House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Releases Reauthorization

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and the Committee’s Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) released the text of a bipartisan, five-year surface transportation reauthorization bill that invests in America’s roads, bridges, transit, rail transportation, and highway and motor carrier safety programs.
 

The legislation is being described as authorizing a total of $580 billion in spending over five years. However, only $474.4 billion of that funding is actually provided by the bill (in the form of contract authority drawn on the Highway Trust Fund). This is a 23.7 increase over the IIJA’s $383.4 billion in five-year contract authority. But the new legislation does not contain any new advance appropriations from the General Fund.

The Build America 250 Act continues total highway investment at current levels with slight growth adjustments in future years. 

Mass transit programs would receive a $2 billion investment cut to $16.9 billion in FY 2027 with modest growth thereafter. This cut is due, in large part, to the elimination of $1.6 billion in annual guaranteed Capital Investment Grants (CIG) included in current law. 

The BUILD America 250 Act would establish a $130 annual fee on electric vehicles (EVs) and $35 annual fee for hybrid vehicles to ensure all users of the highway system support its maintenance and upkeep. These provisions would represent new revenue to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for the first time in decades.

The fees would gradually increase every two years but are capped at $150 for EVs and $50 for hybrids.

Link to the text of the BUILD America 250 Act

Link to a section-by-section summary of the BUILD America 250 Act