[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4468 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4468
To increase the Federal share of operating costs for certain projects
that receive grants under the Formula Grants to Rural Areas Program of
the Federal Transit Administration.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 6, 2020
Ms. Smith (for herself, Mr. Rounds, and Ms. Baldwin) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To increase the Federal share of operating costs for certain projects
that receive grants under the Formula Grants to Rural Areas Program of
the Federal Transit Administration.
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 ``Investments in Rural Transit Act of
2020''.
SEC. 2. INCREASED FEDERAL SHARE OF OPERATING COSTS FOR CERTAIN AREAS.
Section 5311(g)(2)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in the subparagraph heading, by striking ``Exception''
and inserting ``Exceptions'';
(2) by striking ``A State'' and inserting the following:
``(i) States with nontaxable indian lands
or public domain lands.--Subject to clause
(ii), a State''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Areas with particular needs.--
``(I) Definition.--In this clause,
the term `area of persistent poverty'
means--
``(aa) any county in which
not less than 20 percent of the
population has lived in poverty
during the most recent 30-year
period, as measured by--
``(AA) the second
and third most recent
decennial censuses; and
``(BB) the Small
Area Income and Poverty
Estimates of the Bureau
of the Census for the
most recent year for
which the Estimates are
available; or
``(bb) any census tract
with a poverty rate of not less
than 20 percent, as measured by
most recent 5-year data series
available from the American
Community Survey of the Bureau
of the Census.
``(II) Increased federal share.--A
grant made under this section for
operating assistance to an operator of
public transportation that serves an
area that meets one or more of the
criteria under subclause (III) shall be
for 80 percent of the net operating
costs of the project, as determined by
the Secretary.
``(III) Criteria.--The criteria
referred to in subclause (II) are that
an area--
``(aa) is an area of
persistent poverty;
``(bb) is a county in which
not less than 25 percent of
residents are age 65 or older,
according to the most recent 5-
year estimate of the American
Community Survey of the Bureau
of the Census;
``(cc) is a county that, or
is a county that includes a
site that--
``(AA) has been
designated by the
Secretary of Health and
Human Services as a
health professional
shortage area under
section 332(a) of the
Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 254e(a))
on the basis of a
primary care or mental
health care shortage;
and
``(BB) received a
health professional
shortage area score for
the most recent program
year, with respect to
primary care or mental
health care, that was
not less than the
lowest minimum score,
as designated by the
Secretary of Health and
Human Services for that
program year, necessary
for the site to be
eligible for the
assignment of National
Health Service Corps
members providing
primary care or mental
health care,
respectively, for
fulfillment of
obligated service under
the National Health
Service Corps
Scholarship Program; or
``(dd) is a county with a
population density of not more
than 20 persons per square mile
of land area, based on the most
recent decennial census.''.
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