Expanded Transit Service Act

Bill: 117-s-2534
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Ossoff, Jon [D-GA]
Introduced: 2021-07-29
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Latest action: action_date: 2021-07-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2021-07-29
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><strong>Expanded Transit Service Act</strong></p> <p>This bill allows an urbanized area with 200,000 or more residents to use a portion of its Urbanized Area Formula Grants for operating expenses to increase the frequency and availability of public transportation. Under current law, the grants support various transit planning and related activities in urbanized areas; however, only areas with fewer than 200,000 residents may use funds for transit operating expenses.</p>

tv_txt: II 117th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2534 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 29, 2021 Mr. Ossoff (for himself, Mr. Warnock , and Mr. Padilla ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide assistance for increasing the frequency and availability of public transportation service, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Expanded Transit Service Act . 2. Urbanized area formula grants Section 5307(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the following: (D) operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation— (i) in an urbanized area with a population of fewer than 200,000 individuals, as determined by the Bureau of the Census; or (ii) as provided under paragraph (2), (3), or (4). ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (4) Exception for increasing the frequency and availability of transit service (A) In general A recipient in an urbanized area with a population of not fewer than 200,000 individuals may use not more than 10 percent of the amounts made available to the recipient under this section for operating costs that increase the frequency and availability of public transportation service. (B) Measurement Operating costs described in subparagraph (A) shall be related to increasing or maintaining the frequency and availability of public transportation service as measured by a comparison of— (i) the planned number of vehicle revenue hours of service provided by the recipient in the current fiscal year; to (ii) the number of vehicle revenue hours of service provided by the recipient in— (I) the fiscal year preceding the first fiscal year in which the recipient uses amounts under this paragraph; or (II) a different fiscal year, as determined by the Secretary, in the case of emergency or disaster. (C) Eligibility Eligible operating costs under this paragraph include costs associated with— (i) decreasing headways; (ii) expanding service hours or days; (iii) providing service to new routes; or (iv) expanding routes. .