United States 119th Congress Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 8 R · 1 D cosponsors

HR 502 — Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act

Last action — Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

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A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 9 sponsors

    1 primary, 8 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (8 R · 1 D) — cross-party backing.

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Summary

Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act This bill modifies the definition of rural area that is used for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program and adds provisions for small communities.As background, the grant program supports projects that improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas. Eligible applicants for the grant program include states, regional transportation planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments.For purposes of the program, the bill defines rural area as an area outside an urbanized area that has a population of 30,000 or less. Current law requires a rural area to be outside of an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000.The bill includes provisions for small communities (i.e., an area outside an urbanized area and that has a population of 5,000 or less). The bill sets the maximum federal cost-share at 90% for project grants carried out in a small community. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must use at least 5% of the program's annual funds to provide grants for projects in small communities. The bill also removes the prohibition against DOT using more than 10% of program funds for grants that are under $25 million.Further, program grants may be used for highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that would benefit the economic development or quality of life for citizens of the local community.The bill also specifies that the program's goals include the generation of economic growth and development in rural areas.

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

11 changes Share ↗

Compared against current U.S. Code AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill modifies the rural surface transportation grant program to make it more accessible to smaller communities and adjusts funding parameters for projects in these areas.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    over 200,000 → 30,000 or less

    Redefines 'rural area' to include areas with populations of 30,000 or less.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    (3) Small community.--The term 'small community' means an area that is outside an urbanized area and that has a population of 5,000 or less.

    Adds a definition for 'small community' to the statute.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    and

    Adds clarity to the goals of the program by including an additional goal.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    . → ; and

    Prepares the sentence structure for the addition of a new goal related to economic growth and development.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    . → ; or

    Allows for the inclusion of another type of eligible project in the program.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    (H) a highway, road, bridge, or tunnel project that would benefit the economic development or quality of life for citizens of the community in which the project takes place.

    Expands the types of eligible projects to explicitly include those benefiting local economic development and quality of life.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    subsection (i)

    Removes the existing grant amount provision.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    paragraph (2) → paragraphs (2) or (3)

    Increases the conditions under which the Federal share can be limited.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    the Federal share → the Federal share of the cost of a project carried out in a small community with a grant under the program may not exceed 90 percent.

    Increases the Federal share for projects in small communities to a maximum of 90 percent.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    paragraph (1) → not less than 5 percent of the amounts made available for the program for each fiscal year to provide grants for eligible projects in a small community.

    Establishes a minimum funding percentage specifically for projects in small communities.

  • 23 U.S.C. § 173

    subsection (l)(1) → subsection (k)(1)

    Corrects a reference to align with the redesignated subsections.

Action History

  1. Introduced in House

  2. Introduced in House

  3. Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

  4. Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 8 co-sponsors · 538 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (8)

Not signed on (538)

538 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 538 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

labor transportation
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HR 502 do?
Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act This bill modifies the definition of rural area that is used for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program and adds provisions for small communities.As background, the grant program supports projects that improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas. Eligible applicants for the grant program include states, regional transportation planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments.For purposes of the program, the bill defines rural area as an area outside an urbanized area that has a population of 30,000 or less. Current law requires a rural area to be outside of an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000.The bill includes provisions for small communities (i.e., an area outside an urbanized area and that has a population of 5,000 or less). The bill sets the maximum federal cost-share at 90% for project grants carried out in a small community. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must use at least 5% of the program's annual funds to provide grants for projects in small communities. The bill also removes the prohibition against DOT using more than 10% of program funds for grants that are under $25 million.Further, program grants may be used for highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that would benefit the economic development or quality of life for citizens of the local community.The bill also specifies that the program's goals include the generation of economic growth and development in rural areas.
Who sponsors HR 502?
HR 502 is sponsored by Finstad, Brad (Republican), Golden, Jared F. (Democratic), Stauber, Pete (Republican), Mann, Tracey (Republican), Fischbach, Michelle (Republican), Van Orden, Derrick (Republican), Moolenaar, John R. (Republican), Flood, Mike (Republican), and Tiffany, Thomas P. (Republican).
What is the current status of HR 502?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced January 16, 2025. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HR 502?
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