1.This Act may be cited as
the Senior Transportation and Mobility
Improvement Act of 2011
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)According to
projections from the 2010 decennial census, the number of individuals in the
United States who are 65 years of age or older will increase from 40,000,000 in
2010 to 72,000,000 in 2030. Yet, a 2004 report by the Surface Transportation
Policy Project found that more than 1 in 5 (or 21 percent) of individuals who
are 65 years of age or older do not drive.
(2)According to a
2011 report by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, inadequate
transportation options for older adults has emerged as the second greatest
challenge identified by communities during the 5-year period ending in
2011.
(3)According to a
2004 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, more than ½ of
seniors who are 65 years of age and older (numbering 3,600,000 individuals) who
no longer drive due to a decline in health, stay at home on any given day
partially because they lack transportation options. Alternatives to driving are
particularly sparse in some regions and in rural and small town
communities.
(4)According to a
2004 report by the Surface Transportation Policy Project, compared with older
drivers, older non-drivers in the United States make 15 percent fewer trips to
the doctor, 59 percent fewer shopping trips, and 65 percent fewer trips for
social, family, and religious activities.
(5)In 2009, the
program under section 5310 of title 49, United States Code, provided more than
43,000,000 rides to older adults and people with disabilities.
(6)Access to
mobility management services help transit and human services systems meet the
needs of older adults and people with disabilities. This person-centered
strategy helps individuals and families review available transportation options
and support their decisions regarding the transportation options that are best
suited to their circumstances, preferences and mobility needs.
3.Public
transportation services for elderly individuals and individuals with
disabilities
(a)Elderly
individuals and individuals with disabilities
(1)Section 5310 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following:
(i)
(1)In
this subsection, the term covered amounts means, for a fiscal
year, any amounts apportioned to a State under this section in excess of the
amounts apportioned to the State under this section for fiscal year
2010.
(2)A State may use not more than 33 percent of any covered
amounts for costs relating to the operation and maintenance of vehicles and
other capital assets acquired by the State using funds under this section,
including insurance, fuel, and driver compensation.
(3)The Federal share of the cost of operation and maintenance
carried out using funds under this subsection may not exceed 50
percent.
.
(2)Additional
requirements for grant recipientsSection 5310(d) of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(3)Each recipient of funding under this section shall
submit to the Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration an annual
report that describes how the recipient will coordinate, or is coordinating,
the activities carried out by the recipient using a grant under this section
with the activities, if any, carried out by the recipient using a grant under
title III of the Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3021 et
seq.).
.
(3)Section 5310(c)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended—
(A)by striking
(B) Exception.—A State
and inserting the
following:
(B)
(i)A State
;
and
(B)by adding at the
end the following:
(ii)A grant under this section for a capital project
described in section 5302(a)(1)(L) shall be for 90 percent of the capital costs
of the project, as determined by the
Secretary.
.
(b)National
Transit DatabaseSection 5335 of title 49, United States Code, is
amended—
(1)in subsection
(b), by striking section 5307 or 5311
and inserting
section 5307, 5310, or 5311
; and
(2)by adding at the
end the following:
(c)Data relating
to sections 5310 and 5311The reporting and uniform systems
established under subsection (a) shall include information with respect to
activities carried out using a grant under section 5310 or 5311, including, for
each recipient of a grant under section 5310 or 5311 and for each State—
(1)the number of
vehicles purchased; and
(2)the number of
rides
provided.
.
4.Metropolitan and
Statewide transportation planning
(a)Metropolitan
transportation planningSection 5303(i) of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(8)Participation
by older individuals and people with disabilities
(A)In
this paragraph, the terms disability and older
individual have the same meanings as in section 102 of the Older
Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
(B)In developing a transportation plan under this section,
a metropolitan planning organization shall—
(i)ensure that
organizations that represent older individuals and individuals with
disabilities (including community action agencies, area agencies on aging,
aging and disability resource centers, and other representatives of the aging
and disability networks) have a reasonable opportunity to comment on the
transportation plan and document the efforts of the metropolitan planning
organization to solicit such comments;
(ii)take into
consideration any comments received under clause (i) and document how any such
comments were taken into consideration in the development of the transportation
plan; and
(iii)give
organizations that represent older individuals and individuals with
disabilities (including community action agencies, area agencies on aging,
aging and disability resource centers, and other representatives of the aging
and disability networks) an opportunity to review and comment on the
transportation plan before the transportation plan becomes
final.
.
(b)Statewide
transportation planningSection 5304 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
(k)Participation
by older individuals and people with disabilities
(1)In
this subsection, the terms disability and older
individual have the same meanings as in section 102 of the Older
Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
(2)In developing a statewide transportation plan or a
statewide transportation improvement program under this section, a State
shall—
(A)ensure that
organizations that represent older individuals and individuals with
disabilities have a reasonable opportunity to comment on the plan or program
and document the efforts of the State to solicit such comments;
(B)take into
consideration any comments received under subparagraph (A) and document how any
such comments were taken into consideration in the development of the plan or
program; and
(C)give
organizations that represent older individuals and individuals with
disabilities an opportunity to review and comment on the plan or program before
the plan or program becomes
final.
.
5.Technical
assistance and mobility management
(a)
(1)For
purposes of this subsection—
(A)the term
eligible entity means a nonprofit organization that provides
transportation services to older individuals;
(B)the term
older individual has the same meaning as in section 102 of the
Older Americans Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002); and
(C)the term
urbanized area has the same meaning as in section 5302 of title
49, United States Code.
(2)The Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the National Center on Senior
Transportation—
(A)to provide
technical assistance to transit and human services organizations;
(B)to disseminate
best practices with respect to transportation for older individuals to
consumers, Federal, State, and local transportation and aging services
providers, and researchers; and
(C)to make grants to
eligible entities to test innovative and replicable approaches for addressing
the mobility needs of older individuals, including individuals in other than
urbanized areas.
(3)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this subsection—
(A)$5,500,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(B)$6,000,000 for
fiscal year 2013.
(b)Mobility
management program
(1)The Federal Transit Administration shall make grants to
nonprofit aging services organizations—
(A)to offer mobility
management services, including mobility management activities and projects
described in section 5302(a)(1)(L) of title 49, United States Code; and
(B)to develop and
implement enhanced technology to support mobility management services.
(2)Authorization
of appropriationsThere are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this subsection—
(A)$3,000,000 for
fiscal year 2012; and
(B)$5,000,000 for
fiscal year 2013.