I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2833 
To establish a program to improve community connectivity by identifying 
and removing or mitigating infrastructural barriers that create obstacles 
to mobility or economic development or expose the community to pollution 
and other health and safety risks, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2021 
Mr. BROWN (for himself, Mr. MFUME, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, and Mr. 
EVANS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish a program to improve community connectivity 
by identifying and removing or mitigating infrastructural 
barriers that create obstacles to mobility or economic 
development or expose the community to pollution and 
other health and safety risks, 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 ‘‘Reconnecting Commu-
nities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CONNECTING COMMUNITIES GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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(1) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANT.—The term 
‘‘capital construction grant’’ means a capital con-
struction grant under subsection (f). 
(2) COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT, 
EDUCATION, 
AND CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT.—The term ‘‘com-
munity engagement, education, and capacity build-
ing grant’’ means a community engagement, edu-
cation, and capacity building grant under subsection 
(d). 
(3) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘‘com-
munity of color’’ means, in a State, a census block 
group for which the aggregate percentage of resi-
dents who identify as Black, African-American, 
American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, 
Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Latino, other 
nonwhite race, or linguistically isolated is— 
(A) not less than 50 percent; or 
(B) significantly higher than the State av-
erage. 
(4) INFRASTRUCTURAL
BARRIER.—The term 
‘‘infrastructural barrier’’ means a highway (includ-
ing a limited access highway), a railway, a viaduct, 
a principal arterial facility, or any other transpor-
tation facility for which the high speeds, grade sepa-
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ration, or other design factors create an obstacle to 
connectivity, including— 
(A) obstacles to walking, biking, and mo-
bility; 
(B) diminished access to destinations 
across the infrastructural barrier; or 
(C) barriers to the economic development 
of the surrounding neighborhood. 
(5) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low- 
income community’’ means a census block group in 
which not less than 30 percent of the population 
lives below the poverty line (as defined in section 
673 of the Community Services Block Grant Act (42 
U.S.C. 9902)). 
(6) 
PLANNING
AND
FEASIBILITY
STUDY 
GRANT.—The term ‘‘planning and feasibility study 
grant’’ means a planning and feasibility study grant 
under subsection (e). 
(7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 
the program established under subsection (b). 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
(9) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
government’’ means the recognized governing body 
of any Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, 
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pueblo, village, community, component band, or com-
ponent reservation, individually identified (including 
parenthetically) in the list published most recently as 
of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant to sec-
tion 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe 
List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a program to help communities— 
(A) identify infrastructural barriers within 
the community that— 
(i) create obstacles to mobility or eco-
nomic development; or 
(ii) expose the community to high lev-
els of particulate matter, noise pollution, 
and other public health and safety risks; 
(B) study the feasibility of improving, and 
develop 
plans 
to 
improve, 
community 
connectivity, including through— 
(i) 
removal 
or 
retrofit 
of 
an 
infrastructural barrier; or 
(ii) construction of facilities to miti-
gate 
the 
obstacle 
created 
by 
the 
infrastructural 
barrier 
by 
enhancing 
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connectivity across the infrastructural bar-
rier; 
(C) plan the redevelopment of any land 
made available by the removal or retrofit of the 
infrastructural barrier, with a focus on improve-
ments that will benefit the populations im-
pacted by or previously displaced by the 
infrastructural barrier; 
(D) access funding to carry out the activi-
ties described in subparagraphs (B) and (C); 
and 
(E) require the equity of any activities car-
ried out under the program, including by gar-
nering community engagement, avoiding dis-
placement, and ensuring local participation in 
jobs created through those activities. 
(2) TYPES OF GRANTS.—Under the program, 
the Secretary shall award the following types of 
grants: 
(A) Community engagement, education, 
and capacity building grants. 
(B) Planning and feasibility study grants. 
(C) Capital construction grants. 
(3) MULTIPLE GRANTS PERMITTED.—An eligi-
ble entity may apply for and receive funding from 
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more than 1 type of grant described in paragraph 
(2). 
(c) REQUIREMENT FOR PROJECT SELECTION.—To 
receive a grant under the program, a project shall provide 
the majority of project benefits to 1 or more communities 
of color or low-income communities. 
(d) COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, EDUCATION, AND 
CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
award a community engagement, education, and ca-
pacity building grant to carry out community en-
gagement, education, and capacity building activities 
described in paragraph (2) to— 
(A) a political subdivision of a State or 
local government; 
(B) a Tribal government; 
(C) a metropolitan planning organization; 
and 
(D) a nonprofit organization. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A community en-
gagement and capacity building activity referred to 
in paragraph (1) includes an activity— 
(A) to educate community members about 
opportunities to affect transportation and eco-
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nomic development planning and investment de-
cisions; 
(B) to build organizational or community 
capacity to engage in transportation and eco-
nomic development planning; 
(C) to identify community needs and de-
sires for community improvements; 
(D) to develop community-driven solutions 
to local challenges; 
(E) to conduct assessments of equity, mo-
bility and access, environmental justice, afford-
ability, economic opportunity, health outcomes, 
and other local goals; 
(F) to form a community advisory board in 
accordance with subsection (g); and 
(G) to engage community members in sce-
nario planning. 
(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the cost of an activity carried out with funds from 
a community engagement, education, and capacity 
building grant may be up to 100 percent, at the dis-
cretion of the eligible entity. 
(e) PLANNING AND FEASIBILITY STUDY GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.— 
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
award a planning and feasibility study grant to 
carry out planning activities described in para-
graph (2) to— 
(i) a State; 
(ii) a political subdivision of a State 
or local government; 
(iii) a Tribal government; 
(iv) a metropolitan planning organiza-
tion; and 
(v) a nonprofit organization. 
(B) PARTNERSHIPS.—In the case of an eli-
gible entity that is not the owner of the 
infrastructural barrier that is the subject of the 
planning and feasibility study grant, the eligible 
entity shall demonstrate the existence of a part-
nership with the owner of the infrastructural 
barrier. 
(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—A planning activity 
referred to in paragraph (1)(A) includes— 
(A) development of designs and artistic 
renderings to facilitate community engagement; 
(B) traffic studies, nonmotorized accessi-
bility analyses, equity needs analyses, and col-
lection of other relevant data; 
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(C) planning studies to evaluate the feasi-
bility 
of 
removing 
or 
retrofitting 
an 
infrastructural barrier, or the construction of 
facilities to mitigate the obstacle created by the 
infrastructural 
barrier 
by 
enhancing 
connectivity across the infrastructural barrier; 
(D) public engagement activities to provide 
opportunities for public input into a plan to re-
move, convert, or mitigate an infrastructural 
barrier; 
(E) environmental review, consultation, or 
other action required under any Federal envi-
ronmental law relating to the review or ap-
proval of a project to remove, retrofit, or miti-
gate an existing infrastructural barrier; 
(F) establishment of a community land 
trust for the development and use of real estate 
created by the removal or capping of an 
infrastructural barrier; and 
(G) other transportation planning activities 
required in advance of a project to remove, ret-
rofit or mitigate an existing infrastructural bar-
rier, as determined by the Secretary. 
(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
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(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
provide to an eligible entity technical assistance 
in building organizational or community capac-
ity— 
(i) to engage in transportation plan-
ning; and 
(ii) to identify innovative solutions to 
infrastructure challenges, including recon-
necting communities that— 
(I) are bifurcated by eligible fa-
cilities; or 
(II) lack safe, reliable, and af-
fordable transportation choices. 
(B) PRIORITIES.—In selecting recipients of 
technical assistance under subparagraph (A), 
the Secretary shall give priority to an applica-
tion from a community that is economically dis-
advantaged. 
(4) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of 
the cost of an activity carried out with funds from 
a planning and feasibility study grant shall be not 
more than 80 percent. 
(f) CAPITAL CONSTRUCTION GRANTS.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may 
award a capital construction grant to the owner of 
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an infrastructural barrier to carry out a project de-
scribed in paragraph (3) for which all necessary fea-
sibility studies and other planning activities have 
been completed. 
(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—For the purpose of sub-
mitting an application for a capital construction 
grant, an owner of an infrastructural barrier may, if 
applicable, partner with— 
(A) a State; 
(B) a unit of local government; 
(C) a Tribal government; 
(D) a metropolitan planning organization; 
or 
(E) a nonprofit organization. 
(3) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—A project eligible to be 
carried out with a capital construction grant in-
cludes— 
(i) the removal of an infrastructural 
barrier; 
(ii) the retrofit of an infrastructural 
barrier in a way that enhances community 
connectivity and is sensitive to the context 
of the surrounding community, including 
retrofits to a highway to cap the facility or 
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replace the facility with an at-grade arte-
rial roadway; 
(iii) the construction of facilities that 
improve 
connectivity 
across 
the 
infrastructural barrier; 
(iv) 
the 
replacement 
of 
an 
infrastructural barrier with a new use or 
facility that has been identified by mem-
bers of the community; and 
(v) the construction of other transpor-
tation improvements that address the mo-
bility needs of the community. 
(B) EXCLUSION.—Funds from a capital 
construction grant shall not be used on a 
project that increases net capacity for vehicular 
travel. 
(4) PRIORITY
FOR
CAPITAL
CONSTRUCTION 
GRANTS.—In selecting eligible entities to receive a 
capital construction grant, the Secretary shall give 
priority to an eligible entity that— 
(A) has entered into a community benefits 
agreement with representatives of the commu-
nity; 
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(B) serves a community in which an anti- 
displacement policy or a community land trust 
is in effect; 
(C) has formed a community advisory 
board under subsection (g); or 
(D) has demonstrated a plan for— 
(i) employing residents in the area im-
pacted by the activity or project through 
targeted hiring programs; and 
(ii) contracting and subcontracting 
with disadvantaged business enterprises. 
(5) REQUIREMENT.—In order to receive a cap-
ital 
construction 
grant, 
the 
owner 
of 
the 
infrastructural barrier shall demonstrate that the 
project is supported by the community in the imme-
diate vicinity of the project. 
(6) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 
subparagraph (B), the Federal share of the cost 
of a project carried out with a capital construc-
tion grant may be not more than 80 percent. 
(B) MAXIMUM FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT.— 
Federal assistance other than a capital con-
struction grant may be used to satisfy the non- 
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Federal share of the cost of a project for which 
the grant is awarded. 
(g) COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—To help achieve inclusive 
economic development benefits, an eligible entity 
may form a community advisory board, which 
shall— 
(A) facilitate community engagement with 
respect to the activity or project proposed to be 
carried out; and 
(B) track progress with respect to commit-
ments of the eligible entity to inclusive employ-
ment, contracting, and economic development 
under the activity or project. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—If an eligible entity forms a 
community advisory board under paragraph (1), the 
community advisory board shall be composed of rep-
resentatives of— 
(A) the community; 
(B) owners of businesses that serve the 
community; 
(C) labor organizations that represent 
workers that serve the community; and 
(D) State and local government. 
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(h) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—For each fiscal year, 
the Secretary may use not more than 2 percent of the 
amounts made available for the program for the costs of 
administering the program. 
(i) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the 
Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure of the House of Representatives a report that— 
(1) assesses the impacts and benefits of high-
way removals on congestion, mobility, and safety in 
the project vicinity, and the extent to which those 
impacts differ from projected impacts; 
(2) includes recommendations for how traffic 
forecasting should— 
(A) consider nonmotorized travel demand; 
and 
(B) track and be updated in response to 
observed travel behavior responses to changes in 
transportation capacity and land use; and 
(3) includes recommendations for how environ-
mental reviews for projects funded under the Fed-
eral-aid highway program should consider, identify, 
and quantify, during project development, any di-
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minished access, including nonmotorized access, that 
will result from the project. 
(j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust 
Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out 
this section $3,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 
through 2026. 
Æ 
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