I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3013 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 

for removing transportation barriers to accessing vaccines for SARS– 

CoV–2, including booster vaccines, for individuals from low-income communities, minority communities, or other communities in which transportation poses a barrier to health care access, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 7, 2021 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N (for herself, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 

RUIZ, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 

to award grants for removing transportation barriers to 

accessing vaccines for SARS–CoV–2, including booster 

vaccines, for individuals from low-income communities, 

minority communities, or other communities in which 

transportation poses a barrier to health care access, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID Vaccine Trans3 portation Access Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE AC5 CESS AND MOBILITY. 

6 (a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— 

7 (1) AWARDS.—The Secretary shall award 

8 grants to qualified community organizations to as9 sist in financing projects to remove transportation 

10 barriers to accessing vaccines for SARS–CoV–2, in11 cluding booster vaccines, for individuals from low-in12 come communities, minority communities, or other 

13 communities in which transportation poses a barrier 

14 to health care access. 

15 (2) TRANSFER OF DUTIES.—The Secretary 

16 shall— 

17 (A) enter into agreements with State 

18 health agencies for purposes of carrying out the 

19 duties assigned to the Secretary under this sec20 tion; and 

21 (B) transfer to such agencies for such pur22 poses funds appropriated to carry out this sec23 tion. 

24 (b) APPLICATION.—A qualified community organiza25 tion seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the 

26 Secretary an application that contains— 


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1 (1) a description of the project to be funded 

2 through the grant; 

3 (2) an identification of all project partners and 

4 their specific role in the proposed project, including 

5 private for-profit and nonprofit entities engaged in 

6 the coordination of transportation services for the 

7 project; and 

8 (3) specific performance measures the qualified 

9 community organization will use to reduce cancella10 tions or missed appointments. 

11 (c) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE.—Each grant award12 ed under subsection (a) shall be for a period of perform13 ance of no less than 6 months. 

14 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—Each grant awarded under 

15 subsection (a)— 

16 (1) shall be used to develop, expand, and en17 hance access to transportation to and from sites for 

18 receipt of a vaccine for SARS–CoV–2, including a 

19 booster vaccine, by individuals from low-income com20 munities, minority communities, or other commu21 nities in which transportation poses a barrier to 

22 health care access; and 

23 (2) may be used to— 

24 (A) provide prescheduled or on-demand 

25 transportation to and from a site for adminisVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:57 Jun 22, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3013.IH H3013

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1 tration of a SARS–CoV–2 vaccine, including a 

2 booster vaccine; or 

3 (B) provide first and last mile transpor4 tation services for appointments for administra5 tion of such a vaccine. 

6 (e) REPORT.—As a condition on receipt of a grant 

7 under this section, a grantee shall agree to submit a re8 port, not later than 6 months after the completion of the 

9 period of performance of the grant— 

10 (1) to the Secretary, the Committee on Energy 

11 and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and 

12 the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 

13 Pensions of the Senate; and 

14 (2) containing such information the Secretary 

15 determines necessary to evaluate performance under 

16 the grant. 

17 (f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 

18 (1) FIRST AND LAST MILE.—The term ‘‘first 

19 and last mile’’ means, with respect to transportation 

20 services and an individual’s trip to and from a vac21 cine appointment— 

22 (A) transportation— 

23 (i) between the individual’s point of 

24 trip origin and a source of public transit; 

25 and 


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1 (ii) between a source of public transit 

2 and the individual’s destination; or 

3 (B) where no source of public transit is 

4 available, transportation between the individ5 ual’s point of trip origin and the individual’s 

6 destination. 

7 (2) QUALIFIED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.— 

8 The term ‘‘qualified community organization’’ means 

9 an organization that— 

10 (A) is a nonprofit organization; and 

11 (B) has experience in— 

12 (i) managing Federal grants; and 

13 (ii) providing services to low-income 

14 or minority communities or communities 

15 that disproportionately experience dispari16 ties in health status and health care ac17 cess. 

18 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

19 the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 

20 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

22 necessary to carry out this section. 

23 SEC. 3. FEDERAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PERCENTAGE. 

24 Section 1905(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

25 1396d(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following 


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1 new sentence: ‘‘Notwithstanding the first sentence of this 

2 subsection, the Federal medical assistance percentage 

3 shall be 100 per centum with respect to amounts expended 

4 for nonemergency transportation benefits provided to indi5 viduals eligible for medical assistance under this sub6 chapter that are attributable to transportation costs in7 curred on or after the date of the enactment of this sen8 tence related to providing coronavirus vaccines to such in9 dividuals under the State plan.’’. 

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