S-1647 : Still Just a Bill

Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or the DRIVE Act

Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2016-FY2021 for:

• certain core federal-aid highway programs, and
• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses.

Prescribes obligation ceilings for certain federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs.

Requires states to obligate a specified portion of their surface transportation program apportionments for projects for the replacement or rehabilitation of off-National Highway System bridges.

Reduces the amount of FHWA administrative funds the Department of Transportation (DOT) must deduct each fiscal year for highway use tax evasion projects.

Prescribes requirements for the bundling of two or more similar projects for the replacement or repair of structurally deficient bridge projects.

Revises formulae for certain allocations of funds to states for construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities.

Makes certain funds available for the National Ferry Database.

Revises congestion mitigation and air quality improvement (CMAQ) program requirements. Requires states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to use PM2.5 priority funding on the most cost-effective CMAQ projects and programs proven to reduce directly emitted fine particulate matter.

Revises national freight program requirements.

Requires the FHWA to establish a competitive grant program for major surface transportation infrastructure projects.

Revises and makes permanent the reservation of a specified amount of transportation enhancements program funds apportioned to a state for surface transportation alternatives, recreational trails program, and safe routes to school program projects.

Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to extend through FY2021 the availability of a specified amount of FHWA administrative funds for:

• certain safety-related activities, and
• operation of certain safety-related clearinghouses.

Directs DOT to issue guidance on working with state departments of transportation that request assistance from Federal Highway Administration division offices to:

• review principal arterials within a state that were added to the National Highway System as of October 1, 2012, and
• identify any necessary functional classification changes to rural and urban principal arterials.

Revises the toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries program.

Requires private motorcoaches that serve the public to have access to toll facilities equal to that of public transportation buses.

Revises certain exceptions to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility requirements.

Authorizes a state agency that levies a toll on vehicles for use of HOV facilities to:

• designate classes of vehicles exempt from the toll, and
• charge different toll rates for different classes of vehicles.

Permits state agencies to allow alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to use HOV facilities provided certain requirements are met.

Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to revise Interstate System (IS) reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program eligibility requirements.

Directs DOT to designate national electric vehicle charging and natural gas fueling corridors that identify the need for electric vehicle infrastructure and natural gas fueling infrastructure at strategic locations along major national highways.

Directs DOT to establish a nationally significant federal lands and tribal projects program to fund construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of nationally significant federal lands and tribal transportation projects.

Prescribes procedures for accelerating the project delivery decisionmaking process with respect to environmental review of projects.

Revises requirements for application of categorical exclusions for multimodal projects.

(A "categorical exclusion" under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.)

Permits an increase in the federal share of costs for federal-aid highway projects of up to 5% of what a state has contributed in qualified revenues for such project costs, if the state has contributed at least 5% of total project costs.

Defines "qualified revenues" to mean any amounts:

• collected by a state for the registration of a passenger vehicle operating solely on fuels not subject to federal tax; and
• that do not exceed, for such vehicle, an annual amount paid for federal motor fuels taxes on fuel used by an average car fueled solely by gasoline.

Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to revise specifications for certain high priority corridors.

Makes eligible for funding under the National Highway Performance Program and the Surface Transportation Program projects for the installation of vehicle-to-infrastructure communication equipment.

Directs DOT, after establishment of a nationwide toll credit monitoring and tracking system, to establish a toll credit marketplace pilot program in which eligible states may use proceeds from the transfer or sale of credits to fund surface transportation projects.

Directs DOT to establish a regional infrastructure demonstration program to assist entities in developing improved infrastructure priorities and financing strategies for accelerated development of projects funded under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.

Directs DOT to establish a competitive grant program to accelerate the deployment of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) program and ITS-enabled operational strategies to enhance mobility of people and goods on the surface transportation system.

Directs DOT to enter into an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to study actions needed to upgrade and restore the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

Directs DOT to:

• promote the research of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that preserve a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the HTF, and
• establish a Surface Transportation Revenue Alternatives Advisory Council.

Directs the FHWA to develop data sets and analysis tools to assist MPOs, states, and the FHWA in carrying out performance management analyses of federal-aid highways.

Directs the FHWA to continue the Every Day Counts initiative to work with states, local transportation agencies, and industry stakeholders to identify and deploy proven innovative best practices and products that accelerate transportation innovation deployment and project delivery as well as improve the environment and roadway safety.

Directs DOT establish a competitive grant program to reward states, local governments, tribal organizations, and MPOs for implementation of policies and procedures that support performance-based management or use innovative technologies and best practices that improve the performance of the surface transportation system.

Directs DOT to compile and make available on the DOT website data on the amounts of federal-aid highway program funds made available under this Act for each fiscal year.

Directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on FHWA administrative expenses funded from the HTF during the three most recent fiscal years.

Revises and makes permanent the state infrastructure bank program.

Requires that the federal share, through FY2050, of the cost of constructing highways and access roads on the Appalachian development highway system shall be up to 100% (under current law shall be 100%).

Revises and extends through FY2021 the Appalachian Regional Development Program.

Authorizes the Appalachian Regional Commission to provide technical assistance, make grants, and enter into contracts in the Appalachian region for projects to increase affordable access to broadband networks throughout the region and for related projects and activities.

Amends the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 continue from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015, and authorizes appropriations through that period for, specified federal-aid highway programs.

Subjects funding for such programs generally to the same manner of distribution, administration, limitation, and availability for obligation, but at a specified pro rata of the total amount, as funds authorized for appropriation out of the HTF for such programs and activities for FY2014.

Revises and prescribes an increased obligation ceiling of $40.256 billion for federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for the same period.

Increases the authorization of appropriations for the Tribal High Priority Projects program for the same period.

Increases the authorization of appropriations from the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for administrative expenses of the federal-aid highway program for the same period.