[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3485 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3485

 To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway mobility in 
              rural States for the benefit of all States.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 15, 2010

   Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Crapo, Mr. Risch, Mr. 
Johnson, Mr. Thune, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Begich, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Tester, 
Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Enzi, and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve highway mobility in 
              rural States for the benefit of all States.

    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 Mobility and Access for 
America Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) Federal-aid highways in rural States--
                    (A) serve as a connection for truck and personal 
                traffic between other States and between major 
                metropolitan areas, advancing interstate commerce and 
                mobility and benefitting individuals in major 
                metropolitan areas;
                    (B) enable agricultural exports and serve the 
                ethanol production and energy extraction industries of 
                the United States, which are located largely in rural 
                areas;
                    (C) are a lifeline for remotely located and 
                economically challenged citizens, such as those living 
                on Indian reservations;
                    (D) enable people and business to traverse the 
                large tracts of sparsely populated land that are a 
                major characteristic of many rural States; and
                    (E) provide access to scenic wonders and facilitate 
                tourism;
            (2) Federal investment in highways in rural States enables 
        enhanced investment to address safety needs on rural routes; 
        and
            (3) rural States with low population density and extensive 
        highway networks have fewer individuals to support each lane 
        mile of Federal-aid highway than an average State.

SEC. 3. RURAL MOBILITY AND ACCESS FOR AMERICA PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 1 of title 23, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 167. Rural Mobility and Access for America program
    ``(a) Definition of Rural State.--In this section, the term `rural 
State' means any of the 50 States that--
            ``(1) has a population density of 45 or fewer individuals 
        per square mile of land area; or
            ``(2) does not include, within the borders of the State, a 
        plurality of the population of a metropolitan planning area 
        served by a metropolitan planning organization under section 
        134 that encompasses, in whole or part, an urbanized area with 
        a population of more than 500,000 individuals.
    ``(b) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and implement a 
program to benefit the surface transportation system in the United 
States by allocating funds to rural States.
    ``(c) State Allocations.--
            ``(1) In general.--Funds authorized to be appropriated for 
        the program established under subsection (b) shall be allocated 
        for each fiscal year among rural States equally.
            ``(2) Use of decennial census data.--In determining the 
        population density of States or the population of urbanized 
        areas for the purpose of this section, the Secretary shall use 
        data contained in the latest decennial census.
    ``(d) Use of Funds.--Funds allocated to a State for the program 
established under subsection (b)--
            ``(1) may be used for any type of project eligible under 
        section 133(b); and
            ``(2) are not subject to other provisions of section 133.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section from the Highway Trust Fund (other 
        than the Mass Transit Account), for fiscal year 2010 and each 
        fiscal year thereafter, the amount determined under paragraph 
        (2), which shall--
                    ``(A) be used to carry out the program under this 
                section;
                    ``(B) remain available until expended;
                    ``(C) be available for obligation as if the funds 
                were apportioned under this chapter; and
                    ``(D) not be subject to any limitation on 
                obligations.
            ``(2) Amount.--The amount referred to in paragraph (1) is, 
        for a fiscal year, 33\1/3\ percent of the amount of funds for 
        that fiscal year authorized to be allocated to those 
        metropolitan planning organizations that serve a metropolitan 
        planning area that encompasses, in whole or part, an urbanized 
        area with a population of more than 500,000 individuals.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 1 of title 23, 
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end of the items 
relating to subchapter I the following:

``167. Rural Mobility and Access for America program.''.
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