Transit to Trails Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2924 To establish a program to award grants to entities that provide transportation connectors from critically underserved urban communities and rural com- munities to green spaces. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 30, 2021 Mr. GOMEZ (for himself, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. SIRES, Mr. SOTO, Mr. BLU- MENAUER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. HUFFMAN, Ms. CHU, Ms. SA´NCHEZ, Ms. BARRAGA´N, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. CARBAJAL, and Mr. CA´RDENAS) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To establish a program to award grants to entities that provide transportation connectors from critically under- served urban communities and rural communities to green spaces. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Transit to Trails Act 4 of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. TRANSIT TO TRAILS GRANT PROGRAM. 6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2924 IH (1) COMMUNITY OF COLOR.—The term ‘‘com- 1 munity of color’’ means a geographically distinct 2 area in which the population of any of the following 3 categories of individuals is higher than the average 4 populations of that category for the State in which 5 the community is located: 6 (A) Black. 7 (B) African American. 8 (C) Asian. 9 (D) Pacific Islander. 10 (E) Other non-white race. 11 (F) Hispanic. 12 (G) Latino. 13 (2) CRITICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.— 14 The term ‘‘critically underserved community’’ 15 means— 16 (A) a community that can demonstrate to 17 the Secretary that the community has inad- 18 equate, insufficient, or no park space or recre- 19 ation facilities, including by demonstrating— 20 (i) quality concerns relating to the 21 available park space or recreation facilities; 22 (ii) the presence of recreational facili- 23 ties that do not serve the needs of the com- 24 munity; or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2924 IH (iii) the inequitable distribution of 1 park space for high-need populations, 2 based on income, age, or other measures of 3 vulnerability and need; 4 (B) a community in which at least 50 per- 5 cent of the population is not located within 1⁄2 6 mile of park space; or 7 (C) any other community that the Sec- 8 retary determines to be appropriate. 9 (3) DISPROPORTIONATE BURDEN OF ADVERSE 10 HUMAN HEALTH OR ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS.— 11 The term ‘‘disproportionate burden of adverse 12 human health or environmental effects’’ means a sit- 13 uation where there exists higher or more adverse 14 human health or environmental effects on commu- 15 nities of color, low income communities, and Tribal 16 and indigenous communities. 17 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 18 ty’’ means— 19 (A) a State; 20 (B) a political subdivision of a State (in- 21 cluding a city or a county) that represents or 22 otherwise serves an urban area or a rural area; 23 (C) a special purpose district (including a 24 park district); 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2924 IH (D) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 1 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu- 2 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)) that 3 represents or otherwise serves an urban area or 4 a rural area; or 5 (E) a metropolitan planning organization 6 (as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United 7 States Code). 8 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 9 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 10 a community with significant representation of com- 11 munities of color, low income communities, or Tribal 12 and indigenous communities, that experience, or is 13 at risk of experiencing higher or more adverse 14 human health or environmental effects. 15 (6) LOW INCOME COMMUNITY.—the term ‘‘low 16 income community’’ means any census block group 17 in which 30 percent or more of the population are 18 individuals with an annual household income equal 19 to, or less than, the greater of— 20 (A) an amount equal to 80 percent of the 21 median income of the area in which the house- 22 hold is located, as reported by the Department 23 of Housing and Urban Development; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2924 IH (B) 200 percent of the Federal poverty 1 line. 2 (7) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘program’’ means 3 the Transit to Trails Grant Program established 4 under subsection (b)(1). 5 (8) RURAL AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ 6 means a community that is not an urban area. 7 (9) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 8 the Secretary of Transportation. 9 (10) TRANSPORTATION CONNECTOR.— 10 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘transpor- 11 tation connector’’ means a system that— 12 (i) connects 2 ZIP Codes or commu- 13 nities within a 175-mile radius of a des- 14 ignated service area; and 15 (ii) offers rides available to the public. 16 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘transpor- 17 tation connector’’ includes microtransits, bus 18 lines, bus rails, light rail, rapid transits, or per- 19 sonal rapid transits. 20 (11) URBAN AREA.—The term ‘‘urban area’’ 21 means a community that— 22 (A) is densely developed; 23 (B) has residential, commercial, and other 24 nonresidential areas; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2924 IH (C)(i) is an urbanized area with a popu- 1 lation of 50,000 or more; or 2 (ii) is an urban cluster with a population 3 of— 4 (I) not less than 2,500; and 5 (II) not more than 50,000. 6 (b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 7 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es- 8 tablish a grant program, to be known as the ‘‘Tran- 9 sit to Trails Grant Program’’, under which the Sec- 10 retary shall award grants to eligible entities for— 11 (A) projects that develop transportation 12 connectors or routes in or serving, and related 13 culturally and linguistically appropriate edu- 14 cation materials for, critically underserved com- 15 munities to increase access and mobility to Fed- 16 eral or non-Federal public land, inland and 17 costal waters, parkland, or monuments; or 18 (B) projects that facilitate transportation 19 improvements to enhance access to Federal or 20 non-Federal public land and recreational oppor- 21 tunities in critically underserved communities. 22 (2) ADMINISTRATION.— 23 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ad- 24 minister the program to assist eligible entities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2924 IH in the development of transportation connectors 1 or routes in or serving, and related culturally 2 and linguistically appropriate education mate- 3 rials for, critically underserved communities to 4 increase access and mobility to Federal or non- 5 Federal public land, inland and costal waters, 6 parkland, or monuments. 7 (B) JOINT PARTNERSHIPS.—The Secretary 8 shall encourage joint partnership projects under 9 the program, if available, among multiple agen- 10 cies, including school districts, nonprofit organi- 11 zations, metropolitan planning organizations, 12 regional transportation authorities, transit 13 agencies, and State and local governmental 14 agencies (including park and recreation agen- 15 cies and authorities) to enhance investment of 16 public sources. 17 (C) ANNUAL GRANT PROJECT PROPOSAL 18 SOLICITATION, REVIEW, AND APPROVAL.— 19 (i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 20 shall— 21 (I) annually solicit the submis- 22 sion of project proposals for grants 23 from eligible entities under the pro- 24 gram; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2924 IH (II) review each project proposal 1 submitted under subclause (I) on a 2 timeline established by the Secretary. 3 (ii) REQUIRED ELEMENTS FOR 4 PROJECT PROPOSAL.—A project proposal 5 submitted under clause (i)(I) shall in- 6 clude— 7 (I) a statement of the purposes 8 of the project; 9 (II) the name of the entity or in- 10 dividual with overall responsibility for 11 the project; 12 (III) a description of the quali- 13 fications of the entity or individuals 14 identified under subclause (II); 15 (IV) a description of— 16 (aa) staffing and stake- 17 holder engagement for the 18 project; 19 (bb) the logistics of the 20 project; and 21 (cc) anticipated outcomes of 22 the project; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2924 IH (V) a proposed budget for the 1 funds and time required to complete 2 the project; 3 (VI) information regarding the 4 source and amount of matching fund- 5 ing available for the project; 6 (VII) information that dem- 7 onstrates the clear potential of the 8 project to contribute to increased ac- 9 cess to parkland for critically under- 10 served communities; and 11 (VIII) any other information that 12 the Secretary considers to be nec- 13 essary for evaluating the eligibility of 14 the project for funding under the pro- 15 gram. 16 (iii) CONSULTATION; APPROVAL OR 17 DISAPPROVAL.—The Secretary shall, with 18 respect to each project proposal submitted 19 under this subparagraph, as appropriate— 20 (I) consult with the government 21 of each State in which the proposed 22 project is to be conducted; 23 (II) after taking into consider- 24 ation any comments resulting from 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2924 IH the consultation under subclause (I), 1 approve or disapprove the proposal; 2 and 3 (III) provide written notification 4 of the approval or disapproval to— 5 (aa) the individual or entity 6 that submitted the proposal; and 7 (bb) each State consulted 8 under subclause (I). 9 (D) PRIORITY.—To the extent practicable, 10 in determining whether to approve project pro- 11 posals under the program, the Secretary shall 12 prioritize projects that— 13 (i) are designed to increase access and 14 mobility to local or neighborhood Federal 15 or non-Federal public land, inland and 16 costal waters, parkland, monuments, or 17 recreational opportunities; 18 (ii) utilize low or no emission vehicles; 19 (iii) provide free or discounted rates 20 for low income riders; 21 (iv) provide opportunities for youth 22 engagement; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2924 IH (v) provide employment preference to 1 individuals who reside in the community 2 where the project is granted; 3 (vi) projects established in commu- 4 nities of color, low-income communities, 5 Tribal or indigenous communities, or rural 6 communities; 7 (vii) would capitalize on existing es- 8 tablished public-private partnerships; and 9 (viii) comply with relevant regulations 10 in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 11 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.). 12 (3) TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROCE- 13 DURES.— 14 (A) PROCEDURES.—In consultation with 15 the head of each appropriate Federal land man- 16 agement agency, the Secretary shall develop, by 17 rule, transportation planning procedures for 18 projects conducted under the program that are 19 consistent with metropolitan and statewide 20 planning processes. 21 (B) REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying out the 22 program, the Secretary shall ensure the fol- 23 lowing: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2924 IH (i) All projects carried out under the 1 program shall be developed in cooperation 2 with applicable States and metropolitan 3 planning organizations. 4 (ii) All new transportation connectors 5 and routes established under a project 6 shall be accessible in accordance with the 7 Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 8 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) accessibility 9 specifications for transportation vehicles. 10 (iii) The applicable State or metropoli- 11 tan organization shall— 12 (I) meaningfully engage with rel- 13 evant stakeholders, and in par- 14 ticular— 15 (aa) impacted community 16 members; 17 (bb) transportation partners; 18 (cc) existing potential pas- 19 sengers; 20 (dd) Tribes and tribal rep- 21 resentatives; and 22 (ee) faith-based and commu- 23 nity-based organizations; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 2924 IH (II) ensure that the input of the 1 stakeholders described in subclause (I) 2 is central to the determination of new 3 connectors and routes. 4 (4) FEDERAL SHARE.— 5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal share of 6 the cost of an eligible project carried our under 7 this subsection shall not exceed 80 percent. 8 (B) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Fed- 9 eral share of the cost of an eligible project car- 10 ried out under this subsection may be derived 11 from in-kind contributions. 12 (5) ELIGIBLE USES.—Grant funds provided 13 under the program may be used— 14 (A) to develop transportation connectors or 15 routes in or serving, and related culturally and 16 linguistically appropriate education materials 17 for, critically underserved communities to in- 18 crease access and mobility to Federal and non- 19 Federal public land, inland and costal waters, 20 parkland, and monuments; and 21 (B) to create or significantly enhance ac- 22 cess to Federal or non-Federal public land and 23 recreational opportunities in an urban area or 24 a rural area. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:43 Jun 28, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2924.IH H2924 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 14 •HR 2924 IH (6) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant provided under 1 the program shall be— 2 (A) not less than $25,000; and 3 (B) not more than $500,000. 4 (7) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—It is the intent 5 of Congress that grants provided under the program 6 deliver project [Text truncated for display. 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