Commission briefed on House 'BUILD America 250 Act' and potential state impacts

Secretary Joel Jundt told the South Dakota Transportation Commission that the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a five-year surface transportation bill (HR 8870), titled the Building Unrivaled Infrastructure and Long-term Development for America's 250th Act ("BUILD America 250 Act"). The package would preserve the current federal-aid highway program under 23 U.S.C. 104, proposes roughly a 3.5% increase in funding, and would provide about $474 billion in Highway Trust Fund contract authority.

Jundt highlighted components that could affect South Dakota planning and funding: a proposed new federal Highway Trust Fund Bridge formula program at $9.2 billion per year with a $200 million culvert set-aside, a proposal that roughly 90% of Highway Trust Fund resources be distributed by formula, and elimination of the Carbon Reduction formula program. He also noted the bill would establish a federal annual registration fee collected by states for electric vehicles ($130) and plug-in hybrid vehicles ($35) that would be deposited into the Highway Trust Fund. "This action by the House is a significant step in the process, and the hope is that the bill will be considered on the House Floor in the next few months," Jundt said.

The Commission received the briefing as informational; no formal state-level policy changes were adopted at the meeting. Jundt also reported that the Senate (EPW Committee) had not released a timeline for its version of the bill, and that House appropriations work (THUD) continues separately and could alter obligation limits for FFY2027.