Title: Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act
This bill authorizes appropriations through FY2026 to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on the federal-aid highway system.
DOT must provide competitive grants to states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and certain public agencies for projects that provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on federal-aid highways or on a facility with reasonable access to such a highway or a freight facility.
The federal share for a project carried out in accordance with the bill must be 100%.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2187 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2187

   To amend title 23, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Transportation to set aside certain funds to provide parking for 
 commercial motor vehicles on the Federal-aid highway system, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2021

  Mr. Bost (for himself, Ms. Craig, Mr. Johnson of South Dakota, Mr. 
 Garamendi, Mr. Stauber, and Ms. Wild) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 23, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of 
   Transportation to set aside certain funds to provide parking for 
 commercial motor vehicles on the Federal-aid highway system, 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 ``Truck Parking Safety Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PARKING FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that it should 
be a national priority to address the shortage of parking for 
commercial motor vehicles on the Federal-aid Highway System to improve 
highway safety.
    (b) Parking for Commercial Vehicles.--Chapter 1 of title 23, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 171. Parking for commercial vehicles
    ``(a) Authorization.--In addition to the amounts authorized under 
section 1101 of the FAST Act, there is authorized to be appropriated 
out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) the 
following amounts to provide providing parking for commercial motor 
vehicles on Federal-aid highways:
            ``(1) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2022.
            ``(2) $140,000,000 for fiscal year 2023.
            ``(3) $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2024.
            ``(4) $165,000,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            ``(5) $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
    ``(b) Grant Authority.--The Secretary shall provide grants from 
funds made available under subsection (a), on a competitive basis, for 
projects to provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on Federal-
aid highways or on a facility with reasonable access to--
            ``(1) a Federal-aid highway; or
            ``(2) a freight facility.
    ``(c) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under this 
subsection, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require.
    ``(d) Application Contents.--An application under subsection (c) 
shall contain--
            ``(1) a description of the proposed project; and
            ``(2) any other information that the Secretary may require.
    ``(e) Eligible Entities.--The following entities shall be eligible 
to receive amounts under this section:
            ``(1) A State.
            ``(2) Any public agency carrying out responsibilities 
        relating to commercial motor vehicle parking.
            ``(3) A metropolitan planning organization.
            ``(4) A local government.
    ``(f) Private Sector Participation.--An eligible entity that 
receives a grant under this section may partner with a private entity 
to carry out an eligible project under this section.
    ``(g) Eligible Projects.--
            ``(1) In general.--An entity may use funds provided under 
        this section only for projects described in paragraph (2) that 
        are located--
                    ``(A) on a Federal-aid highway; or
                    ``(B) on a facility with reasonable access to--
                            ``(i) a Federal-aid highway; or
                            ``(ii) a freight facility.
            ``(2) Projects described.--A project referred to in 
        paragraph (1) is a project to--
                    ``(A) construct safety rest areas (as such term is 
                defined in section 120(c)) that include parking for 
                commercial motor vehicles;
                    ``(B) construct commercial motor vehicle parking 
                facilities--
                            ``(i) adjacent to private commercial truck 
                        stops and travel plazas;
                            ``(ii) within the boundaries of, or 
                        adjacent to, a publicly owned freight facility, 
                        including a port terminal operated by a public 
                        authority; and
                            ``(iii) at existing facilities, including 
                        inspection and weigh stations and park-and-ride 
                        locations; and
                    ``(C) convert existing weigh stations and rest 
                areas to facilities for the exclusive use of commercial 
                motor vehicle parking.
    ``(h) Eligible Activities.--
            ``(1) In general.--Entities may use allocations under this 
        subsection for the following activities of an eligible project:
                    ``(A) Development phase activities, including 
                planning, feasability analysis, benefit-cost analysis, 
                environmental review, preliminary engineering and 
                design work, and other preconstruction activities.
                    ``(B) Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, 
                acquisition of real property, environmental mitigation, 
                construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment, 
                and operational improvements directly related to 
                expanding commercial motor vehicle parking.
            ``(2) Limitation.--An entity may not use more than 25 
        percent of a grant under this subsection for activities 
        described in paragraph (1)(A).
    ``(i) Priority.--In making grants under this subsection, the 
Secretary shall give priority to entities that--
            ``(1) demonstrate a safety need for commercial motor 
        vehicle parking capacity in the corridor in which the project 
        described under subsection (d)(1) is proposed to be carried 
        out;
            ``(2) have consulted with affected State and local 
        governments, trucking organizations, and private providers of 
        commercial motor vehicle parking, including truck stop and 
        travel plaza operators;
            ``(3) demonstrate that the project described under 
        subsection (d)(1) will likely--
                    ``(A) increase commercial motor vehicle parking 
                capacity;
                    ``(B) facilitate the efficient movement of freight; 
                and
                    ``(C) improve highway safety, traffic congestion, 
                and air quality;
            ``(4) demonstrate the ability to provide for the 
        maintenance and operation cost necessary to keep the facility 
        available for use after completion of construction; and
            ``(5) demonstrate the ability to leverage private and non-
        federal funds for the project.
    ``(j) Federal Share.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the Federal share for a project carried out under this subsection shall 
be 100 percent.
    ``(k) Treatment of Funds.--Notwithstanding section 126, funds made 
available under this subsection shall remain available until expended 
and shall not be transferable.
    ``(l) Prohibition on Charging Fees.--To be eligible for a grant 
under this section, an entity shall agree that no fees will be charged 
for a commercial motor vehicle to access and park at any part of the 
facility constructed with funds made available under this subsection.
    ``(m) Notification of Congress.--Not less than 3 days before making 
a grant for a project under this section, the Secretary shall notify, 
in writing, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on the Environment and 
Public Works of the Senate of the--
            ``(1) the amount of each proposed grant to be made under 
        this subsection; and
            ``(2) evaluation and justification for the project 
        selection.
    ``(n) Survey and Comparative Assessment.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
        of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 years thereafter, 
        the Secretary, in consultation with appropriate State motor 
        carrier safety personnel and State departments of 
        transportation, shall submit to the Committee on Transportation 
        and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on the Environment and Public Works of the Senate a 
        report that--
                    ``(A) evaluates the capability of the States to 
                provide adequate parking and rest facilities for 
                commercial motor vehicles engaged in interstate 
                transportation;
                    ``(B) evaluates the effectiveness of the projects 
                funded under this subsection in improving access to 
                truck parking;
                    ``(C) evaluates the ability of entities receiving a 
                grant under this subsection to sustain the operation of 
                parking facilities constructed with funds provided 
                under this subsection; and
                    ``(D) reports on the progress being made to provide 
                adequate commercial motor vehicle parking facilities in 
                the State.
            ``(2) Results.--The Secretary shall make the report under 
        paragraph (1) available to the public on the website of the 
        Department of Transportation.
    ``(o) Treatment of Projects.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, a project carried out under this section shall be treated as if 
the project is located on a Federal-aid highway under this chapter.
    ``(p) Commercial Motor Vehicle Defined.--In this section, the term 
`commercial motor vehicle' has the meaning given such term in section 
31132 of title 49.''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, 
United States Code, is amended by adding after the item relating to 
section 171 the following:

``171. Parking for commercial vehicles.''.
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