H.R. 6298 — Safe and Affordable Transit Act

This section revises the crime prevention and security grant program, which provides capital grants to public transportation systems, by authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to make operating grants to entities eligible under the urbanized area formula program (section 5307), notwithstanding that program's population requirement (generally areas of 50,000 or more persons). Eligible activities include hiring or contracting for additional transit police officers; and physical safety upgrades (e.g., monitoring devices, operator shields). The section authorizes $50 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030 for these operating grants (new authority). This section also requires the Secretary to commission the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to conduct a study on transit agency crime prevention efforts—including successful and unsuccessful tactics and best practices—in consultation with frontline transit worker labor organizations, and to submit the results to Congress.