119-hr4039

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4039 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 4039

 To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be eligible to receive 
 certain funding for use providing basic essential ferry service in 
 rural areas, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 June 17, 2025

Ms. King-Hinds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be eligible to receive 
 certain funding for use providing basic essential ferry service in 
 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 ``Connecting the Northern Mariana 
Islands through Ferry Services Act'' or the ``CNMI Ferry Act''.

SEC. 2. FERRY SERVICE FUNDING FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN 
 MARIANA ISLANDS.

 

Section 71103 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 
U.S.C. 147 note) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (2) --
            (i) by striking ``means a ferry service'' 
 and all that follows through the period and 
 inserting ``means--''; and
            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
        (A) a ferry service that--
 ``
            (i) operated a regular schedule at any 
 time during the 5-year period ending on March 
 1, 2020; and
 ``
            (ii) served not less than 2 rural areas 
 located more than 50 sailing miles apart; and
 ``
        (B) a ferry service operating, or being planned 
 or established with the intent that the ferry service 
 operate, a regular schedule in the Commonwealth of the 
 Northern Mariana Islands.'';
        (B) in paragraph

    (3) to read as follows:
 ``

    (3) Rural area.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The term `rural area' has the 
 meaning given the term in 

section 5302 of title 49, 
 United States Code.
 ``
        (B) Commonwealth of the northern mariana 
 islands.--For purposes of the program established under 
 subsection

    (b) , the Commonwealth of the Northern 
 Mariana Islands, and any area therein, shall be deemed 
 to be a rural area.''; and
            (C) by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (5) State.--The term `State' means any State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
 Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
 the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and any 
 other territory or possession of the United States.''; and

    (2) in subsection
            (c) by striking ``including requirements 
 for the provision of funds to States.'' and inserting 
 ``including--
 ``

    (1) requirements for the provision of funds to States; 
 and
 ``

    (2) requirements for the provision of funds to the 
 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for the 
 establishment and operation of an eligible service.''.
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