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

Expand all

I Federal-Aid Highways

A Authorizations and Programs

B Improved Project Delivery and Environmental Streamlining

C Miscellaneous

Sec. 1310. Bridge clearance best practices

(a) Establishment. The Secretary shall establish a bridge clearance strike working group to make recommendations on ways to improve public-private data sharing regarding bridge clearance height and the routing of commercial motor vehicles and rental vehicles.

(b) Membership. The working group established under subsection (a) shall include representatives from—

(1) the Federal Highway Administration;

(2) the Federal Railroad Administration;

(3) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;

(4) State departments of transportation;

(5) trucking organizations;

(6) producers of GPS navigation systems;

(7) law enforcement agencies;

(8) companies that rent or lease rental vehicles directly to consumers; and

(9) Class I, II, and III railroad carriers.

(c) Report. Not later than 1 year after the date of the establishment of the interagency working group under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that includes—

(1) recommendations to—

(A) improve the availability of information and route signs specific to commercial motor vehicles or rental vehicles on GPS navigation systems;

(B) improve driver knowledge and awareness about bridge clearance strikes;

(C) encourage companies that rent out rental vehicles to clearly label such vehicles with height and weight restriction information; and

(D) include ways for companies that rent or lease vehicles to provide notice to individuals who rent or lease such a vehicle, whether orally or written, of vehicle height and warn such individuals to look out for road signs about vehicle height; and

(2) any other recommendations by the working group to address bridge clearance strikes.

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

E Project Delivery

F Hazardous Materials Transportation