S.Amdt. 2242

SA 2242. Mr. ROUNDS (for himself, Ms. Smith, Mr. Warnock, Ms. Lummis,
Ms. Baldwin, and Mr. Cramer) submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed to amendment SA 2137 proposed by Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Sinema
(for herself, Mr. Portman, Mr. Manchin, Mr. Cassidy, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms.
Collins, Mr. Tester, Ms. Murkowski, Mr. Warner, and Mr. Romney)) to the
bill H.R. 3684, to authorize funds for Federal-aid highways, highway
safety programs, and transit programs, and for other purposes; which
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place in division C, insert the
following:

SEC. 300__. INCREASED FEDERAL SHARE OF OPERATING COSTS FOR
CERTAIN AREAS.

Section 5311(g)(2)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended--
(1) in the subparagraph heading, by striking ``Exception''
and inserting ``Exceptions'';
(2) by striking ``A State'' and inserting the following:
``(i) States with nontaxable indian lands or public domain
lands.--Subject to clause (ii), a State''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Areas with particular needs.--

``(I) Definition.--In this clause, the term `area of
persistent poverty' means--

``(aa) any county in which not less than 20 percent of the
population has lived in poverty during the most recent 30-
year period, as measured by--
``(AA) the second and third most recent decennial censuses;
and
``(BB) the Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates of the
Bureau of the Census for the most recent year for which the
Estimates are available; or
``(bb) any census tract with a poverty rate of not less
than 20 percent, as measured by most recent 5-year data
series available from the American Community Survey of the
Bureau of the Census.

``(II) Increased federal share.--A grant made under this
section for operating assistance for a recipient or
subrecipient that operates public transportation that serves
an area that meets 1 or more of the criteria under subclause
(III) shall be for 80 percent of the net operating costs of
the project, as determined by the Secretary.
``(III) Criteria.--The criteria referred to in subclause
(II) are that an area--

``(aa) is an area of persistent poverty;
``(bb) is a county in which not less than 25 percent of
residents are age 65 or older, according to the most recent
5-year estimate of the American Community Survey of the
Bureau of the Census;
``(cc) is a county that, or is a county that includes a
site that--
``(AA) has been designated by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services as a health professional shortage area under
section 332(a) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
254e(a)) on the basis of a primary care or mental health care
shortage; and
``(BB) received a health professional shortage area score
for the most recent program year, with respect to primary
care or mental health care, that was not less than the lowest
minimum score, as designated by the Secretary of Health and
Human Services for that program year, necessary for the site
to be eligible for the assignment of National Health Service
Corps members providing primary care or mental health care,
respectively, for fulfillment of obligated service under the
National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program; or
``(dd) is a county with a population density of not more
than 20 persons per square mile of land area, based on the
most recent decennial census.''.
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