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
B Miscellaneous
(a) In general. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall assess Americans with Disabilities Act compliant paratransit software and technologies procured with Federal funds and make recommendations to improve service efficiency, access, and quality of life for paratransit riders while protecting sensitive rider and system data from cybersecurity threats.
(b) Consultation. In carrying out the assessment required under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall consult the following:
(1) Paratransit riders.
(2) Organizations representing riders with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs.
(3) Rural transit agencies.
(4) Urban transit agencies.
(5) The United States Access Board.
(6) Labor organizations representing frontline public transportation workers.
(7) Third-party providers of paratransit service.
(8) Paratransit technology manufacturers.
(9) For-hire transportation providers.
(10) Cybersecurity experts and standards bodies.
(11) Other stakeholders the Comptroller General determines appropriate.
(c) Considerations
(1) In general. In carrying out the assessment under subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall consider the following:
(A) The extent to which paratransit software and digital interfaces provide effective access for riders with disabilities, including differing visual, auditory, cognitive, and physical needs.
(B) The cybersecurity of paratransit software and technologies, including—
(i) methods to ensure that paratransit software and data is protected from cyber-attacks, and whether there are appropriate outcomes-based objectives for protecting the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of systems and data; and
(ii) whether existing cybersecurity frameworks and audit regimes (including SOC 2 and ISO 27001, or successor standards) are used as potential references or models for minimum cybersecurity expectations.
(C) The technical capabilities of paratransit software and technologies, including—
(i) the role of application programming interfaces or related mechanisms in enabling integration of multiple service providers and supporting efficient movement of trips between providers;
(ii) how real-time route optimization and dynamic trip scheduling capabilities impact paratransit service; and
(iii) the ability of paratransit software to support digital booking interfaces that aggregate multiple providers.
(d) Report. Not later than 1 year after the date on which the assessment under subsection (a) is initiated, the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report detailing the findings and recommendations required under subsection (a).
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