdivision of a State (in22 cluding a city or a county) that represents or 

23 otherwise serves an urban area or a rural area; 

24 (C) a special purpose district (including a 

25 park district); 


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1 (D) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 

2 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu3 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) that 

4 represents or otherwise serves an urban area or 

5 a rural area; or 

6 (E) a metropolitan planning organization 

7 (as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United 

8 States Code). 

9 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 

10 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 

11 a community with significant representation of com12 munities of color, low income communities, or Tribal 

13 and indigenous communities, that experience, or is 

14 at risk of experiencing higher or more adverse 

15 human health or environmental effects. 

16 (6) LOW INCOME COMMUNITY.—the term ‘‘low 

17 income community’’ means any census block group 

18 in which 30 percent or more of the population are 

19 individuals with an annual household income equal 

20 to, or less than, the greater of— 

21 (A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the 

22 median income of the area in which the house23 hold is located, as reported by the Department 

24 of Housing and Urban Development; and 


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1 (B) 200 percent of the Federal poverty 

2 line. 

3 (7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 

4 the Transit to Trails Grant Program established 

5 under subsection (b)(1). 

6 (8) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ 

7 means a community that is not an urban area. 

8 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Transportation. 

10 (10) TRANSPORTATION CONNECTOR.— 

11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘transpor12 tation connector’’ means a system that— 

13 (i) connects 2 ZIP Codes or commu14 nities within a 175-mile radius of a des15 ignated service area; and 

16 (ii) offers rides available to the public. 

17 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘transpor18 tation connector’’ includes microtransits, bus 

19 lines, bus rails, light rail, rapid transits, or per20 sonal rapid transits. 

21 (11) URBAN AREA.—The term ‘‘urban area’’ 

22 means a community that— 

23 (A) is densely developed; 

24 (B) has residential, commercial, and other 

25 nonresidential areas; and 


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1 (C)(i) is an urbanized area with a popu2 lation of 50,000 or more; or 

3 (ii) is an urban cluster with a population 

4 of— 

5 (I) not less than 2,500; and 

6 (II) not more than 50,000. 

7 (b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

8 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es9 tablish a grant program, to be known as the ‘‘Tran10 sit to Trails Grant Program’’, under which the Sec11 retary shall award grants to eligible entities for— 

12 (A) projects that develop transportation 

13 connectors or routes in or serving, and related 

14 culturally and linguistically appropriate edu15 cation materials for, critically underserved com16 munities to increase access and mobility to Fed17 eral or non-Federal public land, inland and 

18 costal waters, parkland, or monuments; or 

19 (B) projects that facilitate transportation 

20 improvements to enhance access to Federal or 

21 non-Federal public land and recreational oppor22 tunities in critically underserved communities. 

23 (2) ADMINISTRATION.— 

24 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ad25 minister the program to assist eligible entities 


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1 in the development of transportation connectors 

2 or routes in or serving, and related culturally 

3 and linguistically appropriate education mate4 rials for, critically underserved communities to 

5 increase access and mobility to Federal or non6 Federal public land, inland and costal waters, 

7 parkland, or monuments. 

8 (B) JOINT PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary 

9 shall encourage joint partnership projects under 

10 the program, if available, among multiple agen11 cies, including school districts, nonprofit organi12 zations, metropolitan planning organizations, 

13 regional transportation authorities, transit 

14 agencies, and State and local governmental 

15 agencies (including park and recreation agen16 cies and authorities) to enhance investment of 

17 public sources. 

18 (C) ANNUAL GRANT PROJECT PROPOSAL

19 SOLICITATION, REVIEW, AND APPROVAL.— 

20 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

21 shall— 

22 (I) annually solicit the submis23 sion of project proposals for grants 

24 from eligible entities under the pro25 gram; and 


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1 (II) review each project proposal 

2 submitted under subclause (I) on a 

3 timeline established by the Secretary. 

4 (ii) REQUIRED ELEMENTS FOR

5 PROJECT PROPOSAL.—A project proposal 

6 submitted under clause (i)(I) shall in7 clude— 

8 (I) a statement of the purposes 

9 of the project; 

10 (II) the name of the entity or in11 dividual with overall responsibility for 

12 the project; 

13 (III) a description of the quali14 fications of the entity or individuals 

15 identified under subclause (II); 

16 (IV) a description of— 

17 (aa) staffing and stake18 holder engagement for the 

19 project; 

20 (bb) the logistics of the 

21 project; and 

22 (cc) anticipated outcomes of 

23 the project; 


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1 (V) a proposed budget for the 

2 funds and time required to complete 

3 the project; 

4 (VI) information regarding the 

5 source and amount of matching fund6 ing available for the project; 

7 (VII) information that dem8 onstrates the clear potential of the 

9 project to contribute to increased ac10 cess to parkland for critically under11 served communities; and 

12 (VIII) any other information that 

13 the Secretary considers to be nec14 essary for evaluating the eligibility of 

15 the project for funding under the pro16 gram. 

17 (iii) CONSULTATION; APPROVAL OR

18 DISAPPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, with 

19 respect to each project proposal submitted 

20 under this subparagraph, as appropriate— 

21 (I) consult with the government 

22 of each State in which the proposed 

23 project is to be conducted; 

24 (II) after taking into consider25 ation any comments resulting from 


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1 the consultation under subclause (I), 

2 approve or disapprove the proposal; 

3 and 

4 (III) provide written notification 

5 of the approval or disapproval to— 

6 (aa) the individual or entity 

7 that submitted the proposal; and 

8 (bb) each State consulted 

9 under subclause (I). 

10 (D) PRIORITY.—To the extent practicable, 

11 in determining whether to approve project pro12 posals under the program, the Secretary shall 

13 prioritize projects that— 

14 (i) are designed to increase access and 

15 mobility to local or neighborhood Federal 

16 or non-Federal public land, inland and 

17 costal waters, parkland, monuments, or 

18 recreational opportunities; 

19 (ii) utilize low or no emission vehicles; 

20 (iii) provide free or discounted rates 

21 for low income riders; 

22 (iv) provide opportunities for youth 

23 engagement; 


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1 (v) provide employment preference to 

2 individuals who reside in the community 

3 where the project is granted; 

4 (vi) projects established in commu5 nities of color, low-income communities, 

6 Tribal or indigenous communities, or rural 

7 communities; 

8 (vii) would capitalize on existing es9 tablished public-private partnerships; and 

10 (viii) comply with relevant regulations 

11 in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 

12 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). 

13 (3) TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCE14 DURES.— 

15 (A) PROCEDURES.—In consultation with 

16 the head of each appropriate Federal land man17 agement agency, the Secretary shall develop, by 

18 rule, transportation planning procedures for 

19 projects conducted under the program that are 

20 consistent with metropolitan and statewide 

21 planning processes. 

22 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the 

23 program, the Secretary shall ensure the fol24 lowing: 


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1 (i) All projects carried out under the 

2 program shall be developed in cooperation 

3 with applicable States and metropolitan 

4 planning organizations. 

5 (ii) All new transportation connectors 

6 and routes established under a project 

7 shall be accessible in accordance with the 

8 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 

9 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) accessibility 

10 specifications for transportation vehicles. 

11 (iii) The applicable State or metropoli12 tan organization shall— 

13 (I) meaningfully engage with rel14 evant stakeholders, and in par15 ticular— 

16 (aa) impacted community 

17 members; 

18 (bb) transportation partners; 

19 (cc) existing potential pas20 sengers; 

21 (dd) Tribes and tribal rep22 resentatives; and 

23 (ee) faith-based and commu24 nity-based organizations; and 


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1 (II) ensure that the input of the 

2 stakeholders described in subclause (I) 

3 is central to the determination of new 

4 connectors and routes. 

5 (4) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of 

7 the cost of an eligible project carried our under 

8 this subsection shall not exceed 80 percent. 

9 (B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Fed10 eral share of the cost of an eligible project car11 ried out under this subsection may be derived 

12 from in-kind contributions. 

13 (5) ELIGIBLE USES.—Grant funds provided 

14 under the program may be used— 

15 (A) to develop transportation connectors or 

16 routes in or serving, and related culturally and 

17 linguistically appropriate education materials 

18 for, critically underserved communities to in19 crease access and mobility to Federal and non20 Federal public land, inland and costal waters, 

21 parkland, and monuments; and 

22 (B) to create or significantly enhance ac23 cess to Federal or non-Federal public land and 

24 recreational opportunities in an urban area or 

25 a rural area. 


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1 (6) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant provided under 

2 the program shall be— 

3 (A) not less than $25,000; and 

4 (B) not more than $500,000. 

5 (7) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—It is the intent 

6 of Congress that grants provided under the program 

7 deliver project funds to areas of greatest need while 

8 offering technical assistance to all applicants and po9 tential applicants for grant preparation to encourage 

10 full participation in the program. 

11 (8) PUBLIC INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

12 shall ensure that current schedules and routes for 

13 transportation systems developed after the receipt of 

14 a grant under the program are available to the pub15 lic, including on a website maintained by the recipi16 ent of a grant. 

17 (c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.— 

18 (1) REPORTS BY GRANT RECIPIENTS.—The 

19 Secretary shall require a recipient of a grant under 

20 the program to submit to the Secretary at least 1 

21 performance and financial report that— 

22 (A) includes— 

23 (i) demographic data on communities 

24 served by the project; and 


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1 (ii) a summary of project activities 

2 conducted after receiving the grant; and 

3 (B) describes the status of each project 

4 funded by the grant as of the date of the re5 port. 

6 (2) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.—In addition to the 

7 report required under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

8 may require additional reports from a recipient, as 

9 the Secretary determines to be appropriate, includ10 ing a final report. 

11 (3) DEADLINES.—The Secretary shall establish 

12 deadlines for the submission of each report required 

13 under paragraph (1) or (2). 

14 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

15 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

16 $10,000,000 the first and second fiscal years that begin 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, $20,000,000 for 

18 the third and fourth fiscal year beginning after such date, 

19 and $40,000,000 for the fifth fiscal year beginning after 

20 such date. 

Æ 


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