[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3182 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3182

     To provide grants to construct transportation and supporting 
 infrastructure improvements at existing and new international border 
                               crossings.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 25, 2013

 Mr. Peters of California (for himself, Mr. Vargas, and Mrs. Davis of 
 California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To provide grants to construct transportation and supporting 
 infrastructure improvements at existing and new international border 
                               crossings.

    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 ``Safe and Secure Border 
Infrastructure Act''.

SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF SAFE AND SECURE BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS.

    The Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary 
of Homeland Security and the governors of the border States, shall 
establish a grant program, which shall be administered by the Secretary 
of Transportation and the Administrator of General Services, to 
construct transportation and supporting infrastructure improvements at 
existing and new international border crossings to facilitate the safe, 
secure, and efficient cross-border movement of motor vehicles, non-
motor vehicles, cargo, and individuals, including pedestrians.

SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY.

    The projects eligible to receive a grant under this Act shall 
include--
            (1) highway or bridge projects eligible under title 23, 
        United States Code;
            (2) public transportation projects eligible under chapter 
        53 of title 49, United States Code;
            (3) demonstration and pilot projects related to innovative 
        cross border systems management; and
            (4) passenger and freight rail transportation projects.

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    To be eligible to receive a grant under this Act, a State or 
metropolitan planning organization located in a border region shall 
submit to the Secretary of Transportation an application that 
demonstrates--
            (1) an established master plan for border infrastructure 
        investments that demonstrates awareness of the relevant border 
        stakeholder interests at the Federal, State, and regional 
        level;
            (2) that receipt of the grant applied for under this Act 
        would complete an overall financing package;
            (3) the ability to provide a non-Federal match of 50 
        percent of the total cost of the project;
            (4) the satisfaction of all Federal and State environmental 
        requirements prior to the submission of the application for the 
        grant; and
            (5) a plan to obligate any funds received under this Act by 
        the end of the fiscal year following the year in which those 
        funds are awarded.

SEC. 5. PRIMARY SELECTION CRITERIA.

    In awarding a grant under this Act, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in consultation with the Administrator of General 
Services, shall give priority to projects that accomplish one or more 
of the following objectives:
            (1) Improve the safety and security at facilities in the 
        United States, including ports of entry.
            (2) Facilitate safe, secure, and legal trade crossings of 
        motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles, cargo, and individuals, 
        including pedestrians, to alleviate border congestion and 
        reduce the economic effect of border wait times and delays.
            (3) Implement innovative technologies that enhance safety, 
        security, or efficiency at the border.
            (4) Coordinate a system of projects that improve security 
        and systems efficiencies at ports of entry.
            (5) Facilitate economic development strategies with respect 
        to safety and security.
            (6) Implement congestion relief and air quality management 
        strategies to improve the environment.

SEC. 6. APPORTIONMENT OF FUNDS.

    Of the amounts appropriated to carry out this Act, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in consultation with the Administrator of General 
Services, shall apportion such amounts as follows:
            (1) 20 percent in the ratio that----
                    (A) the total number of incoming commercial trucks 
                that pass through land border ports of entry within the 
                boundaries of an eligible State; bears to
                    (B) the total number of incoming commercial trucks 
                that pass through land border ports of entry within the 
                boundaries of all eligible border States.
            (2) 30 percent in the ratio that--
                    (A) the total number of incoming personal motor 
                vehicles and incoming buses that pass through land 
                border ports of entry within the boundaries of an 
                eligible State; bears to
                    (B) the total number of incoming personal motor 
                vehicles and incoming buses that pass through land 
                border ports of entry within the boundaries of all 
                eligible border States.
            (3) 25 percent in the ratio that--
                    (A) the total weight of incoming cargo by 
                commercial trucks that pass through land border ports 
                of entry within the boundaries of an eligible State; 
                bears to
                    (B) the total weight of incoming cargo by 
                commercial trucks that pass through land border ports 
                of entry within the boundaries of all eligible border 
                States.
            (4) 25 percent of the ratio that--
                    (A) the total number of land border ports of entry 
                within the boundaries of an eligible State; bears to
                    (B) the total number of land border ports of entry 
                within the boundaries of all eligible border States.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``border region'' means any portion of a 
        border State within 10 miles of an international land border 
        with Canada or Mexico;
            (2) the term ``border State'' means any State that has an 
        international land border with Canada or Mexico;
            (3) the term ``commercial truck'' means a commercial 
        vehicle as defined in section 31301(4) (other than subparagraph 
        (B)) of title 49, United States Code;
            (4) the term ``motor vehicle'' has the meaning such term 
        has under Section 154(a)(2) of title 23, United States Code; 
        and
            (5) the term ``State'' has the meaning such term has in 
        section 101(a)(25) of title 23.
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