Capital Investment Grant Program Improvement Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3387
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2020-03-04
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Public transit

Railroads

Rural conditions and development

Transportation programs funding

Urban and suburban affairs and development
Latest action: action_date: 2020-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2020-03-04
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Capital Investment Grant Program Improvement Act of 2020 </b></p> <p>This bill revises and extends through FY2025 the fixed guideway capital investment grant program.</p> <p>Specifically, the bill (1) increases funding for the program; (2) revises how the Department of Transportation (DOT) evaluates and rates new fixed guideway capital projects under the program based upon, among other things, a consideration of inoperability; and (3) directs DOT to report on financing and technical barriers to the construction and operation of fixed guideway transportation projects with a total estimated capital cost of not more than $500,000 in small urbanized and rural areas.</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 3387 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 4, 2020 Ms. Hassan introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To increase funding for the Capital Investment Grant program of the Federal Transit Administration, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Capital Investment Grant Program Improvement Act of 2020 . 2. Capital investment grant program (a) Authorization of appropriations Section 5338(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— (1) by striking Federal Public Transportation Act of 2015, $2,301,785,760 and inserting the following: Federal Public Transportation Act of 2015— (A) $2,301,785,760 ; and (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: ; and (B) $3,300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025. . (b) Consideration of interoperability Section 5309(g)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (D) Consideration of interoperability (i) Definitions In this subparagraph— (I) the terms commuter rail passenger transportation and intercity rail passenger transportation have the meanings given those terms in section 24102; and (II) the term small urbanized area means an urbanized area with a population of less than 350,000 people. (ii) Consideration of interoperability A new fixed guideway capital project that receives a medium-low rating for the project justification criteria under subsection (d)(2)(A)(iii) shall nonetheless be eligible for an overall rating of medium under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph if the Secretary determines that the project would connect a small urbanized area to, and be interoperable with, an existing (as of the date of the grant application) intercity rail passenger transportation network, commuter rail passenger transportation network, or rail fixed guideway public transportation system located within a 100-mile radius of a terminus of the project. . (c) Report on small-Scale fixed guideway projects (1) Definitions In this subsection— (A) the term rural area has the meaning given the term in section 5302 of title 49, United States Code; and (B) the term small urbanized area has the meaning given the term in section 5309(r) of title 49, United States Code, as added by subsection (b). (2) Report Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall issue a report on financing and technical barriers to the construction and operation of fixed guideway transportation projects with a total estimated capital cost of not more than $500,000 in small urbanized areas and rural areas.