CNMI Ferry Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4039 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4039

   To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be eligible to receive 
  certain funding for use providing basic essential ferry service in 
                  rural areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 17, 2025

Ms. King-Hinds introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to allow the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to be eligible to receive 
  certain funding for use providing basic essential ferry service in 
                  rural areas, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Connecting the Northern Mariana 
Islands through Ferry Services Act'' or the ``CNMI Ferry Act''.

SEC. 2. FERRY SERVICE FUNDING FOR THE COMMONWEALTH OF THE NORTHERN 
              MARIANA ISLANDS.

    Section 71103 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 
U.S.C. 147 note) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``means a ferry service'' 
                        and all that follows through the period and 
                        inserting ``means--''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(A) a ferry service that--
                            ``(i) operated a regular schedule at any 
                        time during the 5-year period ending on March 
                        1, 2020; and
                            ``(ii) served not less than 2 rural areas 
                        located more than 50 sailing miles apart; and
                    ``(B) a ferry service operating, or being planned 
                or established with the intent that the ferry service 
                operate, a regular schedule in the Commonwealth of the 
                Northern Mariana Islands.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) Rural area.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `rural area' has the 
                meaning given the term in section 5302 of title 49, 
                United States Code.
                    ``(B) Commonwealth of the northern mariana 
                islands.--For purposes of the program established under 
                subsection (b), the Commonwealth of the Northern 
                Mariana Islands, and any area therein, shall be deemed 
                to be a rural area.''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(5) State.--The term `State' means any State of the 
        United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
        Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
        the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and any 
        other territory or possession of the United States.''; and
            (2) in subsection (c) by striking ``including requirements 
        for the provision of funds to States.'' and inserting 
        ``including--
            ``(1) requirements for the provision of funds to States; 
        and
            ``(2) requirements for the provision of funds to the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands for the 
        establishment and operation of an eligible service.''.
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