I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2833 

To establish a program to improve community connectivity by identifying 

and removing or mitigating infrastructural barriers that create obstacles 

to mobility or economic development or expose the community to pollution 

and other health and safety risks, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2021 

Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. MFUME, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, and Mr. 

EVANS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To establish a program to improve community connectivity 

by identifying and removing or mitigating infrastructural 

barriers that create obstacles to mobility or economic 

development or expose the community to pollution and 

other health and safety risks, 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 ‘‘Reconnecting Commu5 nities Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANT.—The term 

2 ‘‘capital construction grant’’ means a capital con3 struction grant under subsection (f). 

4 (2) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION, 

5 AND CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT.—The term ‘‘com6 munity engagement, education, and capacity build7 ing grant’’ means a community engagement, edu8 cation, and capacity building grant under subsection 

9 (d). 

10 (3) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘‘com11 munity of color’’ means, in a State, a census block 

12 group for which the aggregate percentage of resi13 dents who identify as Black, African-American, 

14 American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, 

15 Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latino, other 

16 nonwhite race, or linguistically isolated is— 

17 (A) not less than 50 percent; or 

18 (B) significantly higher than the State av19 erage. 

20 (4) INFRASTRUCTURAL BARRIER.—The term 

21 ‘‘infrastructural barrier’’ means a highway (includ22 ing a limited access highway), a railway, a viaduct, 

23 a principal arterial facility, or any other transpor24 tation facility for which the high speeds, grade sepaVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2833.IH H2833

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1 ration, or other design factors create an obstacle to 

2 connectivity, including— 

3 (A) obstacles to walking, biking, and mo4 bility; 

5 (B) diminished access to destinations 

6 across the infrastructural barrier; or 

7 (C) barriers to the economic development 

8 of the surrounding neighborhood. 

9 (5) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low10 income community’’ means a census block group in 

11 which not less than 30 percent of the population 

12 lives below the poverty line (as defined in section 

13 673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 

14 U.S.C. 9902)). 

15 (6) PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY STUDY

16 GRANT.—The term ‘‘planning and feasibility study 

17 grant’’ means a planning and feasibility study grant 

18 under subsection (e). 

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

20 the program established under subsection (b). 

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

22 the Secretary of Transportation. 

23 (9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 

24 government’’ means the recognized governing body 

25 of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, 


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1 pueblo, village, community, component band, or com2 ponent reservation, individually identified (including 

3 parenthetically) in the list published most recently as 

4 of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant to sec5 tion 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 

6 List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 

7 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

9 a program to help communities— 

10 (A) identify infrastructural barriers within 

11 the community that— 

12 (i) create obstacles to mobility or eco13 nomic development; or 

14 (ii) expose the community to high lev15 els of particulate matter, noise pollution, 

16 and other public health and safety risks; 

17 (B) study the feasibility of improving, and 

18 develop plans to improve, community 

19 connectivity, including through— 

20 (i) removal or retrofit of an 

21 infrastructural barrier; or 

22 (ii) construction of facilities to miti23 gate the obstacle created by the 

24 infrastructural barrier by enhancing 


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1 connectivity across the infrastructural bar2 rier; 

3 (C) plan the redevelopment of any land 

4 made available by the removal or retrofit of the 

5 infrastructural barrier, with a focus on improve6 ments that will benefit the populations im7 pacted by or previously displaced by the 

8 infrastructural barrier; 

9 (D) access funding to carry out the activi10 ties described in subparagraphs (B) and (C); 

11 and 

12 (E) require the equity of any activities car13 ried out under the program, including by gar14 nering community engagement, avoiding dis15 placement, and ensuring local participation in 

16 jobs created through those activities. 

17 (2) TYPES OF GRANTS.—Under the program, 

18 the Secretary shall award the following types of 

19 grants: 

20 (A) Community engagement, education, 

21 and capacity building grants. 

22 (B) Planning and feasibility study grants. 

23 (C) Capital construction grants. 

24 (3) MULTIPLE GRANTS PERMITTED.—An eligi25 ble entity may apply for and receive funding from 


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1 more than 1 type of grant described in paragraph 

2 (2). 

3 (c) REQUIREMENT FOR PROJECT SELECTION.—To 

4 receive a grant under the program, a project shall provide 

5 the majority of project benefits to 1 or more communities 

6 of color or low-income communities. 

7 (d) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION, AND

8 CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.— 

9 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 

10 award a community engagement, education, and ca11 pacity building grant to carry out community en12 gagement, education, and capacity building activities 

13 described in paragraph (2) to— 

14 (A) a political subdivision of a State or 

15 local government; 

16 (B) a Tribal government; 

17 (C) a metropolitan planning organization; 

18 and 

19 (D) a nonprofit organization. 

20 (2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A community en21 gagement and capacity building activity referred to 

22 in paragraph (1) includes an activity— 

23 (A) to educate community members about 

24 opportunities to affect transportation and ecoVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:07 Jun 07, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2833.IH H2833

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1 nomic development planning and investment de2 cisions; 

3 (B) to build organizational or community 

4 capacity to engage in transportation and eco5 nomic development planning; 

6 (C) to identify community needs and de7 sires for community improvements; 

8 (D) to develop community-driven solutions 

9 to local challenges; 

10 (E) to conduct assessments of equity, mo11 bility and access, environmental justice, afford12 ability, economic opportunity, health outcomes, 

13 and other local goals; 

14 (F) to form a community advisory board in 

15 accordance with subsection (g); and 

16 (G) to engage community members in sce17 nario planning. 

18 (3) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

19 the cost of an activity carried out with funds from 

20 a community engagement, education, and capacity 

21 building grant may be up to 100 percent, at the dis22 cretion of the eligible entity. 

23 (e) PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY STUDY GRANTS.— 

24 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

2 award a planning and feasibility study grant to 

3 carry out planning activities described in para4 graph (2) to— 

5 (i) a State; 

6 (ii) a political subdivision of a State 

7 or local government; 

8 (iii) a Tribal government; 

9 (iv) a metropolitan planning organiza10 tion; and 

11 (v) a nonprofit organization. 

12 (B) PARTNERSHIPS.—In the case of an eli13 gible entity that is not the owner of the 

14 infrastructural barrier that is the subject of the 

15 planning and feasibility study grant, the eligible 

16 entity shall demonstrate the existence of a part17 nership with the owner of the infrastructural 

18 barrier. 

19 (2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A planning activity 

20 referred to in paragraph (1)(A) includes— 

21 (A) development of designs and artistic 

22 renderings to facilitate community engagement; 

23 (B) traffic studies, nonmotorized accessi24 bility analyses, equity needs analyses, and col25 lection of other relevant data; 


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1 (C) planning studies to evaluate the feasi2 bility of removing or retrofitting an 

3 infrastructural barrier, or the construction of 

4 facilities to mitigate the obstacle created by the 

5 infrastructural barrier by enhancing 

6 connectivity across the infrastructural barrier; 

7 (D) public engagement activities to provide 

8 opportunities for public input into a plan to re9 move, convert, or mitigate an infrastructural 

10 barrier; 

11 (E) environmental review, consultation, or 

12 other action required under any Federal envi13 ronmental law relating to the review or ap14 proval of a project to remove, retrofit, or miti15 gate an existing infrastructural barrier; 

16 (F) establishment of a community land 

17 trust for the development and use of real estate 

18 created by the removal or capping of an 

19 infrastructural barrier; and 

20 (G) other transportation planning activities 

21 required in advance of a project to remove, ret22 rofit or mitigate an existing infrastructural bar23 rier, as determined by the Secretary. 

24 (3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

2 provide to an eligible entity technical assistance 

3 in building organizational or community capac4 ity— 

5 (i) to engage in transportation plan6 ning; and 

7 (ii) to identify innovative solutions to 

8 infrastructure challenges, including recon9 necting communities that— 

10 (I) are bifurcated by eligible fa11 cilities; or 

12 (II) lack safe, reliable, and af13 fordable transportation choices. 

14 (B) PRIORITIES.—In selecting recipients of 

15 technical assistance under subparagraph (A), 

16 the Secretary shall give priority to an applica17 tion from a community that is economically dis18 advantaged. 

19 (4) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 

20 the cost of an activity carried out with funds from 

21 a planning and feasibility study grant shall be not 

22 more than 80 percent. 

23 (f) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANTS.— 

24 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 

25 award a capital construction grant to the owner of 


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1 an infrastructural barrier to carry out a project de2 scribed in paragraph (3) for which all necessary fea3 sibility studies and other planning activities have 

4 been completed. 

5 (2) PARTNERSHIPS.—For the purpose of sub6 mitting an application for a capital construction 

7 grant, an owner of an infrastructural barrier may, if 

8 applicable, partner with— 

9 (A) a State; 

10 (B) a unit of local government; 

11 (C) a Tribal government; 

12 (D) a metropolitan planning organization; 

13 or 

14 (E) a nonprofit organization. 

15 (3) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 

16 (A) IN GENERAL.—A project eligible to be 

17 carried out with a capital construction grant in18 cludes— 

19 (i) the removal of an infrastructural 

20 barrier; 

21 (ii) the retrofit of an infrastructural 

22 barrier in a way that enhances community 

23 connectivity and is sensitive to the context 

24 of the surrounding community, including 

25 retrofits to a highway to cap the facility or 


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1 replace the facility with an at-grade arte2 rial roadway; 

3 (iii) the construction of facilities that 

4 improve connectivity across the 

5 infrastructural barrier; 

6 (iv) the replacement of an 

7 infrastructural barrier with a new use or 

8 facility that has been identified by mem9 bers of the community; and 

10 (v) the construction of other transpor11 tation improvements that address the mo12 bility needs of the community. 

13 (B) EXCLUSION.—Funds from a capital 

14 construction grant shall not be used on a 

15 project that increases net capacity for vehicular 

16 travel. 

17 (4) PRIORITY FOR CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION

18 GRANTS.—In selecting eligible entities to receive a 

19 capital construction grant, the Secretary shall give 

20 priority to an eligible entity that— 

21 (A) has entered into a community benefits 

22 agreement with representatives of the commu23 nity; 


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1 (B) serves a community in which an anti2 displacement policy or a community land trust 

3 is in effect; 

4 (C) has formed a community advisory 

5 board under subsection (g); or 

6 (D) has demonstrated a plan for— 

7 (i) employing residents in the area im8 pacted by the activity or project through 

9 targeted hiring programs; and 

10 (ii) contracting and subcontracting 

11 with disadvantaged business enterprises. 

12 (5) REQUIREMENT.—In order to receive a cap13 ital construction grant, the owner of the 

14 infrastructural barrier shall demonstrate that the 

15 project is supported by the community in the imme16 diate vicinity of the project. 

17 (6) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

19 subparagraph (B), the Federal share of the cost 

20 of a project carried out with a capital construc21 tion grant may be not more than 80 percent. 

22 (B) MAXIMUM FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT.— 

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1 Federal share of the cost of a project for which 

2 the grant is awarded. 

3 (g) COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—To help achieve inclusive 

5 economic development benefits, an eligible entity 

6 may form a community advisory board, which 

7 shall— 

8 (A) facilitate community engagement with 

9 respect to the activity or project proposed to be 

10 carried out; and 

11 (B) track progress with respect to commit12 ments of the eligible entity to inclusive employ13 ment, contracting, and economic development 

14 under the activity or project. 

15 (2) MEMBERSHIP.—If an eligible entity forms a 

16 community advisory board under paragraph (1), the 

17 community advisory board shall be composed of rep18 resentatives of— 

19 (A) the community; 

20 (B) owners of businesses that serve the 

21 community; 

22 (C) labor organizations that represent 

23 workers that serve the community; and 

24 (D) State and local government. 


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1 (h) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—For each fiscal year, 

2 the Secretary may use not more than 2 percent of the 

3 amounts made available for the program for the costs of 

4 administering the program. 

5 (i) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 

7 the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 

8 Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infra9 structure of the House of Representatives a report that— 

10 (1) assesses the impacts and benefits of high11 way removals on congestion, mobility, and safety in 

12 the project vicinity, and the extent to which those 

13 impacts differ from projected impacts; 

14 (2) includes recommendations for how traffic 

15 forecasting should— 

16 (A) consider nonmotorized travel demand; 

17 and 

18 (B) track and be updated in response to 

19 observed travel behavior responses to changes in 

20 transportation capacity and land use; and 

21 (3) includes recommendations for how environ22 mental reviews for projects funded under the Fed23 eral-aid highway program should consider, identify, 

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1 minished access, including nonmotorized access, that 

2 will result from the project. 

3 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

4 authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust 

5 Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out 

6 this section $3,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

7 through 2026. 

Æ 


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