UTRIP Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``University Transit Rider Innovation 
Program Act of 2015'' or ``UTRIP Act''.

SEC. 2. FORMULA GRANTS TO INCREASE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION RIDERSHIP BY 
              COLLEGE STUDENTS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by inserting after section 5307 the following:
``Sec. 5308. Formula grants to increase ridership by college students
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `covered student' means an undergraduate or 
        graduate student attending an institution of higher education;
            ``(2) the term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a recipient or subrecipient that provides 
                covered students a discounted fare for public 
                transportation that meets the requirements under 
                subsection (d)(1); or
                    ``(B) a recipient that allocates amounts provided 
                to the recipient under a grant under this section to a 
                subrecipient described in subparagraph (A);
            ``(3) the term `institution of higher education' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001);
            ``(4) the term `large urbanized area' means an urbanized 
        area with a population of not less than 200,000 individuals, as 
        determined by the Bureau of the Census;
            ``(5) the term `recipient' means a designated recipient, a 
        local governmental authority, or a State;
            ``(6) the term `small urbanized area' means an urbanized 
        area with a population of less than 200,000 individuals, as 
        determined by the Bureau of the Census; and
            ``(7) the term `subrecipient' means a State or local 
        governmental authority, a private nonprofit organization, or an 
        operator of public transportation services, including a private 
        operator of public transportation services.
    ``(b) General Authority.--
            ``(1) Grants.--The Secretary may make grants under this 
        section to recipients that are eligible entities to increase 
        the use of public transportation by covered students in 
        accordance with subsection (c).
            ``(2) Subrecipients.--A recipient that receives a grant 
        under this section may allocate the amounts provided under the 
        grant to subrecipients that are eligible entities to increase 
        the use of public transportation by covered students in 
        accordance with subsection (c).
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity may use amounts provided 
under a grant under this section to--
            ``(1) offset decreased revenue resulting from providing 
        discounted fares to covered students;
            ``(2) provide general operating assistance to public 
        transportation services and routes designed to better serve 
        institutions of higher education; or
            ``(3) pay for capital costs associated with expanding and 
        maintaining public transportation services and routes designed 
        to serve institutions of higher education.
    ``(d) Discounted Fare.--
            ``(1) In general.--In order to qualify as an eligible 
        entity described in subsection (a)(2)(A), a recipient or 
        subrecipient shall provide to covered students a discounted 
        fare for public transportation that is--
                    ``(A) not more than 75 percent of the fare; and
                    ``(B) applicable to both monthly and single-ride 
                fares.
            ``(2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in paragraph (1) shall 
        be construed to prohibit a recipient or subrecipient that, as 
        of the date of enactment of the University Transit Rider 
        Innovation Program Act of 2015, provides a discounted fare to 
        covered students that meets the requirements under paragraph 
        (1), including a discounted fare that is lower than 75 percent 
        of the fare, from qualifying as an eligible entity described in 
        subsection (a)(2)(A).
    ``(e) Apportionment and Transfers.--
            ``(1) Formula.--The Secretary shall apportion amounts made 
        available to carry out this section as follows:
                    ``(A) Large urbanized areas.--Sixty percent of the 
                funds shall be apportioned among designated recipients 
                for large urbanized areas in the ratio that--
                            ``(i) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in each such urbanized area; 
                        bears to
                            ``(ii) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in all such urbanized areas.
                    ``(B) Small urbanized areas.--Twenty percent of the 
                funds shall be apportioned among the States in the 
                ratio that--
                            ``(i) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in small urbanized areas in 
                        each State; bears to
                            ``(ii) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in small urbanized areas in 
                        all States.
                    ``(C) Rural areas.--Twenty percent of the funds 
                shall be apportioned among the States in the ratio 
                that--
                            ``(i) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in rural areas in each State; 
                        bears to
                            ``(ii) the number of full-time equivalent 
                        covered students in rural areas in all States.
            ``(2) Areas served by projects.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in 
                subparagraph (B)--
                            ``(i) funds apportioned under paragraph 
                        (1)(A) shall be used to serve covered students 
                        or institutions of higher education in large 
                        urbanized areas;
                            ``(ii) funds apportioned under paragraph 
                        (1)(B) shall be used to serve covered students 
                        or institutions of higher education in small 
                        urbanized areas; and
                            ``(iii) funds apportioned under paragraph 
                        (1)(C) shall be used to serve covered students 
                        or institutions of higher education in rural 
                        areas.
                    ``(B) Exceptions.--A State may use funds 
                apportioned to the State under subparagraph (B) or (C) 
                of paragraph (1)--
                            ``(i) to serve covered students or 
                        institutions of higher education in an area 
                        other than an area specified in subparagraph 
                        (A)(ii) or (A)(iii), as the case may be, if the 
                        Governor of the State certifies that all of the 
                        objectives of this section are being met in the 
                        area specified in subparagraph (A)(ii) or 
                        (A)(iii); or
                            ``(ii) to serve covered students or 
                        institutions of higher education anywhere in 
                        the State, if the State has established a 
                        statewide program for meeting the objectives of 
                        this section.
                    ``(C) Consultation.--A recipient may transfer an 
                amount under subparagraph (B) only after consulting 
                with responsible local officials, publicly owned 
                operators of public transportation, and nonprofit 
                providers in the area for which the amount was 
                originally apportioned.''; and
            (2) in section 5338(a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
                        ``$9,347,604,639'' and inserting 
                        ``$9,597,604,639'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
                        ``$9,534,706,043'' and inserting 
                        ``$9,784,706,043'';
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
                        ``$9,733,353,407'' and inserting 
                        ``$9,983,353,407'';
                            (iv) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
                        ``$9,939,380,030'' and inserting 
                        ``$10,189,380,030''; and
                            (v) in subparagraph (E), by striking 
                        ``$10,150,348,462'' and inserting 
                        ``$10,400,348,462''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (M), by striking 
                        ``and'' at the end;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (N), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(M) $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 
                through 2020 shall be available to carry out section 
                5308.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Table of sections.--The table of sections for chapter 
        53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking the 
        item relating to section 5308 and inserting the following:

``5308. Formula grants to increase ridership by college students.''.
            (2) Obligation ceiling.--Section 3018 of the Federal Public 
        Transportation Act of 2015 (title III of Public Law 114-94) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking 
                ``$9,347,604,639'' and inserting ``$9,597,604,639'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by striking 
                ``$9,733,706,043'' and inserting ``$9,983,706,043'';
                    (C) in paragraph (3), by striking 
                ``$9,733,353,407'' and inserting ``$9,983,353,407'';
                    (D) in paragraph (4), by striking 
                ``$9,939,380,030'' and inserting ``$10,189,380,030''; 
                and
                    (E) in paragraph (5), by striking 
                ``$10,150,348,462'' and inserting ``$10,400,348,462''.

Summary: University Transit Rider Innovation Program Act of 2015 or the UTRIP Act This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to make grants to designated recipients, local or state governmental authorities, private nonprofit organizations, or operators of public transportation services (recipients) to increase the use of public transportation by undergraduate or graduate students attending an institution of higher education (covered students). A recipient may use amounts provided under a grant to:   offset decreased revenue resulting from providing discounted fares to covered students,  provide general operating assistance to public transportation services and routes designed to better serve institutions of higher education, or  pay for capital costs associated with expanding and maintaining public transportation services and routes designed to serve such institutions.  To be eligible for a grant, a recipient must provide to covered students a discounted fare for public transportation that is: (1) not more than 75% of the fare, and (2) applicable to both monthly and single-ride fares. DOT shall apportion amounts made available to carry out this Act to large urbanized areas, small urbanized areas, and rural areas based on the relative numbers of full-time equivalent covered students in such areas, according to a specified formula, with specified exceptions.