I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6464 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to require transportation planners 
to consider projects and strategies to improve safe and convenient access 
to employment by all modes of travel for all users, and for other pur-
poses. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 7, 2020 
Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois (for himself, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. TLAIB, 
Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. COHEN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. RUSH, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK, 
and Mr. SOTO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to require transpor-
tation planners to consider projects and strategies to 
improve safe and convenient access to employment by 
all modes of travel for all users, 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 ‘‘Improving Access to 
Jobs Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CONSIDERATION OF PROJECTS AND STRATEGIES 
TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT. 
(a) NATIONAL
HIGHWAY
PERFORMANCE
PRO-
GRAM.—Section 119(f) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘CONDITIONS’’ and inserting ‘‘CONDITIONS; SAFE 
AND CONVENIENT ACCESS TO EMPLOYMENT’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) SAFE AND CONVENIENT ACCESS TO EM-
PLOYMENT ON PUBLIC ROADS.— 
‘‘(A) PENALTY.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(ii), if a State reports, in a performance 
target report under section 150(e), that 
the State has not achieved the targets of 
the State for performance measures de-
scribed in section 150(d) pertaining to the 
minimum standards for public roads estab-
lished by the Secretary under section 
150(c)(7), the State shall be required, dur-
ing the following fiscal year— 
‘‘(I) 
to 
obligate, 
from 
the 
amounts apportioned to the State 
under section 104(b)(1), an amount 
equal to 10 percent of funds appor-
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tioned to the State for the previous 
fiscal year for the purpose of achiev-
ing the targets through projects on 
Federal-aid highways; and 
‘‘(II) 
to 
obligate, 
from 
the 
amounts apportioned to the State 
under section 104(b)(2) (other than 
amounts suballocated to metropolitan 
areas and other areas of the State 
under section 133(d)), an amount 
equal to 10 percent of the amount of 
funds apportioned to the State for the 
previous fiscal year for the purpose of 
achieving the targets through projects 
on Federal-aid highways. 
‘‘(B) RESTORATION.—The obligation re-
quirement in subparagraph (A)(i)(I) for a fiscal 
year shall remain in effect for each subsequent 
fiscal year until the date on which the Secretary 
determines that the State has achieved the tar-
gets of the State for performance measures de-
scribed in section 150(d) pertaining to the min-
imum standards for public roads established by 
the Secretary under section 150(c)(7).’’. 
(b) METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING.— 
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(1) FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS.—Section 134(h) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(F) through (J) as subparagraphs (G) 
through (K), respectively; and 
(ii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(E) the following: 
‘‘(F) improve safe and convenient access to 
employment by all modes of travel for all 
users;’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) LIMITATION
ON
TRANSPORTATION
IM-
PROVEMENT PLAN.—In furtherance of the planning 
goals described in subparagraphs (F) and of para-
graph (1), a metropolitan planning organization 
shall not approve a transportation improvement plan 
found to increase the ratio of automobile to non- 
automobile access in urbanized areas. 
‘‘(5) DEFINITION
OF
ACCESS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘access’ means the ability to travel 
by auto, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks 
measured in terms of travel times, with impedances 
for level of travel stress for active travel and costs 
for low income travelers.’’. 
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(2) 
PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION.—Section 
5303(h)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 
through (I) as subparagraphs (G) through (J), 
respectively; 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 
the following: 
‘‘(F) improve safe and convenient access to 
employment by all modes of travel for all 
users;’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) DEFINITION
OF
ACCESS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘access’ means the ability to travel 
by auto, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks 
measured in terms of travel times, with impedances 
for level of travel stress for active travel and costs 
for low income travelers.’’. 
(c) STATEWIDE AND NONMETROPOLITAN TRANSPOR-
TATION PLANNING.— 
(1) FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS.—Section 135(d) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(F) through (J) as subparagraphs (G) 
through (J), respectively; and 
(ii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(E) the following: 
‘‘(F) improve safe and convenient access to 
employment by all modes of travel for all 
users;’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) DEFINITION
OF
ACCESS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘access’ means the ability to travel 
by auto, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks 
measured in terms of travel times, with impedances 
for level of travel stress for active travel and costs 
for low income travelers.’’. 
(2) 
PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION.—Section 
5304(d)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) 
through (I) as subparagraphs (H) through (K), 
respectively; and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 
the following: 
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‘‘(F) improve safe and convenient access to 
employment by all modes of travel for all 
users;’’. 
(d) NATIONAL GOALS AND PERFORMANCE MANAGE-
MENT MEASURES.—Section 150 of title 23, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (7) as 
paragraph (8); 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (6) the 
following: 
‘‘(7) ACCESS
TO
EMPLOYMENT.—To improve 
safe and convenient access to employment opportuni-
ties by all modes of travel for all users.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) DEFINITION
OF
ACCESS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘access’ means the ability to travel 
by auto, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks 
measured in terms of travel times, with impedances 
for level of travel stress for active travel and costs 
for low income travelers.’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) by striking the paragraph designa-
tion and all that follows through ‘‘Not 
later’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) RULEMAKING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(B) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall peri-
odically update the rulemaking promulgated 
under subparagraph (A) as necessary, including 
to implement the amendments made to this sec-
tion by the Improving Access to Jobs Act.’’; 
and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) ACCESS
TO
EMPLOYMENT
ON
PUBLIC 
ROADS.—For the purpose of carrying out section 
119(f)(3), the Secretary shall establish minimum 
standards for States to use in determining and im-
proving safe and convenient access to employment 
for all users by all modes of travel. 
‘‘(8) DEFINITION
OF
ACCESS.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘access’ means the ability to travel 
by auto, transit, pedestrian, and bike networks 
measured in terms of travel times, with impedances 
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for level of travel stress for active travel and costs 
for low income travelers.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘subsection (c), each State 
shall set’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (c)(1)(A), 
and not later than 1 year after each update of 
that rulemaking under subsection (c)(1)(B), 
each State shall set or update, as applicable,’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘and (6)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(6), and (7)’’. 
Æ 
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