Title: Neighborhood Noise Barriers Act of 2017
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Neighborhood Noise Barriers Act of 2017
This bill amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to allow the use of funds out of the Highway Trust Fund to construct a Type II noise barrier along a federal-aid highway if such barrier:
The bill makes the planning, design, or construction of a Type II noise barrier eligible for surface transportation block grant program funding.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 268 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 268

To amend the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to permit 
the construction of certain noise barriers with funds from the Highway 
                  Trust Fund, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 4, 2017

Mr. Lewis of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred 
         to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to permit 
the construction of certain noise barriers with funds from the Highway 
                  Trust Fund, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Neighborhood Noise Barriers Act of 
2017''.

SEC. 2. PERMITTING USE OF HIGHWAY TRUST FUND FOR CONSTRUCTION OF 
              CERTAIN NOISE BARRIERS.

    Section 339(b)(1) of the National Highway System Designation Act of 
1995 (23 U.S.C. 109 note) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(1) General rule.--No funds made available out of the 
        Highway Trust Fund may be used to construct a Type II noise 
        barrier (as defined by section 772.5(i) of title 23, Code of 
        Federal Regulations) pursuant to subsections (h) and (i) of 
        section 109 of title 23, United States Code, unless--
                    ``(A) such a barrier is part of a project approved 
                by the Secretary before November 28, 1995; or
                    ``(B) such a barrier separates a highway or other 
                noise corridor from a group of structures of which the 
                majority of those closest to the highway or noise 
                corridor--
                            ``(i) are residential in nature; and
                            ``(ii) either--
                                    ``(I) were constructed before the 
                                construction or most recent widening of 
                                the highway or noise corridor; or
                                    ``(II) are at least 10 years 
                                old.''.

SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BLOCK GRANT FUNDS.

    Section 133 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(16) Planning, design, or construction of a Type II noise 
        barrier (as described in section 772.5 of title 23, Code of 
        Federal Regulations).''; and
            (2) in subsection (c)(2) by inserting ``and paragraph 
        (16)'' after ``(11)''.
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