Connecting Communities Through Transit Planning Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7298 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7298

To amend the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012 to alter project 
    eligibility for the transit-oriented development planning grant 
                    program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 30, 2026

 Ms. Simon (for herself and Ms. Jacobs) introduced the following bill; 
       which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
                             Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Federal Public Transportation Act of 2012 to alter project 
    eligibility for the transit-oriented development planning grant 
                    program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Connecting Communities Through 
Transit Planning Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT PLANNING.

    (a) In General.--Section 20005(b) of the Federal Public 
Transportation Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 5303 note) is amended--
            (1) in the subsection heading by striking ``Pilot Program'' 
        and inserting ``Grant Program'';
            (2) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``means a new 
                fixed guideway capital project or a core capacity 
                improvement project, as those terms are defined in 
                section 5309 of title 49, United States Code, as 
                amended by this division.'' and inserting ``means--
                            ``(i) a new fixed guideway capital project 
                        or a fixed guideway bus rapid transit project, 
                        as those terms are defined in section 5309; or
                            ``(ii) a corridor-based capital investment 
                        in an existing fixed guideway system.''; and
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(B) Predevelopment activities.--The term 
                `predevelopment activities' includes planning, site 
                evaluation, engineering and architectural design, 
                community engagement, feasibility studies, utility 
                coordination, accessibility assessments, and other 
                activities necessary to prepare a site for transit-
                oriented development.'';
            (3) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) by 
                inserting ``and predevelopment activities'' after 
                ``planning'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (E)--
                            (i) by striking ``infrastructure'' and 
                        inserting ``and address infrastructure and 
                        utility''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) in subparagraph (F) by striking the period at 
                the end; and
                    (D) by inserting at the end the following:
                    ``(G) support predevelopment activities; and
                    ``(H) improve access to transit and transit-
                oriented development sites for all users, including 
                individuals with disabilities, seniors, veterans, and 
                other transit-dependent populations, to ensure people 
                of all ages and abilities can safely and efficiently 
                reach and navigate transit stations and transit-
                oriented developments, including through paratransit 
                connectivity and bicycle infrastructure.'';
            (4) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (D) by inserting ``and 
                predevelopment activities'' after ``plan''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (E)(iii) by inserting ``and 
                predevelopment activities'' after ``plan''; and
            (5) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to any 
        amounts appropriated under section 5338, there is authorized to 
        be appropriated to carry out this subsection $75,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.''.
    (b) Transfer.--Section 20005(b) of the Federal Public 
Transportation Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 5303 note) is transferred to 
appear as subsection (s) of section 5303 of title 49, United States 
Code.
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