[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1985 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1985
To establish a Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic
Success Initiative, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 9, 2021
Mrs. Fischer (for herself and Mr. Peters) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic
Success Initiative, 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 ``Rural Opportunities to Use
Transportation for Economic Success Act'' or the ``ROUTES Act''.
SEC. 2. RURAL OPPORTUNITIES TO USE TRANSPORTATION FOR ECONOMIC SUCCESS
INITIATIVE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) ROUTES council.--The term ``ROUTES Council'' means the
Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success
Council established by subsection (c)(1).
(2) ROUTES office.--The term ``ROUTES Office'' means the
Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success
Office established by subsection (b)(1).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation.
(b) ROUTES Office.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish within the
Department of Transportation the Rural Opportunities to Use
Transportation for Economic Success Office--
(A) to improve analysis of projects from rural
areas, Tribal areas, and underserved communities in
rural or Tribal areas applying for Department of
Transportation discretionary grants, including ensuring
that project costs, local resources, and the larger
benefits to the people and the economy of the United
States are appropriately considered; and
(B) to provide rural communities, Tribal
communities, and underserved communities in rural or
Tribal areas with technical assistance for meeting the
transportation infrastructure investment needs of the
United States in a financially sustainable manner.
(2) Objectives.--The ROUTES Office shall--
(A) collect input from knowledgeable entities and
the public on--
(i) the benefits of rural and Tribal
transportation projects;
(ii) the technical and financial assistance
required for constructing and operating rural
and Tribal transportation infrastructure and
services;
(iii) barriers and opportunities to funding
rural and Tribal transportation projects; and
(iv) unique transportation barriers and
challenges facing underserved communities in
rural and Tribal areas and ways to address
those challenges;
(B) evaluate data on rural and Tribal
transportation challenges and determining methods to
align the discretionary funding and financing
opportunities of the Department of Transportation with
the needs of those communities for meeting national
transportation goals; and
(C) educate rural communities and Tribal
communities about applicable Department of
Transportation discretionary grants, develop effective
methods to evaluate projects in those communities in
discretionary grant programs, and communicate those
methods through program guidance.
(c) ROUTES Council.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a Rural
Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success
Council--
(A) to organize, guide, and lead the ROUTES Office;
and
(B) to coordinate rural-related and Tribal-related
funding programs and assistance among the modal
administrations.
(2) Membership.--
(A) In general.--The ROUTES Council shall be
composed of the following officers of the Department of
Transportation, or their designees:
(i) The Under Secretary of Transportation
for Policy.
(ii) The General Counsel.
(iii) The Chief Financial Officer and
Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs.
(iv) The Assistant Secretary for Research
and Technology.
(v) The Administrators of--
(I) the Federal Aviation
Administration;
(II) the Federal Highway
Administration;
(III) the Federal Railroad
Administration; and
(IV) the Federal Transit
Administration.
(vi) The Executive Director of the National
Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance
Bureau established under section 116 of title
49, United States Code.
(vii) The Assistant Secretary of Government
Affairs.
(viii) Such other individuals as the
Secretary may designate.
(B) Chair.--The Under Secretary of Transportation
for Policy shall be the Chair of the ROUTES Council.
(C) Additional members.--The Secretary or the Chair
of the ROUTES Council may designate additional members
to serve on the ROUTES Council.
(3) Additional modal input.--To address issues related to
safety and transport of rural and Tribal commodities, the
ROUTES Council shall consult with the Administrators (or their
designees) of--
(A) the Maritime Administration;
(B) the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development
Corporation; and
(C) the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.
(4) Duties.--Members of the ROUTES Council shall--
(A) participate in all meetings and relevant ROUTES
Council activities and be prepared to share information
relevant to rural and Tribal transportation
infrastructure projects and issues;
(B) provide guidance and leadership on rural and
Tribal transportation infrastructure issues and
represent the work of the ROUTES Council and Department
of Transportation on those issues to external
stakeholders; and
(C) recommend initiatives to the Chair of the
ROUTES Council to consider, establish, and staff any
resulting activities or working groups.
(5) Meetings.--The ROUTES Council shall meet bimonthly.
(6) Work products and deliverables.--The ROUTES Council may
develop work products or deliverables to meet the goals of the
ROUTES Council, including--
(A) an annual report to Congress describing ROUTES
Council activities for the past year and expected
activities for the coming year;
(B) any recommendations to enhance the
effectiveness of Department of Transportation
discretionary grant programs regarding rural and Tribal
infrastructure issues; and
(C) other guides and reports for relevant groups
and the public.
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