Rep. Titus Champions Committee Passage of the Bipartisan Build America 250 Act

Rep. Titus Champions Committee Passage of the Bipartisan Build America 250 Act

WASHINGTON - Today Congresswoman Dina Titus (NV-01), a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, helped pass the Build America 250 Act. This legislation includes several highway and hazardous materials provisions championed by Congresswoman Titus.

"It feels like just yesterday that we enacted the most significant infrastructure investment in our nation's history through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act," said Congresswoman Dina Titus. "I am proud to help pass this bipartisan package to build on that progress that includes my provisions to help prevent thermal runaway accidents, make our busses more resilient in the face of extreme heat, protect our children in school zones, keep children out of emergency rooms from e-bike and e-scooter accidents, increase funding for critical infrastructure projects across Southern Nevada, and keep animals and drivers out of harm's way."

Highways and Hazardous Materials Provisions Championed by Congresswoman Titus include:

• Thermal Runaway Reduction Act (H.R.7928): helps communities prepare for and respond to lithium-ion battery fires by creating a $2 million/year grant program at the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to test effective strategies to extinguish thermal runaway. These provisions also modernize the federal regulations for the commercial transportation of lithium-ion batteries.
• BUFFER Act (H.R.5216): eliminates the Federal Transit Administration's arbitrary spare bus ratio cap, helping buses run on time even during extreme heat waves.
• Protect Our Students Act (H.R.3265): makes safety improvements in school zones eligible for federal highway safety funding.
• MOVE Act (H.R.6702): helps families make more informed decisions about e-bikes and e-scooters, keeping children out of the emergency room.
• Preventing Roadside and Work Zone Deaths Act (H.R.2992): helps prevent roadside vehicle crashes and work zone crashes.
• Modal Parity in Permitting Act (H.R.8315): aligns the permitting process for transit and rail projects with the permitting process for highway projects.
• Protecting Horses (H.R.1661): prevents the transport of equines for slaughter for human consumption.
• Wildlife Crossings Program: makes the Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program permanent.

Rail Provisions Championed by Congresswoman Titus include:

Congresswoman Titus, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, also secured comprehensive rail safety provisions to finally implement the National Transportation Safety Board's recommendations on the causes of the derailment in East Palestine in 2023.

This includes the Railway Safety Act, which was enacted through a bipartisan amendment introduced by Congresswoman Titus. Among other provisions, it would phase out the use of DOT-111 tank cars, the type of car that was punctured and caused a hazardous fire after the derailment, strengthen the standards for wayside detectors, and codify the two-person crew rule.

The package also includes Congresswoman Titus's Secure Tracks Act, legislation that requires visual track inspections be conducted by a human track inspector at least twice a week. These provisions also require railroads to use Automated Track Inspection (ATI) technology at regular intervals to supplement and support visual track inspections.

"Trains carrying hazardous materials run right through my District in the heart of Las Vegas," said Congresswoman Titus. "The railway safety provisions I secured in the BUILD America 250 Act will prevent future derailments like the one in East Palestine and keep communities safe across the United States. I am proud to have championed multiple bipartisan amendments that were adopted to put the safety of our communities first."

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