; or (F) a census block or group of geographically contiguous census blocks in which the population of any racial or ethnic minority individuals, individually or in combination, comprises 30 percent or more of the population of persons in the census block or group of geographically contiguous census blocks. . (b) Federal transit program general purposes Section 5301(b) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (9) support public transportation’s role in combating climate change through growing/retaining transit ridership. . (c) Applicability of law The Secretary of Transportation shall ensure that the requirements of section 5333 of title 49, United States Code, are applied to section 5308 of such title (as added by subsection (a)). (d) GAO report Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate a report that reviews the outcomes of the program established under section 5308 of title 49, United States Code, as added by subsection (a), including new service produced and improvements in access to work and essential services, particularly for areas of persistent poverty and underserved communities. (e) Clerical amendment The analysis for chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 5307 the following: 5308. High quality transit operating support program. . (f) Sense of congress It is the sense of Congress that capital funding for transit should be increased. 3. Increased Federal share of operating costs for rural areas Section 5311(g)(2) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: (2) Operating assistance A grant made under this section for operating assistance may not exceed 80 percent of the net operating costs of the project, as determined by the Secretary. .