Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Missed Opportunities in Transportation Act of 2017”.
Missed Opportunities in Transportation Act of 2017
A BILL
To amend title 49, United States Code, to require reporting by the Department of Transportation on requests for funding projects or programs, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
the United States relies on an integrated, multimodal system of transportation to facilitate the movement of people and goods across the Nation;
the United States has a history of investing in forward-thinking ideas to improve transportation;
Congress has a duty to do all it can to improve transportation in the United States;
both Congress and the States have failed to meet the needs of the American people in recent years;
inflation-adjusted public spending on transportation infrastructure has declined over the past decade;
Americans are suffering from the consequences of that inaction;
investment in transportation and infrastructure is vital to national security and prosperity;
failure to invest adequately in United States infrastructure will continue to impede economic growth and harm the health and competitiveness of the United States economy;
proposals to improve transportation in the United States exceed available funds;
the American people deserve to be informed about and consider possible solutions for the gridlock and disrepair they experience every day; and
Congress must have good information about potential projects for transportation modernization in order to make reasonable judgments about funding levels for transportation projects and research.
Sec. 3 Annual reporting on missed opportunities
In general— Chapter 3 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
“312. Annual reporting on missed opportunities
“(a) In general—Not later than December 31 of each year, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit to Congress a report on missed opportunities for each competitive or discretionary grant program administered by the Department of Transportation in the preceding fiscal year.
“(b) Contents—For each grant program described in subsection (a), the report shall detail the 10 individual applications, proposals, or requests for funding that—
“(1) were not funded or awarded, completely or partially; but
“(2) showed the greatest potential to improve transportation in the United States, according to the selection criteria and established goals of that grant program.
“(c) Reporting date flexibility—If a law requires an annual report to Congress with respect to a grant program described in subsection (a), the report on missed opportunities required under this section for that program may—
“(1) be included in that annual report; and
“(2) be submitted on or before the date that annual report is due.
“(d) Public transparency—Upon submission of a report on missed opportunities to Congress under this section, the Secretary shall make the report available to the public on an internet website of the Department of Transportation in a manner that is user friendly and able to be searched and downloaded by users of the website.
“(e) Trade secrets and confidential information—Nothing in this section authorizes the Secretary to disclose any information that is a trade secret or confidential information subject to section 552(b)(4) of title 5 or section 1905 of title 18.”
Clerical amendment— The analysis for chapter 3 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 311 the following: