Sponsors (2)
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Last progress June 11, 2025 (8 months ago)
Introduced on June 11, 2025 by Hillary Scholten
Amends the rural surface transportation grant program to reserve 30% of annual program funds for projects in "regional hubs"—communities with populations between 10,000 and 75,000. It also compresses three procedural notice/response time periods in the program from 60 days down to 3 days, accelerating administrative timelines.
Redesignate paragraph (4) as paragraph (5) in subsection (k) of Section 173 of title 23, United States Code.
Insert a new paragraph (4) titled “Regional hubs” in subsection (k) requiring: “The Secretary shall reserve 30 percent of the amounts made available for the program for each fiscal year to provide grants for eligible projects located in communities with populations of between 10,000 and 75,000, whether or not 1 or more of such communities are considered part of an urbanized area as designated by the United States Census Bureau.”
In subsection (k), in the paragraph now numbered (5), strike “or (3)” and insert “(3), or (4)”.
In subsection (l), paragraph (1): strike “60 days” and insert “3 days,” thereby changing the stated 60-day time period to 3 days.
In subsection (l), paragraph (2): strike “60-day period” and insert “3-day period,” thereby changing the stated 60-day period to a 3-day period.
Who is affected and how:
Mid-sized rural communities (population 10,000–75,000): Direct beneficiaries. They will have access to a reserved 30% share of program funds each year, increasing their chances of receiving support for surface transportation projects.
Other eligible communities and applicants (smaller towns, larger towns/cities, tribal governments, nonprofits, state DOTs): Indirectly affected because the reserved 30% reduces the portion of the fund available competitively to projects outside the 10k–75k band. Competition for the remaining 70% may intensify.
State and local governments and grant administrators: Must adapt to the new allocation rule and implement revised project selection and distribution processes. They also face operational impacts from the shortened notice/response windows, needing faster internal review and coordination.
The administering Department (Secretary): Responsible for implementing the reservation each year and updating program guidance and regulations; also must manage faster administrative timelines and potential appeals or procedural questions.
Practical consequences:
Net effect: The bill redirects a predictable portion of program funds toward mid-sized rural communities and accelerates administrative decision timelines; it benefits those regional hubs but creates operational challenges and increases competition for the remaining funds.