text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Transit Accessibility Innovation Act 
  of 2014''.
  
  SEC. 2. TRANSIT ACCESSIBILITY INNOVATION PROGRAM.
  
      (a) In General.--Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is 
  amended by inserting after section 5307 the following:
  ``Sec. 5308. Transit accessibility innovation program
      ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a transit 
  accessibility innovation program in accordance with the requirements of 
  this section to encourage public transit systems to take actions to 
  address deficiencies in service for individuals with disabilities.
      ``(b) Grants Authority.--
              ``(1) In general.--In carrying out the program, the 
          Secretary shall distribute amounts made available to carry out 
          this section as competitive discretionary grants to public 
          transit agencies for eligible projects.
              ``(2) Selection criteria.--The Secretary shall develop 
          criteria to ensure that projects receiving funding under the 
          program are innovative and replicable in other communities, and 
          will result in a substantive improvement in service for 
          individuals with disabilities.
      ``(c) Applications.--
              ``(1) In general.--In order to be eligible to receive a 
          grant under the program, a public transit agency shall submit 
          to the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
          containing such information as the Secretary may require.
              ``(2) Contents.--An application for a grant under the 
          program shall contain, at a minimum, a description of--
                      ``(A) the project for which the applicant is 
                  seeking funding;
                      ``(B) the anticipated benefits the project will 
                  deliver for the following long-term outcomes: community 
                  integration, safety, accessibility, quality, 
                  coordination, and customer service;
                      ``(C) the expected contribution of the project to 
                  the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the 
                  delivery of public transportation and ADA paratransit 
                  service;
                      ``(D) the ability of the project to facilitate 
                  innovation in providing public transportation to 
                  individuals with disabilities; and
                      ``(E) the ability of the project to attract new 
                  partnerships and non-Federal funding, including State, 
                  local, private, and philanthropic funding.
              ``(3) Community coordination requirements.--
                      ``(A) Certification.--To ensure that projects 
                  receiving funding under this section address the needs 
                  of individuals with disabilities in a geographic area, 
                  an application for a grant under the program shall 
                  contain a certification that--
                              ``(i) each project for which the applicant 
                          is seeking funding is included in a locally 
                          developed, coordinated public transit-human 
                          services transportation plan; and
                              ``(ii) the plan was developed and approved 
                          through a process that included community 
                          participation, including by--
                                      ``(I) seniors;
                                      ``(II) individuals with 
                                  disabilities;
                                      ``(III) representatives of public, 
                                  private, and nonprofit transportation 
                                  and human service providers; and
                                      ``(IV) other members of the public.
                      ``(B) Use of existing plans.--A plan used to 
                  coordinate the funding of projects under section 5310 
                  may be used to satisfy the requirements of subparagraph 
                  (A).
                      ``(C) Limitation.--The requirements of this 
                  paragraph shall not apply to the transportation 
                  promotion pilot program established under this section.
      ``(d) Factors.--In providing grant funds for projects under the 
  program, the Secretary shall consider, at a minimum, the ability of the 
  project to--
              ``(1) enhance accessibility to rail and fixed route bus 
          service;
              ``(2) promote paratransit coordination with other programs 
          and utilize other revenue streams;
              ``(3) increase service quality to address customer 
          complaints;
              ``(4) provide fixed route travel training for passengers 
          and specialized training for paratransit personnel;
              ``(5) reduce turnover through increased wages and benefits, 
          and increase monitoring, in the provision of ADA paratransit;
              ``(6) provide ADA complementary paratransit services in a 
          way that maximizes quality, reliability, safety, customer 
          satisfaction, and a stable workforce by determining what 
          factors within contracting might impact the quality of ADA 
          paratransit services;
              ``(7) improve ADA paratransit on-time performance and 
          interoperability with other transportation services available 
          to people with disabilities, both public and private;
              ``(8) delay or suspend proposed ADA paratransit service 
          cuts triggered by the elimination or cutting of fixed route bus 
          routes;
              ``(9) delay or suspend cuts for paratransit services that 
          exceed ADA requirements, except that grant funds may not be 
          issued under this section more than once for the same route (or 
          a significantly similar route);
              ``(10) increase opportunities for community integration and 
          independence of people with disabilities by promoting access to 
          employment and other resources; and
              ``(11) augment passenger safety, without compromising 
          passengers' rights under the ADA.
      ``(e) Practices To Promote Successful Outcomes and Sharing of 
  Information.--
              ``(1) Priority.--In providing grant funds for eligible 
          projects under the program, the Secretary shall give priority 
          to projects that are replicable in other communities using 
          existing resources.
              ``(2) Set aside for activities to promote sharing of best 
          practices.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary shall--
                      ``(A) set aside 2 percent of the funds made 
                  available to carry out this section; and
                      ``(B) use those amounts to carry out activities to 
                  ensure that innovative practices, program models, and 
                  new service delivery options are collected, reviewed, 
                  and disseminated to other public transit agencies, so 
                  that the practices, models, and options can be 
                  replicated in other communities.
              ``(3) Technical assistance.--The Secretary shall provide 
          technical assistance to recipients of grant funds under the 
          program to ensure that the projects carried out using the funds 
          are successful.
      ``(f) Maintenance of Effort.--
              ``(1) ADA minimum standards.--Funds received under the 
          program may not be used to meet the minimum standards of the 
          ADA, including ADA complementary paratransit service 
          requirements.
              ``(2) Certification.--To ensure that grant activities are 
          not supplanting existing, budgeted services and that public 
          transit agencies are upholding maintenance of effort on 
          existing programs, a public transit agency receiving grant 
          funds under the program shall--
                      ``(A) certify that the funds will not be used to 
                  pay for existing services; or
                      ``(B) provide an explanation as to why the existing 
                  services are justified grant activities.
      ``(g) Grant Requirements.--A grant under this section shall be 
  subject to the same requirements as a grant under section 5307, except 
  that any public transit agency may use grant funds received under the 
  program for operating expenses.
      ``(h) Transportation Promotion Pilot Program.--
              ``(1) Set aside.--For each fiscal year, the Secretary 
          shall--
                      ``(A) set aside 1 percent of the funds made 
                  available to carry out this section or $100,000, 
                  whichever amount is greater; and
                      ``(B) use those amounts to carry out a 
                  transportation promotion pilot program under this 
                  subsection.
              ``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the transportation promotion 
          pilot program shall be to ensure that--
                      ``(A) public transit agencies fulfill their 
                  requirements under the ADA; and
                      ``(B) individuals with disabilities have advocates 
                  to ensure greater opportunities for integration and 
                  access into transit systems.
              ``(3) Grant authority.--
                      ``(A) In general.--In carrying out the 
                  transportation promotion pilot program, the Secretary 
                  shall make grants to--
                              ``(i) agencies implementing a system 
                          established under section 143 of the 
                          Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill 
                          of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15043) that 
                          have demonstrated histories of transportation 
                          expertise or advocacy; and
                              ``(ii) nonprofit organizations that have 
                          demonstrated histories of transportation 
                          expertise or advocacy.
                      ``(B) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a 
                  grant under this paragraph, an agency or organization 
                  shall demonstrate to the Secretary that the agency or 
                  organization--
                              ``(i) has a mission that includes 
                          individual or systemic advocacy and monitoring 
                          to address the transportation needs of 
                          individuals with disabilities; and
                              ``(ii) has the support of other 
                          organizations in the disability community.
                      ``(C) Use of grants.--Grants funds received under 
                  this paragraph shall be used to fund individual or 
                  systemic advocacy and monitoring to address the 
                  transportation needs of people with disabilities.
      ``(i) Limitation on Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this 
  section may be construed to affect projects or activities carried out 
  under section 5310 or the funding of such projects or activities.
      ``(j) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
  apply:
              ``(1) ADA.--The term `ADA' means the Americans with 
          Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.).
              ``(2) ADA paratransit.--The term `ADA paratransit' means 
          the provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation 
          services in accordance with section 223 of the ADA (42 U.S.C. 
          12143).
      ``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 
  years 2015 through 2020.''.
      (b) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended 
  by inserting after the item relating to section 5307 the following:
  
  ``5308. Transit accessibility innovation program.''.
  
  SEC. 3. RAISING CAPS ON USE OF FORMULA FUNDS FOR PROVISION OF NONFIXED 
                ROUTE PARATRANSIT TRANSPORTATION SERVICES.
  
      Section 5302(3)(I) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
  striking ``10 percent'' and inserting ``15 percent''.
target: Transit Accessibility Innovation Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to implement a transit accessibility innovation program by distributing competitive discretionary grants to public transit agencies for eligible projects in order to encourage public transit systems to take action to address deficiencies in service for individuals with disabilities. Directs the Secretary, for each fiscal year, to use 2% of funds made available under this Act to carry out activities to ensure that innovative practices, program models, and new service delivery options are collected, reviewed, and disseminated to other public transit agencies for replication in other communities. Directs the Secretary, for each fiscal year, also to use certain funds to carry out a transportation promotion pilot program to ensure that: (1) public transit agencies fulfill their requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and (2) individuals with disabilities have advocates to ensure greater opportunities for integration and access into transit systems. Requires the Secretary to make grants to: (1) agencies implementing a system established under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 that have demonstrated histories of transportation expertise or advocacy, and (2) nonprofit organizations that have also demonstrated such histories. Increases from 10% to 15% the limitation on the use of a recipient's annual formula apportionment for provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services in accordance with the ADA.
feat_title: Transit Accessibility Innovation Act of 2014