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House draft 'Build America 250' would emphasize formula funding; WFRC hopeful amendment will help fast-growing areas compete for transit grants
Summary
WFRC staff briefed members on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee's draft five-year surface transportation reauthorization (the 'Build America 250 Act'), noting modest program increases and a pending amendment to Capital Investment Grants (CIG) that could let fast‑growing areas more competitively pursue transit funding.
Miranda Jones Cox, WFRC government affairs manager, briefed the Regional Growth Committee on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s draft surface transportation reauthorization legislation, which the committee said prioritizes traditional highway and bridge programs and shifts emphasis toward formula funding over discretionary grants.
Miranda described the bill, which the committee referred to as the Build America 250 Act, as largely status quo for several programs important to WFRC but with modest increases. She said the House committee was marking up the bill and expected amendments that morning. On a key point for local transit, Miranda said an amendment under consideration would change the Capital Investment Grants (CIG) program to allow “fast growing areas to . . . be a little bit more competitive in the grant program,” by adjusting how the program values anticipated ridership growth rather than relying primarily on existing ridership.
Beth Holbrook, a WFRC member who also serves as APTA legislative chair, emphasized the significance of federal funding levels for transit and highlighted that major federal programs under consideration could supply large sums for competitive projects nationwide; she noted projects such as the Davis–Salt Lake Connector would compete for that funding.
Why it matters: changes to federal funding formulas and eligibility can affect whether fast‑growing regions such as parts of Utah are competitive for major transit grants. Committee members said they will continue to coordinate with congressional staff and regional partners to advocate for local priorities.
Next steps: WFRC staff will continue monitoring committee markup in Congress, coordinate with UDOT, UTA and the congressional delegation, and report back to the Regional Growth Committee as legislative language develops.
