S 176 ISCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To improve the job access and reverse commute program, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

January 8, 2009CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Mr. FEINGOLD introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban AffairsCommentsClose CommentsPermalink

To improve the job access and reverse commute program, and for other purposes.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘Job Access and Reverse Commute Program Improvements Act of 2009’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink

SEC. 2. JOB ACCESS AND REVERSE COMMUTE PROGRAM.

(a) Combined Applications- Section 5316(b) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) COMBINED APPLICATIONS-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) IN GENERAL- A State may accept a single combined application for a project that will use funds provided under not less than two of the programs described in subparagraph (C).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) INCENTIVES- For any State that determines to accept combined applications under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) reduce the amount of the cost share required under a program described in subparagraph (C);CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) increase the amount of funds the State may use for administrative expenses under a program described in subparagraph (C); orCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) make a grant to the State for expenses relating to accepting combined applications.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) PROGRAMS- The programs described in this subparagraph are the program under this section, the elderly and disabled specialized transit program under section 5310, the new freedom program under section 5317, and any other program determined appropriate by the Secretary.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(b) Job Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(1) IN GENERAL- Section 5316 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(A) in subsection (a)(1)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘and’ at the end;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘; and’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) subsidizing the costs associated with the transportation of low income high school students and young adults to career or technical education, job training, or apprenticeship programs.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(B) in subsection (h)(2)--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(i) by striking ‘operating assistance may not’ and inserting ‘operating assistance--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) may not’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘; or’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(iii) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) may not exceed 80 percent of the net operating costs of the project, if the State notifies the Secretary that it is necessary to achieve program goals.’;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(C) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) TRANSFERS TO STATES- A local governmental authority may transfer to the State in which the local governmental authority is located any funds apportioned to the local governmental authority under this section. A State may use funds transferred under this paragraph for any eligible job access or reverse commute project under this section.’; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(D) by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(j) Reporting and Certification Streamlining-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may waive or streamline reporting and certification requirements relating to the program under this section at the request of a State if the Secretary determines that the primary goals of the program are still being met.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) STUDY- The Secretary shall conduct a study of the feasibility of the elimination, revision, or reduced frequency of collection for any reporting or certification requirements relating to the program under this section, particularly examining the burden on and needs of nonprofit organizations that receive funding and are unaccustomed to Federal Transit Administration regulations.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(3) FLEXIBILITY- The Secretary shall encourage flexibility and experimentation by allowing States to use other assessment and eligibility measures such as outcome based assessment of the transportation access improvements to targeted populations instead of documenting individuals either on a State-by-State trial basis or through the pilot program under subsection (k).CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(4) WORKFORCE BOARDS- The Secretary shall--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) encourage coordination and review of applications by local workforce boards; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) consider using workforce board reviews as an alternative to streamline reporting requirements.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(k) Pilot Program-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may carry out a pilot program to make grants to recipients to--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) improve education and employment related transportation for eligible teens and young adults, such as linking high schools to technical colleges, job centers, and apprenticeships;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) evaluate streamlined reporting and certification requirements developed under subsection (j) in order to determine whether the requirements still ensure sufficient accountability and whether the projects are still primarily addressing the goals of this section;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) support more comprehensive projects that are integrated with other Federal, State, and local transportation and human service programs while ensuring the paperwork burden is minimized, including--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(i) bundling funds from and allowing combined applications with streamlined reporting requirements for other programs of the Department of Transportation (such as the elderly and disabled specialized transit program under section 5310 and the new freedom program under section 5317) or other Federal departments and agencies (such as the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Education) to address more comprehensive human service transportation needs;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(ii) developing programs that cross local government boundaries and involve multiple localities, particularly programs that serve more than one of the categories of areas described in subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) of subsection (c)(1); andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(iii) developing comprehensive projects that integrate workforce development with transportation needs during the different phases of training and job placement.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) AUTHORIZATION- There shall be available from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out this subsection.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(l) Continuation and Expansion of JARC Technical Assistance and Clearinghouse-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall continue technical assistance and peer-to-peer network activities being carried out on the date of enactment of this subsection and expand the assistance and activities as appropriate, so that the Department supports efforts that--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) act as an information clearinghouse and information network;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) provide technical assistance to potential applicants for a grant under this section;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) provide technical assistance to grant recipients in meeting Federal reporting and certification requirements, especially entities such as first-time grant recipients and small nonprofit organizations;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) conduct outreach and education of employers and employees regarding transportation assistance, including tax benefits for providing fringe benefits and earned income tax credit benefits for employees; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) as appropriate, coordinate the combined activities of and support memorandums of understanding between related Federal programs in the Department of Transportation or another Federal department or agency, such as the Department of Labor, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Economic Development Agency, or the Department of Education.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014 to carry out expanded technical assistance and peer-to-peer network activities under this subsection.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(2) AUTHORIZATION- Section 5338 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(h) Job Access and Reverse Commute Formula Grants-CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(1) IN GENERAL- There shall be available from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund to carry out section 5316 of this title--CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(A) $185,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(B) $205,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(C) $225,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(D) $245,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; andCommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(E) $265,000,000 for fiscal year 2014.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF AMOUNTS- Amounts made available by paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.’.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(c) Application- Subparagraph (B) of section 5316(h)(2) of title 49, United States Code, as added by subsection (b) of this section, shall apply to unexpended amounts made available before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink





(d) Offset- Any amounts authorized to carry out a project under section 1602 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (Public Law 105-178; 112 Stat. 256) for which no funds had been obligated as of January 1, 2009, are rescinded.CommentsClose CommentsPermalink