Rural Road Safety Act

Bill: 116-hr-4338
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Finkenauer, Abby [D-IA-1]
Introduced: 2019-09-16
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Congressional oversight

Roads and highways

Rural conditions and development

State and local finance

State and local government operations

Transportation costs

Transportation programs funding

Transportation safety and security
Latest action: action_date: 2019-09-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-09-16
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Rural Road Safety Act</b></p> <p>This bill requires states to dedicate at least 7.5% of apportioned funds each fiscal year under the highway safety improvement program for construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads.</p> <p>The Department of Transportation must update its guidance on improving safety on rural roads to include new best practices for reducing fatalities on such roads.</p>

tv_txt: I 116th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4338 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 16, 2019 Ms. Finkenauer (for herself and Mr. Westerman ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To amend title 23, United States Code, to require the Secretary of Transportation to ensure that States set aside certain funds for construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Rural Road Safety Act . 2. Highway safety improvement program (a) In general Section 148 of title 23, United States Code, is amended— (1) in subsection (g)(1)— (A) by striking If the fatality rate and inserting (A) In general— If the fatality rate ; (B) by striking for fiscal year 2009 and all that follows through the period at the end and inserting for the previous fiscal year for high risk rural roads under subsection (l). ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (B) Treatment of projects Notwithstanding any other provision of law, projects carried out under this paragraph shall be treated as projects on a Federal-aid highway under this chapter. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (l) High risk rural roads (1) In general Of the amounts apportioned to a State for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year thereafter under this section, the State shall obligate for construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads an amount that is not less than 7.5 percent of such amount apportioned for such fiscal year. (2) Special rule A State may use funds apportioned to the State pursuant to this subsection for any project under this section if the State certifies to the Secretary that the State has met all of State needs for construction and operational improvements on high risk rural roads. (3) Treatment of construction and operational improvements Notwithstanding any other provision of law, construction and operational improvements under this subsection shall be treated as a project on a Federal-aid highway under this chapter. . (b) Update of high Risk rural roads best practices Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to Congress an update to the manual described in section 1112 of MAP–21 ( 23 U.S.C. 148 note) to include any best practices not listed in such manual for communities to reduce fatalities on rural roads. (c) GAO report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress an update to the report published by the Government Accountability Office on May 28, 2004, titled Highway Safety: Federal and State Efforts to Address Rural Road Safety Challenges describing— (1) ongoing funding and policy challenges to addressing rural road safety; and (2) successful risk mitigation measures taken on the Federal and State levels.