I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3013 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants 
for removing transportation barriers to accessing vaccines for SARS– 
CoV–2, including booster vaccines, for individuals from low-income com-
munities, minority communities, or other communities in which transpor-
tation poses a barrier to health care access, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2021 
Ms. BARRAGA´N (for herself, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 
RUIZ, Ms. NORTON, Mr. BLUMENAUER, and Mr. SOTO) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services 
to award grants for removing transportation barriers to 
accessing vaccines for SARS–CoV–2, including booster 
vaccines, for individuals from low-income communities, 
minority communities, or other communities 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, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘COVID Vaccine Trans-
portation Access Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR CORONAVIRUS VACCINE AC-
CESS AND MOBILITY. 
(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 vaccines for SARS–CoV–2, in-
cluding booster vaccines, for individuals from low-in-
come communities, minority communities, 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— 
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(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 
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 no 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 a vaccine for SARS–CoV–2, including a 
booster vaccine, by individuals from low-income com-
munities, minority communities, or other commu-
nities 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-
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tration of a SARS–CoV–2 vaccine, including a 
booster vaccine; or 
(B) provide first and last mile transpor-
tation services for appointments for administra-
tion of such a vaccine. 
(e) REPORT.—As a condition on receipt of a grant 
under this section, a grantee shall agree to submit a re-
port, not later than 6 months after the completion of the 
period of performance of the grant— 
(1) to the Secretary, the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and 
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions of the Senate; and 
(2) containing such information the Secretary 
determines necessary to evaluate performance under 
the grant. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
(1) 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 
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(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. 
(2) QUALIFIED COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION.— 
The term ‘‘qualified community organization’’ means 
an organization that— 
(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. 
(3) 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 
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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 coronavirus vaccines to such in-
dividuals under the State plan.’’. 
Æ 
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