I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2329 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a transformational 
infrastructure competitive grant program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2017 
Mr. HIGGINS of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a 
transformational infrastructure competitive grant pro-
gram, 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 ‘‘Nation Building Here 
at Home Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. TRANSFORMATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE COMPETI-
TIVE GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 270 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans-
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portation shall establish a transformational infrastructure 
competitive grant program. 
(b) GRANT AUTHORITY.—In carrying out the pro-
gram established under subsection (a), the Secretary may 
make a grant, on a competitive basis, to any of the fol-
lowing: 
(1) A State government. 
(2) A local government. 
(3) A transit agency. 
(4) A port authority. 
(c) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant made under sub-
section (b) may be used for any of the following, if 
the Secretary determines that the project will signifi-
cantly impact a metropolitan area, a region, or all 
of the United States: 
(A) A highway or bridge project eligible 
under title 23, United States Code, including 
interstate rehabilitation, improvements to the 
rural collector road system, the reconstruction 
of overpasses and interchanges, bridge replace-
ments, bridge painting, seismic retrofit projects 
for bridges, and road realignments. 
(B) A public transportation project eligible 
under chapter 53 of title 49, United States 
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Code, including investment in a project partici-
pating in the New Starts or Small Starts pro-
grams that will expedite the completion of that 
project and its entry into revenue service. 
(C) A passenger or freight rail transpor-
tation project. 
(D) A port infrastructure investment, in-
cluding a project that connects ports to other 
modes of transportation and improves the effi-
ciency of freight movement. 
(E) An aviation infrastructure project. 
(F) A water infrastructure project. 
(2) COORDINATION.—With respect to a project 
described in paragraph (1)(F), the Secretary shall 
coordinate any grant for such a project with the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency 
and the Secretary of the Army (acting through the 
Chief of Engineers). 
(d) APPLICATIONS
AND
CRITERIA
FOR
GRANT 
AWARDS.— 
(1) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant 
made under subsection (b), an entity described in 
paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4) of that subsection 
shall submit to the Secretary an application in such 
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form, at such time, and containing such information 
as the Secretary determines appropriate. 
(2) CRITERIA FOR GRANT AWARDS.—Not later 
than 90 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary shall issue regulations specifying 
the criteria that the Secretary will use to make 
grants on a competitive basis under subsection (b). 
(3) FINANCIAL
COMMITMENTS.—The criteria 
specified by the Secretary under paragraph (2) shall 
include criteria for the consideration of— 
(A) whether there are financial commit-
ments in place with respect to a proposed 
project; 
(B) the degree of certainty with respect to 
such financial commitments; and 
(C) whether such financial commitments 
are from non-Federal sources. 
(e) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 
of a project assisted with a grant made under subsection 
(b) may not exceed 100 percent of that cost. 
(f) CONSIDERATIONS.—In making grants under sub-
section (b), the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent prac-
ticable, that the grants— 
(1) are distributed geographically in an equi-
table manner; 
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(2) address the needs of both urban and rural 
areas appropriately; 
(3) promote the training and employment of 
veterans, including by having applicable contractors 
provide to veterans a preference during the hiring 
and referral of laborers; 
(4) are utilized in a manner that ensures an ap-
propriate percentage of grant amounts are expended 
through small business concerns owned and con-
trolled by socially and economically disadvantaged 
individuals (as determined by the Secretary); and 
(5) promote the utilization of participants in a 
registered apprenticeship program, including by pro-
viding a preference to proposed projects that incor-
porate such utilization. 
(g) APPLICABILITY OF TITLE 40.—Each project con-
ducted using funds provided with a grant made under sub-
section (b) shall comply with the requirements of sub-
chapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code. 
(h) BUY AMERICA.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—None of the funds made 
available for a project under this Act may be used 
for the project unless all of the iron, steel, and man-
ufactured goods used in the project are produced in 
the United States. 
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(2) EXCEPTIONS.—Paragraph (1) shall not 
apply in any case or category of cases in which the 
Secretary finds that— 
(A) applying paragraph (1) would be in-
consistent with the public interest; 
(B) iron, steel, or the relevant manufac-
tured goods are not produced in the United 
States in sufficient and reasonably available 
quantities or to a satisfactory quality; or 
(C) inclusion of iron, steel, and manufac-
tured goods produced in the United States will 
increase the cost of the overall project by more 
than 25 percent. 
(3) JUSTIFICATIONS.—If the Secretary deter-
mines that it is necessary to waive the application of 
paragraph (1) based on a finding under paragraph 
(2), the Secretary shall publish in the Federal Reg-
ister a detailed justification for the waiver. 
(4) INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS.—This sub-
section shall be applied in a manner consistent with 
United States obligations under international agree-
ments. 
(i) TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY.—In car-
rying out the program established under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall— 
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(1) take actions to ensure that grants made 
under subsection (b) are utilized as expeditiously 
and efficiently as possible; 
(2) make available to the public, on an appro-
priate Web site of the Department of Transpor-
tation, information on each grant made under sub-
section (b); and 
(3) submit to Congress, not later than 1 year 
after the first grant is made under subsection (b), 
and annually thereafter, information on grants made 
under subsection (b), including the progress made 
on projects funded by such grants. 
(j) ENVIRONMENTAL
STREAMLINING.—The Sec-
retary shall coordinate, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, with relevant Federal departments and agencies 
to ensure that environmental reviews are conducted in a 
manner that facilitates the accelerated delivery of projects 
for which a grant is made under this section. 
(k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to make grants under 
the program established under subsection (a) 
$1,263,000,000,000, in the aggregate, for fiscal 
years 2018 through 2022. 
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(2) 
ELIGIBLE
PROJECT
USE.—From 
the 
amounts made available under paragraph (1), the 
Secretary shall use— 
(A) 85 percent of the amounts to make 
grants for projects described in subparagraph 
(A), (B), or (C) of subsection (c)(1); 
(B) 2 percent of the amounts to make 
grants for projects described in subparagraph 
(D) of subsection (c)(1); 
(C) 4 percent of the amounts to make 
grants for projects described in subparagraph 
(E) of subsection (c)(1); and 
(D) 9 percent of the amounts to make 
grants for projects described in subparagraph 
(F) of subsection (c)(1). 
SEC. 3. NATION BUILDING HERE AT HOME FINANCING INI-
TIATIVE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the 
Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, shall establish a Nation Building Here at Home 
Financing Initiative in accordance with this section. 
(b) AUTHORITY TO ISSUE BONDS.—In carrying out 
the initiative established under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary of the Treasury may issue bonds. The aggregate 
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face amount of bonds issued under this subsection may 
not exceed $300,000,000,000. 
(c) CHARACTERISTICS
OF BONDS.—Bonds issued 
under subsection (b) shall be issued in such amounts, bear 
such rates of interest, and be subject to such terms and 
conditions as the Secretary of the Treasury may prescribe. 
(d) USE OF BOND PROCEEDS.—The Secretary of the 
Treasury shall make available to the Secretary of Trans-
portation the proceeds resulting from bonds issued under 
subsection (b). The Secretary of Transportation may use 
such proceeds only to carry out the program established 
under section 2(a) of this Act. 
SEC. 4. REPORT. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit 
to Congress a comprehensive report describing the trans-
portation needs of the United States for each of the fol-
lowing: 
(1) The 20-year period beginning on the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
(2) The 30-year period beginning after the pe-
riod described in paragraph (1). 
(3) The 50-year period beginning after the pe-
riod described in paragraph (2). 
Æ 
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