I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2859 
To establish the Restoring Neighborhoods and Strengthening Communities 
Program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2021 
Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish the Restoring Neighborhoods and Strengthening 
Communities 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 ‘‘Restoring Neighbor-
hoods and Strengthening Communities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. RESTORING NEIGHBORHOODS AND STRENGTH-
ENING COMMUNITIES PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANT.—The term 
‘‘capital construction grant’’ means a capital con-
struction grant under subsection (e). 
(2) COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT, 
EDUCATION, 
AND CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT.—The term ‘‘com-
munity engagement, education, and capacity build-
ing grant’’ means a community engagement, edu-
cation, and capacity building grant under subsection 
(c). 
(3) COMMUNITY
LAND
TRUST.—The term 
‘‘community land trust’’ means a nonprofit organiza-
tion established or with the responsibility, as appli-
cable— 
(A) to develop the real estate created by 
the removal or capping of an infrastructural 
barrier; and 
(B) to carry out anti-displacement or com-
munity development strategies, including— 
(i) affordable housing preservation 
and development; 
(ii) homeownership and property im-
provement programs; 
(iii) the development or rehabilitation 
of park space or recreation facilities; and 
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(iv) community revitalization and eco-
nomic development projects. 
(4) ENVIRONMENTAL
JUSTICE
COMMUNITY.— 
The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 
a community with significant representation of com-
munities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal 
and indigenous populations that experiences, or is at 
risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human 
health or environmental effects, as compared to 
other communities. 
(5) INFRASTRUCTURAL
BARRIER.—The term 
‘‘infrastructural barrier’’ means a highway (includ-
ing a limited access highway), a railway, a viaduct, 
a principal arterial facility, or any other transpor-
tation facility for which the high speeds, grade sepa-
ration, or other design factors contribute to negative 
health impacts on adjacent communities or create an 
obstacle to connectivity, including— 
(A) obstacles to walking, biking, and mo-
bility; 
(B) diminished access to destinations 
across the infrastructural barrier; or 
(C) barriers to the economic development 
of the surrounding neighborhood. 
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(6) 
PLANNING
AND
FEASIBILITY
STUDY 
GRANT.—The term ‘‘planning and feasibility study 
grant’’ means a planning and feasibility study grant 
under subsection (e). 
(7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the program established under subsection (b). 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
(9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
government’’ means the recognized governing body 
of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, 
pueblo, village, community, component band, or com-
ponent reservation, individually identified (including 
parenthetically) in the list published most recently as 
of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant to sec-
tion 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 
List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a program to help communities— 
(A) identify infrastructural barriers within 
the community that— 
(i) create obstacles to mobility or eco-
nomic development; or 
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(ii) expose the community to high lev-
els of particulate matter, noise pollution, 
and other public health and safety risks; 
(B) study the feasibility of improving, and 
develop 
plans 
to 
improve, 
community 
connectivity, including through— 
(i) 
removal 
or 
retrofit 
of 
an 
infrastructural barrier; or 
(ii) construction or adaptive reuse of 
facilities to mitigate the obstacle created 
by the infrastructural barrier by enhancing 
connectivity across the infrastructural bar-
rier; 
(C) plan the redevelopment of any land 
made available by the removal or retrofit of the 
infrastructural barrier, with a focus on improve-
ments that will benefit the populations im-
pacted by or previously displaced by the 
infrastructural barrier; 
(D) access funding to carry out the activi-
ties described in subparagraphs (B) and (C); 
and 
(E) require the equity of any activities car-
ried out under the program, including by gar-
nering community engagement, avoiding dis-
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placement, and ensuring local participation in 
jobs created through those activities. 
(2) TYPES OF GRANTS.—Under the program, 
the Secretary shall award the following types of 
grants: 
(A) Community engagement, education, 
and capacity building grants. 
(B) Planning and feasibility study grants. 
(C) Capital construction grants. 
(3) MULTIPLE GRANTS PERMITTED.—An eligi-
ble entity may apply for and receive funding from 
more than 1 type of grant described in paragraph 
(2). 
(c) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION, AND 
CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
award a community engagement, education, and ca-
pacity building grant to carry out community en-
gagement, education, and capacity building activities 
described in paragraph (2) to— 
(A) a unit of local government, a metro-
politan planning organization, or a group of 
local governments; 
(B) a Tribal government or a consortium 
of Tribal governments; 
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(C) a political subdivision of a State or 
local government; 
(D) a special purpose district or a public 
authority with a transportation function; and 
(E) a nonprofit organization. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A community en-
gagement and capacity building activity referred to 
in paragraph (1) includes an activity— 
(A) to educate community members about 
opportunities to affect transportation and eco-
nomic development planning and investment de-
cisions; 
(B) to build organizational or community 
capacity to engage in transportation and eco-
nomic development planning; 
(C) to identify community needs and de-
sires for community improvements; 
(D) to develop community-driven solutions 
to local challenges; 
(E) to conduct assessments of equity, mo-
bility and access, environmental justice, afford-
ability, economic opportunity, health outcomes, 
and other local goals; 
(F) to form a Community Advisory Board 
in accordance with subsection (f); and 
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(G) to engage community members in sce-
nario planning. 
(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the cost of an activity carried out with funds from 
a community engagement, education, and capacity 
building grant may be up to 100 percent, at the dis-
cretion of the eligible entity. 
(4) LIMITATION.—Of the amounts made avail-
able to carry out this section each fiscal year, the 
Secretary may use not more than 20 percent to 
award community engagement, education, and ca-
pacity building grants. 
(d) PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY STUDY GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
award a planning and feasibility study grant to 
carry out planning activities described in para-
graph (2) to— 
(i) a State or group of States; 
(ii) a unit of local government, a met-
ropolitan planning organization, or a group 
of local governments; 
(iii) a Tribal government or a consor-
tium of Tribal governments; 
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(iv) a political subdivision of a State 
or local government; 
(v) a special purpose district or a pub-
lic authority with a transportation func-
tion; 
(vi) 
a 
multi-State 
or 
multijuris-
dictional group of public entities; and 
(vii) a nonprofit organization. 
(B) PARTNERSHIPS.—In the case of an eli-
gible entity that is not the owner of the 
infrastructural barrier that is the subject of the 
planning and feasibility study grant, the eligible 
entity shall demonstrate the existence of a part-
nership with the owner of the infrastructural 
barrier. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A planning activity 
referred to in paragraph (1)(A) includes— 
(A) development of designs and artistic 
renderings to facilitate community engagement; 
(B) traffic studies, nonmotorized accessi-
bility analyses, equity needs analyses, and col-
lection of other relevant data; 
(C) planning studies to evaluate the feasi-
bility 
of 
removing 
or 
retrofitting 
an 
infrastructural barrier, or the construction or 
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constructive reuse of facilities to mitigate the 
obstacle created by the infrastructural barrier 
by 
enhancing 
connectivity 
across 
the 
infrastructural barrier; 
(D) public engagement activities to provide 
opportunities for public input into a plan to re-
move, convert, or mitigate an infrastructural 
barrier; 
(E) environmental review, consultation, or 
other action required under any Federal envi-
ronmental law relating to the review or ap-
proval of a project to remove, retrofit, or miti-
gate an existing infrastructural barrier; 
(F) establishment of a community land 
trust; and 
(G) other transportation planning activities 
required in advance of a project to remove, ret-
rofit or mitigate an existing infrastructural bar-
rier, as determined by the Secretary. 
(3) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to 
receive a planning and feasibility study grant, the 
Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that 
seek to carry out a traffic study that includes con-
sideration of— 
(A) safety; 
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(B) health impacts; 
(C) levels of single-occupancy vehicular 
travel; 
(D) access to jobs and services; and 
(E) levels of traffic stress. 
(4) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Federal share of the cost of an 
activity carried out with funds from a planning 
and feasibility study grant shall be not more 
than 80 percent. 
(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 
the non-Federal share requirement under sub-
paragraph (A) if the Secretary determines that 
the recipient of a grant cannot meet the re-
quirement due to financial hardship. 
(e) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
award a capital construction grant to the owner of 
an infrastructural barrier to carry out a project de-
scribed in paragraph (3) for which all necessary fea-
sibility studies and other planning activities have 
been completed. 
(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—For the purpose of sub-
mitting an application for a capital construction 
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grant, an owner of an infrastructural barrier may, if 
applicable, partner with— 
(A) a State or group of States; 
(B) a unit of local government, a metro-
politan planning organization, or a group of 
local governments; 
(C) a Tribal government or a consortium 
of Tribal governments; 
(D) a political subdivision of a State or 
local government; 
(E) a special purpose district or a public 
authority with a transportation function; 
(F) a multi-State or multijurisdictional 
group of public entities; or 
(G) a nonprofit organization. 
(3) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A project eligible to be 
carried out with a capital construction grant in-
cludes— 
(i) the removal of an infrastructural 
barrier; 
(ii) the retrofit of an infrastructural 
barrier in a way that enhances community 
connectivity and is sensitive to the context 
of the surrounding community, including 
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retrofits to a highway to cap the facility or 
replace the facility with an at-grade arte-
rial roadway; 
(iii) the construction or adaptive reuse 
of facilities that improve connectivity 
across the infrastructural barrier; 
(iv) 
the 
replacement 
of 
an 
infrastructural barrier with a new use or 
facility that has been identified by mem-
bers of the community; and 
(v) the construction of other transpor-
tation improvements that address the mo-
bility needs of the community. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—Funds from a capital 
construction grant shall not be used on a 
project that increases net capacity for vehicular 
travel. 
(4) PRIORITY
FOR
CAPITAL
CONSTRUCTION 
GRANTS.—In selecting eligible entities to receive a 
capital construction grant, the Secretary shall give 
priority to eligible entities that— 
(A) provide the majority of project benefits 
to 1 or more environmental justice commu-
nities; 
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(B) have entered into a community bene-
fits agreement with representatives of the com-
munity; 
(C) have formed a Community Advisory 
Board under subsection (f); 
(D) have demonstrated a plan for improv-
ing transit services, mobility for pedestrians 
and bicyclists, or enhancing safety features for 
nonmotorists (as that term is used in the Fatal-
ity Analysis Reporting System of the National 
Highway Traffic Safety Administration); 
(E) have demonstrated a plan for reducing 
greenhouse gas emissions or improving air qual-
ity; or 
(F) have demonstrated a plan for— 
(i) employing residents in the area im-
pacted by the activity or project through 
targeted hiring programs; and 
(ii) contracting and subcontracting 
with disadvantaged business enterprises. 
(5) REQUIREMENTS.— 
(A) COMMUNITY
SUPPORT.—In order to 
receive a capital construction grant, the owner 
of the applicable infrastructural barrier shall 
demonstrate that the project is supported by 
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the community in the immediate vicinity of the 
project. 
(B) ANTI-DISPLACEMENT POLICY OR COM-
MUNITY LAND TRUST REQUIRED.—In order to 
receive a capital construction grant, the owner 
of the applicable infrastructural barrier shall 
demonstrate that the project serves a commu-
nity in which an anti-displacement policy or a 
community land trust is in effect. 
(C) BUY AMERICA.—A capital construction 
grant may not be used to carry out an eligible 
project unless the project complies with section 
313 of title 23, United States Code. 
(6) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraphs (B) and (C), the Federal share 
of the cost of a project carried out with a cap-
ital construction grant may be not more than 
80 percent. 
(B) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive 
the non-Federal share requirement under sub-
paragraph (A) if the Secretary determines that 
the recipient of a grant cannot meet the re-
quirement due to financial hardship. 
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(C) MAXIMUM FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT.— 
Federal assistance other than a capital con-
struction grant may be used to satisfy the non- 
Federal share of the cost of a project for which 
the grant is awarded. 
(f) COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—To help achieve inclusive 
economic development benefits, an eligible entity 
may form a community advisory board, which 
shall— 
(A) facilitate community engagement with 
respect to the activity or project proposed to be 
carried out; and 
(B) track progress with respect to commit-
ments of the eligible entity to inclusive employ-
ment, contracting, and economic development 
under the activity or project. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—If an eligible entity forms a 
community advisory board under paragraph (1), the 
community advisory board shall be composed of rep-
resentatives of— 
(A) residents in the immediate vicinity of 
the project; 
(B) owners of businesses that serve the 
community; 
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(C) labor organizations that represent 
workers that serve the community; and 
(D) State and local government. 
(3) COLLECTION OF DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMA-
TION.— 
(A) COLLECTION.—The Secretary shall 
provide for the collection of demographic infor-
mation of the membership of community advi-
sory boards formed under paragraph (1). 
(B) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—The Sec-
retary shall establish appropriate procedures— 
(i) to protect the personally identi-
fying information submitted under sub-
paragraph (A); and 
(ii) to ensure that any information 
collected under this paragraph is not in-
cluded when an application for a grant 
under this section is examined. 
(C) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The Sec-
retary shall, on a biennial basis, submit to Con-
gress a report that— 
(i) evaluates the information collected 
under this paragraph; and 
(ii) includes recommendations— 
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(I) to improve the diversity of 
community advisory boards formed 
under paragraph (1); and 
(II) to improve data collection 
under this paragraph. 
(g) STUDY ON INFRASTRUCTURAL BARRIERS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct 
a study— 
(A) to identify communities across the 
United States that have infrastructural bar-
riers; and 
(B) to measure the environmental, public 
health, and economic harm done to the commu-
nities identified under subparagraph (A) as a 
result of those infrastructural barriers. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consult 
with— 
(A) State departments of transportation; 
(B) units of local government, Tribal gov-
ernments, and metropolitan planning organiza-
tions that represent jurisdictions impacted by 
infrastructural barriers; and 
(C) special purpose districts and public au-
thorities with a transportation function. 
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(3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress and make publicly available a re-
port describing the results of the study conducted 
under paragraph (1). 
(4) MAP.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall estab-
lish an online tool to map infrastructural barriers 
identified in the study conducted under paragraph 
(1). 
(h) DAVIS-BACON.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, all laborers and mechanics em-
ployed by contractors or subcontractors on projects 
carried out in whole or in part using a grant under 
the program shall be paid wages at rates not less 
than those prevailing on projects of a similar char-
acter in the locality as determined by the Secretary 
of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chap-
ter 31 of title 40, United States Code (commonly 
known as the ‘‘Davis-Bacon Act’’). 
(2) AUTHORITY.—With respect to the labor 
standards specified in paragraph (1), the Secretary 
of Labor shall have the authority and functions set 
forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 
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(64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of 
title 40, United States Code. 
(i) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—For each fiscal year, 
the Secretary may use not more than 2 percent of the 
amounts made available for the program for the costs of 
administering the program. 
(j) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure of the House of Representatives a report that— 
(1) assesses the impacts and benefits of high-
way removals on congestion, mobility, and safety in 
the project vicinity, and the extent to which those 
impacts differ from projected impacts; 
(2) includes recommendations for how traffic 
forecasting should— 
(A) consider nonmotorized travel demand; 
and 
(B) track and be updated in response to 
observed travel behavior responses to changes in 
transportation capacity and land use; and 
(3) includes recommendations for how environ-
mental reviews for projects funded under the Fed-
eral-aid highway program should consider, identify, 
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and quantify, during project development, any di-
minished access, including nonmotorized access, that 
will result from the project. 
(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated 
to 
carry 
out 
the 
program 
$3,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 
through 2026. 
(2) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITIES.— 
Of the amounts made available under paragraph (1) 
for each fiscal year, not less than 40 percent shall 
be directed towards environmental justice commu-
nities. 
Æ 
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