Sponsors (2)
The bill clarifies and systematizes how extreme heat is considered in transportation emergency relief, data collection, and guidance—improving resilience and planning for many communities while shifting costs, creating implementation questions, and requiring time and funding that could strain federal, state, and local budgets.
State and local transportation agencies, freight operators, and commuters gain clearer statutory recognition and Emergency Relief eligibility for extreme-heat events, which can reduce unplanned closures and protect economic continuity.
State DOTs, transit agencies, and rail operators receive improved methods to measure and track heat-related damage and updated best-practice guidance, enabling targeted repairs that reduce service disruptions and safety risks.
Congress, DOT, and technical stakeholders get expert, evidence-based reports and coordinated analysis (including EPA input) to better prioritize resilience investments and align infrastructure assessments with environmental and public-health data.
Taxpayers and federal budgets could face higher costs if Emergency Relief eligibility is expanded and if studies or recommendations prompt additional federal spending.
Excluding bridges 'substantially caused' by heat from certain federal relief and issuing resilience recommendations without new funding could shift repair and compliance costs onto states and localities, straining local budgets and potentially delaying repairs.
If heat-damaged bridges are ineligible for federal relief, safety risks may increase due to delayed repairs and maintenance, endangering drivers and raising future costs.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Clarifies Emergency Relief law to include extreme heat, limits some bridge relief tied to heat-caused deterioration, and requires a TRB study plus a 1-year best-practices report.
Introduced December 12, 2025 by Greg Stanton · Last progress December 12, 2025
Adds extreme heat and heat waves into the federal highway Emergency Relief law and changes how heat-related bridge damage is treated, while ordering a national study and a best-practices report on heat impacts to transportation. The Secretary of Transportation must contract the Transportation Research Board to study measurable costs and tracking methods for heat-caused damage and must publish guidance on highway and bridge safety related to extreme heat within one year.