Freedom to Move Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 7389 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a grant program to support efforts to provide fare-free transit service, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 26, 2020 Ms. PRESSLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure A BILL To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a grant program to support efforts to provide fare-free transit service, 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 ‘‘Freedom to Move Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 5 The purposes of this Act are— 6 (1) to invest in State, county, and local munici- 7 palities efforts to provide fare-free public transpor- 8 tation; and 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 7389 IH (2) to support State, county, and local munici- 1 palities in improving and expanding access to safe, 2 accessible, and reliable mass transit systems in order 3 to improve the livability of communities. 4 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 5 Congress finds the following: 6 (1) Increasing access to safe, reliable, and af- 7 fordable public transit systems, including buses, 8 light rail, and subways can help increase community 9 livability and mobility to critical services such as 10 education, jobs, and healthcare. 11 (2) The cost of transit fares can act as a chal- 12 lenging economic barrier for low-income individuals 13 and families who are most likely to rely on public 14 transportation to access critical services and must 15 spend larger parts of their household budget on 16 transportation services. Removing economic barriers 17 to safe, reliable, and affordable public transit, can 18 help to increase social and economic mobility by in- 19 creasing access to education, training, and employ- 20 ment. 21 (3) Individuals with disabilities are twice as 22 likely as those without disabilities to have inadequate 23 access to safe, affordable, and reliable transpor- 24 tation. Reports have found that of the nearly 2 mil- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 7389 IH lion people with disabilities who are unable to leave 1 their homes, nearly 30 percent is due to lack of ade- 2 quate transportation. 3 (4) As the senior population continues to grow, 4 an increasing number of elderly adults depend on 5 public transit to access medical care and other vital 6 services. Additionally, the percentage of 13 to 34- 7 year-olds without a driver’s license continues to 8 grow. Taken together, these trends show the unprec- 9 edented urgency of investing in and improving our 10 public transit systems. 11 (5) According to the Department of Transpor- 12 tation, transportation accounts for 29 percent of 13 greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Pub- 14 lic transportation, however, produces significantly 15 lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger mile 16 than by private vehicles. Increasing public transit 17 ridership and moving more people to and from crit- 18 ical services with fewer vehicles on the road can re- 19 duce greenhouse gas emissions. 20 (6) Eliminating transit fares and significantly 21 reducing economic barriers to public transit will help 22 to reduce the need for fare evasion policies that dis- 23 proportionately criminalize low-income individuals 24 and people of color. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 7389 IH SEC. 4. GRANTS TO SUPPORT FARE-FREE TRANSIT. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 360 days after the 2 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award 3 grants (which shall be known as ‘‘Freedom to Move 4 Grants’’) to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, to 5 cover the lost fare revenue for fare-free public transpor- 6 tation and improve public transportation. 7 (b) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a grant 8 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit to the 9 Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, 10 and containing such information as the Secretary may re- 11 quire, including, at a minimum, the following: 12 (1) A description of how the eligible entity 13 plans to implement fare free transit access. 14 (2) A description of how the entity will work to 15 expand and improve bus service, which may in- 16 clude— 17 (A) a bus network redesign; 18 (B) how such redesign will prioritize con- 19 sistent and reliable service for low-income and 20 historically underserved communities; 21 (C) how such redesign will prioritize con- 22 nectivity to critical services and improve com- 23 munity livability; and 24 (D) how the eligible entity will meaning- 25 fully consult with community, community lead- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 7389 IH ers, local stakeholders and advocates, including 1 transit advocates and disability advocates, local 2 education agencies and institutions of higher 3 education, community developers, labor unions, 4 public housing agencies and workforce develop- 5 ment boards, while facilitating such redesign. 6 (3) A description of how the eligible entity will 7 meaningfully partner and collaborate with commu- 8 nity, community leaders, local stakeholders and ad- 9 vocates, including transit advocates and disability 10 advocates, local education agencies and institutions 11 of higher education, community developers, labor 12 unions, public housing agencies and workforce devel- 13 opment boards to support outreach efforts to in- 14 crease awareness of fare-free bus and transit pro- 15 grams. 16 (4) A description of the eligible entity’s equity 17 evaluation examining any transit and mobility gaps 18 within the current transit system and how the eligi- 19 ble entity plans to significantly improve these gaps, 20 including— 21 (A) the average commute times for driver 22 commuters and non-driver commuters; 23 (B) public transit ridership rates disaggre- 24 gated by mode of transportation and demo- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 7389 IH graphic group (youth (including youth involved 1 in the foster care system), seniors, individuals 2 with disabilities, and low-income status); and 3 (C) average length of bus routes and aver- 4 age delay times. 5 (5) A description of the eligible entity’s current 6 fare evasion enforcement policies, including— 7 (A) the cost of the fine and whether the in- 8 fraction is considered a civil offense or a crimi- 9 nal offense punishable by imprisonment; 10 (B) the number of individuals charged with 11 violating a fare evasion policy, disaggregated by 12 age, race, gender, and disability status; and 13 (C) how the eligible entity plans to elimi- 14 nate fare evasion policies and end the criminal- 15 ization of individuals evading fares. 16 (6) An estimate of additional costs as a result 17 of increased ridership, including— 18 (A) fuel; 19 (B) personnel; 20 (C) maintenance; and 21 (D) other operational costs. 22 (7) Information and statistics on assaults on 23 transit employees and a description of trainings and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 7389 IH policies to protect employees, which may include de- 1 escalation training. 2 (c) DURATION.—Grants awarded under this section 3 shall be for a 5-year period. 4 (d) SELECTION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In car- 5 rying out the program under this section, the Secretary 6 shall award grants to eligible entities located in both rural 7 and urbanized areas. 8 (e) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 9 a grant under this section shall use such grant to sup- 10 port— 11 (1) implementing a fare-free transit program; 12 and 13 (2) efforts to improve public transportation, 14 particularly in underserved communities, including 15 costs associated with efforts to provide more safe, 16 frequent, and reliable bus service, including— 17 (A) bus stop safety and accessibility im- 18 provements; 19 (B) pedestrian and bike shelters; 20 (C) signage; 21 (D) painted bus lanes; 22 (E) signal priority systems; 23 (F) street redesign; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 7389 IH (G) operational costs to meet demands of 1 increased ridership, including hiring and train- 2 ing of personnel; and 3 (H) conducting a bus network redesign. 4 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 5 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In this section, the 6 term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 7 (A) a State, county, local municipality; 8 (B) a transit agency; 9 (C) a private nonprofit organization en- 10 gaged in public transportation in rural areas; or 11 (D) a partnership between entities de- 12 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 13 (2) UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.—The term 14 ‘‘underserved community’’ means— 15 (A) a community not served by existing 16 bus routes or infrequent service; and 17 (B) a community located in an area within 18 a census tract that is identified as— 19 (i) a low-income community; and 20 (ii) a community of color. 21 (3) LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS.—The term 22 ‘‘low-income individuals’’ means an individual whose 23 family income is at or below 150 percent of the pov- 24 erty line (as that term is defined in section 673(2) 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 7389 IH of the Community Service Block Grant Act (42 1 U.S.C. 9902(2)), including any revision required by 2 that section) for a family of the size involved. 3 (4) FOSTER CARE YOUTH.—The term ‘‘foster 4 care youth’’— 5 (A) means children and youth whose care 6 and placement are the responsibility of the 7 State or Tribal agency that administers a State 8 or Tribal plan under part B or E of title IV of 9 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. 10 and 670 et seq.), without regard to whether fos- 11 ter care maintenance payments are made under 12 section 472 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672) on be- 13 half of such children and youth; and 14 (B) includes individuals who were age 13 15 or older when their care and placement were 16 the responsibility of a State or Tribal agency 17 that administered a State or Tribal plan under 18 part B or E of title IV of the Social Security 19 Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.) 20 and who are no longer under the care and re- 21 sponsibility of such a State or Tribal agency, 22 without regard to any such individual’s subse- 23 quent adoption, guardianship arrangement, or 24 other form of permanency outcome. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 7389 IH (5) PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.—The term 1 ‘‘public transportation’’— 2 (A) means regular, continuing shared-ride 3 surface transportation services that are open to 4 the general public or open to a segment of the 5 general public defined by age, disability, or low 6 income; and 7 (B) does not include— 8 (i) intercity passenger rail transpor- 9 tation provided by the entity described in 10 chapter 243 of title 49, United States 11 Code, (or a successor to such entity); 12 (ii) intercity bus service; 13 (iii) charter bus service; 14 (iv) school bus service; 15 (v) sightseeing service; 16 (vi) courtesy shuttle service for pa- 17 trons of one or more specific establish- 18 ments; or 19 (vii) intra-terminal or intra-facility 20 shuttle services. 21 (g) REPORT.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 23 the date on which funds are made available to carry 24 out this section, the Secretary shall collect data from 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 7389 IH eligible entities receiving a grant under this section 1 on the progress of meeting the targets described in 2 the application of such entity. 3 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The report required 4 under paragraph (1) shall— 5 (A) collect data on demographics of com- 6 munities served under this Act, disaggregated 7 and cross-tabulated by— 8 (i) race 9 (ii) ethnicity; 10 (iii) sex; and 11 (iv) household median income; and 12 (B) progress towards significantly closing 13 transit equity gaps as described in subsection 14 (b)(4). 15 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 16 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 17 $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 18 2025. 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:15 Jul 22, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H7389.IH H7389 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS