Bill > S2619

This bill aims to improve grant opportunities for counties with high federal land ownership by establishing several key provisions for Department of Transportation (DOT) grant programs. Specifically, the bill defines a "High-Density Public Land County" as a county with fewer than 100,000 residents and more than 50% of its land owned or managed by the federal government. The bill provides significant benefits for such counties, including reducing local matching fund requirements by 50% for various DOT grant programs, which range from transportation infrastructure grants like BUILD and INFRA to public transit and airport improvement programs. The Secretary of Transportation must provide additional technical assistance to these counties and prioritize grant applications from counties that haven't received support in the past decade. Furthermore, the bill allows for special consideration of these counties' applications, particularly for rural set-aside grants, and provides flexibility in application requirements that might otherwise disadvantage small or isolated communities. The bill seeks to address barriers such as complex application processes, restrictive scoring criteria, partnership requirements, and financial constraints that typically make it difficult for rural or federally land-heavy counties to compete for transportation infrastructure grants. By offering these provisions, the MORE DOT Grants Act aims to create more equitable grant opportunities for rural and federally impacted communities.

Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2619/all-info