[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3022 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3022

To amend title 49, United States Code, to allow urbanized area formula 
  grants for public transportation projects to be used for operating 
costs in urbanized areas with a population of at least 200,000, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 22, 2011

Mr. Carson of Indiana introduced the following bill; which was referred 
         to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 49, United States Code, to allow urbanized area formula 
  grants for public transportation projects to be used for operating 
costs in urbanized areas with a population of at least 200,000, 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 ``Protecting Transit Through Increased 
Flexibility Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. URBANIZED AREA FORMULA GRANTS.

    Section 5307(b) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (1)(E) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(E) operating costs of equipment and facilities 
                for use in public transportation in an urbanized area 
                with a population of at least 200,000, if--
                            ``(i) the term of the grant does not exceed 
                        one year; and
                            ``(ii) the funds are derived from grants 
                        awarded under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) 
                        pursuant to a request approved by the Secretary 
                        under paragraph (4); and''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Use of grants for operating assistance in urbanized 
        areas with a population of at least 200,000.--
                    ``(A) Submission of requests.--A recipient of a 
                grant under paragraph (1)(A), (1)(B), or (1)(C) for an 
                urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000 
                may submit a request to the Secretary that all or any 
                portion of the amounts of the grant be made available 
                for operating costs under paragraph (1)(E).
                    ``(B) Information to be included in requests.--A 
                request submitted by a recipient under subparagraph (A) 
                shall include--
                            ``(i) documentation illustrating reduced 
                        tax revenue or appropriations of funds 
                        available to the recipient over the previous 
                        year;
                            ``(ii) documentation of increased fuel 
                        costs or any other factor affecting the budget 
                        of the recipient for operating costs; and
                            ``(iii) a certification that the amount 
                        requested under subparagraph (A) does not 
                        exceed the reductions in tax revenues and 
                        appropriations of funds documented under clause 
                        (i).
                    ``(C) Approval and disapproval of requests.--The 
                Secretary shall approve or disapprove a request 
                submitted under subparagraph (A) based on--
                            ``(i) the impact of approval or disapproval 
                        on the continuity and cost of service provided 
                        by the recipient;
                            ``(ii) the impact of approval or 
                        disapproval on the ability of the recipient to 
                        meet goals established under sections 5303, 
                        5304, and 5306; and
                            ``(iii) an assessment of the information 
                        submitted under subparagraph (B).
                    ``(D) Deadline for consideration of requests.--If 
                the Secretary does not approve or disapprove a request 
                submitted under subparagraph (A) on or before the 60th 
                day following the date of receipt of the request, the 
                request shall be deemed approved.''.
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