Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act
Bill: S.1236 | Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy (D-WI)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to (1) revise the emergency relief manual of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), including by incorporating resilience into its emergency relief program; (2) develop best practices for improving the use of resilience in the program; (3) provide information on such best practices to the FHWA and states; and (4) develop and implement a process to track the consideration of resilience as part of emergency relief efforts and the costs of emergency relief products. (The emergency relief program provides funds for emergency and permanent repairs on federal-aid highways and roads that have suffered serious damage because of a natural disaster or catastrophic failure from an external cause.)
The total cost of a project funded under the emergency relief program may not exceed the cost of repair or reconstruction of a comparable facility unless DOT determines that the project incorporates economically justified betterments, including protective features to increase the resilience of the facility.

To require the Secretary of Transportation to develop best practices 
 for incorporating resilience into emergency relief projects, 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 ``Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Emergency relief project.--The term ``emergency relief 
        project'' means a project carried out under the emergency 
        relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States 
        Code.
            (2) Resilience.--
                    (A) In general.--The term ``resilience'' means, 
                with respect to a facility, the ability--
                            (i) to anticipate, prepare for, or adapt to 
                        conditions; or
                            (ii) to withstand, respond to, or recover 
                        rapidly from disruptions.
                    (B) Inclusions.--The term ``resilience'' includes, 
                with respect to a facility, the ability--
                            (i) to resist hazards or withstand impacts 
                        from disruptions;
                            (ii) to reduce the magnitude, duration, or 
                        impact of a disruption; or
                            (iii) to have the absorptive capacity, 
                        adaptive capacity, and recoverability to 
                        decrease vulnerability to a disruption.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.
    (b) Improving the Emergency Relief Program.--Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall--
            (1) revise the emergency relief manual of the Federal 
        Highway Administration--
                    (A) to include and reflect the definition of the 
                term ``resilience'';
                    (B) to identify procedures that States may use to 
                incorporate resilience into emergency relief projects; 
                and
                    (C) to encourage the use of Complete Streets design 
                principles and consideration of access for moderate- 
                and low-income families impacted by a declared 
                disaster;
            (2) develop best practices for improving the use of 
        resilience in--
                    (A) the emergency relief program under section 125 
                of title 23, United States Code; and
                    (B) emergency relief efforts;
            (3) provide to division offices of the Federal Highway 
        Administration and State departments of transportation 
        information on the best practices developed under paragraph 
        (2); and
            (4) develop and implement a process to track--
                    (A) the consideration of resilience as part of the 
                emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, 
                United States Code; and
                    (B) the costs of emergency relief projects.
    (c) Cost Limitation.--Section 125(d) of title 23, United States 
Code, is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Cost limitation.--The total cost of a project funded 
        under this section may not exceed the cost of repair or 
        reconstruction of a comparable facility unless the Secretary 
        determines that the project incorporates economically justified 
        betterments, including protective features to increase the 
        resilience of the facility.''.
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