I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7416 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to allow the Administrator of the 
Maritime Administration to provide assistance to the owners and opera-
tors of certain ports and terminals, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 30, 2020 
Mr. BOST (for himself, Mr. LAMB, Mr. GIBBS, Mr. RESCHENTHALER, Mrs. 
HARTZLER, Mr. LOEBSACK, and Mrs. MILLER) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure 
A BILL 
To amend title 46, United States Code, to allow the Adminis-
trator of the Maritime Administration to provide assist-
ance to the owners and operators of certain ports and 
terminals, 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 ‘‘Coastal and Inland 
Ports and Terminals Commerce Improvement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR INLAND AND SMALL COASTAL 
PORTS AND TERMINALS. 
Section 50302 of title 46, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (2) by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(H) In the case of a small project funded 
under subsection (d), a private entity or group 
of entities.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (6) by striking subpara-
graph (C); 
(C) in paragraph (7)(B) by striking ‘‘para-
graph (3)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (d)’’; 
(D) in paragraph (8)(B)— 
(i) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘under 
this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘under this 
subsection and subsection (d)’’; and 
(ii) in clause (ii) by inserting ‘‘under 
subsection (d) or’’ after ‘‘project’’; and 
(E) in paragraph (11) by— 
(i) striking ‘‘under this subsection’’ 
and inserting ‘‘under this subsection and 
subsection (d)’’ each place such phrase ap-
pears; and 
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(ii) striking ‘‘fiscal year.’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘fiscal year, and shall be awarded as 
grants under the subsection for which the 
original grant was made.’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) ASSISTANCE FOR INLAND AND SMALL COASTAL 
PORTS AND TERMINALS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of amounts reserved under 
subsection (c)(7)(B), the Secretary, acting through 
the Administrator of the Maritime Administration, 
shall make grants under this subsection— 
‘‘(A) to the owners or operators of a facil-
ity at a port, as such term is defined in sub-
section (c), to and from which the average an-
nual tonnage of cargo for the immediately pre-
ceding 3 calendar years from the time an appli-
cation is submitted is less than 8,000,000 short 
tons as determined using Corps of Engineers 
data; and 
‘‘(B) 
for 
infrastructure 
improvements, 
equipment purchases, and capital investments 
at such a facility, including piers, wharves, 
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docks, terminals, and similar structures used 
principally for the movement of goods, including 
areas of land, water, or areas in proximity to 
such structure that are necessary for the move-
ment of goods. 
‘‘(2) AWARDS.—In providing assistance under 
this subsection, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) take into account— 
‘‘(i) the economic advantage and the 
contribution to freight transportation at an 
eligible facility; and 
‘‘(ii) the competitive disadvantage of 
an eligible facility; 
‘‘(B) not make more than 1 award per ap-
plicant for each fiscal year appropriation; and 
‘‘(C) promote the enhancement and effi-
ciencies of an eligible facility. 
‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Assistance provided 
under this subsection may be used to— 
‘‘(i) make capital improvements; 
‘‘(ii) construct, improve, repair, or 
maintain transportation or physical infra-
structure, buildings, equipment, or facility 
security; 
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‘‘(iii) perform planning activities re-
lated to carrying out an activity described 
in clause (i); and 
‘‘(iv) otherwise fulfill the purposes for 
which such assistance is provided. 
‘‘(B) ACQUISITION
METHODS.—The Sec-
retary may not require as a condition of issuing 
a grant under this subsection— 
‘‘(i) direct ownership of either a facil-
ity or equipment to be procured using 
funds awarded under this subsection; or 
‘‘(ii) that equipment procured using 
such funds be new. 
‘‘(4) 
PROHIBITED
USES.—Funds 
provided 
under this subsection may not be used for— 
‘‘(A) projects conducted on property lying 
outside port or terminal boundaries and not 
owned or leased by the applicant; 
‘‘(B) any single grant award more than 10 
percent of total allocation of funds to carry out 
this subsection per fiscal year appropriation; or 
‘‘(C) activities, including channel improve-
ments or harbor deepening, authorized, as of 
the date of the application for assistance under 
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this subsection, to be carried out by of the 
Corps of Engineers. 
‘‘(5) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
not provide assistance under this subsection un-
less the Secretary determines that sufficient 
funding is available to meet the matching re-
quirements of subsection (c)(8). Any costs of 
the project to be paid by the recipient’s match-
ing share may be incurred prior to the date on 
which assistance is provided. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—For the purpose of 
making the determination under subparagraph 
(A), funding may include a loan agreement, a 
commitment from investors, cash on balance 
sheet, or other contributions determined accept-
able by the Secretary. 
‘‘(6) APPLICATION AND AWARD.— 
‘‘(A) MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR PAYMENT 
OR
REIMBURSEMENT.—Each application sub-
mitted shall include a comprehensive description 
of— 
‘‘(i) the project; 
‘‘(ii) the need for the project; 
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‘‘(iii) the methodology for imple-
menting the project; and 
‘‘(iv) 
documentation 
of 
matching 
funds as described in paragraph (5). 
‘‘(B) DEMONSTRATION
OF
EFFECTIVE-
NESS.—In determining whether a project will 
achieve the purposes for which such assistance 
is requested under this subsection, the Sec-
retary shall accept documentation used to ob-
tain a commitment of the matching funds de-
scribed in paragraph (5), including feasibility 
studies, business plans, investor prospectuses, 
loan applications, or similar documentation. 
‘‘(C) PROJECT
APPROVAL
REQUIRED.— 
The Secretary may not award a grant under 
this subsection unless the Secretary determines 
that the— 
‘‘(i) project will be completed without 
unreasonable delay; and 
‘‘(ii) recipient has authority to carry 
out the proposed project. 
‘‘(7) PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS, AUDITS, AND 
EXAMINATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) 
PROCEDURAL
SAFEGUARDS.—The 
Administrator shall issue guidelines to establish 
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appropriate accounting, reporting, and review 
procedures to ensure that— 
‘‘(i) assistance provided under this 
subsection is used for the purposes for 
which such assistance is made available; 
and 
‘‘(ii) grantees have properly accounted 
for all expenditures of grant funds. 
‘‘(B) AUDITS
AND
EXAMINATIONS.—All 
grantees under this subsection shall maintain 
such records as the Administrator may require 
and make such records available for review and 
audit by the Administrator. 
‘‘(8) LIMITATION.—Not more than 10 percent 
of the funds made available under subsection 
(c)(7)(B) may be used for the planning and design 
of 
eligible 
projects 
described 
in 
paragraph 
(3)(A)(iii). 
‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE FACILITY.—The term ‘eli-
gible facility’ means a facility or collection of fa-
cilities that includes piers, wharves, docks, ter-
minals, and similar structures used principally 
for the movement of goods, including areas of 
land, water, or areas in proximity to such struc-
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ture that are necessary for the movement of 
goods, located at a port, as that term is defined 
in subsection (c), to and from which the aver-
age annual tonnage of cargo for the imme-
diately preceding 3 calendar years from the 
time an application is submitted is less than 
8,000,000 short tons as determined using Corps 
of Engineers data. 
‘‘(B) PROJECT.—The term ‘project’ has 
the meaning given such term in subsection 
(c).’’. 
Æ 
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