H.R. 8870

BUILD America 250 Act

Sponsor: Sam Graves

5 cosponsors
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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

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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

C Reorganization and Consolidation of Chapter 53

IV Highway Safety

V Motor Carriers

A General Provisions

B Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators

Sec. 5103. Application of commercial motor vehicle safety

(a) Definitions. Section 31301(14) of title 49, United States Code, is amended—

(1) by striking and and inserting a comma; and

(2) by inserting , the United States Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico before the period.

(b) Penalty. Section 165(c) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

Text this section adds to the law

(8) Penalty. The amounts treated as being apportioned to the United States Virgin Islands under this subsection shall be deemed to be required to be apportioned to the United States Virgin Islands under section 104(b) for purposes of the imposition of any penalty under this title or title 49.

(c) Implementation. The Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shall assist the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico in obtaining full compliance with chapter 313 of title 49, United States Code, and regulations adopted under such chapter.

(d) Grace period. Notwithstanding section 31311(a) of title 49, United States Code, during the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending on the date that is 5 years after such date of enactment, the United States Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico shall not be subject to a withholding of an apportionment of funds under section 31314 of title 49, United States Code, for failure to comply with any requirement under section 31311(a) of such title.

(e) Exception. Puerto Rico may issue a commercial driver’s license to an applicant unable to comply with the requirements under paragraph (5) of subsection (c) of section 383.133 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor regulation), provided any commercial driver’s license issued by Puerto Rico under this exception shall be—

(1) valid only in Puerto Rico; and

(2) not transferable to any other State.

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