[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4719 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4719
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a grant program
to support efforts to provide fare-free transit service, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 23, 2025
Ms. Pressley (for herself, Ms. Adams, Mrs. Beatty, Mr. Bishop, Ms.
Brown, Mr. Carson, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Clyburn, Ms. Crockett, Mr. Davis of
Illinois, Mr. Fields, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Johnson of Georgia,
Ms. Lee of Pennsylvania, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, Ms.
Norton, Ms. Omar, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms. Simon, Ms. Tlaib, and Ms. Williams
of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a grant program
to support efforts to provide fare-free transit service, 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 ``Freedom to Move Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to invest in State, county, and local municipalities
efforts to provide fare-free public transportation; and
(2) to support State, county, and local municipalities in
improving and expanding access to safe, accessible, and
reliable mass transit systems in order to improve the
livability of communities.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO SUPPORT FARE-FREE TRANSIT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 360 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award grants (which shall be
known as ``Freedom to Move Grants'') to eligible entities, on a
competitive basis, to cover the lost fare revenue for fare-free public
transportation and improve public transportation.
(b) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require, including, at a minimum, the
following:
(1) A description of how the eligible entity plans to
implement fare free transit access.
(2) A description of how the entity will work to expand and
improve bus service, which may include--
(A) a bus network redesign;
(B) how such redesign will prioritize consistent
and reliable service for low-income and historically
underserved communities;
(C) how such redesign will prioritize connectivity
to critical services and improve community livability;
and
(D) how the eligible entity will meaningfully
consult with community, community leaders, local
stakeholders and advocates, including transit advocates
and disability advocates, local education agencies and
institutions of higher education, community developers,
labor unions, public housing agencies and workforce
development boards, while facilitating such redesign.
(3) A description of how the eligible entity will
meaningfully partner and collaborate with community, community
leaders, local stakeholders and advocates, including transit
advocates and disability advocates, local education agencies
and institutions of higher education, community developers,
labor unions, public housing agencies and workforce development
boards to support outreach efforts to increase awareness of
fare-free bus and transit programs.
(4) A description of the eligible entity's equity
evaluation examining any transit and mobility gaps within the
current transit system and how the eligible entity plans to
significantly improve these gaps, including--
(A) the average commute times for driver commuters
and non-driver commuters;
(B) public transit ridership rates disaggregated by
mode of transportation and demographic group (youth
(including youth involved in the foster care system),
seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income
status); and
(C) average length of bus routes and average delay
times.
(5) A description of the eligible entity's current fare
evasion enforcement policies, including--
(A) the cost of the fine and whether the infraction
is considered a civil offense or a criminal offense
punishable by imprisonment;
(B) the number of individuals charged with
violating a fare evasion policy, disaggregated by age,
race, gender, and disability status; and
(C) how the eligible entity plans to eliminate fare
evasion policies and end the criminalization of
individuals evading fares.
(6) An estimate of additional costs as a result of
increased ridership, including--
(A) fuel;
(B) personnel;
(C) maintenance; and
(D) other operational costs.
(7) Information and statistics on assaults on transit
employees and a description of trainings and policies to
protect employees, which may include de-escalation training.
(c) Duration.--Grants awarded under this section shall be for a 5-
year period.
(d) Selection of Eligible Entities.--In carrying out the program
under this section, the Secretary shall award grants to eligible
entities located in both rural and urbanized areas.
(e) Uses of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
this section shall use such grant to support--
(1) implementing a fare-free transit program; and
(2) efforts to improve public transportation, particularly
in underserved communities, including costs associated with
efforts to provide more safe, frequent, and reliable bus
service, including--
(A) bus stop safety and accessibility improvements;
(B) pedestrian and bike shelters;
(C) signage;
(D) painted bus lanes;
(E) signal priority systems;
(F) street redesign;
(G) operational costs to meet demands of increased
ridership, including hiring and training of personnel;
and
(H) conducting a bus network redesign.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Eligible entities.--In this section, the term
``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a State, county, local municipality;
(B) a transit agency;
(C) a private nonprofit organization engaged in
public transportation in rural areas; or
(D) a partnership between entities described in
subparagraphs (A) through (C).
(2) Underserved community.--The term ``underserved
community'' means--
(A) a community not served by existing bus routes
or infrequent service; and
(B) a community located in an area within a census
tract that is identified as--
(i) a low-income community; and
(ii) a community of color.
(3) Low-income individuals.--The term ``low-income
individuals'' means an individual whose family income is at or
below 150 percent of the poverty line (as that term is defined
in section 673(2) of the Community Service Block Grant Act (42
U.S.C. 9902(2)), including any revision required by that
section) for a family of the size involved.
(4) Foster care youth.--The term ``foster care youth''--
(A) means children and youth whose care and
placement are the responsibility of the State or Tribal
agency that administers a State or Tribal plan under
part B or E of title IV of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et seq.), without regard to
whether foster care maintenance payments are made under
section 472 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 672) on behalf of
such children and youth; and
(B) includes individuals who were age 13 or older
when their care and placement were the responsibility
of a State or Tribal agency that administered a State
or Tribal plan under part B or E of title IV of the
Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq. and 670 et
seq.) and who are no longer under the care and
responsibility of such a State or Tribal agency,
without regard to any such individual's subsequent
adoption, guardianship arrangement, or other form of
permanency outcome.
(5) Public transportation.--The term ``public
transportation''--
(A) means regular, continuing shared-ride surface
transportation services that are open to the general
public or open to a segment of the general public
defined by age, disability, or low income; and
(B) does not include--
(i) intercity passenger rail transportation
provided by the entity described in chapter 243
of title 49, United States Code (or a successor
to such entity);
(ii) intercity bus service;
(iii) charter bus service;
(iv) school bus service;
(v) sightseeing service;
(vi) courtesy shuttle service for patrons
of one or more specific establishments; or
(vii) intra-terminal or intra-facility
shuttle services.
(g) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date on
which funds are made available to carry out this section, the
Secretary shall collect data from eligible entities receiving a
grant under this section on the progress of meeting the targets
described in the application of such entity.
(2) Requirements.--The report required under paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) collect data on demographics of communities
served under this Act, disaggregated and cross-
tabulated by--
(i) race;
(ii) ethnicity;
(iii) sex; and
(iv) household median income; and
(B) progress towards significantly closing transit
equity gaps as described in subsection (b)(4).
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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