I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1697 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to increase accessible transportation 
for individuals with disabilities. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 9, 2021 
Mr. LANGEVIN (for himself and Ms. TITUS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to increase accessible 
transportation for individuals with disabilities. 
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 ‘‘Disability Access to 
Transportation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, 1 in 4 U.S. adults has a dis-
ability. 
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(2) Section 2(b) of the Americans with Disabil-
ities Act (42 U.S.C. 12101) recognized that individ-
uals with disabilities face discrimination when using 
transportation services and sought to provide ‘‘a 
clear and comprehensive national mandate for the 
elimination of discrimination against individuals with 
disabilities’’. 
(3) 30 years after the enactment of the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act, individuals with disabil-
ities continue to face systemic discrimination and a 
lack of accessible transportation options. 
(4) Transportation is a core component of inde-
pendent living; without the ability to easily move 
from one location to another, especially to drop a 
child off at day care, arrive at work on time, or run 
basic errands, true community living is impossible. 
(5) Technology is changing the way the trans-
portation industry provides services. 
(6) As technology continues to change the way 
people move from one place to another, the transpor-
tation sector, including Federal agencies, local tran-
sit systems, and private entities must innovate and 
provide services in a way that empowers individuals 
with disabilities to travel independently in their com-
munities. 
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SEC. 3. ONE-STOP PARATRANSIT PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall establish a one-stop paratransit pilot program. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the pilot program 
under this section is to develop or expand paratransit pro-
grams carried out pursuant to the ADA to provide for 1 
stop of at least 15 minutes outside of the vehicle during 
a paratransit trip to prevent long wait times between mul-
tiple trips that unduly limit an individual’s ability to com-
plete essential tasks. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An entity eligible to partici-
pate in the pilot program is a transit agency that 
agrees to track and share information as the Sec-
retary requires, including— 
(A) number of ADA paratransit trips con-
ducted each year; 
(B) requested time of each paratransit 
trip; 
(C) scheduled time of each paratransit 
trip; 
(D) actual pickup time for each para-
transit trip; 
(E) average length of a stop in the middle 
of a ride as allowed by this section; 
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(F) any complaints received by a para-
transit rider; 
(G) rider satisfaction with paratransit 
services; and 
(H) after the completion of the pilot pro-
gram, an assessment by the eligible entity of its 
capacity to continue a one-stop program inde-
pendently. 
(2) PREFERENCE.—The Secretary shall give 
preference to entities that— 
(A) have comparable data for the year 
prior to implementation of the pilot program 
that can be used by the Secretary and other or-
ganizations, such as nonprofit organizations 
and advocacy organizations, for research pur-
poses; and 
(B) plan to use agency personnel to imple-
ment the pilot program. 
(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to participate in 
the pilot program, an eligible entity shall submit to the 
Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 
and containing such information as the Secretary may re-
quire, including information on— 
(1) locations the eligible entity intends to allow 
a stop at, if stops are limited, including— 
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(A) childcare or education facilities; 
(B) pharmacies; 
(C) grocery stores; and 
(D) bank or ATM locations; 
(2) methodology for informing the public of the 
pilot program; 
(3) vehicles, personnel, and other resources that 
will be used to implement the pilot program; and 
(4) if the applicant does not intend the pilot 
program to apply to the full area under the jurisdic-
tion of the applicant, a description of the geographic 
area in which the applicant intends the pilot pro-
gram to apply. 
(e) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall seek to achieve 
diversity of participants in the pilot program by selecting 
a range of eligible entities that includes at least 5 of each 
of the following: 
(1) An eligible entity that serves an area with 
a population of 200,000 people or fewer. 
(2) An eligible entity that serves an area with 
a population of over 200,000 people. 
(3) An eligible entity that provides transpor-
tation for rural communities. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 3 months after the con-
clusion of the first 15 pilot projects carried out under this 
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section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report 
on the results of the program, including the feasibility of 
developing and implementing one-stop programs for all 
ADA paratransit services. 
(g) FUNDING.— 
(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the total cost of a project carried out under this sec-
tion may not exceed 80 percent. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2022 through 2026. 
SEC. 4. PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF- 
WAY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Architectural and 
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, pursuant to 
section 502(b)(3) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 
U.S.C. 792(b)(3)), shall publish final accessibility guide-
lines setting forth minimum standards for pedestrian fa-
cilities in the public right-of-way, including shared use 
paths. 
(b) ADOPTION OF REGULATIONS.—Not later than 
180 days after the establishment of the guidelines pursu-
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ant to subsection (a), the Secretary shall issue such regu-
lations as are necessary to adopt such guidelines. 
SEC. 5. REPORTING ACCESSIBILITY COMPLAINTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall ensure that an individual who believes that he or she 
or a specific class of individuals has been subjected to dis-
crimination on the basis of disability by a public entity 
may, by himself or herself or by an authorized representa-
tive, easily file a complaint with the Department of Trans-
portation. Not later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of this Act, the Secretary shall implement procedures 
that allow an individual to submit a complaint described 
in the previous sentence by phone, by mail-in form, and 
online through the website of the Office of Civil Rights 
of the Federal Transit Administration. 
(b) NOTICE TO INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.— 
Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary shall require that each public tran-
sit provider and contractor providing paratransit services 
shall include on a publicly available website of the service 
provider, any related mobile device application, and online 
service— 
(1) the telephone number, or a comparable elec-
tronic means of communication, for the disability as-
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sistance hotline of the Office of Civil Rights of the 
Federal Transit Administration; 
(2) notice that a consumer can file a disability- 
related complaint with the Office of Civil Rights of 
the Federal Transit Administration; 
(3) an active link to the website of the Office 
of Civil Rights of the Federal Transit Administra-
tion for an individual to file a disability-related com-
plaint; and 
(4) notice that an individual can file a dis-
ability-related complaint with the local transit agen-
cy and the process and any timelines for filing such 
a complaint. 
(c) INVESTIGATION OF COMPLAINTS.—Not later than 
60 days after the last day of each fiscal year the Secretary 
shall publish a report that lists the disposition of com-
plaints described in subsection (a), including— 
(1) the number and type of complaints filed 
with Department of Transportation; 
(2) the number of complaints investigated by 
the Department; 
(3) the result of the complaints that were inves-
tigated by the Department including whether the 
complaint was resolved— 
(A) informally; 
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(B) by issuing a violation through a non-
compliance Letter of Findings; or 
(C) by other means, which shall be de-
scribed in detail; and 
(4) if a violation was issued for a complaint, 
whether the Department resolved the noncompliance 
by— 
(A) reaching a voluntary compliance agree-
ment with the entity; 
(B) referring the matter to the Attorney 
General; or 
(C) by other means, which shall be de-
scribed in detail. 
(d) REPORT.—Upon implementation of this section, 
the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, issue a re-
port composed of the information collected under this sec-
tion for the preceding 5 years. 
SEC. 6. ACCESSIBILITY DATA PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 
an accessibility data pilot program. 
(b) PURPOSE.—In carrying out the pilot program, 
the Secretary shall develop or procure an accessibility data 
set and make that data set available to each eligible entity 
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selected to participate in the pilot program to improve the 
transportation planning of such eligible entities by— 
(1) measuring the level of access by multiple 
transportation modes, including transportation net-
work companies, to important destinations, which 
may include— 
(A) jobs, including areas with a concentra-
tion of available jobs; 
(B) health care facilities; 
(C) child care services; 
(D) educational and workforce training fa-
cilities; 
(E) affordable housing; 
(F) food sources; and 
(G) connections between modes, including 
connections to— 
(i) high-quality transit or rail service; 
(ii) safe bicycling corridors; and 
(iii) safe sidewalks that achieve com-
pliance with applicable requirements of the 
ADA; 
(2) disaggregating the level of access by mul-
tiple transportation modes by a variety of population 
categories, which shall include— 
(A) low-income populations; 
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(B) minority populations; 
(C) age; 
(D) disability such as sensory, cognitive, 
and physical, including wheelchair users; and 
(E) geographical location; and 
(3) assessing the change in accessibility that 
would result from new transportation investments. 
(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligible to par-
ticipate in the pilot program is— 
(1) a State; 
(2) a metropolitan planning organization; or 
(3) a rural transportation planning organiza-
tion. 
(d) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to participate in 
the pilot program, an entity shall submit to the Secretary 
an application at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may require, in-
cluding information relating to— 
(1) previous experience of the eligible entity 
measuring transportation access or other perform-
ance management experience; 
(2) the types of important destinations to which 
the eligible entity intends to measure access; 
(3) the types of data disaggregation the eligible 
entity intends to pursue; 
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(A) a range of capacity and previous expe-
rience with measuring transportation access; 
and 
(B) a variety of proposed methodologies 
and focus areas for measuring level of access. 
(f) DUTIES.—For each eligible entity participating in 
the pilot program, the Secretary shall— 
(1) develop or acquire an accessibility data set 
described in subsection (b); and 
(2) submit the data set to the eligible entity. 
(g) METHODOLOGY.—In calculating the measures for 
the data set under the pilot program, the Secretary shall 
ensure that methodology is open source. 
(h) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall make an ac-
cessibility data set under the pilot program available to— 
(1) units of local government within the juris-
diction of the eligible entity participating in the pilot 
program; and 
(2) researchers. 
(i) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the last 
date on which the Secretary submits data sets to the eligi-
ble entity under subsection (f), the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report on the results of the program, includ-
ing the feasibility of developing and providing periodic ac-
cessibility data sets for all States, regions, and localities. 
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(j) FUNDING.—The Secretary shall carry out the 
pilot program using amounts made available to the Sec-
retary for administrative expenses to carry out programs 
under the authority of the Secretary. 
(k) SUNSET.—The pilot program shall terminate on 
the date that is 8 years after the date on which the pilot 
program is implemented. 
SEC. 7. ENHANCED MOBILITY OF SENIORS AND INDIVID-
UALS WITH DISABILITIES. 
Section 5338(a)(2)(D) of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ‘‘and $285,574,688 for fiscal 
year 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘$450,000,000 for fiscal year 
2022, $463,500,000 for fiscal year 2023, $477,405,000 
for fiscal year 2024, $491,727,150 for fiscal year 2025, 
and $506,478,965 for fiscal year 2026’’. 
SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADA.—The term ‘‘ADA’’ means the Ameri-
cans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 
et seq.). 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, and any 
commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United 
States. 
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(3) TRANSPORTATION
NETWORK
COMPANY.— 
The term ‘‘transportation network company’’— 
(A) means a corporation, partnership, sole 
proprietorship, or other entity, that uses an on-
line-enabled application or digital network to 
connect riders to drivers affiliated with the enti-
ty in order for the driver to transport the rider 
using a vehicle owned, leased, or otherwise au-
thorized for use by the driver to a point chosen 
by the rider; and 
(B) does not include a shared-expense car-
pool or vanpool arrangement that is not in-
tended to generate profit for the driver. 
Æ 
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