119-s2619

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2619 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2619

 To improve the process for awarding grants under certain programs of 
 the Department of Transportation to certain counties in which the 
 majority of land is owned or managed by the Federal Government and to 
 other units of local government and Tribal governments in those 
 counties, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 31, 2025

 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Daines, and Mr. Schiff) introduced 
the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 
 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To improve the process for awarding grants under certain programs of 
 the Department of Transportation to certain counties in which the 
 majority of land is owned or managed by the Federal Government and to 
 other units of local government and Tribal governments in those 
 counties, 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 ``More Opportunities for Rural 
Economies from DOT Grants Act'' or the ``MORE DOT Grants Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) High-density public land county.--The term ``High-
 Density Public Land County'' means a county (or equivalent 
 jurisdiction) of a State or territory of the United States--
        (A) that has a population of not more than 100,000 
 people, according to the most recent annual estimates 
 of population by the Bureau of the Census; and
        (B) in which more than 50 percent of the land is 
 owned or managed by the Federal Government.

    (2) Qualifying grant program.--The term ``qualifying grant 
 program'' means--
        (A) the Local and Regional Project Assistance 
 Program established under 

section 6702 of title 49, 
 United States Code (commonly known as the ``Better 
 Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development

    (BUILD) grant program'' and formerly known as the ``Rebuilding 
 American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity

    (RAISE) grant program'' and the ``Transportation 
 Investment Generating Economic Recovery

    (TIGER) discretionary grant program'');
        (B) the national infrastructure project assistance 
 program (commonly known as the ``Mega Grant program'') 
 established by 

section 6701 of title 49, United States 
 Code;
            (C) the nationally significant multimodal freight 
 and highway projects program (commonly known as the 
 ``Infrastructure for Rebuilding America

    (INFRA) grant 
 program'') established by 

section 117 of title 23, 
 United States Code;
            (D) the rural surface transportation grant program 
 established under 

section 173 of title 23, United 
 States Code;
        (E) the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program 
 established under 

section 11509 of the Infrastructure 
 Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 101 note; Public Law 
 117-58);
        (F) the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing 
 Transportation

    (SMART) Grant Program established under 
 

section 25005 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 
 Act (23 U.S.C. 502 note; Public Law 117-58);
        (G) the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities 
 competitive grant program established under 

section 5339

    (b) of title 49, United States Code;
        (H) the public transportation Low or No Emission 
 Vehicle Program established under 

section 5339
            (c) of 
 title 49, United States Code;
            (I) the public transportation innovation grant 
 program established under 

section 5312 of title 49, 
 United States Code;
        (J) the public transportation safety program 
 established under 

section 5329 of title 49, United 
 States Code;
        (K) the Federal lands access program under 

section 204 of title 23, United States Code;
            (L) the airport improvement program established 
 under subchapter I of chapter 471 of title 49, United 
 States Code;
            (M) the consolidated rail infrastructure and safety 
 improvements program under 

section 22907 of title 49, 
 United States Code; and
        (N) any other discretionary grant program of the 
 Department of Transportation under which grants are 
 awarded to--
            (i) counties;
            (ii) other units of local government; or
            (iii) Tribal governments.

    (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Transportation.

    (4) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government'' 
 means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska 
 Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, 
 component band, or component reservation, individually 
 identified (including parenthetically) in the list published 
 most recently as of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant 
 to 

section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List 
 Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).

SEC. 3. GRANTS.

    (a) Reduction in Local Matching Requirements.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, with respect to a High-Density Public Land 
County and any unit of local government or Tribal government within a 
High-Density Public Land County, any requirement for local matching 
funds under a qualifying grant program shall be reduced by 50 percent.

    (b) Technical Assistance.--On request of a High-Density Public Land 
County or any unit of local government or Tribal government within a 
High-Density Public Land County, the Secretary shall provide additional 
technical assistance to the High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
local government, or Tribal government before and during the annual 
application period for each qualifying grant program.
            (c) Priority.--

    (1) Application approval.--In approving applications for a 
 qualifying grant program, the Secretary shall give priority to 
 an application from a High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
 local government within a High-Density Public Land County, or 
 Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County that 
 has not received support under the qualifying grant program 
 during the 10-year period preceding the date of the 
 application.

    (2) Technical assistance and other support.--In carrying 
 out subsections

    (b) and

    (e) , the Secretary may give priority to 
 a Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County.
            (d) Special Consideration.--In approving applications for a 
qualifying grant program, the Secretary--

    (1) shall give special consideration to an application from 
 a High-Density Public Land County or unit of local government 
 within a High-Density Public Land County with respect to any 
 rural set-aside designated for the applicable qualifying grant 
 program by an Act of Congress; and

    (2) may give special consideration to an application from a 
 Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County with 
 respect to a rural set-aside described in paragraph

    (1) .

    (e) Other Support.--The Secretary may provide additional support, 
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, for a High-Density 
Public Land County or a unit of local government or Tribal government 
within a High-Density Public Land County, including by considering and, 
if appropriate, offering flexibility with respect to any requirement 
of, or barrier to applying for or receiving assistance under, a 
qualifying grant program if the requirement or barrier relates to--

    (1) scoring criteria relating to numerical size and impact, 
 such as the number of jobs created or the number of people 
 served, which disadvantage small and isolated communities;

    (2) any requirement that an applicant for a qualifying 
 grant program partner with other institutions, such as 
 community colleges or foundations, which may not operate in the 
 jurisdiction of the High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
 local government, or Tribal government seeking assistance under 
 the qualifying grant program;

    (3) any financial or cash-on-hand requirement that a High-
 Density Public Land County or a unit of local government or 
 Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County 
 cannot meet for reasons other than any financial constraints to 
 which the High-Density Public Land County, unit of local 
 government, or Tribal government is subject; or

    (4) an overly complicated or overly technical application 
 for a qualifying grant program that deters High-Density Public 
 Land Counties or units of local government or Tribal 
 governments within High-Density Public Land Counties from 
 applying for the qualifying grant program.
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