“A bill to reauthorize and improve the reconnecting communities program, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section reauthorizes the Restoring essential public access and improving resilient infrastructure (REPAIR infrastructure) program—formerly the Reconnecting communities pilot program under section 11509 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 101 note)—through FY2031 (from FY2026); authorizes $3 billion annually for FY2027 through 2031 from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), including $750 million for planning grants under subsection (c) and $2.25 billion for capital construction grants under subsection (d); and treats such amounts as apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, U.S. Code (or allocated under chapter 2 for Tribal governments), remaining available until expended. (As background, the program provides competitive grants to state, local, and Tribal governments for planning and capital projects to restore community access severed by highways, improve infrastructure resilience, and reconnect underserved areas to essential services.) The section also makes conforming amendments to rename the program in the statutory heading and table of contents and revises selection criteria for planning grants under subsection (c)(4)(B) and capital grants under subsection (d)(4) by (1) inserting requirements for applicants to demonstrate project benefits and (2) adding factors, if information is available, on promoting affordable transportation options and connectivity to economic centers; robust community participation and partnerships; redressing historic barriers for underserved communities; creative placemaking and community restoration; and mechanisms to preserve affordability and prevent displacement (e.g., assistance for renters and small businesses, affordable housing preservation, and community wealth-building).
This section makes projects eligible for assistance under the REPAIR infrastructure program—established by section 11509 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 101 note; P.L. 117-58), which funds infrastructure improvements to reconnect communities divided by highways and other transportation facilities—eligible activities under the following federal-aid highway programs: (1) national highway performance program; (2) surface transportation block grant program; (3) congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program; (4) territorial highway program; (5) national highway freight program; and (6) rural surface transportation grant program. In the highway safety improvement program, this section (1) defines "divisive roadway infrastructure" to mean a highway or transportation facility (e.g., limited access highway, viaduct, or principal arterial) that creates a barrier to community connectivity due to high speeds, grade separations, or other design factors; (2) adds REPAIR-eligible projects to the list of eligible safety projects; and (3) requires states to evaluate the impacts of divisive roadway infrastructure in strategic highway safety plans. In the carbon reduction program, this section revises state flexibility provisions to direct, upon Secretary certification that a state has reduced transportation emissions on a per capita and per unit of economic output basis, the first use of apportioned funds for REPAIR-eligible projects (prioritizing planning grant recipients), with any remainder usable for surface transportation block grant-eligible projects.