A Closer Look at the BUILD America 250 Act

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I Committee) on May 18, 2026, released H.R. 8870, the BUILD America 250 Act (BA250 Act), a five-year surface transportation legislation proposal that authorizes $580 billion over fiscal year (FY) 2027 through FY 2031. A total of $474.4 billion is guaranteed funding from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), and the remaining $106 billion is authorized, subject to the availability of future appropriations, from the General Fund. Unlike the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this bill does not include advanced appropriations.

The T&I Committee on May 21-22, 2026, held a full committee markup on an Amendment in the Nature of a Substitute to the BA250 Act, advancing the bill by a bipartisan 62-2 vote. The committee agreed to Chairman Sam Graves' (R-Mo.) Manager's Amendment en bloc and 19 other amendments, including adding H.R. 7748, the Railway Safety Act of 2026, to the bill.

Among the Bill's Highlights

• guaranteed funding for transportation modes (FY 2027 to 2031)
  • $376 billion for the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  • $87.6 billion for transit programs under the Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
  • $5.7 billion for highway safety programs under the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
  • $5 billion for motor carrier safety programs under the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)

• additional large authorizations, contingent on future appropriations (FYs 2027 to 2031)
  • $64.7 billion for rail programs under the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
  • $10 billion for the Competitive Highway Bridge Program, which is administered by the FHWA
  • $6 billion for Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program, which is managed by FHWA and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
  • $10 billion for the Mega Grant Program (freight/multimodal)
  • $15 billion for Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program under FTA

Title I: Federal Highways

Federal-Aid Highway Program (Highway Formula Funding): $293.88 billion total

• funded through HTF
• National Highway Performance Program, $166 billion
• Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBG), $74.7 million
• Transportation Alternatives Program, $8.3 million
• Highway Safety Improvement Program, $17.49 million
• Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ), $15 million
• Metropolitan Planning, $2.8 million
• National Highway Freight and Highway Priority Corridor Program (renames existing Highway Freight Program), $8.25 million

Changes to Existing FHWA Formula Programs

• eliminates Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) formula and Carbon Reduction formula programs created in IIJA
• CMAQ
  • adds new project eligibilities – advanced transportation and congestion management technologies that reduce traffic congestion or improve air quality and digital infrastructure
  • adds a set-aside for infrastructure for electric vehicle charging, hydrogen fueling, propane fueling or natural gas for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles to the program, which replaces the National Electric Vehicle Charging formula program
• metropolitan planning – directs DOT to create a process for metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to directly receive metropolitan planning apportionment rather than going through state DOTs

Bridge Formula Program: $46 billion total

• funded through HTF
• replaces IIJA's bridge formula program with a new formula program for state DOTs
• requires states to set aside 20 percent annually for off-system bridges and 25 percent for state DOTs to run a competitive process to fund locally owned bridge projects
• ensures each state receives $75 million and at least the amount the state received under the previous IIJA bridge formula program, then distributes funding based on both the amount of bridge area in each state and the amount of poor condition bridge area

Competitive Highway Bridge Program: $10 billion total

• authorized to be funded through General Fund
• replaces IIJA's Bridge Investment discretionary grant program with a new grant program for bridges (unlike IIJA, the new program does not provide any advance appropriations)
• National Highway System bridges are eligible
• maximum of 50 percent federal share and grant awards are not less than $50 million
• directs the DOT Secretary to consider the following factors for awards:
  • average daily person and freight throughput expected to be supported by the project and safety benefits of the project
  • national or regional economic benefits of the project and geographic diversity
  • extent to which the project is for a bridge in poor condition or at risk of falling into poor condition

Safe Streets and Roads for All Program: $3.75 billion total

• funded through HTF
• continues the discretionary grant program that was created in IIJA for Vision Zero projects
• reduces set-aside for planning grants from 40 percent to 5 percent and sets aside 30 percent for rural communities
• increases federal share from 80 percent to 90 percent

Surface Transportation Accelerator Grant Program: $12 billion total

• funded through HTF
• creates new discretionary grant program that is very similar to the existing Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development and INFRA grant programs
• 50 percent for local and regional, 25 percent for rural and 25 percent for urban grants (population of not less than 50,000)
• Program goals are to:
  • increase connectivity
  • improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight
  • generate regional economic growth and improve quality of life in covered rural areas
• Eligible project costs include:
  • development phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, as well as other preconstruction activities
  • construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of real property (including land related to the project and improvements to the land), environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment and operational improvements
• Eligible entities include states, local governments, "special purpose district or public authority" with a transportation function or a lessee of a federally owned surface transportation hub (including a port authority) and transit agencies.

PROTECT Grant Program: $500 million annually

• funded through HTF
• continues the discretionary grant program created in IIJA to award projects that provide surface transportation resilience to natural hazards

Title II: Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Program

TIFIA: $1.25 billion total

• funded through HTF
• continues TIFIA credit subsidies at flat levels from the last year of IIJA
• continues the TIFIA for Airports Program that was created in the IIJA and allows up to 15 percent of total TIFIA funding to be reserved for airport projects

Title III: Public Transportation/Transit

Urbanized Area Formula Grants (Section 5307): $39.99 billion total

• funded through HTF
• existing FTA formula program for states and local recipients for transit capital and operating assistance and transportation-related planning in urbanized areas
• eliminates the Passenger Ferry grant program that previously was set-aside

Crime Prevention and Security

• Allows the following activities and projects as eligible expenses under Urbanized Area Formula Grants (Section 5307) program:
  • lighting in or adjacent to a public transportation system (including the bus stops, subway stations, parking lots and garages)
  • camera surveillance
  • emergency telephones to contact law enforcement or security
  • farebox infrastructure improvements
  • cybersecurity improvements
  • technology, including hardware or software investments designed to combat or report crime or improve security
  • operating costs related to fare enforcement and prevention of fare evasion, hiring transit officers to police and contracting with local police departments

Consolidated State Block Grant Program

• This creates a new State Block Grant program that would consolidate all the FTA formula grant apportionments (excluding large metropolitan areas above 3.5 million population) and allow states to apply to become the designated recipient of this block grant transit program.
• Urbanized areas would have the opportunity to opt out.
• Block grant funds could be spent on a wide range of activities including, among other uses, capital and planning projects, job access and reverse commute projects, paratransit/senior transportation, state of good repair, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance, intercity bus transportation and transit operating costs.

All Stations Accessibility: $2 billion total as a set-aside from Section 5307

• funded through HTF (IIJA previously provided advance appropriations)
• continues the All Stations Accessibility discretionary grant program created in IIJA
• eligible projects include "capital and planning projects to upgrade the accessibility of legacy rail fixed guideway public transportation systems for individuals with disabilities, including individuals who use wheelchairs, by increasing the number of existing … stations or facilities for passenger use that meet or exceed the new construction" of ADA standards
• new program will assist transit agencies that prefer to not administer FTA federal grants

CIG Program: $15 billion total

• authorized to be funded through General Fund (Unlike IIJA, does not include advance appropriations for this program)
• renames the Small Starts program to ''streamlined start" grants
• increases the total cost maximum for the program from $400 million to less than $1 billion; federal share is capped at 50 percent of $1 billion, and projects less than $1 billion are eligible for 80 percent federal funding (this would capture most bus rapid transit (BRT) projects; currently, the maximum federal share is $150 million for Small Starts)
• Core Capacity applicants no longer need demonstrate that corridors will be at or over capacity within 10 years (expands the definition of to include projects that substantially increase the capacity of a system and projects that reduce passenger travel time, including for passengers with disabilities)
• requires CIG applicants to have initiated the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and completed 30 percent of design and engineering prior to entering Project Development
• DOT may increase the project rating if applicant submits evidence that the enacted local policies promote housing development for area accessible to transit along the project route
• codifies the Expedited Project Delivery program created in the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, makes state of good repair eligible and raises the award amount to 40 percent of the total project cost

Bus and Bus Facilities: $10 billion total

• funded through HTF (unlike IIJA, does not provide advance appropriations)
• Bus and Bus Facilities Formula program, $6.85 billion
• Bus and Bus Facilities Discretionary grant program, $3.16 billion
• eliminates the Low-No Emission grant program but adds it as project eligibility
• adds Passenger Ferry competitive grant program as the bill eliminates the current set-aside under Section 5307 for ferry programs

Spare Ratio

• prohibits DOT from issuing policy, regulations or guidance that sets a spare ratio for buses while also maintaining DOT's authority to require a transit agency to provide a justification for purposes of acquiring new rolling stock

Title IV: Highway Safety

Title IV of the BA250 Act reauthorizes the NHTSA highway safety grant programs through FY 2031 and simplifies how federal safety funds are deployed.

The bill provides approximately $5.67 billion in HTF contract authority over five years to support highway safety grants, enforcement efforts and research activities, specifically for the following:

• Highway Safety Programs. Section 402 of Title 23 ($4 billion total)
• Highway Safety Programs R&D. Section 403 of Title 23 ($1.1 billion total)
• High Visibility Enforcement Program. Section 404 of Title 23 ($260.7 million total)
• Administrative Expenses. Chapter 4 of Title 23 ($211 million total)
• National Driver Register. Chapter 303 of Title 49 ($41 million total)
• Consolidation of Safety Grants. The bill merges the Section 405 state incentive grant programs into Section 402 state formula grants, creating a single, simpler State Highway Safety Grant framework. The consolidated Section 402 adds some of the previous Section 405 priority areas as required elements of the Section 402 program, notably occupant protection, impaired driving, distracted driving, speeding, motorcyclist safety and non-motorist safety. States above certain fatality-rate thresholds must spend certain percentage amounts on certain safety areas, while states below the thresholds retain flexibility.
• Expanded Eligibilities. The bill adds new eligible uses of grant funds, including work zone safety, micromobility safety, trailer safety education and programs improving interactions between law enforcement and individuals with disabilities.
• Safety Data and Transparency. The bill directs DOT to improve state safety data (e.g., drug-impaired driving, Model Minimum Uniform Crash Criteria alignment and underride crash reporting). It requires a public dashboard tracking state performance on achieving safety targets and expands legal protections for federally required safety data analyses.
• Impaired Driving Focus. The bill requires research on marijuana and polysubstance impairment, establishes a national drug-involved crash data collection system and authorizes grants to support toxicology testing and data collection, with privacy protections for such data.
• Work Zone and Roadway Worker Safety. In addition to adding work zone safety as an eligible activity under Section 402, the bill establishes an interagency working group (DOT and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration) to develop best practices, address data gaps and improve worker protections.
• Enforcement Programs. The bill expands the High-Visibility Enforcement Program to include speeding and creates a Traffic Safety Enforcement Center of Excellence to support state and local enforcement strategies.

Title V: Motor Carriers

Title V of the BA250 Act reauthorizes FMCSA programs through FY 2031 and makes targeted updates to safety, enforcement and workforce programs. The title largely maintains the core structure of FMCSA grant and compliance programs but introduces a series of incremental reforms aimed at improving data systems, strengthening oversight and modernizing regulatory frameworks. The most significant change in Title V is the inclusion for the first time of a federal framework for autonomous commercial motor vehicles (CMV):

• Program Reauthorization and Funding. Provides $5 billion over five years for FMCSA programs, including Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grants, High-Priority grants, commercial driver license (CDL) implementation, enforcement training and administrative operations
• Autonomous CMV Framework. Establishes a new federal framework for automated driving system (ADS)-equipped CMVs.
  • directs DOT to develop a national performance-based safety standard requiring CMV manufacturers to demonstrate system performance and safety through a formal "safety case," comply with federal reporting requirements and meet existing motor carrier regulations
  • establishes baseline requirements for operators of ADS-equipped CMVs, including responsibilities related to safe operation and oversight of remote or automated systems
  • clarifies that FMCSA's existing authority to preempt state laws related to CMVs applies to ADS-equipped CMVs
• Training and Workforce Development
  • extends the Safe Driver Apprenticeship Pilot Program and explicitly notes that participation may not be conditioned on any factors not included in the statute
  • in tandem with the CMV autonomous vehicles (AVs) framework, creates a new workforce development grant program related to supporting the CMV workforce in adapting to the impacts of new technologies, namely automated driving systems
  • mandates the removal of noncompliant CDL training providers from the Training Provider Registry within 90 days
  • updates the CMV operator training grant program to prioritize higher-quality providers and adds a 50 percent set-aside for programs requiring minimum behind-the-wheel hours
  • directs FMCSA to update certification and training standards for roadside inspectors and instructors
• CMV Operators
  • establishes restroom access requirements for commercial drivers at covered facilities and marine terminals
  • expands CDL program eligibility to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and provides a phased compliance framework
  • requires disclosures for lease-purchase agreements and directs DOT to prohibit predatory lease-purchasing arrangements through rulemaking
• Driver Screening and Record Access
  • requires a comprehensive review of the New Entrant Safety Assurance Program
  • ensures prospective employers have broader access to driver safety records and establishes an independent appeals process for driver violations, requiring contested records to be explicitly flagged in federal databases
• Brokers and Freight Forwarders. Requires DOT to issue a final rule establishing qualification standards for freight brokers and freight forwarders and extends common-ownership disclosure requirements
• Directs DOT to implement Government Accountability Office recommendations to improve the National Consumer Complaint Database, including making complaint data public
• Requires ongoing data and incident reporting and immediate notification of crashes that result in fatalities or serious bodily injury as part of the terms and conditions for regulatory exemptions
• Electronic Logging Devices. Requires additional certification oversight, including verification of certifications and publication of a public list of compliant and noncompliant devices
• Household Goods Consumer Protection. Provides FMCSA the ability to assess civil penalties and allows states to use grant funds for enforcement of federal household good statutes and regulations; establishes a Household Goods Consumer Protection Working Group

Title VI: Innovation

The bill reauthorizes certain DOT technology and research programs through 2031, including:

• Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grants
  • amends the SMART grant program by adding a new requirement for grant applicants to promote new emerging technologies that have not been widely deployed, extending the annual reporting requirement until 2031
  • unlike IIJA, does not provide any advance appropriations
• National Motor Vehicle Per-Mile User Fee Pilot
  • reauthorizes the national motor vehicle per-mile user fee pilot program through FY 2031
  • expands the objectives of the program to include data collection and reporting on the differences between a national per-mile road usage charge and the federal motor fuels tax for rural and urban drivers, as well as the interoperability of road usage charge collections between multiple states
  • also requires the DOT Secretary to carry out a public awareness campaign on a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee program
• Intelligent Transportation Systems Program Advisory Committee (appointing a new labor member)
• University Transportation Centers (with new emphasis on disseminating research results to local and state transportation officials)

Title IV also addresses key innovation policies, including:

• enhancing the security and privacy of government data collections
• new studies related to ADS and emerging technologies, including deployment strategies, cybersecurity, accessibility, workforce and safety
• prohibiting procurement of foreign-made Light Detection and Ranging technology from covered foreign nations, as defined in the FY 2025 National Defense Authorization Act

Title VII: Freight and Multimodal Transportation Programs

The freight and multimodal title reauthorizes and funds key multimodal grant programs for significant freight projects while heavily focusing on supply chain resilience and bottleneck reduction across the country's freight network. It also creates a specific grant program to assist with major upcoming international events, such as the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics:

• Freight Policy and the National Multimodal Freight Network (NMFN). Places heavier emphasis on mitigating transportation bottlenecks in the NMFN and in awarding competitive grants; requires DOT to update the NMFN every three years instead of every five years
• Freight Logistics Optimization Works (FLOW) Program. Codifies the FLOW Program as a voluntary public-private data sharing program to improve freight system efficiency
• Mega Program (National Infrastructure Project Assistance). Continues this program created in IIJA, at levels flat from the last year of IIJA (authorized at $2 billion per year for $10 billion total authorized); unlike IIJA, the program does not provide any advance appropriations; expands project eligibility for certain transportation hubs and public transportation projects and reduces the set-aside for projects that cost between $100 million and $500 million (from 50 percent to 25 percent)
• National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Program. Continues this discretionary grant program created in IIJA; unlike IIJA, the program does not provide advance appropriations; expands list of eligible recipients and projects
• Grants for International Games. Creates a grant program providing transportation funding to areas that are hosting, supporting or have jurisdiction over an area located near multiday international sports events (authorized at $50 million per year until 2031)
• Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Funding. Extends the Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement Pilot Program until 2031
• Cargo Theft. Creates an advisory committee to provide recommendations on deterring and addressing cargo theft and freight fraud

Title X: Passenger Rail (FRA) and Hazardous Materials

Passenger Rail Funding

The BA250 Act authorizes significant passenger rail funding across Amtrak, FRA safety and research activities, and competitive grant programs but does not provide General Fund advance appropriations such as those enacted in IIJA. As a result, actual rail funding levels will depend on the enactment of future annual appropriations:

• Amtrak Funding. Authorizes annual funding of around $2 billion, or $10.4 billion total through FY 2031, for the Northeast Corridor and annual funding of around $4 billion, or $20.7 billion total through FY 2031, for the National Network
• National Intercity Passenger Railroad Partnership Program. Combines three existing rail programs – the Federal-State Partnership, Restoration & Enhancement and Interstate Passenger Rail Compacts – into a single program authorized at $18.5 billion over five years
• Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI). Authorizes $9.1 billion over five years for this discretionary grant program
  • expands eligible applicants to include lessees of federal hubs and law enforcement
  • adds eligibility for projects that reduce rail traffic congestion and development or testing projects, including wayside defect detection technology, rail car and train movement monitoring technology, and advanced systems
  • allows DOT to waive cost‑benefit analysis and waive local funding match for some freight and freight safety projects
• Railroad Grade Crossing Elimination Grants. Continues this grant program that was created in IIJA; authorizes $3.65 billion over five years
• Emergency Relief. Establishes a new grant program to provide emergency relief grants on either a reimbursable or advance funding basis for rail infrastructure and operations following disasters or emergencies
• Rail Technology and Asset Pilot Program. Creates a new grant program for rail technology systems and assets that improve rail safety and efficiency, reduce cargo theft or monitor rail network fluidity, authorized as a $100 million set-aside from the CRISI program for each of the five fiscal years

Passenger Rail Policies

Notably, the final bill includes the provisions of the Railway Safety Act of 2026, which was adopted as an amendment during the bill's markup. It also codifies FRA's voluntary close-call reporting system and includes numerous policy provisions, including those related to the ongoing California High-Speed Rail project, Amtrak executive compensation, cargo security and self-propelled freight vehicles:

• Railway Safety Act. Incorporates the Railway Safety Act of 2026 (H.R. 928), a priority of Vice President JD Vance, implementing two-person crew requirement, increased use and regulation of hotbox detectors, requiring advance community notification of hazardous material movement and expanding grant programs to help provide first responders with proper personal protective equipment
• Confidential Close Call Reporting. Requires DOT to initiate a rulemaking to establish a confidential close call reporting system that requires participation from Class I railroad carriers
• Amtrak Executives. Applies Freedom of Information Act and open meeting requirements to Amtrak's board of directors and requires public posting and congressional reporting on Amtrak's executive bonuses
• California High-Speed Rail. Creates a specific working group to assess the status of the California High Speed Rail project, including members appointed by congressional leadership, and restricts DOT from awarding future grants or financial assistance until the working group submits a congressional report
• Installation of Image Recording Devices. Directs DOT to issue a rulemaking requiring each Class I railroad to install inward- and outward-facing image recording devices in all controlling locomotive cabs and cab car operating compartments
• Rail Freight Cargo Security Assessment. Requires FRA to assess security vulnerabilities affecting freight rail cargo, with a focus on protecting the national supply chain and reducing economic losses
• Self-Contained Propelled Freight Vehicles. Requires DOT to issue a proposed rulemaking setting forth safety regulations for self-contained propelled freight vehicles
• Amtrak Acquisition of Property. Authorizes Amtrak to acquire, own, lease, develop and enter into joint public-private partnerships for property located on or adjacent to intercity passenger rail stations
• Automated Track Inspection (ATI). Requires railroads to use ATI at regular intervals to supplement visual track inspections

Project Delivery

• Pre-Award Authority and Reimbursement. Codifies DOT's ability to grant pre-award authority across rail programs and allows for reimbursement for property acquisition for rail projects prior to completing NEPA review
• Categorical Exclusions (CEs). Expands use of CEs for projects in existing operational rights of way and requires a survey to identify additional transportation-related CEs
• Project Delivery Streamlining. Improves coordination among stakeholders, designates a lead agency for NEPA compliance, establishes a 90-day time frame to render NEPA decisions, streamlines historic preservation process and authorizes DOT to make funding available for technical assistance
• Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Program. Authorizes interest-only RRIF loans, allows grant recipients to use federal grants to fund the credit risk premium applied to RRIF loans and increases the level of available funding

Hazardous Materials

• authorizes $75 million to 77 million per year for the hazardous materials program and $8 million annually for emergency preparedness training grants through FY 2031
• increases civil penalties related to transporting hazardous materials
• updates registration fees setting tiered caps for small businesses ($250 to $500) and larger entities ($500 to $5,000)
• consolidates hazardous materials safety grants to streamline the process for emergency response trainings and support for emergency responders

Amendments Adopted in Markup

During the full committee markup on May 21, 2026, the House T&I Committee adopted a series of amendments by roll call and voice vote.

By Roll Call Vote:

• Rep. Troy E. Nehls (R-Texas), Amendment 094 (54-11). Includes Railway Safety Act of 2026 in Title X, encompassing the following: implements the two-person crew requirement, updates definition of high-hazard trains, prohibits time limitations on inspections and updates grant eligibility to help first responders purchase equipment for hazardous leaks and more
• Rep. Addison McDowell (R-N.C.), Amendment 045 (64-1). Includes the Nationally Significant Rail Station Modernization Act of 2026, which authorizes Amtrak to acquire, own, lease, develop and enter into joint public-private partnerships for property located on or adjacent to intercity passenger rail stations and prohibits state, local or nonfederal authorities from imposing property taxes, assessments or charges on Amtrak-owned property, improvements or related leasehold interests used for station-area development
• Rep. Vince Fong (R-Calif.), Amendment 041 (35-30). Guards against abusive litigation affecting rideshare companies regarding insurance coverage but does not eliminate accountability; Chairman Graves introduced a similar amendment in the 2005 surface transportation reauthorization bill, the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU)
• Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas), Amendment 093 (36-28). Amends Section 30106 of Title 49, U.S.C. (Graves Amendment) to extend federal liability protections to peer-to-peer car-sharing platforms and vehicle owners who list their cars on these platforms
• Rep. Rob Bresnahan Jr. (R-Pa.), Amendment 049 (36-28). Protects rental car companies and other commercial vehicle owners from being sued in court for failing to include nonmandatory or aftermarket safety equipment on their vehicles by adding a "Duty of Care" subsection to the Graves Amendment
• Rep. Shomari Figures (D-Ala.), Amendment 066 (51-13). Prioritizes projects that support the Trump Administration's Maritime Action Plan under the STBG
• Rep. Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Amendment 307 (40-24). Proposed by the American Trucking Association, the amendment would tighten safety and regulatory requirements for the ground transportation of large lithium battery shipments by treating them explicitly as hazardous materials; applies specifically to shipments categorized under UN 3536

By Voice Vote:

• Rep. Brad Knott (R-N.C.), Amendment 016. Requires the FMCSA to implement automated systems within one year to flag suspicious CMV registrations
• Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah), Amendment 047. Recognizes that current CIG metrics rely on current population density and ridership, instead providing project managers and sponsors flexibility to consider population growth trends
• Rep. Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Amendment 064. Ensures that communities investing in BRT are not shut out from federal assistance that helps plan housing and economic development around major transit corridors
• Rep. Nehls (R-Texas), Amendment 091. Changes the federal cost share under the Rail Technology and Asset Pilot Program established in the underlying text from 50 percent to 80 percent, reducing the required private match to the standard 20 percent match used across programs such as CRISI and STBG
• Rep. David Taylor (R-Ohio), Amendment 081. Leverages advanced automation and other new technologies to develop and implement an improved vetting system for DOT applicants to identify chameleon carriers and directs the Comptroller General to submit a report on the results of a chameleon carrier study within one year of the bill's enactment

Conclusion

The bipartisan House T&I Committee agreement on the BA250 Act text strengthens the case for House leadership to bring the bill to the floor, and efforts are now focused on moving whatever is ready to the House floor as early as June or July.

The House Committee on Energy and Commerce (E&C) convened for a full committee markup on May 21, 2026, to vote on the Motor Vehicle Modernization Act of 2026 (H.R. 7389), which was proposed by House E&C Committee Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.). The committee adopted the bill in a vote of 48-1 and is expected to include this bill in its title of the bill, which has not been formally released yet. The Senate committees with jurisdiction over this bill have not released their text yet.

Holland & Knight's Transportation and Infrastructure Policy Team is monitoring developments. If you have any questions, please contact the authors or another member of the team.

Information contained in this alert is for the general education and knowledge of our readers. It is not designed to be, and should not be used as, the sole source of information when analyzing and resolving a legal problem, and it should not be substituted for legal advice, which relies on a specific factual analysis. Moreover, the laws of each jurisdiction are different and are constantly changing. This information is not intended to create, and receipt of it does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship. If you have specific questions regarding a particular fact situation, we urge you to consult the authors of this publication, your Holland & Knight representative or other competent legal counsel.