Sponsors (6)
The bill provides steady federal funding and high federal cost‑shares to accelerate wildlife crossing projects—helping rural, disadvantaged, and tribal communities and the environment—but it diverts $100M/year from the Highway Trust Fund, may reduce local financial buy‑in, and locks in a larger federal commitment.
State, tribal, and local project sponsors receive predictable, dedicated funding of $100 million per year (FY2027–FY2031) to plan and build wildlife crossings, enabling sustained project pipelines.
Small, rural, and disadvantaged communities can get grants covering up to 90% of wildlife crossing costs, substantially lowering local expense burdens and making projects feasible for cash‑strapped areas.
Entities that cannot afford their share can receive a waiver increasing the Federal contribution up to 100%, allowing projects that otherwise would not proceed due to lack of local funding.
Taxpayers and other transportation programs lose $100 million per year from the Highway Trust Fund to finance this program, potentially reducing funding available for highways, transit, or other HTF priorities.
Removing the program's 'pilot' designation expands and normalizes federal commitment to the program long-term, potentially locking in ongoing spending without separate future authorization debates.
Higher Federal shares (up to 90–100%) may reduce local cost‑share contributions that typically leverage local investment and stakeholder buy‑in, possibly lowering local engagement and maintenance commitments.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes $100M/year (FY2027–2031) from the Highway Trust Fund for wildlife crossings, makes the program permanent, raises Federal cost share for disadvantaged/rural areas, and adds small tribal/admin set‑asides.
Official title: Reauthorize and improve the wildlife crossings program, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 17, 2025 by Angela Deneece Alsobrooks · Last progress December 17, 2025
Authorizes $100 million per year from the Highway Trust Fund for a national wildlife crossings program for FY2027–FY2031, makes the program permanent (removes the term “pilot”), and adds program rules to increase federal cost-share for small, rural, and disadvantaged communities. It creates small set‑asides (each up to 0.5% of annual funds) for tribal application and technical assistance and for grant administration and review, and allows the Secretary to waive cost shares up to 100% for applicants with demonstrated hardship.