“A bill to increase access to higher education and center-based Head Start programs by providing public transit grants.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes Promoting Advancement Through Transit Help to Education (PATH) grants within the Federal Transit Administration's urbanized area formula grants program (49 U.S.C. 5307) and nonurbanized area formula grants program (49 U.S.C. 5311). PATH grants are available to public transportation providers partnered with eligible institutions—including community colleges, minority-serving institutions (i.e., historically Black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Tribal Colleges or Universities, Alaska Native- and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, or Native American-serving nontribal institutions), Head Start agencies operating center-based programs, area career and technical education schools, and rural-serving institutions of higher education—for projects adding or expanding bus/rail routes or paratransit service to institution campuses, increasing service frequency or adjusting schedules to accommodate students and Head Start participants/families, and covering related operating costs; the Secretary of Transportation must prioritize applications involving eligible institutions where more than 25% of students receive Federal Pell Grants. For the section 5311 program, this section further sets aside specified funding amounts—$1 million for FY2027, $2 million for FY2028, $3 million for FY2029, $4 million for FY2030, and $5 million for FY2031—from annual apportionments under 49 U.S.C. 5311(c).