I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1448 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Transpor-
tation to carry out a transit accessibility innovation program, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 18, 2015 
Mr. LANGEVIN (for himself, Mr. COHEN, Mr. QUIGLEY, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, 
and Ms. DUCKWORTH) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Sec-
retary of Transportation to carry out a transit accessi-
bility innovation program, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transit Accessibility 
Innovation Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY INNOVATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 53 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by inserting after section 5307 
the following: 
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‘‘§ 5308. Transit accessibility innovation program 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 
transit accessibility innovation program in accordance 
with the requirements of this section to encourage public 
transit systems to take actions to address deficiencies in 
service for individuals with disabilities. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Secretary shall distribute amounts made 
available to carry out this section as competitive dis-
cretionary grants to public transit agencies for eligi-
ble projects. 
‘‘(2) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—The Secretary 
shall develop criteria to ensure that projects receiv-
ing funding under the program are innovative and 
replicable in other communities, and will result in a 
substantive improvement in service for individuals 
with disabilities. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In order to be eligible to 
receive a grant under the program, a public transit 
agency shall submit to the Secretary an application 
at such time, in such form, and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. 
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‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—An application for a grant 
under the program shall contain, at a minimum, a 
description of— 
‘‘(A) the project for which the applicant is 
seeking funding; 
‘‘(B) the anticipated benefits the project 
will deliver for the following long-term out-
comes: community integration, safety, accessi-
bility, quality, coordination, and customer serv-
ice; 
‘‘(C) the expected contribution of the 
project to the inclusion of individuals with dis-
abilities in the delivery of public transportation 
and ADA paratransit service; 
‘‘(D) the ability of the project to facilitate 
innovation in providing public transportation to 
individuals with disabilities; and 
‘‘(E) the ability of the project to attract 
new partnerships and non-Federal funding, in-
cluding State, local, private, and philanthropic 
funding. 
‘‘(3) COMMUNITY
COORDINATION
REQUIRE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION.—To ensure that 
projects receiving funding under this section ad-
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dress the needs of individuals with disabilities 
in a geographic area, an application for a grant 
under the program shall contain a certification 
that— 
‘‘(i) each project for which the appli-
cant is seeking funding is included in a lo-
cally developed, coordinated public transit- 
human services transportation plan; and 
‘‘(ii) the plan was developed and ap-
proved through a process that included 
community participation, including by— 
‘‘(I) seniors; 
‘‘(II) individuals with disabilities; 
‘‘(III) representatives of public, 
private, and nonprofit transportation 
and human service providers; and 
‘‘(IV) other members of the pub-
lic. 
‘‘(B) USE OF EXISTING PLANS.—A plan 
used to coordinate the funding of projects 
under section 5310 may be used to satisfy the 
requirements of subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION.—The requirements of 
this paragraph shall not apply to the transpor-
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tation promotion pilot program established 
under this section. 
‘‘(d) FACTORS.—In providing grant funds for 
projects under the program, the Secretary shall consider, 
at a minimum, the ability of the project to— 
‘‘(1) enhance accessibility to rail and fixed 
route bus service; 
‘‘(2) promote paratransit coordination with 
other programs and utilize other revenue streams; 
‘‘(3) increase service quality to address cus-
tomer complaints; 
‘‘(4) provide fixed route travel training for pas-
sengers and specialized training for paratransit per-
sonnel; 
‘‘(5) reduce turnover through increased wages 
and benefits, and increase monitoring, in the provi-
sion of ADA paratransit; 
‘‘(6) provide ADA complementary paratransit 
services in a way that maximizes quality, reliability, 
safety, customer satisfaction, and a stable workforce 
by determining what factors within contracting 
might impact the quality of ADA paratransit serv-
ices; 
‘‘(7) improve ADA paratransit on-time perform-
ance and interoperability with other transportation 
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services available to people with disabilities, both 
public and private; 
‘‘(8) delay or suspend proposed ADA para-
transit service cuts triggered by the elimination or 
cutting of fixed route bus routes; 
‘‘(9) delay or suspend cuts for paratransit serv-
ices that exceed ADA requirements, except that 
grant funds may not be issued under this section 
more than once for the same route (or a signifi-
cantly similar route); 
‘‘(10) increase opportunities for community in-
tegration and independence of people with disabil-
ities by promoting access to employment and other 
resources; and 
‘‘(11) augment passenger safety, without com-
promising passengers’ rights under the ADA. 
‘‘(e) PRACTICES TO PROMOTE SUCCESSFUL OUT-
COMES AND SHARING OF INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(1) PRIORITY.—In providing grant funds for 
eligible projects under the program, the Secretary 
shall give priority to projects that are replicable in 
other communities using existing resources. 
‘‘(2) SET ASIDE FOR ACTIVITIES TO PROMOTE 
SHARING
OF
BEST
PRACTICES.—For each fiscal 
year, the Secretary shall— 
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‘‘(A) set aside 2 percent of the funds made 
available to carry out this section; and 
‘‘(B) use those amounts to carry out activi-
ties to ensure that innovative practices, pro-
gram models, and new service delivery options 
are collected, reviewed, and disseminated to 
other public transit agencies, so that the prac-
tices, models, and options can be replicated in 
other communities. 
‘‘(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary 
shall provide technical assistance to recipients of 
grant funds under the program to ensure that the 
projects carried out using the funds are successful. 
‘‘(f) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.— 
‘‘(1) ADA MINIMUM
STANDARDS.—Funds re-
ceived under the program may not be used to meet 
the minimum standards of the ADA, including ADA 
complementary paratransit service requirements. 
‘‘(2) CERTIFICATION.—To ensure that grant 
activities are not supplanting existing, budgeted 
services and that public transit agencies are uphold-
ing maintenance of effort on existing programs, a 
public transit agency receiving grant funds under 
the program shall— 
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‘‘(A) certify that the funds will not be used 
to pay for existing services; or 
‘‘(B) provide an explanation as to why the 
existing services are justified grant activities. 
‘‘(g) GRANT REQUIREMENTS.—A grant under this 
section shall be subject to the same requirements as a 
grant under section 5307, except that any public transit 
agency may use grant funds received under the program 
for operating expenses. 
‘‘(h) TRANSPORTATION PROMOTION PILOT PRO-
GRAM.— 
‘‘(1) SET ASIDE.—For each fiscal year, the Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(A) set aside 1 percent of the funds made 
available to carry out this section or $100,000, 
whichever amount is greater; and 
‘‘(B) use those amounts to carry out a 
transportation promotion pilot program under 
this subsection. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the transpor-
tation promotion pilot program shall be to ensure 
that— 
‘‘(A) public transit agencies fulfill their re-
quirements under the ADA; and 
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‘‘(B) individuals with disabilities have ad-
vocates to ensure greater opportunities for inte-
gration and access into transit systems. 
‘‘(3) GRANT AUTHORITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 
transportation promotion pilot program, the 
Secretary shall make grants to— 
‘‘(i) agencies implementing a system 
established under section 143 of the Devel-
opmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill 
of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15043) 
that have demonstrated histories of trans-
portation expertise or advocacy; and 
‘‘(ii) nonprofit organizations that have 
demonstrated histories of transportation 
expertise or advocacy. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to re-
ceive a grant under this paragraph, an agency 
or organization shall demonstrate to the Sec-
retary that the agency or organization— 
‘‘(i) has a mission that includes indi-
vidual or systemic advocacy and moni-
toring to address the transportation needs 
of individuals with disabilities; and 
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‘‘(ii) has the support of other organi-
zations in the disability community. 
‘‘(C) USE OF GRANTS.—Grants funds re-
ceived under this paragraph shall be used to 
fund individual or systemic advocacy and moni-
toring to address the transportation needs of 
people with disabilities. 
‘‘(i) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 
Nothing in this section may be construed to affect projects 
or activities carried out under section 5310 or the funding 
of such projects or activities. 
‘‘(j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) ADA.—The term ‘ADA’ means the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 
et seq.). 
‘‘(2) ADA PARATRANSIT.—The term ‘ADA 
paratransit’ means the provision of nonfixed route 
paratransit transportation services in accordance 
with section 223 of the ADA (42 U.S.C. 12143). 
‘‘(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2021.’’. 
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