H.R. 8870
BUILD America 250 Act
Sponsor: Sam Graves
Official summary
Written by the Congressional Research Service.
Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act or the BUILD America 250 Act
This bill authorizes federal surface transportation (highway, public transportation, and rail) programs and activities through FY2031. The bill also establishes or modifies Department of Transportation (DOT) programs and policies that are a part of the federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs.
For example, the bill authorizes appropriations through FY2031 out of the Highway Trust Fund for the federal-aid highway program, the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) program, highway safety programs, and bridge programs. The bill also authorizes funding through FY2031 for Amtrak. Current authorization for these programs expires on September 30, 2026.
Among other provisions, the bill
- establishes a Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant (STAG) discretionary program to fund surface transportation projects in rural, urban, local, and regional communities;
- requires the Federal Highway Administration to impose a new annual electric vehicle (EV) registration fee, starting at $130 for a covered EV and $35 for a covered plug-in hybrid vehicle;
- exempts automated driving system technology and equipment from vehicle width requirements;
- establishes a consolidated state block grant program that allows DOT to allocate a lump sum to participating states to fund public transportation services in rural and urbanized areas;
- allows state rail safety inspectors to conduct railroad bridge inspections; and
- establishes a system for state, local, and tribal governments to report safety concerns about the condition of railroad bridges.
Text of the bill
I Federal-Aid Highways
A Authorizations and Programs
B Improved Project Delivery and Environmental Streamlining
C Miscellaneous
II Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation
III Public Transportation
A Reforms
(a) Metropolitan transportation planning. Section 5303 of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (b)—
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (5) through (7) as paragraphs (6) through (8), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
(5) Primary urbanized area. The term primary urbanized area means an urbanized area that—
(A) has a population of at least 3,500,000 individuals, as determined by the Bureau of Census; or
(B) extends into more than 1 State and has a population of at least 200,000, as determined by the Bureau of Census.
(2) in subsection (f)(1) by striking metropolitan area and and inserting metropolitan area, including primary urbanized areas that extend into more than 1 State in accordance with section 5308, and;
(3) in subsection (j)—
(A) in paragraph (1) by adding at the end the following:
(E) Exception. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amendment of an approved TIP to add a project or an identified phase of a project shall not require public review and comment if the added project or the identified phase—
(i) was in the approved TIP that immediately preceded the current TIP; and
(ii) is unchanged from the project or the identified phase in the preceding TIP.
; and
(B) in paragraph (5)(A) by striking subsection (k)(4) and inserting subsection (k)(5);
(4) in subsection (k)(4)—
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking In general and inserting Housing Coordination Process;
(B) by striking subparagraph (B);
(C) in subparagraph (C)—
(i) in clause (i) by striking the enumerator and the heading; and
(ii) by striking clause (ii); and
(D) by redesignating subparagraph (C), as amended, as subparagraph (B); and
(5) by adding at the end the following:
(s) Additional uses of metropolitan planning funding. In addition to carrying out the purposes of this section, funds appropriated under section 104(b)(6) of title 23 and section 5305(f) to States and metropolitan planning organizations to carry out this section may be used for—
(1) fiscal administration of local projects;
(2) preliminary design;
(3) local technical assistance;
(4) studies directly linked to transportation; and
(5) critical data procurement.
(b) Statewide and nonmetropolitan transportation planning. Section 5304 of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (e)(3) by striking the period at the end and inserting , including primary urbanized areas that extend to more than 1 State in accordance with section 5308.; and
(2) in subsection (g)—
(A) by redesignating paragraph (9) as paragraph (10); and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following:
(9) Exception. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the amendment of an approved transportation improvement program to add a project or an identified phase of a project shall not require public review and comment if the added project or the identified phase—
(A) was in the approved transportation improvement program that immediately preceded the current transportation improvement program; and
(B) is unchanged from the project or the identified phase in the preceding transportation improvement program.
B Miscellaneous
C Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53
IV Highway Safety
V Motor Carriers
A General Provisions
B Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators
C Commercial Motor Vehicle Safety
D Household Goods Shipping Consumer Protection Reform
E Safe Integration of Autonomous Commercial Motor Vehicles
VI Innovation
VII Freight and Multimodal Transportation Programs
A Freight Policy
B Multimodal Policy and Programs
VIII Miscellaneous
IX Sport Fishing and Recreational Boating Safety
X Railroads and Hazardous Materials
A Authorization of Appropriations and Grant Reforms
B Amtrak Reforms
C Passenger Rail Policy
D Rail Safety and Innovation
E Project Delivery
F Hazardous Materials Transportation