Bill > S3413

This bill, titled the "Restoring Essential Public Access and Improving Resilient Infrastructure Act" or the "REPAIR Infrastructure Act," reauthorizes and enhances the Reconnecting Communities Program, now officially named the REPAIR Infrastructure Program. It authorizes $3 billion annually from fiscal years 2027 through 2031, with $750 million dedicated to planning grants and $2.25 billion for capital construction grants. The bill expands the program's eligibility and selection criteria to prioritize projects that promote affordable transportation options, safe integration with communities, and economically thriving areas, with a strong emphasis on community participation, redressing historic barriers, and preventing displacement in low-income communities. Furthermore, it explicitly prohibits the use of grant funds for projects that increase the number of travel lanes on existing highways, aiming to shift focus towards community connectivity and resilience rather than highway expansion. The bill also makes projects eligible for assistance under the REPAIR Infrastructure Program a qualifying use of funds for several other federal highway programs, including the National Highway Performance Program, Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Highway Safety Improvement Program, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, Territorial Highway Program, National Highway Freight Program, Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program, and Carbon Reduction Program, thereby increasing the potential funding sources for these community-focused infrastructure improvements.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3413/all-info