[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5437 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5437

To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program is accessible 
                to rural areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 13, 2023

Mr. Finstad (for himself, Mr. Stauber, Mr. Golden of Maine, and Mr. Van 
    Orden) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure the rural surface transportation grant program is accessible 
                to rural areas, 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 Infrastructure 
Investments for Rural America Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION GRANT PROGRAM.

    Section 173 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ``over 200,000'' 
                and inserting ``20,000 or less''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Small community.--The term `small community' means an 
        area that is outside an urbanized area and that has a 
        population of 5,000 or less.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (C) by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) to generate economic growth and development 
                in rural areas to improve the quality of life for 
                citizens in rural areas and small communities.'';
            (3) in subsection (e)(1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (F) by striking ``or'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in subparagraph (G) by striking the period at 
                the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(H) a highway, road, bridge, or tunnel project 
                that would benefit the economic development or quality 
                of life for citizens of the community in which the 
                project takes place.'';
            (4) by striking subsection (i);
            (5) by redesignating subsections (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), 
        and (o) as subsections (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), and (n), 
        respectively;
            (6) in subsection (i) (as so redesignated)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' 
                and inserting ``paragraphs (2) or (3)'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (4); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Federal share for projects in small communities.--The 
        Federal share of the cost of a project carried out in a small 
        community with a grant under the program may not exceed 90 
        percent.'';
            (7) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated) by striking 
        paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) Projects in small communities.--The Secretary shall 
        use not less than 5 percent of the amounts made available for 
        the program for each fiscal year to provide grants for eligible 
        projects in a small community.''; and
            (8) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated) by striking 
        ``subsection (l)(1)'' and inserting ``subsection (k)(1)''.
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