NACo Legislative Analysis: BUILD America 250 Act

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1101. Authorization of Appropriations

This section would authorize funding out of both the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) and the General Fund (GF) for a variety of highway and mass transit programs from Fiscal Year 2027 through Fiscal Year 2031.

In addition to funding for core programs, programs authorized out of the HTF in this section include:

$9.2 billion per year for a new formula bridge program

$1.63 billion over five years for the Federal Lands Access Program

$500 million per year for PROTECT grants

$2.4 billion per year for a new “Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant” program

$150 million per year for truck parking grants

$3.75 billion over five years for the Safe Streets & Roads for All program

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1102. Obligation Limitation

This section would set the total amount of funding that states are allowed to obligate collectively from their awarded transportation funding in a given year, as well as instructing the Secretary on how to disburse obligation limitation among the states.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1103. Definitions

This section would add a formal definition of the word “digital infrastructure” in title 23, U.S. Code.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1104. Apportionment

This section would determine how much funding from the Highway Trust Fund is apportioned to each of the formula programs. This section eliminates the Carbon Reduction Program (CRP) and PROTECT formula program and redistributes their funding to other core programs like the Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) program and the National Highway Performance Program (NHPP).

Under this section, STBG grows from 28.74 percent of apportioned dollars, after set-asides, to 31 percent. This provision is based on the BASICS Act, which had called for growing STBG to 31.07 percent of apportioned dollars, after set-asides.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1105: Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects

This section would make changes to the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects (INFRA) program, including by adding larger MPOs as eligible applicants.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1106: National Highway Performance Program

This section would make changes to NHPP, the largest core formula program that goes to states to fund projects on the National Highway System.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1107: Federal Share

This section would increase the federal share for Metropolitan Planning (PL) funds from 80 percent to 90 percent. Since the local match for PL often comes from MPO dues paid by constituent local governments, this will benefit many counties.

This provision is based on the BASICS Act, which had called for a 100-percent federal cost share.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1108: Bridge Programs

This section would set the parameters of the new program created by section 1101(a)(3) of this bill under title 23, U.S. Code called the “Grants for Rebuilding America’s Vital Engineering Structures” (GRAVES) program.

20 percent of funding provided to a state must be used on “off-system” bridges, which are bridges located off the Federal-aid highway system. Previously, under IIJA, the off-system bridge set-aside was 15 percent. Additionally, unlike in IIJA, states would be required to consult with local governments, MPOs and RTPOs before selecting off-system bridges to fund under this set-aside.

In addition to the 20-percent off-system bridge set-aside, this section would create a 25-percent set-aside for locally owned bridges. This funding would be distributed through a competitive process run by the state.

The 20-percent off-system bridge set-aside and the 25-percent locally owned bridges set-aside are not additive, meaning a locally owned bridge selected for funding that is also off-system would count towards both set-asides.

Culverts would be eligible projects under the GRAVES program, although only states with Federal injunctions requiring culvert repairs may use more than 5 percent of funding solely for culvert projects.

Additionally, $200 million per year of funding for the GRAVES program would be used to pay for the National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Grant Program.

Off-system bridges that are selected for funding under the locally owned bridge set-aside would be funded at a 95-percent federal cost share.

This section would also sets the terms of a new “Bridge Completion Program,” which only can fund projects on the National Highway System and thus is not applicable to counties. This program, however, would only be authorized out of the General Fund in this bill.

The 25-percent locally owned bridge set-aside is aligned with the BASICS Act, which had proposed a similar 25-percent suballocation of formula bridge funds (as opposed to a competitive program).

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1109: Emergency Relief

This section would make reforms to the FHWA’s Emergency Relief (ER) program, including making resilience projects eligible for funding and making it easier to extend the deadline for funding obligation, especially if projects are delayed by permitting.

These provisions are aligned with the Transportation Emergency Relief Extension Act (H.R. 4847/S. 2635), which NACo endorsed.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1110: Toll Roads, Bridges, Tunnels, and Ferries

This section would ensure that intercity buses receive the same treatment as public transit vehicles on interstate tolls roads, bridges and tunnels.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1111: Railway-Highway Grade Crossings

This section would amend the Railway-Highway Grade Crossings formula program to make more projects eligible for funding. Currently, the program is more narrowly focused on projects that eliminate railway-highway grade crossings. While these projects are most effective at preventing collisions or accidents, they are substantially more expensive than projects like installing gates.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1112: Surface Transportation Block Grant Program

This section would make changes to the STBG program by expanding eligible uses and clarifying definitions.

This section would also add the construction of roundabouts as an eligible use of STBG funds.

This section would also allow funding under the HSIP program to serve as the non-federal match for a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) project focused on bicycle and pedestrian safety. TAP is funded as a set-aside from STBG.

This latter provision is based on the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act (H.R. 2011/S. 944), which NACo endorsed.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1113: Transportation Planning

This section would amend the statute governing MPOs. Changes would include making it easier for MPOs to update their Transportation Improvement Programs (TIP), which are the list of priority projects identified for funding. This section would also allow MPOs to use PL funding for things like fiscal administration of local projects, preliminary design and local technical assistance.

This section would also require the Secretary to establish a process by which MPOs could directly receive their PL funds from the FHWA, rather than having those funds filter through the state.

These provisions are aligned with the BASICS Act.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1114: Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects

This section would reauthorize the Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects program, through which states and the Internal Revenue Service work to prevent the evasion of gas taxes and other user fees.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1115: National Bridge and Tunnel Inventory and Inspection Standards

This section would make small changes to bridge inspection standards

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1116: Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminals Facilities

This section reauthorizes the Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities program through Fiscal Year 2031

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1117: Highway Safety Improvement Program

This section would add eligible uses to HSIP, including the installation of bollards, and would prioritize the protection of roadway workers.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1118: Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program

This section would make changes to the CMAQ program, including adding new eligible projects. Additionally, this section would require that states spend a certain share of CMAQ funds on alternative fuel projects every year. The section would also direct USDOT to maintain information about the cost-effectiveness of certain projects as it pertains to improving air quality to inform project selection by states and MPOs.

This section would also repeal two programs that had been stood up under IIJA: the Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities program and the Healthy Streets Program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1119: Safe Streets & Roads for All Grant Program

This section would make changes to the Safe Streets & Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. Changes would include lowering the planning set-aside from “no less than 40 percent” to “no more than 5 percent” and requiring that 30 percent of funding would go to rural applicants (defined as areas with fewer than 50,000 residents).

This section is based on the Safe Streets for All Reauthorization and Improvement Act (H.R. 5452), which NACo endorsed.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1120: Territorial and Puerto Rico Highway Program

This section would reauthorize the Puerto Rico highway program and the territorial highway program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1121: HOV Facilities

This section would allow charter buses to use HOV facilities on the National Highway System in the same manner as public transit buses.

It would also continue the provision allowing public agencies overseeing HOV lanes to determine whether alternative fuel vehicles can use HOV lanes.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1122: National Highway Freight and High Priority Corridor Program

This section would expand the “National Highway Freight Corridor Program” into the “National Highway Freight and High Priority Corridor Program.” These corridors are deemed to be critical for the movement of freight and other uses and can be eligible for higher priority consideration for funding.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1123: Wildlife Crossings Program

This section would raise the minimum amount of funding that would need to go to rural projects from 60 percent to 75 percent. It would also prevent more than 5 percent of funding from going to non-construction projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1124: Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant Program

This section describes how the $2.4-billion STAG program created in section 1101 would function. 25 percent of funding would be for rural projects, 25 percent of urban projects and the remaining 50 percent for “local and regional” grants in any geography.

Rural grants are defined in this section as grants for areas with a population of 50,000 or under. For the rural grants, the minimum project size is $5 million, although the Secretary can use up to 10 percent of rural funds for projects under that size. The rural program would have several set-asides, including:

15 percent for projects in states with a higher-than-average rate of rural road fatalities due to lane departures

10 percent for projects focused on the movement of agricultural projects; and

5 percent for projects in communities with populations under 5,000.

Urban areas are defined in this section as places with more than 50,000 people. Like with the rural component, the urban grants would have a minimum amount of $5 million, with the Secretary having the discretion to award up to 10 percent of funds to projects smaller than that.

For the “local and regional” grants, the minimum amount is $5 million for projects in areas of 200,000 or more and $1 million for other areas. No one state would be allowed to receive more than 15 percent of program funds in a given fiscal year, and 50 percent of funds must go to areas of 200,000 plus.

This program would have broad project eligibility, like the current BUILD program.

Counties are explicitly included as eligible applicants for this program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1125: Repeal of Program

This section formally repeals the Carbon Reduction Program that had been stood up in the IIJA.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1126: PROTECT Program

This section eliminates the PROTECT formula program, while maintaining the PROTECT discretionary program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1127: Codification and Improvement of Jason’s Law

This section would add a new section to title 23 of U.S. Code, section 180, which would establish the terms of a new discretionary grant program to fund projects that improve access to and the availability of commercial motor vehicle parking. Section 1101 of this bill would authorize $150 million per year for these grants, out of the Highway Trust Fund.

Counties would be eligible to apply for these grants.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1128: Consolidated Funding Pilot Program

This section would add create a “consolidated funding pilot program” through which USDOT would select no more than 10 states to receive their federal formula funding in a single lump sum, rather than through several different formula programs. In other words, states accepted to the pilot program would not receive NHPP funds, STBG funds, HSIP funds and CMAQ funds, they would simply receive a block grant of all their funds.

In order to be selected, states would have to prove in an application to USDOT that they would be able to meet minimum pavement condition and bridge condition levels and continue to satisfy planning and asset management requirements.

Funding under the pilot program could be used on any project currently eligible under NHPP, STBG, HSIP, CMAQ, PL or the National Highway Freight and High Priority Corridor Program.

If a state were selected under this program, it would have to suballocate 25 percent of its total funding in the same manner as funding is currently suballocated under STBG (i.e. through population-based groupings). This would be higher than the current suballocation requirement for formula funding, which is approximately 15 percent.

In other words, this pilot program would allow states to have full control and flexibility over their federal formula funding, in exchange for suballocating a higher percent of funding.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1129: Registration Fee on Motor Vehicles

This section would look to address the insolvency of the HTF by adding a new revenue source for the first time since the 1990s: a registration fee on electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).

The fee for EVs would be $130 per year, while the fee for PHEVs would be $35 per year. States would be required to collect these fees, with no new administrative responsibilities for counties.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1130: Transfer of Real Property No Longer Needed

This section would establish a process to transfer real property that had been purchased with federal transportation funding but is no longer needed for transportation purposes. Since counties are eligible recipients of federal transportation funds, there may be counties to which this applies.

Currently, eligible entities can sell the property and reimburse the federal government but cannot transfer the property.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1131: Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation Programs

This section makes technical changes to the Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1132: Tribal Transportation Program

This section excludes certain funds from set-asides when granted to Tribal recipients.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1133: Federal Lands Transportation Program

This section expands eligible uses of funding under the Federal Lands Transportation Program to include facilities resilience and disability access projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1134: Federal Lands Access Program

This section expands program eligibility for funding from the Federal Lands Access Program to include facilities resilience and disability access projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1135: Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program

This section lowers the minimum project size for grants under the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program from $12.5 million to $5 million.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1136: Tribal High Priority Projects Program

This section extends authorization for the Tribal High Priority Projects Program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1137: Consolidation of Programs

This section extends the authorization for several highway safety programs.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1138: Update to Nonmotorized Trails Definition

This section would update the definition of “motorized recreation” to exclude electric bicycles.

The provision would also clarify that states and local governments retain authority to restrict the use of electric bicycles or a certain class of electric bicycles on a non-motorized trail.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

A – Authorizations & Programs

Section 1139: PROTECT Program Eligible Activities

This section would make the construction of piers and boardwalks and eligible use for PROTECT program funding.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1201: Project Approval and Oversight

This section would raise the threshold to trigger a federal value engineering analysis from $50 million to $100 million. It would also raise the threshold for the development of a project management plan from $500 million to $1 billion.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1202: Exemption from Review

This section would exempt certain housing, building, and transportation projects from USDOT section 4(f) review if those projects that have already been exempted from section 106 review under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1203: Efficient Environmental Review for Project Decisionmaking and One Federal Decision

This section makes changes to USDOT’s implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to expedite project permitting, including by establishing timelines for the preparation of environmental review documents.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1204: Reporting Program

This section requires any annual USDOT report on NEPA implementation to be publicly available.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1205: Termination of Environmental Review Implementation Funds Program

This section would repeal a program that provided USDOT funds to state and local governments to support them in conducting environmental reviews.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1206: Streamlining of Environmental Document Preparation

This section would allow USDOT or its modal agencies to not require certain project alternatives in an EIS if said alternative had already been studied and rejected during a previous EIS.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1207: State and Eligible Entity Assumption of Responsibility for Categorical Exclusions

This section would allow some transit agencies to assume responsibility for determining whether a categorical exclusion applies. This is similar to “NEPA assignment” that can already be delegated to states.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1208: Surface Transportation Project Delivery Program

This section would update USDOT’s “NEPA assignment” program to allow states to assume responsibility for interstate projects

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1209: Program for Eliminating Duplication of Environmental Reviews

This section would permanently extend a program that allows states participating in “NEPA assignment” to review projects under state environmental laws rather than NEPA

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1210: Training and Education; Best Practices

This section would require USDOT to offer certain training related to contract and project management to highways officials.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1211: Accelerated Decisionmaking in Environmental Reviews

This section would clarify that a USDOT operating administration may adopt and incorporate by reference various environmental review documents published by operating administrations.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1212: Aligning Federal Environmental Reviews

This section would require USDOT to coordinate with other federal agencies to establish a checklist for project sponsors for federal permitting review.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1213: FTA Allowance of Land Acquisition

This section would allow recipients of federal funding for transit projects to be reimbursed for the purchase of real property for the project that took place before the completion of NEPA requirements. This practice already exists for highway and bridge projects, and this section would create parity for transit.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1214: Categorical Exclusion for Projects of Limited Federal Assistance

This section would raise the federal contribution limit for projects to qualify for a NEPA categorical exclusion from $6 million to $12 million and raise the total project cost limit $70 million.

This would not provide a categorical exclusion for all projects receiving less than $12 million in federal funding or costing less than $70 million, it would simply clarify that the funding alone is not enough to require an EA or EIS.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1215: Programmatic Agreements

This section would extend FHWA’s programmatic categorical exclusion process to all USDOT operating administrations.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1216: Streamlining Tribal Categorical Exclusions

This section would provide shared procedures for Tribal governments to obtain categorical exclusions.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1217: Streamlining Small Safety Projects

This section would require the Secretary to publish a uniform checklist for project sponsors to determine if certain safety projects qualify for a categorical exclusion.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

B – Improved Project Delivery & Environmental Streamlining

Section 1218: Updates to Categorical Exclusions for Public Transportation Projects

This section would direct FTA to establish more categorical exclusions for minor projects, such as building or repairing a bus shelter.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1301: Transportation Rulemaking Committees

This section would establish framework for the implementation of transportation rulemaking committees to recommend regulatory frameworks.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1302: Vehicle Weight Limits

This section would amend federal truck size and weight limits to permit overweight tow and recovery vehicles and provides state- and industry-specific exemptions for:

Agricultural product transportation in Louisiana, up to 88,000 lbs.

Logging vehicles in Arkansas, up to 85,000 lbs.

Vehicles in Iowa on certain portions of Iowa SR 50, U.S. 65, and U.S. 69 up to 108,000 lbs.

This section was amended during markup and would now also include a pilot program by which states would apply to USDOT for approval to raise their maximum truck weight limits on their interstates to 91,000 lbs. NACo opposed this amendment.

This section was also amended by another amendment creating a maximum limit of 88,000 lbs. for stinger-steered combination auto transporters. NACo opposed this amendment as well.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1303: Designation of High Priority Corridors on the National Highway System

This section would designate sections of U.S. 74 and U.S. 421 in North Carolina as High Priority Corridors.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1304: Safety Coordinators; Determination of Reasonable Cost

This section would amend the role of State Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinators and give USDOT the authority to require federally funded bridge projects to incorporate bicycle or pedestrian access.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1305: Updates to Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

This section would require the USDOT to establish retroreflectivity standards for traffic control devices.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1306: Design Standards

This section would require FHWA to develop a list of categorial design exceptions from standards for the National Highway System for categories of multimodal projects and features on Federal-aid highways

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1307: Modernizing Roadside Safety Hardware Devices and Administration Policies

This section would prohibit FHWA from reimbursing states for non-compliant roadside crash barriers.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1308: Audit of FHWA Oversight of Roadside Safety

This section would require a USDOT Inspector General report on roadside crash barrier standards.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1309: Interagency Bridge Strike Working Group

This section would establish a working group to study vehicle collisions with bridge structures.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1310: Bridge Clearance Best Practices

This section would establish a working group to study best practices for avoiding vehicle collisions with bridge structures.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1311: U.S. Congressman and Prisoner of War Sam Johnson Memorial Highway

This section would rename a portion of an interstate highway.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1312: Technical Assistance for Contracting

This section would authorize USDOT to provide technical assistance on contracting for state departments of transportation for certain projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1313: Preventing Anticompetitive Bidding Processes

This section would require USDOT to issue guidance on avoiding anticompetitive bid practices for Federal-aid projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1314: Study on Effectiveness of Discretionary Grant Programs

This section would require a GAO review of the effectiveness of discretionary grants for distributing federal transportation funding, including the impact and utility for local governments. The GAO would be required to speak with local governments, including at least one county, while completing the study.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1315: Study on Effectiveness of Formula Grant Programs

This section would require a GAO review of the effectiveness of formula programs for distributing federal transportation funding, including the impact and utility for local governments.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1316: National Academies Review of Highway Systems

This section would require a study of the value of the several components of the Interstate and U.S. Highway systems.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1317: Review of State and Local Consultation Processes

This section would require a comprehensive GAO review of the suballocation process for STBG funds, including coordination with MPOs, RTPOs and local governments. The report would include policy recommendations.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1318: Emergency Relief Working Group

This section would establish a working group to study relief programs for transportation programs following disasters. Local governments are explicitly mentioned as eligible members of this working group.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1319: Stopping Threats on Pedestrians

This section would reauthorize the Stopping Threats on Pedestrians program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1320: Eliminating Unnecessary Reporting and Requirements

This section would remove certain reporting requirements relating to classification changes from state DOTs.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1321: Contracting for Engineering and Design Services

This section would end the State of Minnesota’s exemption from having to follow standard contracting and engineering processes.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1322: Advancing Projects in Cold Weather States

This section would require USDOT to determine if FHWA has sufficient practices in place to advance projects in states where cold weather limits construction season.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1323: Interagency Working Group on Roadway Management in Inclement Weather

This section would establish a working group to study management practices under inclement weather conditions.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1324: Termination of Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program

This section would eliminate the Neighborhood Access and Equity Grant Program, which provided funds for projects to improve neighborhood connectivity and undo neighborhood separation caused by urban renewal.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1325: Task Force on Developing a 21st Century Surface Transportation Workforce

This section would require a report on the transportation workforce.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1326: Study on National Commuting Trends

This section would require a report on national commuting trends and their impact on transportation needs.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1327: Notification on Regressive Safety Targets

This section would require USDOT to notify Congress when a state sets a regressive safety target under the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1328: Study on Domestic Availability of Yellow Paint

This section would require a study on the availability of yellow lane-marking pant.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1329: Study on Corrosion Prevention for Bridges

This section would require a study on strategies for addressing corrosion in metal bridges

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1330: Funding Federal-aid Highways Guidance

This section would require FHWA to update its public-facing resources about federal highway funding to reflect changes made by the bill.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1331: Interdisciplinary Bridge Safety Team

This section would authorize an “Interdisciplinary Bridge Safety Team” with representatives from the FHWA, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide guidance to bridge owners on how to avoid vessel collisions.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1332: Sense of Congress on Route 66

This section would recognize the 100th anniversary of Route 66.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1333: Toll Credits Exchange Market Place Reporting Requirements

This section would require USDOT to issue a report on the progress of the “Toll Credits Exchange Pilot Program” stood up in the IIJA.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1334: Innovative Hull Designs

This section would require the Transportation Research Board to evaluate innovative hull designs and their capacity to optimize the performance of ferries and water taxis.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1335: Motorcoach Enplanement Pilot Program

This section would create a motorcoach enplanement pilot program in FY 2027 and 2028.

Some airlines currently offer bus service between regional airports and nearby hub airports, through which passengers go through security at the regional airport but then board a bus at their gate rather than a plane. The bus then takes them to the nearby hub airport, where they enter directly into the terminal as if they arrived via plane.

This pilot program would allow airports to count passengers who participate in this specific type of motorcoach program to be counted as “enplanements” for a two-year period.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1336: Domestic Content Certification

This section would allow documentation generated in accordance with the “Make It American Process Standard” to be used to certify compliance with Build America, Buy America requirements.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1337: GAO Study on Flooding Mitigation Activities and Practices for Improve Infrastructure Resiliency

This section would require the GAO to study all USDOT discretionary grant awards to identify examples of integrating flood mitigation into transportation projects.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1338: Comptroller General Study on Fuel-Agnostic Highway Trust Fund Financing Options

This section would require the GAO to study fuel-agnostic ways to replace the current way of funding the HTF.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1339: Technical Assistance Regarding Pavement Density Testing

This section would allow USDOT to provide states with technical assistance in using non-nuclear density gauges to test the density of pavement.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1340: Alaska and Hawaii Highways

This section would turn the “Alaska Highway” section of title 23, U.S. Code into the “Alaska and Hawaii Highways” section and would authorize a “Hawaii Marine Highway System.”

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1341: Sense of Congress Related to Completion of I-73 Corridor

This section would express Congress’s support for completing I-73 in Ohio.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1342: Guidance on Universal Changing Tables

This section would require USDOT to issue guidance to states on how to incorporate changing tables into rest areas.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1343: Preventing Subsurface Utility Damage on Federally Funded Highway Projects

This section would require USDOT to provide technical assistance to states on how to prevent subsurface utility damage.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1344: Release of Certain Property

This section would transfer certain property to the San Mateo County Transit District.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1345: Civil Penalties

This section would allow railroads to contest FRA penalties by arguing that records did not exist at the time of the request.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1346: GAO Report on Territorial Highway Program

This section would require the GAO to study the current apportionment of FHWA funding between states and territories, including whether the current allocation provides sufficient funding for the territorial highway program.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1347: Technical Assistance Regarding Steelmaking Slag

This section would allow USDOT to provide technical assistance to states on how to use steelmaking slag in highway construction.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1348: Sense of Congress on National Electronic Toll Collection Interoperability

This section would express Congress’s support for interoperability of electronic toll collection devices.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1349: Implementation of GAO Recommendation

This section would require FTA to implement the findings of a GAO report on rural transit.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1350: Price Adjustment Provisions

This section would allow states to put price adjustment provisions into letting contracts, which would allow them to pay more than the stated maximum amount if commodity or labor prices have increased since the contract was signed. This authority would not be extended to local governments.

Title I — Federal Aid Highways

C – Miscellaneous

Section 1351: At-Risk Preagreement Authority

This section would allow project sponsors to incur right-of-way and construction costs as soon as a project receives approval under NEPA.

Title II – Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation

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Section 2001: Infrastructure Finance

This section would reauthorize the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program and would add the purchase or lease of drayage trucks as an eligible use of TIFIA loan funding.

This section would also make several reforms aligned with the Build HUBS Act that NACo endorsed, including making it easier for applicants to prove their creditworthiness and clarifying NEPA exemptions for land acquisition, rehabilitation of existing facilities and projects on previously disturbed land.

Title II – Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation

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Section 2002: Emergency Loan Relief Due to a Major Disaster

This section would provide loan relief flexibility to borrowers from the TIFIA program whose ability to repay the loan is impacted by a natural disaster.

Title II – Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation

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Section 2003: Personnel Management Authority

This section would allow USDOT more flexibility to recruit and retain experts for the National Surface Transportation and Innovative Finance Bureau.

Title II – Transportation Infrastructure Finance & Innovation

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Section 2004: Study on Establishment of a Federal Infrastructure Bank

This section would require USDOT to work with the National Academies on a two-year study about the possibility of establishing a Federal Infrastructure Bank.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3001. Purpose and Declaration of Policy

This section would add more definition to FTA’s statutory mission.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3002. Definitions.

This section would define key transit planning terms and allows for certain software to be defined as a “capital project.”

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3003. Transportation Planning.

This section would amend federal transit planning requirements for MPOs, RTPOs and state departments of transportation. Many amendments would create parity with the changes made in Section 1113 of the legislation, including reforms to the process for updating TIPs.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3004. Planning Programs.

This section would make a series of small technical changes to planning programs. It would also align the FTA’s ability to waive certain planning requirements for territories with the FHWA’s standards.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3005. Urbanized Area Formula Grants.

This section would make a variety of changes to the FTA’s Urbanized Area Formula Grant program, which is the largest pot of FTA funds.

This section would allow agencies that operate between 101 and 125 buses to use up to 25 percent of their funding to cover operating expenses. Currently, these agencies are unable to use any Urbanized Area Formula Grant funding for operating costs.

This section would reauthorize the All Stations Accessibility Program and repeal the authorization for the Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program and portions of the Ferry Service for Rural Communities program.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3006. Consolidated State Block Grant Program.

Establishes a new Consolidated State Block Grant Program, through which states would apply to be the designated recipient of all federal transit funding, save for funding to agencies in areas above 3.5 million people and agencies that serve regions spanning state lines. These agencies would continue to receive their funding directly from FTA.

Areas would be able to opt out of the program and continue to receive their funding directly from the FTA. However, if multiple agencies cover one area, then a majority of the agencies would have to choose to opt out for all area agencies to continue getting direct funding from the FTA.

States would be required to distribute the blocked funding in the same amounts to different areas, but the funding would be much more flexible.

In other words, this program would ask mid-size transit agencies if they would rather receive their funding directly but with more restrictions, or through their state but with fewer restrictions.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3007. Fixed Guideway Capital Investment Grants.

This plan makes changes to the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program, which funds projects that establish new rail/bus rapid transit (BRT) lines or make significant upgrades or capacity improvements to existing rail/BRT lines.

This section would rename the “Small Starts” program as the “Streamlined Starts” program and change the maximum project size from $400 million to $1 billion. This would result in most projects in CIG to qualify for “Streamlined Starts” instead of the more onerous category of “New Starts.”

This section would also require applicants to “New Starts,” “Core Capacity” and “Streamlined Starts” to have already initiated NEPA and completed at least 30 percent of design and engineering in order to expedite project delivery upon approval for federal funding.

This section would allow FTA to score applications higher if the proposed project would boost housing development along the identified corridor.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3008. Formula Grants for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities.

This section would codify the Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Program, which funds projects to expand transportation options for underserved communities, with a focus on access to health care. This section would also expand program eligibility to support projects that improve transportation access to facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) or third-party organizations that provide veteran services used VA funding.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3009. Formula Grants for Rural Areas.

This section would make changes to the FTA’s Formula Grants for Rural Areas program.

This section would establish a new program under the Formula Grants for Rural Areas program to fund public transit in “insular areas,” defined as American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas Islands. It would also set aside $25 million from the consolidated competitive ferry program for grants in these “insular areas” as well as rural areas.

This section would also make intercity bus facilities in rural areas eligible for capital assistance using Formula Grants for Rural Areas funding.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3010. Technical Assistance and Workforce Development.

This section would authorize a grant program to support providing technical assistance to transit agencies.

It would also codify the FTA’s “Transit Workforce Development Center” and clarify the center’s mission and priorities.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3011. Bus Testing Facility.

This section would amend federal bus testing requirements to allow USDOT to test new bus models equipped with new technologies.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3012. Crime Prevention and Security.

This section would provide more details to the crime prevention and security section of title 49, U.S. Code in order to specify the activities agencies must undertake to meet the new requirements under section 3005.

This section would allow federal transit funding to be used by transit agencies to contract with local law enforcement and to hire security specialists. It would also allow transit agencies to use up to 1.5 percent of Urbanized Area Formula Funds on operating costs for crime reduction projects.

This section would also allow USDOT to withhold up to 10 percent of an agency’s funding if the jurisdiction within which the agency operates does not have the criminal or civil enforcement mechanisms to prevent fare evasion.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3013. General Provisions.

This section would make a variety of changes across transit policy including:

Requiring USDOT to issue a determination within 120 days of receiving a complaint of a violation of the charter bus rule. This rule prevents public transit agencies from providing chartered bus service outside their normal service area.

Increasing the federal cost share from 80 percent to 90 percent for the acquisition of busses or ferries that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Requiring USDOT to decide on Buy America waiver asks within 180 days, with the option to extend the deadline by another 180 days if needed.

Making it easier for intercity passenger bus providers to access other public transportation facilities like bus depots.

Preventing federal funding from being used to buy rolling stock or powertrain components made by companies with ties to the Chinese Communist Party.

Establishing a maximum federal contribution towards the total cost of a bus.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3014. Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program.

This section would allow for a six-year window for obligating FTA emergency relief funding.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3015. Contract Requirements.

This section would require recipients using federal funding to acquire bus rolling stock through the competitive procurement process to use performance specifications.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3016. Transit Asset Management.

This section would make changes to transit asset management practices.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3017. Project Management Oversight.

This section would ease project management oversight requirements, like allowing compliance reviews to happen annually rather than quarterly and limiting smaller projects from the strictest compliance rules.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3018. Public Transportation Safety Program.

This section would require USDOT to more frequently update and re-align its Public Transportation Safety Plan.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3019. Administrative Provisions.

This section would allow agencies or entities that sell an asset that had been acquired with FTA funding to keep the proceeds from the sale, so long as they are reinvested in another transit project.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3020. National Transit Database.

This section would make changes to the National Transit Database (NTD), including requiring transit agencies to report new data to the NTD.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3021. Apportionment Of Appropriations for Urbanized Area Formula Grants.

This section would amend how funding from the Urbanized Area Formula Grants program is apportioned.

First, this section would increase the share of funding going to “small transit intensive cities” from three percent to five percent.

This section would also set aside $125 million per year in funding for grants for urban ferries under the new consolidated ferry program.

This section would also continue the All Stations Accessibility Program (ASAP), which funds accessibility projects along rail transit systems, at $400 million per year. Additionally, this section would require that transit agencies that operate rail systems with inaccessible stations spend a certain portion of their Urbanized Area Formula Grants on rail station accessibility projects.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3022. State of Good Repair Grants.

This section would amend the program goals for the State of Good Repair grant program.

The section would also eliminate the competitive rail vehicle replacement grant program.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3023. Authorizations.

This section would authorize funding out of the Mass Transit account of the HTF for the various programs reauthorized in this title.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3024. Grants for Buses, Bus Facilities, and Ferries.

This section would amend the “Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities” program to include ferries as an eligible use. This section would also make structural changes to the program, including shifting from a larger share of program funding being distributed via discretionary grants to more funds being distributed via formula.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle A – Reforms

Section 3025. Apportionments Based on Growing States and High Density States Formula Factors.

This section would change the definitions of states, high-density, and growing states, and adjust other relevant technicalities.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3101. Definitions.

This section would set the definitions for various terms used in this subtitle.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3102. Protecting Bus Operators from Risk of Assault.

This section would establish a “Bus Driver Safety Working Group” to make recommendations on safety standards to protect bus drivers from assaults. It would also require new buses to be manufactured with driver’s seats fully enclosed to protect drivers.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3103. Spare Ratio Modification.

This section would prevent USDOT from issuing rules about a minimum number of “spare” vehicles a transit agency must maintain during its peak operation.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3104. Special Rule for Certain Transportation Services.

This section would codify and clarify the FTA’s “taxicab exemption,” which outlines when a taxi driver or rideshare driver contracted by a transit agency qualifies as an “employee” of said agency.

This section would also clarify that transit agencies can only use federal funding to contract with a taxi or rideshare company to “supplement, not supplant” existing service.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3105. Innovative Procurement.

This section would allow local governments to participate in the FTA’s “Innovative Procurement Program,” which is currently only availably to public transit agencies and state governments.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3106. Transit Award Management System Improvement.

This section would make changes to the FTA’s “Transit Award Management System.”

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3107. Public Transit First Aid and Emergency Medical Kit Equipment and Training.

This section would create a transportation rulemaking committee to study and develop recommendations on whether transit vehicles and stations should be required to carry first aid and emergency medical kits.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3108. Improving Transparency in Certain Urbanized Areas.

This section would require transit agencies in areas of more than 200,000 people to provide a public explanation for how federal funding for that area is divided among the transit agencies if they use a method other than the federal apportionment formula or use population data other than census data.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3109. Extension Of Capital and Preventive Maintenance Grants to Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

This section would extend the authorization for funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) through FY 2031.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3110. GAO Assessment of Project Contingency Amounts.

This section would require the GAO to study how much contingency funding the federal government requires transit projects to have when entering the CIG pipeline.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3111. GAO Report on Universal Design to Improve Accessibility.

This section would require the GAO to study whether transit agencies use universal design concepts and whether they could be expanded to improve accessibility on transit.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3112. GAO Study and Report on National Transit Database Data Quality.

This section would require the GAO to study the accuracy and consistency of data provided to the National Transit Database.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3113. GAO Study on Transit System Rider Safety.

This section would require the GAO to assess FTA practices to improve rider safety on transit systems.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3114. GAO Study on CIG Data Collection and Reporting Requirements.

This section would require the GAO to study the data collection and analysis requirements for applicants to the CIG program and make recommendations for how to reduce administrative burden.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle B – Miscellaneous

Section 3115. GAO Assessment of Paratransit Software and Technologies.

This section would require the GAO to study ADA-compliant software and technology used by transit agencies.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle C – Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53

Section 3201: Transfer of Certain Sections in Chapter 53 of Title 49, United States Code

This section would make various technical changes to the structure of chapter 53 of title 49, U.S. Code

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle C – Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53

Section 3202: Front Matter of Chapter 53 of Title 49, United States Code

This section would amend the table of contents of chapter 53 of title 49, U.S. Code to conform with the changes made by section 3201

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle C – Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53

Section 3203: Amendments to Chapter 53 of Title 49, United States Code, as Amended by Section 3202 of this Act

This section would make various technical amendments throughout chapter 53 of title 49, U.S. Code.

Title III – Public Transportation

Subtitle C – Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53

Section 3204: Conforming Amendments

This section would make conforming amendments across chapter 53 of title 49, U.S. Code.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4001: Authorization of Appropriations

This section would authorize funding out of the HTF for highway safety programs at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4002: Consolidation and Enhancement of Highway Safety Programs

This section would combine national priority safety programs under sections 402 and 405 of title 23, U.S. Code into one singular program. Currently, funding is provided to both programs directly to states for specific uses.

Funding under 402 is more flexible and can be used on a variety of safety projects, while 405 funding must be used to specific categories of project like preventing distracted driving or impaired driving.

This section would only permit states to use funding more flexibly for projects eligible under 402 (rather than the set categories under 405) if their fatality rate is below national thresholds. Otherwise, a state would have to continue to follow the distributions set under 405.

Importantly, this section would retain the requirement that 20 percent of overall funding be either spent directly by local governments or on projects selected by local governments.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4003: Highway Safety Research and Development

This section would make changes to various safety programs at NHTSA, including expanding the use of digital infrastructure and improving efforts to prevent drug-impaired driving.

Title IV – Highway Safety

--

Section 4004: High-Visibility Enforcement Program

This section would reauthorize NHTSA’s High-Visibility Enforcement Program, amend program priorities and initiate new safety campaigns.

Title IV – Highway Safety

--

Section 4005: Protection of Safety Data

This section would clarify safety data protection requirements.

Title IV – Highway Safety

--

Section 4006: Annual Reporting Requirements

This section would require USDOT to inform Congress annually whether NHTSA can handle the administrative tasks it is assigned under this bill, given its funding.

Title IV – Highway Safety

--

Section 4007: Coordination of Federal Highway and Traffic Safety Programs

This section would direct USDOT to work with state departments of transportation and state highway safety offices to improve coordination and data sharing.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4008: Highway Safety Program Effectiveness Transportation Rulemaking Committee

This section would direct USDOT to stand up a new transportation rulemaking committee to review existing programs and recommend changes. This section would require that the transportation rulemaking committee include “at least 1 member of local government or a local government advocacy organization.”

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4009: Establishment of Roadway Worker Protection Interagency Working Group

This section would establish an interagency working group between FHWA, NHTSA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and any other agency to ensure better protection of roadway workers.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4010: Motorcycle Advisory Council

This section would extend the authorization of the Motorcycle Advisory Council.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4011: Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding

This section would prevent federal funding from being used on projects that are deemed to discriminate against motorcyclists.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4012: Pulsating Light Systems

This section would establish a transportation rulemaking committee to determine if pulsating light systems (which indicate when a vehicle is braking) are safe or distracting.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4013: Minimally Obstructed Forward-Facing View in Motorcoaches

This section would require that new motorcoaches manufactured in the U.S. have either an unobstructed forward-facing view or a camera to expand the range of the driver’s view.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4014: Revision of Student Safety Guidelines

This section would require USDOT to update its safety guidelines to encourage “nonmotorist” safety education for elementary and secondary school students.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4015: Micromobility Safety

This section would direct USDOT to study the safety of micromobility devices like scooters, especially when used by young people and children.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4016: GAO Study on Highway Safety Data Quality

This section would authorize a GAO study on the quality of highway safety data used in federal programs. This section explicitly lists “local law enforcement” as a stakeholder that should be consulted during the study.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4017: Update to Fatality Analysis Reporting System

This section would require USDOT to include injury and fatality data for workers on foot in work zones to the “Fatality Analysis Reporting System.”

Title IV – Highway Safety

--

Section 4018: Records Maintenance

This section would require USDOT to set standards for how freight brokers must keep their records.

Title IV – Highway Safety

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Section 4019: Definition of Broker; Unlawful Brokerage Activities

This section would define “broker” and “unlawful brokerage activities.”

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5001: Authorization of Appropriations

This section would authorize funding out of the HTF for various programs at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5002: Improvements to Enforcement Training and Support Grant Program

This section would amend the FMCSA’s “Enforcement Training and Support Grant Program.”

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5003: Maintenance of Effort

This section would make changes to the FMCSA’s “Motor Carrier Safety Assurance Program.”

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5004: Amendments to Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators Grant Program

This section would rename the “Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators Grant Program” as the “Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training Program” and make various programmatic changes.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5005: Terms and Conditions for Exemptions

This section would strengthen requirements for recipients of exemptions from FMCSA safety regulations.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5006: Broker Qualifications

This section would require USDOT to finalize regulations on qualifications for freight brokers and forwarders.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5007: Motor Carrier Complaints

This section would direct USDOT to implement the recommendations from a GAO report on improving the National Consumer Complaint Database.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5008: Cabotage Study

This section would direct USDOT to work with the Transportation Research Board to study the safety and economic impacts of cabotage violations.

Cabotage is when freight is carried between two points in a country by a carrier registered in a separate country.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle A – General Provisions

Section 5009: Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program Eligibility

This section would add new eligible uses for certain commercial motor vehicle safety funding.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5101: Predatory Commercial Vehicle Lease-Purchase Agreement Programs Oversight

This section would require motor carriers that are using leased vehicles to provide disclosure forms to other parties in any contract.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5102: Restroom Access

This section would require certain institutions like marine terminal operators and port authorities to provide bathroom access for commercial motor vehicle operators.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5103: Application of Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

This section would allow Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to implement commercial driver’s license (CDL) programs

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5104: Extension of Apprenticeship Pilot Program

This section would extend the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Program through FY 2031.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5105: Codification of Exemption

This section would codify an exemption for covered livestock hauling vehicles from electronic logging device requirements and hours-of-service requirements within a 150-mile radius of the livestock’s destination.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5107: Implements of Husbandry Compilation

This section would require USDOT to review state laws to see if they define implements of husbandry as commercial motor vehicles.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5108: Pre-trip Vehicle Inspection Testing Waiver

This section would allow states to waive the engine compartment pre-trip vehicle inspection skills testing requirement for school bus and transit bus operators who travel less than 150 miles.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5109: Modifications to Certain Commercial Driver’s License Regulations

This section would make changes to how states issue CDLs.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5110: Transportation Workforce Education Optimization

This section would make it easier for certain institutions to enroll more students in CDL programs.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5111: Length Limitations

This section would prevent states from imposing length limits on vehicles being towed.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle B – Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Section 5112: Exemption for Stinger-Steered Combinations

This section would exempt stinger-steered combinations from having to display warning flags.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5201: Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee

This section would reauthorize FMCSA’s Motor Carrier Safety Advisory Committee.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5202: Electronic Logging Device Certification

This section would strengthen FMCSA oversight of electronic logging devices, which are used to track hours of service.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5203: Safety Performance History Screening and DataQs Improvement

This section would allow motor carriers to access safety records for prospective and current drivers.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5204: Noncompliant Training Entities

This section would require FMCSA to establish a process for reviewing and removing non-compliant CDL training providers.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5205: Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse Fees

This section would allow fees collected for the FMCSA drug and alcohol clearinghouse to be used to improve the clearinghouse.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5206: Federal Hair Testing Guidelines

This section would require USDOT to recognize hair testing as an approved way of collecting specimens for drug tests within one year of the Department of Health and Human Services issuing hair testing guidelines.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5207: Drug and Alcohol Testing Compliance

This section would require USDOT to clarify guidance on several portions of drug and alcohol testing requirements.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5208: Fatal Truck Crash Drug and Substance Abuse Testing Accountability

This section would require employers to retain records of post-accident alcohol or drug tests for at least five years.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5209: Review of New Entrant Safety Assurance Program

This section would direct the USDOT Inspector General to review FMCSA’s New Entrant Safety Assurance Program.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5210: New Entrant Registration Standards Transportation Rulemaking Committee

This section would establish a transportation rulemaking committee to study whether there should be “minimum knowledge requirements” for motor carriers to register with USDOT.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle C – Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety

Section 5211: Beyond Compliance

This section would require USDOT to finalize implementation of the Beyond Compliance program, which would reward motor carriers that exceed minimum safety standards.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle D – Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform

Section 5301: Administrative Assessment of Civil Penalties for Violations of Commercial Regulations

This section would allow FMCSA to assess civil penalties for violations of consumer protection regulations.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle D – Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform

Section 5302: State Use of Grant Funds for Commercial Enforcement and Consumer Protection

This section would allow states to use FMCSA funding for enforcement actions against household goods motor carriers.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle D – Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform

Section 5303: State Retention of Penalties and Fees

This section would allow states to keep funds collected as fines or penalties against violators of household goods moving regulations.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle D – Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform

Section 5304: Registration Requirements

This section would require brokers and freight forwarders to have a “principal place of business” to register with FMCSA. It would also extend requirements that registrants disclose common ownership with other carriers or brokers.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle D – Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform

Section 5305: Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group

This section would establish a Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5401: Definitions

This section defines terms related to autonomous commercial motor vehicles.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5402: ADS-Equipped Commercial Motor Vehicle Interstate Operation

This section would require USDOT to issue regulations outlining the terms by which autonomous commercial motor vehicles would be allowed to operate in interstate commerce.

The regulations would have to establish minimum safety standards, which are described in this section.

Additionally, USDOT would have to issue reporting requirements for any crashes that happen involving autonomous commercial motor vehicles.

Lastly, this section would also create a transportation rulemaking committee that would make recommendations on the safety standards that USDOT would have to issue. Although local governments are not explicitly listed as members of the rulemaking committee, this section does mention “traffic safety professionals” and “labor organizations representing first responders, including law enforcement and fire fighters.”

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5403: Review and Preemption of State Laws and Regulations

This section would give USDOT the ability to preempt State laws on autonomous commercial motor vehicles.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5404: Ensuring Regulatory Flexibility for Safety Technologies

This section would provide parity between autonomous commercial motor vehicles and other vehicles for width exemption purposes.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5405: Regulatory Interpretations

This section would allow commercial motor vehicles to use “cab-mounted warning beacons” as warning devices when stopped on the shoulder of a highway.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5406: National Consumer Complaint Database

This section would require USDOT to create a portion of the National Consumer Complaint Database specific to autonomous commercial motor vehicle complaints.

Title V – Motor Carriers

Subtitle E – Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles

Section 5407: Commercial Motor Vehicle Workforce Development

This section would authorize a workforce development program to support the commercial motor vehicle industry.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6001: Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Grant Program

This section would reauthorize the SMART grant program through FY2031 and consolidate its “development” and “implementation” grants into one program. Counties would remain eligible applicants for this program.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6002: Technology Deployment

This section would reauthorize several programs aimed at supporting the deployment of technology in the transportation space.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6003: Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection

This section would reauthorize the Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection program, which helps states determine whether road usage fees or other user-pay models are feasible solutions to long-term funding challenges.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6004: National Motor Vehicle Per-Mile User Fee Pilot

This section would reauthorize the National Motor Vehicle Per-Mile User Fee Pilot Program.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6005: ITS Advisory Committee

This section would require that a representative from a labor organization be appointed to USDOT’s ITS Advisory Committee.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6006: Encouraged Use of Digital Platform

This section would direct the Interagency Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Centers to promote the use of digital platforms when completing environmental review under NEPA.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6007: Nontraditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council

This section would expand the list of stakeholders that the Nontraditional and Emerging Transportation Technology Council is required to consult with, including by adding “State and local transportation officials.”

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6008: University Transportation Centers

This section would reauthorize the University Transportation Centers (UTC) program and ensure that the UTCs have a greater focus on sharing the results of their research to “State and local transportation officials.”

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6009: Prohibition Related to Certain Foreign-Made LiDAR Technology

This section would prevent USDOT from providing funding for a project that would purchase LiDAR technology produced in or provided by a foreign adversarial nation.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6010: Data Privacy

This section would require USDOT to strengthen its data safety and privacy practices.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6011: Study on Adoption and Deployment of New and Emerging Technologies

This section would require a study on USDOT promotion of new technologies, associated costs and potential risks.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6012: Autonomous Vehicle Accessibility Study

This section would require a study of the infrastructure changes that would be needed for autonomous vehicles to be accessible to people with disabilities.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6013: GAO Study of Intelligent Transportation Systems Physical and Cyber Vulnerabilities

This section would require a study on the physical and cybersecurity risks associated with intelligent transportation systems.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6014: GAO Study and Report on Automated Driving Systems Safety Assurance

This section would require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study whether NHTSA’s incident data collection systems, as currently constituted, would work with autonomous vehicles.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6015: Technical Assistance

This section would authorize USDOT to provide technical assistance to state departments of transportation in purchasing innovative construction materials.

Title VI – Innovation

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Section 6016: Motor Vehicle Title and Registration Modernization

This section would require a study on vehicle title and registration processes and the efficacy of odometer disclosure requirements.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7001: National Multimodal Freight Policy

This section would require USDOT to better align sections under the MEGA and INFRA programs with the needs of the National Multimodal Freight Network. It would also direct the GAO to review national freight plans and make recommendations on how to address bottlenecks.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7002: National Freight Strategic Plan

This section would require the National Strategic Freight Plan to take inland maritime ports into account.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7003: National Multimodal Freight Network

This section would make changes to the National Multimodal Freight Network program.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7004: State Freight Advisory Committees

This section would amend the State Freight Advisory Committees program.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7005: State Freight Plans

This section would require State Freight Plans to include lists of freight bottlenecks in the state and how those bottlenecks could be alleviated.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7006: Oversight of State Freight Plans

This section would place the Assistant Secretary for Multimodal Freight in charge of overseeing state freight plans.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle A – Freight Policy

Section 7007: Publication of Evaluation Criteria

This section would require USDOT to publish the criteria it will use to judge INFRA grants when it issues the INFRA NOFO. It would also be required to ensure that the NOFO is as concise as possible

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7101: Streamlining Positions within Office of the Secretary

This section would no longer require the Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs at USDOT to be a Senate-confirmed position.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7102: Council on Credit and Finance Transparency

This section would require the Council on Credit and Finance Transparency to make its agendas and meeting summaries public.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7103: Amendments to Working Capital Fund

This section would make changes to USDOT’s Working Capital Fund.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7104: Transportation Assistance for International Games

This section would authorize $50 million a year from FY 2027 to FY 2031 in grants for transportation projects related to international sporting events like the Olympics or the World Cup. Counties would be eligible applicants for these grants.

This section is based on the Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act (H.R. 6348/S. 1218), which NACo endorsed.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7105: National Infrastructure Project Assistance

This section would reauthorize and make changes to the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7106: Local and Regional Project Assistance

This section would make changes to the BUILD program. This section would also retroactively reauthorize the program through FY 2023 but not extend it through FY 2031. The BUILD program is one of the grant programs that most often benefits counties.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7107: National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program

This section would make changes to the National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7108: Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement Pilot Extension

This section would reauthorize the Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement Pilot Program.

Title VII – Freight & Multimodal Transportation Programs

Subtitle B – Multimodal Policy & Programs

Section 7109: Advisory Committee on Cargo Theft and Freight Fraud

This section would require USDOT to establish an “Advisory Committee on Cargo Theft and Freight Fraud.” “Local and State law enforcement agencies” are listed as required members.

Title VIII – Miscellaneous

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Section 8001: Title 23 Technical Corrections

This section would make technical corrections throughout title 23, U.S. Code.

Title VIII – Miscellaneous

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Section 8002: Title 49 Technical Corrections

This section would make technical corrections throughout title 49, U.S. Code.

Title IX – Sport Fishing & Recreational Boating Safety

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Section 9001: Division of Annual Appropriations

This section would reauthorize the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.

Title IX – Sport Fishing & Recreational Boating Safety

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Section 9002: Funding for Interstate Fisheries Commission Activities

This section would amend funding distributions for the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act.

Title IX – Sport Fishing & Recreational Boating Safety

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Section 9003: Boating Infrastructure Priorities

This section would make changes to federal programs that provide grants for boating infrastructure.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10101: Grants to Amtrak

This section would reauthorize funding for Amtrak through FY2031, including both funding for the Northeast Corridor and the National Network.

These funds are authorized out of the General Fund, not out of the HTF or any other guaranteed source.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10102: Federal Railroad Administration

This section would reauthorize funding for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10103: Competitive Grants

This section reauthorizes funding for several rail-focused grant programs, including the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, the Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements & Elimination Program and the National Intercity Passenger Rail Partnership Program.

As with the Amtrak funding, these funds are authorized out of the General Fund, not out of the HTF or any other guaranteed source.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10104: Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements

This section makes changes to eligible applicants and eligible projects under the CRISI program.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10105: Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements and Elimination Program

This section renames the “Railroad Crossing Elimination Program” as the “Railroad Crossing Safety Improvements and Elimination Program” and makes small changes to the program.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10106: National Intercity Passenger Railroad Partnership Program

This section would combine three passenger rail grant programs—the Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail program, the Restoration and Enhancements program and the Interstate Rail Compacts program—into one new program called the “National Intercity Passenger Rail Partnership Program.”

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10107: Corridor Identification and Development Program

This section would reauthorize the Corridor Identification & Development (Corridor ID) program. This program, which is intended to foster the establishment of new passenger rail corridors, has helped counties across the country work collaboratively to develop new prospective rail routes.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10108: Emergency Relief

This section would authorize an Emergency Relief program through the FRA, like what exists for the FHWA.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle A – Authorization of Appropriations & Grant Reforms

Section 10109: Amtrak Office of Inspector General

This section would authorize funding for the Amtrak Office of Inspector General.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10201: Amtrak Economic Performance

This section would update Amtrak’s goals and financial performance targets.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10202: Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passenger and Taxpayers

This section would mirror the House-passed Amtrak Transparency and Accountability for Passengers and Taxpayers Act and require Amtrak’s Board of Directors meetings to comply with open-meeting and transparency requirements.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10203: Implementing Amtrak Office of Inspector General Recommendations to Address Infrastructure Backlog

This section would require Amtrak to implement the recommendations from a 2026 GAO report on its infrastructure backlog.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10204: Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure

This section would mirror the House-passed Amtrak Executive Bonus Disclosure Act of 2025 and require Amtrak to publicly report the base pay and bonus compensation to its executive leadership team.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10205: Amtrak and Intercity Passenger Rail Workforce Assault Prevention and Response Plans

This section would require USDOT to publish best practices for avoiding assault and harassment on passenger trains.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10206: Baby Changing Table Requirements on Amtrak Trains

This section would mirror the House-passed Baby Changing on Board Act and require passenger rail trins to have a baby-changing table in at least one restroom in each car.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10207: Report on Amtrak Long-Distance Equipment Maintenance Costs

This section would require Amtrak to provide a report on the anticipated costs of rehabilitating and replacing its long-distance railcars and locomotives.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10208: Inspector General Review of Amtrak Accounting and Reporting Practices

This section would require the USDOT Inspector General to audit Amtrak’s accounting systems and internal controls.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10209: Amtrak Annual Reporting

This section would require changes to how Amtrak reports its finances every year.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10210: Invoices and Reports

This section would allow states that contract with Amtrak to operate intercity passenger rail corridors within their state to hire third-party auditors when disputing costs.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10211: State-Supported Cost and Service Policy

This section would make changes to state-supported Amtrak routes.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10212: GAO Study on Amtrak Customer Experience

This section would require a GAO study on Amtrak’s customer satisfaction across the country.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10213: GAO Study on Amtrak Service to Privately Owned Rail Cars

This section would require a GAO study on Amtrak’s practices pertaining to private rail cars.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10214: The Donald M. Payne, Jr. Transit Center at Newark Penn Station

This section would rename Newark Penn Station in Essex County, NJ as the “Donald M. Payne Jr. Transit Center at Newark Penn Station” in honor of the late Congressman.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10215: Public Notice and Comment on Amtrak’s Corporate Structure

This section would require Amtrak to publish any future corporate restructuring plan in the Federal Register before approval.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10216: GAO Examination of International Passenger Rail

This section would require the GAO to study other international passenger rail systems to see if there are best practices that could be applied to Amtrak.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10217: Food and Beverage Service

This section would require the GAO to study Amtrak’s food and beverage service.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle B – Amtrak Reforms

Section 10218: Study on Amtrak Procurement and Risk Allocation Fairness

This section would require Amtrak to study aligning its procurement practices with other Federal contracting standards.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle C – Passenger Rail Policy

Section 10301: Intercity Passenger Rail Equipment Pools

This section would allow USDOT to work with interstate rail compacts to establish equipment pools and allow member states to lease or buy equipment from said pools.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle C – Passenger Rail Policy

Section 10302: California High-Speed Rail Working Group

This section would create a California High-Speed Rail Working Group to assess the project’s future.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle C – Passenger Rail Policy

Section 10303: Route-Specific Reports

This section would require USDOT to do a two-year feasibility study on new or enhanced passenger rail routes.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle C – Passenger Rail Policy

Section 10304: Study on Commuter Rail Passenger Transportation and Transfers

This section mirrors the House-passed One Seat Ride Act and would direct the GAO to study the benefits of commuter rail and the challenges posed to implementing trips that do not require transfers.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle C – Passenger Rail Policy

Section 10305: Adjustment of Liability Cap

This section would codify the current liability cap that passenger railroads are subject to in the event of an accident.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10401: Rail Bridge Safety

This section would allow state rail safety inspectors to conduct railroad bridge inspections and establish a “Rail Bridge Safety Concern Reporting System” that would allow local officials, among others, to report unsafe railroad bridges for further inspection. Additionally, this bill would

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10402: Public Availability of Federally Funded Data

This section would require USDOT to make all the data and research collected or performed with federal dollars available to the public.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10403: Safety Culture Grant Program

This section would codify a grant program that makes grant funding available to promote rail safety.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10404: Improved Supporting Information Transparency and Using Performance-Based Regulations During Rulemaking

This section would amend the FRA’s rulemaking process by prioritizing a performance-based approach to rulemaking.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10405: Installation of Image Recording Devices

This section would require all Class I railroads to install inward- and outward-facing cameras in locomotive cabs.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10406: Membership of National Domestic Preparedness Consortium

This section would make the MxV Learning Institute a member of the National Domestic Preparedness Consortium.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10407: Preventing Tampering with Wayside Defect Detectors

This section would require USDOT to set up a working group to address threats posed by tampering with wayside defect detectors and make recommendations on how to prevent it.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10408: Rail Technology and Asset Pilot Program

This section would create a pilot program that would provide grants for the acquisition of railroad technology systems.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10409: Vent and Burn Report Updates

This section would implement one of the recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board’s report after the derailment in Columbiana County, Ohio regarding vent-and-burn guidance for first responders.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10410: Rail Freight Cargo Security Assessment

This section would require the FRA to assess the vulnerabilities of freight rail to cargo theft.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10411: 50-Year Rule Revision

This section would require USDOT to finalize its proposed rule titled “Repealing Special Approval Requirement for Freight Cars More than 50 Years Old.”

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10412: Self-Contained Propelled Freight Vehicle

This section would require USDOT to propose safety regulations for self-contained propelled freight vehicles, which are trains that operate as solo cars without a locomotive.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10413: Railroad Safety Advisory Committee Evaluation of National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Findings

This section would require USDOT to have a working group of its Rail Safety Advisory Committee develop recommendations for improving rail worker training and the operation of trains of varying lengths.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10414: Blocked Crossings

This section would permanently authorize the FRA’s Blocked Crossings Portal. It would also establish a formal process for investigating blocked crossings, develop a formal process for soliciting public engagement on blocked crossings and require railroads to make their point of contact for blocked crossings public on their websites.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10415: Civil Penalties

This section would increase the maximum civil penalties that USDOT can levy against railroads for safety violations.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10416: Pressure Relief Devices

This section would require an FRA study about the reasons that rail tank car pressure relief devices fail and how often this happens.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10417: Federal Railroad Administration Safety Workforce

This section would require the FRA Office of Safety to employ at least 713 people whose primary role is railroad safety.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10418: FRA Safety Inspector and Specialist Review

This section would require the FRA and the Office of Personnel Management to audit the pay grades and job descriptions for FRA safety inspectors and specialists.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10419: Federal Railroad Administration Safety Culture

This section would require the USDOT Inspector General to formally review the safety culture at the FRA.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10420: Confidential Close Call Reporting

This section would create a “Confidential Close Call Reporting System” and require all Class I freight railroads to join.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10421: Wayside Employee Protection

This section would require all railroads to provide sufficient safety equipment to railroad watchmen and roadway workers.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10422: Safety Enforcement Transparency

This section would require USDOT to publish quarterly reports on the safety and other violations by each rail carrier.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10423: Reports on Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety and Trespasser Prevention

This section would mirror the State Actions for Employing Transportation Risk Assessments and Crossing Knowledge Strategies Act of 2025 and require states to update their highway-rail grade crossing action plans every five years.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10424: Locomotive Engineer Training

This section would require USDOT to ensure that locomotive engineers maintain the skills they need for full job performance.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10425: Assessment of Track Safety

This section would direct the USDOT Comptroller General to review track inspection standards, including how much track has been “excepted” from such standards.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10426: Review of Train Dispatching Technologies

This section would require USDOT to evaluate the performance of centralized train dispatching systems across the country.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10427: Incident Investigation Review

This section would require the USDOT Inspector General to assess whether current law and regulations properly allow FRA accident investigators to do their jobs.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10428: Review of Risk Reduction Program Plans

This section would require certain railroads to update their Risk Reduction Program Plans to address known safety issues.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10429: Railroad Safety Advisory Committee

This section would codify the Railroad Safety Advisory Committee through the end of FY 2031

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10430: Safety Reporting Extension

This section would extend post-accident safety reporting requirements through the end of calendar year 2032.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle D – Rail Safety & Innovation

Section 10431: Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council

This section would expand the membership of the Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10501: Pre-Award Authority

This section would allow USDOT to provide pre-award authority to grant recipients so they can begin to purchase materials and perform necessary activities before formally being awarded grant funds.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10502: Categorical Exclusions for Projects in Existing Operational Rights-of-Way

This section would provide a categorical exclusion under NEPA to all railroad-related projects that take place entirely within the existing railroad right-of-way.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10503: Additional Categorical Exclusion

This section would require USDOT to solicit ideas for other railroad-related categorical exclusions from industry partners and other stakeholders.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10504: State-Railroad Infrastructure Project Coordination and Process Standardization Working Group

This section would create a working group at USDOT to improve coordination regarding non-railroad projects that cross railroad rights-of-way, like roads or bridges. Local governments are explicitly listed as members of such working group.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10505: Rail Project Advance Acquisition

This section would allow grant recipients to be reimbursed for the purchase of real property for railroad projects that occurs before completion of NEPA reviews. Currently, this can be done for highway projects but not rail projects.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10506: Direct Loans and Loan Guarantees

This section would expand eligible uses of the Build America Bureau’s “Direct Loan” program.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10507: Veteran to Supply Chain Employee Action Plan

This section would mirror the House-passed Transitioning Retiring and New Service Members to Port Ocean Rail and Truck Jobs (TRANSPORT) Act and require USDOT to make a plan to address barriers preventing service members from entering the transportation workforce.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10508: Lead Agency for Environmental Review Purposes

This section would clarify that the federal agency overseeing the first “major federal action” for a proposed rail project would then be the “lead federal agency” for the purposes of NEPA.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10509: Environmental Review Determination

This section would set a 90-day “shot clock” for USDOT to determine whether a proposed rail project is either categorically excluded, needs an environmental assessment or requires an environmental impact statement.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10510: Expedited Consultation Process

This section would allow states or tribal officers to authorize applications for Section 106 permits to complete various steps of the historical review process at the same time.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10511: Technical Assistance

This section would authorize funding for a program that would enable non-profit institutions to provide technical assistance and training for local governments, MPOs and small railroads in applying for federal discretionary grants.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10512: Amendment to Allow RRIF Direct Loans to Be Structured as an Interest-Only Loan

This section would allow USDOT to issue interest-only RRIF loans to finance railroad projects.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10513: Use of Certain Grant Funds to Pay RRIF Credit Risk Premiums

This section would allow recipients of certain federal grants to use those funds to pay for the credit risk premium needed to access RRIF loan funding.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10514: Amendment to Establish Alternative Credit Assessment Pathway for RRIF Loan Applicants

This section would allow the Build America Bureau to use factors having an investment-grade credit rating to assess the creditworthiness of applicants to the RRIF program.

This is aligned with the Build HUBS Act, which NACo endorsed. While RRIF is currently eligible for financing TOD projects, the requirement for borrowers to have an investment-grade credit rating dissuades most developers from pursuing RRIF funds. Allowing more flexible ways to prove creditworthiness would help increase access to RRIF funds.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle E – Project Delivery

Section 10515: Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program Authorization of Appropriations

This section would extend the authorization of the RRIF program.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10601: Authorization of Appropriations

This section would authorize funding for the Transportation of Hazardous Materials Program and the Hazardous Materials Safety Training Grants program.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10602: Hazardous Materials Registration Fees

This section would make changes to the registration fees paid by the shippers of hazardous materials that are used to pay for the Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Fund. Specifically, this section would lower the fee for non-profits and small businesses, while raising the maximum fee that could be charged for larger businesses and shippers.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10603: Hazardous Materials Safety Training Grants

This section would consolidate and streamline the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Hazardous Materials Safety Training grants. These funds support state and local emergency response efforts to prepare for hazardous materials safety incidents.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10604: Incorporation of Special Permits into Hazardous Materials Regulations

This section would make changes to how PHMSA deals with special permits in its hazardous materials regulations.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10605: Harmonization of Safety Regulations

This section would incentivize USDOT to update safety regulations in order to align them with changes in international standards or safety requirements.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10606: Regulation of Foreign Manufacturers of Cylinders Used in Transporting Hazardous Materials

This section would mirror the House-passed Compressed Gas Cylinder Safety and Oversight Improvements Act of 2025 and ensure that only approved compressed gas cylinders are imported to the U.S.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10607: Safety Placards

This section would implement a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report after the East Palestine derailment that would require the placards on tank cars detailing what materials are inside are able to withstand uncontrolled burns.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10608: Study on Limited Commercial Driver’s License Hazardous Materials Endorsement

This section would require USDOT to study whether it would be feasible to create a material-specific test for a hazardous materials endorsement for CDLs.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10609: Real-Time Train Consist Information Rulemaking Evaluation

This section would require USDOT to report on the progress made in implementing its regulation to ensure that first responders have access to real-time information about the consist of hazardous trains.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10610: Study on Exception for Interstate Transportation of Diesel Fuel in Support of Logging or Timber Operations

This section would require the USDOT Comptroller General to study whether the exception provided to agricultural producers regarding the labeling and packaging of hazardous materials should also apply for transporting diesel fuel for timber and logging. Currently, agricultural producers are exempt from labeling and packaging requirements for transporting certain hazardous materials between farm fields within 150 miles of one another.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10611: Safer Tank Cars

This section would delay the phase-out date for older tank cars from December 31, 2028 to May 1, 2029 if USDOT deems that there is insufficient domestic capacity to meet the original deadline.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10612: Requirements for the Safe Transport of Lithium-Ion Batteries

This section would require USDOT to issue regulations regarding the safe transportation of lithium-ion batteries.

Title X – Railroads & Hazardous Materials

Subtitle F – Hazardous Materials Transportation

Section 10613: Innovative Thermal Run-Away Suppression Strategies

This section would authorize a new grant program to fund research on strategies to combat thermal runway in lithium-ion batteries during commercial transport.