[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 182

To make available for obligation such sums as are necessary to pay the 
    Federal share of completion of construction of the Appalachian 
          development highway system, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 22, 1997

   Mr. Byrd introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To make available for obligation such sums as are necessary to pay the 
    Federal share of completion of construction of the Appalachian 
          development highway system, 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 ``Appalachian Development Highway 
System Completion Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 (40 
        U.S.C. App.) enacted into law a Federal commitment to the 
        completion of the Appalachian development highway system for 
        the purpose of expanding highway access to the Appalachian 
        region;
            (2) economic prosperity within the Appalachian region since 
        that time has been brought about by, and has centered around, 
        the availability of adequate highway access;
            (3) the rationale behind the completion of the Appalachian 
        development highway system is as sound today as it was in 1965, 
        but while the Interstate System is nearly 100 percent complete, 
        the Appalachian development highway system is only 76 percent 
        complete;
            (4) those areas in which the Appalachian development 
        highway system is not yet complete suffer from inadequate road 
        systems characterized by low travel speeds, long travel 
        distances, and unsafe conditions; and
            (5) there are unfinished miles of the Appalachian 
        development highway system in all 13 of the States with 
        counties in the statutorily-designated Appalachian region.

SEC. 3. COMPLETION OF APPALACHIAN DEVELOPMENT HIGHWAY SYSTEM.

    (a) Authorization.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to subsection (d), there are 
        authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund 
        (other than the Mass Transit Account) for the period of fiscal 
        years 1998 through 2003 such sums as are necessary to fund the 
        Federal share of the total estimated cost of completion of 
        construction of the Appalachian development highway system 
        authorized by section 201 of the Appalachian Regional 
        Development Act of 1965 (40 U.S.C. App.), as determined by the 
        Secretary of Transportation.
            (2) Transfer and administration of funds.--The Secretary 
        shall transfer the funds made available by paragraph (1) to the 
        Appalachian Regional Commission, which shall be responsible for 
        the administration of the funds.
    (b) Federal Share.--The Federal share under this section shall be 
80 percent.
    (c) Apportionment to States.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall apportion the funds to the 13 States in the Appalachian 
region in accordance with each State's portion of the total estimated 
cost of completion.
    (d) Allocation Percentages.--One-sixth of the funds allocated by 
subsection (a) for the construction shall be available for obligation 
in each of fiscal years 1998 through 2003.
    (e) Delegation to States.--Subject to title 23, United States Code, 
the Secretary shall delegate responsibility for completion of 
construction of each segment of the Appalachian development highway 
system under this section to the State in which the segment is located, 
upon request of the State.
    (f) Advance Construction.--When a State that has been delegated 
responsibility for construction of a segment under subsection (c)--
            (1) has obligated all funds allocated under this section 
        for construction of the segment; and
            (2) proceeds to construct the segment without the aid of 
        Federal funds in accordance with all procedures and all 
        requirements applicable to the segment, except insofar as the 
        procedures and requirements limit the State to the construction 
        of segments with the aid of Federal funds previously allocated 
        to the State;
the Secretary, upon approval of the application of a State, shall pay 
to the State the Federal share of the cost of construction of the 
segment at such time as additional funds are allocated for the segment 
under subsection (d).
    (g) Contract Authority.--Funds authorized by this section shall be 
available for obligation in the same manner as if the funds were 
apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, except 
that--
            (1) the Federal share of the cost of any construction under 
        this section shall be determined in accordance with subsection 
        (b); and
            (2) the funds shall remain available until expended.
    (h) Inapplicability of Obligation Limitations.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, any obligation limitation enacted for any of 
fiscal years 1998 through 2003 shall not apply to obligations 
authorized under this section.
    (i) Other State Funds.--Funds made available to a State under this 
section shall not be considered in determining the apportionments and 
allocations that any State shall be entitled to receive, under title 
23, United States Code, and other law, of amounts in the Highway Trust 
Fund.
                                 <all>