I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6839 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
for removing transportation barriers to accessing eligible vaccines for 
individuals from low-income communities, minority communities, or other 
communities in which transportation poses a barrier to health care ac-
cess, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 18, 2025 
Ms. BARRAGA´N (for herself, Mr. CARSON, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. 
GARCI´A of Illinois, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Ms. NORTON, Mr. SOTO, 
Mr. TONKO, and Mr. VEASEY) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to award grants for removing transportation barriers to 
accessing eligible vaccines for individuals from low-in-
come communities, minority communities, or other com-
munities in which transportation poses a barrier to 
health care access, 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 ‘‘Vaccine Transpor-
tation Access Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR VACCINE ACCESS AND MO-
BILITY. 
(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.— 
(1) AWARDS.—The Secretary shall award 
grants to qualified community organizations to as-
sist in financing projects to remove transportation 
barriers to accessing eligible vaccines for individuals 
from low-income communities, minority commu-
nities, or other communities in which transportation 
poses a barrier to health care access. 
(2) TRANSFER
OF
DUTIES.—The Secretary 
shall— 
(A) enter into agreements with State 
health agencies for purposes of carrying out the 
duties assigned to the Secretary under this sec-
tion; and 
(B) transfer to such agencies for such pur-
poses funds appropriated to carry out this sec-
tion. 
(b) APPLICATION.—A qualified community organiza-
tion seeking a grant under this section shall submit to the 
Secretary an application that contains— 
(1) a description of the project to be funded 
through the grant; 
(2) an identification of all project partners and 
their specific role in the proposed project, including 
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private for-profit and nonprofit entities engaged in 
the coordination of transportation services for the 
project; and 
(3) specific performance measures the qualified 
community organization will use to reduce cancella-
tions or missed appointments. 
(c) PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE.—Each grant award-
ed under subsection (a) shall be for a period of perform-
ance of not less than 6 months. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—Each grant awarded under 
subsection (a)— 
(1) shall be used to develop, expand, and en-
hance access to transportation to and from sites for 
receipt of an eligible vaccine by individuals from low- 
income communities, minority communities, or other 
communities in which transportation poses a barrier 
to health care access; and 
(2) may be used to— 
(A) provide prescheduled or on-demand 
transportation to and from a site for adminis-
tration of an eligible vaccine; or 
(B) provide first and last mile transpor-
tation services for appointments for administra-
tion of such a vaccine. 
(e) REPORTING.— 
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(1) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—As a condition on re-
ceipt of a grant under this section, a grantee shall 
agree to submit to the Secretary, not later than 6 
months after the completion of the period of per-
formance of the grant, a report containing such in-
formation as the Secretary determines necessary to 
evaluate performance under the grant. 
(2) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later 
than one year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, and annually thereafter during the term of the 
grant program under this section, the Secretary 
shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 
of the Senate a report containing a summary of the 
information received by the Secretary during the 
preceding year under paragraph (1). 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE
VACCINE.—The term ‘‘eligible 
vaccine’’ means any immunization that— 
(A) had in effect a recommendation from 
the Advisory Committee on Immunization Prac-
tices of the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention with respect to the individual in-
volved as of October 25, 2024, including such 
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an immunization as updated or changed after 
that date under a supplement to a biologics li-
cense application approved by the Food and 
Drug Administration; or 
(B) is recommended under evidenced- 
based, clinical care guidelines published by one 
or more United States professional medical so-
cieties. 
(2) FIRST AND LAST MILE.—The term ‘‘first 
and last mile’’ means, with respect to transportation 
services and an individual’s trip to and from a vac-
cine appointment— 
(A) transportation— 
(i) between the individual’s point of 
trip origin and a source of public transit; 
and 
(ii) between a source of public transit 
and the individual’s destination; or 
(B) where no source of public transit is 
available, transportation between the individ-
ual’s point of trip origin and the individual’s 
destination. 
(3) QUALIFIED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.— 
The term ‘‘qualified community organization’’ means 
an organization that— 
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(A) is a nonprofit organization; and 
(B) has experience in— 
(i) managing Federal grants; and 
(ii) providing services to low-income 
or minority communities or communities 
that disproportionately experience dispari-
ties in health status and health care ac-
cess. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this section. 
SEC. 3. FEDERAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE PERCENTAGE. 
Section 1905(b) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
1396d(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new sentence: ‘‘Notwithstanding the first sentence of this 
subsection, the Federal medical assistance percentage 
shall be 100 per centum with respect to amounts expended 
for nonemergency transportation benefits provided to indi-
viduals eligible for medical assistance under this sub-
chapter that are attributable to transportation costs in-
curred on or after the date of the enactment of this sen-
tence related to providing eligible vaccines (as defined in 
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section 2(f) of the Vaccine Transportation Access Act) to 
such individuals under the State plan.’’. 
Æ 
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