Title: Transportation Emergency Relief Funds Availability Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Transportation Emergency Relief Funds Availability Act
This bill revises the treatment of deadlines for federal-aid highways and public transportation projects emergency relief funds awarded by the Department of Transportation (DOT).
The bill repeals the current two-year deadline for emergency relief projects to advance to the construction obligation stage. DOT must allow up to six years for projects funded through an emergency relief program to advance to construction.
The new six-year deadline starts following the date on which a disaster was declared by a state's governor or the President.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3193 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3193

To modify the treatment of deadlines for emergency relief funds awarded 
      by the Secretary of Transportation, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 11, 2019

 Mr. Garamendi (for himself, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Thompson of California, 
  Mr. DeSaulnier, Ms. Lee of California, Ms. Speier, Mr. Swalwell of 
   California, Mr. Khanna, Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Panetta, Mr. 
  Carbajal, Ms. Hill of California, Ms. Brownley of California, Mrs. 
  Napolitano, Mrs. Torres of California, Mr. Ruiz, Mr. Cisneros, Mr. 
Lowenthal, Mr. Rouda, Mr. Peters, Mr. Bera, Mr. Sherman, Mr. Costa, and 
 Mr. Vargas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To modify the treatment of deadlines for emergency relief funds awarded 
      by the Secretary of Transportation, 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 ``Transportation Emergency Relief 
Funds Availability Act''.

SEC. 2. REPEAL OF FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION REGULATION.

    Section 668.105(h) of title 23, Code of Federal Regulations, is 
repealed.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL-AID HIGHWAYS EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS.

    Section 125 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking subsection (d)(4); and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(h) Imposition of Deadline.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary of Transportation may not require any 
        project funded pursuant to this section to advance to the 
        construction obligation stage before the date that is the last 
        day of the sixth fiscal year after the later of--
                    ``(A) the date on which the Governor declared the 
                emergency, as described in subsection (d)(1)(A); or
                    ``(B) the date on which the President declared the 
                emergency to be a major disaster, as described in such 
                subsection.
            ``(2) Extension of deadline.--If the Secretary imposes a 
        deadline for advancement to the construction obligation stage 
        pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary may, upon the request 
        of the Governor of the State, issue an extension of not more 
        than 1 year to complete such advancement, and may issue 
        additional extensions after the expiration of any extension, if 
        the Secretary determines the Governor of the State has provided 
        suitable justification to warrant an extension.''.

SEC. 4. PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUNDS.

    Section 5324 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(f) Imposition of Deadline.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary of Transportation may not require any 
        project funded pursuant to this section to advance to the 
        construction obligation stage before the date that is the last 
        day of the sixth fiscal year after the later of--
                    ``(A) the date on which the Governor declared the 
                emergency, as described in subsection (a)(1); or
                    ``(B) the date on which the President declared a 
                major disaster, as described in such subsection.
            ``(2) Extension of deadline.--If the Secretary imposes a 
        deadline for advancement to the construction obligation stage 
        pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary may, upon the request 
        of the Governor of the State, issue an extension of not more 
        than 1 year to complete such advancement, and may issue 
        additional extensions after the expiration of any extension, if 
        the Secretary determines the Governor of the State has provided 
        suitable justification to warrant an extension.''.
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