I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2177 
To review equity best practices in relation to transportation funding and 
to reinstitute the transportation equity research program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2021 
Mrs. TORRES of California (for herself, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Mrs. NAPOLI-
TANO, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. JACK-
SON LEE, Mr. CARBAJAL, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. VARGAS, Ms. 
BUSH, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. BOWMAN, and Ms. 
WILLIAMS of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To review equity best practices in relation to transportation 
funding and to reinstitute the transportation equity re-
search program. 
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 ‘‘Fair Transportation 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF COVERED POPULATIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) AFFORDABILITY.—The term ‘‘affordability’’ 
means the cost-burden threshold on households by 
income, including housing and transportation costs, 
which may be determined by the Federal agency car-
rying out a specific task such as a report or guid-
ance. 
(2) COVERED POPULATIONS.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered populations’’ means, as determined by the Fed-
eral agency applying such term— 
(A) communities of color; 
(B) low-income communities; 
(C) individuals with disabilities; 
(D) LGBTQ people; 
(E) people experiencing homelessness; 
(F) youth and elderly populations; 
(G) formerly incarcerated individuals; 
(H) women; and 
(I) individuals who are members of Indian 
tribes. 
SEC. 3. GAO REVIEW OF EQUITY CONSIDERATIONS AT 
STATE DEPARTMENTS OF TRANSPORTATION. 
(a) REVIEW REQUIRED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall undertake a re-
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view, to the extent practicable, of the extent to which 
State departments of transportation consider equity 
and improve equity outcomes in the use of Federal 
surface transportation funds at all phases of project 
delivery, including— 
(A) the transportation planning, project se-
lection, and project delivery; and 
(B) considerations of the diverse transpor-
tation needs of covered populations. 
(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the re-
view under paragraph (1), the Comptroller General 
shall— 
(A) consider relevant State department of 
transportation practices and transportation eq-
uity measures and the impacts of such meas-
ures and practices on covered populations expe-
riencing differential impacts in the surface 
transportation sector; 
(B) evaluate, to the extent possible, wheth-
er any such equity measures and practices con-
sider the access, affordability, safety, conven-
ience, resilience, and reliability of transpor-
tation in covered populations; and 
(C) evaluate, to the extent possible, wheth-
er such measures and practices consider the im-
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pact of surface transportation funding on the 
distribution of economic benefits such as from 
job creation and receipts of Federal funding by 
the community, of transportation in covered 
populations. 
(b) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and In-
frastructure and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Environ-
ment and Public Works, the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation, the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs, and the Committee on Ap-
propriations of the Senate, and make available on a pub-
licly accessible website, a report detailing— 
(1) the findings based on the review in sub-
section (a); 
(2) any recommendations for State departments 
of transportation to improve equity considerations 
and incorporate equity considerations into all phases 
of project delivery, including the planning, bidding, 
project design, and project selection process as well 
as how bids are advertised and awarded, which may 
be in the form of model legislation, best practices, or 
guidance; and 
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(3) recommended actions the Secretary of 
Transportation could take, if any, to effectively ad-
dress the recommendations provided under para-
graph (2) to improve equity considerations in the 
surface transportation sector. 
SEC. 4. TRANSPORTATION EQUITY RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall carry out a transportation equity research program 
for research and demonstration activities that focus on the 
impacts that surface transportation planning, investment, 
and operations have on covered populations. 
(b) ACTIVITIES.—Demonstration activities referred 
to in subsection (a) shall include research on surface 
transportation equity issues such as infrastructure bar-
riers that cut off individuals and communities from essen-
tial jobs and services, (including inadequate services ren-
dered during natural and man-made disasters), access to 
publicly-owned and public benefit data, data gathering and 
analyzing particularly to support the development of eq-
uity measures, as well as the development of strategies to 
advance economic and community development in public 
transportation-dependent populations. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025. 
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