Rural Transportation Equity Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2137 To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish an Office of Rural Investment, to ensure that rural communities and regions are equitably represented in Federal decision making for transportation policy, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES JUNE 17, 2021 Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. BRAUN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To amend title 49, United States Code, to establish an Office of Rural Investment, to ensure that rural commu- nities and regions are equitably represented in Federal decision making for transportation policy, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Rural Transportation 4 Equity Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. RURAL INVESTMENT. 6 (a) OFFICE OF RURAL INVESTMENT.— 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 2137 IS (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 102 of title 49, 1 United States Code, is amended— 2 (A) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(re- 3 ferred to in this section as the ‘Department’)’’ 4 after ‘‘Department of Transportation’’; 5 (B) in subsection (b), in the first sentence, 6 by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this section as the 7 ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Secretary of Transpor- 8 tation’’; 9 (C) in subsection (f)(1), by striking ‘‘De- 10 partment of Transportation’’ each place it ap- 11 pears and inserting ‘‘Department’’; 12 (D) by redesignating subsection (h) as sub- 13 section (i); and 14 (E) by inserting after subsection (g) the 15 following: 16 ‘‘(h) OFFICE OF RURAL INVESTMENT.— 17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established in the 18 Department, within the Office of the Secretary, an 19 Office of Rural Investment (referred to in this sub- 20 section as the ‘Office’). 21 ‘‘(2) LEADERSHIP.—The Office shall be headed 22 by a Director for Rural Investment (referred to in 23 this subsection as the ‘Director’) who shall be ap- 24 pointed by, and report directly to, the Secretary. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(3) MISSION.— 1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The mission of the 2 Office shall be to coordinate with other offices 3 and agencies within the Department and with 4 other Federal agencies to further the goals and 5 objectives described in subparagraph (B). 6 ‘‘(B) GOALS AND OBJECTIVES DE- 7 SCRIBED.—The goals and objectives referred to 8 in subparagraph (A) are— 9 ‘‘(i) to ensure that the unique needs 10 and attributes of rural transportation, in- 11 volving all modes, are fully addressed and 12 prioritized during the development and im- 13 plementation of transportation policies, 14 programs, and activities within the Depart- 15 ment; 16 ‘‘(ii) to improve coordination of Fed- 17 eral transportation policies, programs, and 18 activities within the Department in a man- 19 ner that expands economic development in 20 rural communities and regions, and to pro- 21 vide recommendations for improvement, in- 22 cluding additional internal realignments; 23 ‘‘(iii) to expand Federal transpor- 24 tation infrastructure investment in rural 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 2137 IS communities and regions, including by pro- 1 viding recommendations for changes in ex- 2 isting funding distribution patterns; 3 ‘‘(iv) to use innovation to resolve local 4 and regional transportation challenges 5 faced by rural communities and regions; 6 ‘‘(v) to promote and improve planning 7 and coordination among rural communities 8 and regions to maximize the unique com- 9 petitive advantage in those locations while 10 avoiding duplicative Federal, State and 11 local investments; and 12 ‘‘(vi) to ensure that all rural commu- 13 nities and regions lacking resources receive 14 proactive outreach, education, and tech- 15 nical assistance to improve access to Fed- 16 eral transportation programs. 17 ‘‘(4) DUTIES OF THE DIRECTOR.—The Director 18 shall— 19 ‘‘(A) be responsible for engaging in activi- 20 ties to carry out the mission described in para- 21 graph (3); 22 ‘‘(B) organize, guide, and lead activities 23 within the Department to address disparities in 24 rural transportation infrastructure to improve 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 2137 IS safety, economic development, and quality of 1 life in rural communities and regions; 2 ‘‘(C) provide information and outreach to 3 rural communities and regions concerning the 4 availability and eligibility requirements of par- 5 ticipating in programs of the Department; 6 ‘‘(D) help rural communities and regions— 7 ‘‘(i) identify competitive economic ad- 8 vantages and transportation investments 9 that ensure continued economic growth; 10 and 11 ‘‘(ii) avoid duplicative transportation 12 investments; 13 ‘‘(E) serve as a resource for assisting rural 14 communities and regions with respect to Fed- 15 eral transportation programs; 16 ‘‘(F) identify— 17 ‘‘(i) Federal statutes, regulations, and 18 polices that may impede the Department 19 from supporting effective rural infrastruc- 20 ture projects that address national trans- 21 portation goals; and 22 ‘‘(ii) potential measures to solve or 23 mitigate those issues; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(G) identify improved, simplified, and 1 streamlined internal processes to help limited- 2 resource rural communities and regions access 3 transportation investments; 4 ‘‘(H) recommend changes and initiatives 5 for the Secretary to consider; 6 ‘‘(I) ensure and coordinate a routine rural 7 consultation on the development of policies, pro- 8 grams, and activities of the Department; 9 ‘‘(J) serve as an advocate within the De- 10 partment on behalf of rural communities and 11 regions; and 12 ‘‘(K) work in coordination with the De- 13 partment of Agriculture, the Department of 14 Health and Human Services, the Department of 15 Commerce, the Federal Communications Com- 16 mission, and other Federal agencies, as the Sec- 17 retary determines to be appropriate, in carrying 18 out the duties described in subparagraphs (A) 19 through (J). 20 ‘‘(5) CONTRACTS AND AGREEMENTS.—For the 21 purpose of carrying out the mission of the Office 22 under paragraph (3), the Secretary may enter into 23 contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agree- 24 ments as necessary, including with research centers, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 2137 IS institutions of higher education, States, units of 1 local government, nonprofit organizations, or a com- 2 bination of any of those entities— 3 ‘‘(A) to conduct research on transportation 4 investments that promote rural economic devel- 5 opment; 6 ‘‘(B) to solicit information in the develop- 7 ment of policy, programs, and activities of the 8 Department that can improve infrastructure in- 9 vestment and economic development in rural 10 communities and regions; 11 ‘‘(C) to develop educational and outreach 12 materials, including the conduct of workshops, 13 courses, and certified training for rural commu- 14 nities and regions that can further the mission 15 and goals of the Office and the Department; 16 and 17 ‘‘(D) to carry out any other activities, as 18 determined by the Secretary to be appropriate. 19 ‘‘(6) GRANTS.— 20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director may 21 award competitive grants to an entity described 22 in subparagraph (B) to support expanded edu- 23 cation, outreach, and technical assistance to 24 rural communities and regions. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(B) ENTITY DESCRIBED.—An entity re- 1 ferred to in subparagraph (A) is a nonprofit or- 2 ganization or an institution of higher education 3 that has not less than 3 years of experience 4 providing meaningful transportation technical 5 assistance or advocacy services to rural commu- 6 nities and regions. 7 ‘‘(7) EMPLOYEES.—The Secretary shall ensure 8 that not more than 4 full-time equivalent employees 9 are assigned to the Office. 10 ‘‘(8) COORDINATION WITHIN AND AMONG 11 OTHER OFFICES AND AGENCIES OF THE DEPART- 12 MENT.— 13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 14 designate not fewer than 1 representative from 15 each office or agency of the Department de- 16 scribed in subparagraph (B) who shall be re- 17 sponsible for leading the efforts within that of- 18 fice or agency to further the goals and objec- 19 tives described in subparagraph (B) of para- 20 graph (3). 21 ‘‘(B) OFFICES AND AGENCIES DE- 22 SCRIBED.—The offices and agencies of the De- 23 partment referred to in subparagraph (A) are 24 each of the following: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(i) The Office of the Under Sec- 1 retary of Transportation for Policy. 2 ‘‘(ii) The Office of the General Coun- 3 sel. 4 ‘‘(iii) The Office of the Chief Finan- 5 cial Officer and Assistant Secretary for 6 Budget and Programs. 7 ‘‘(iv) The Federal Aviation Adminis- 8 tration. 9 ‘‘(v) The Federal Highway Adminis- 10 tration. 11 ‘‘(vi) The Federal Railroad Adminis- 12 tration. 13 ‘‘(vii) The Federal Transit Adminis- 14 tration. 15 ‘‘(viii) The Office of the Assistant 16 Secretary for Governmental Affairs. 17 ‘‘(ix) The Office of Public Affairs. 18 ‘‘(x) Any other office or agency of the 19 Department that the Secretary determines 20 to be appropriate. 21 ‘‘(C) DUTIES.—The Chief Infrastructure 22 Funding Officer of the Department and the 23 representatives designated under subparagraph 24 (A)— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(i) shall— 1 ‘‘(I) meet bimonthly; and 2 ‘‘(II) recommend initiatives to 3 the Office; and 4 ‘‘(ii) may participate in all meetings 5 and relevant activities of the Office to pro- 6 vide input and guidance relevant to rural 7 transportation infrastructure projects and 8 issues. 9 ‘‘(9) ADDITIONAL INPUT.— 10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 11 seek input from the offices and agencies of the 12 Department described in subparagraph (B) to 13 further the goals and objectives described in 14 subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3). 15 ‘‘(B) OFFICES AND AGENCIES DE- 16 SCRIBED.—The offices and agencies of the De- 17 partment referred to in subparagraph (A) are 18 each of the following: 19 ‘‘(i) The Maritime Administration. 20 ‘‘(ii) The Saint Lawrence Seaway De- 21 velopment Corporation. 22 ‘‘(iii) The National Highway Traffic 23 Safety Administration. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 2137 IS ‘‘(10) REPORT.—Each year, the Office shall 1 submit to the Secretary a report describing— 2 ‘‘(A) the objectives of the Office for the 3 coming year; and 4 ‘‘(B) how the objectives of the Office were 5 accomplished in the previous year. 6 ‘‘(11) APPLICABILITY.—In carrying out the 7 mission of the Office under paragraph (3), the Sec- 8 retary shall consider as rural any area considered to 9 be a rural area under a Federal transportation pro- 10 gram of the Department.’’. 11 (2) COUNCIL ON CREDIT AND FINANCE.—Sec- 12 tion 117(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is 13 amended by adding at the end the following: 14 ‘‘(I) The Director for Rural Investment.’’. 15 (b) RURAL TRANSPORTATION ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 16 (1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 17 (A) ADVISORY COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘advi- 18 sory council’’ means the rural transportation 19 advisory council established under paragraph 20 (2). 21 (B) RELEVANT COMMITTEES OF CON- 22 GRESS.—The term ‘‘relevant committees of 23 Congress’’ means— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 2137 IS (i) the Committee on Transportation 1 and Infrastructure of the House of Rep- 2 resentatives; 3 (ii) the Committee on Energy and 4 Commerce of the House of Representa- 5 tives; 6 (iii) the Committee on Environment 7 and Public Works of the Senate; 8 (iv) the Committee on Commerce, 9 Science, and Transportation of the Senate; 10 (v) the Committee on Banking, Hous- 11 ing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate; 12 (vi) the Subcommittee on Transpor- 13 tation, and Housing and Urban Develop- 14 ment, and Related Agencies of the Com- 15 mittee on Appropriations of the House of 16 Representatives; and 17 (vii) the Subcommittee on Transpor- 18 tation, Housing and Urban Development, 19 and Related Agencies of the Committee on 20 Appropriations of the Senate. 21 (C) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 22 means the Secretary of Transportation. 23 (2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es- 24 tablish a rural transportation advisory council to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2137.IS S2137 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •S 2137 IS consult with and advise the Office of Rural Invest- 1 ment. 2 (3) MEMBERSHIP.— 3 (A) IN GENERAL.—The advisory council 4 shall be composed of 15 members, appointed by 5 the Secretary, of whom— 6 (i) not fewer than 1 shall be a rep- 7 resentative from an institution of higher 8 education or extension program; 9 (ii) not fewer than 1 shall be a rep- 10 resentative from an organization promoting 11 business and economic development, such 12 as a chamber of commerce, a local govern- 13 ment institution, or a planning organiza- 14 tion; 15 (iii) not fewer than 1 shall be a rep- 16 resentative from a financing entity; 17 (iv) not fewer than 1 shall have expe- 18 rience in health, mobility, or emergency 19 services; 20 (v) not fewer than 1 shall have experi- 21 ence in transportation safety; 22 (vi) not fewer than 1 shall have expe- 23 rience with workforce access; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Jun 30, [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]