By Charles Pekow — New legislation would earmark at least five percent of two federal transportation grant programs for “active transportation,” including planning and building bicycle infrastructure. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced the Active Transportation for Public Lands Act (H.R. 8514), which the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is now considering (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8514?hl=hr8514&s=1&r=1).
The provision would apply to the Federal Lands Transportation Program, which provides $456 million in FY26 for transportation programs within and leading to national parks, national forests, and national wildlife refuges (https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/transportation), as well as the Federal Lands Access Program (https://highways.dot.gov/federal-lands/flap), which funds recreational transportation projects.
Huffman, along with fellow Democrats Chris Pappas (NH) and Mike Quigley (IL), also introduced the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program Reauthorization and Improvement Act (H.R. 8565), which would authorize $250 million a year through FY31 to “build connected active-transportation routes including trails, sidewalks, and bikeways that support the health and economic growth of our communities,” according to a statement from Pappas’ office (https://pappas.house.gov/media/press-releases/pappas-huffman-quigley-introduce-legislation-to-improve-active-transportation-systems).
