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
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
(a) Review. The Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, shall review the position descriptions and pay grades of railroad safety inspection personnel and railroad safety specialist employed by the Office of Railroad Safety.
(b) Contents of review. In conducting the review under subsection (a), the Administrator shall—
(1) consider whether the descriptions of the positions described in subsection (a) accurately reflect the scope of work and duties of the personnel and specialists in such positions, including the role and use of new technologies on such work and duties;
(2) compare the pay grades of personnel and specialists in such positions to the pay grades of personnel employed by other Department of Transportation agencies and the National Transportation Safety Board who have comparable scopes of work, responsibilities, and duties;
(3) assess whether the Administration experiences difficulty in recruiting or retaining personnel and specialists in such positions and identify the reasons for such difficulty;
(4) assess differences in pay, benefits, and other relevant factors between personnel and specialists in such positions and personnel in similar positions in the private railroad sector; and
(5) assess whether existing classification authorities, pay flexibilities, and retention incentives should be revised to achieve and maintain adequate staffing levels of qualified personnel.
(c) Report. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that—
(1) summarizes the findings of the review required under this section;
(2) describes how the Administration plans to update the position descriptions of railroad safety inspection personnel and railroad safety specialists to accurately reflect the scope of the work and duties; and
(3) describes any administrative or legislative actions the Administrator determines may be necessary to address identified recruitment or retention challenges with respect to the employment of such personnel and specialists.
E Project Delivery
F Hazardous Materials Transportation