June 5, 2025
Ms. Duckworth (for herself and Mrs. Blackburn) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
To establish a grant program for surface transportation infrastructure projects that connect to airports, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Don't Miss Your Flight Act
.
Sec. 2. Grants for airport connection infrastructure
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Public airport
The term public airport has the meaning given the term in section 47102 of title 49, United States Code.
(2) Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.
(3) State
The term State means—
(A)
a State;
(B)
the District of Columbia;
(C)
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
(D)
any other territory or possession of the United States.
(b) Establishment
The Secretary shall establish and carry out a program to provide grants to entities described in subsection (c) for projects described in subsection (d).
(c) Eligible entities
An entity eligible to receive a grant under this section is—
(1)
a State;
(2)
an Indian Tribe; or
(3)
a unit of local government, including a public agency (as defined in section 47102 of title 49, United States Code) that has control over a public airport.
(d) Eligible projects
(1) In general
A project eligible to be carried out with a grant under this section is a project described in paragraph (2) that—
(A)
connects to a public airport;
(B)
makes improvements on land that is on, or within 5 miles of, that public airport; and
(C)
reduces congestion, expands capacity, provides access to under-connected areas, or rehabilitates roadway, rail, or transit infrastructure (including bridges, tunnels, and rolling stock).
(2) Projects described
A project referred to in paragraph (1) is—
(A)
a highway or bridge project eligible for assistance under title 23, United States Code;
(B)
a public transportation project eligible for assistance under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code; or
(C)
a passenger rail transportation project eligible for assistance under title 49, United States Code.
(e) Application
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity described in subsection (b) shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(f) Requirement
Of the amounts made available for each fiscal year to carry out this section, the Secretary shall use—
(1)
not less than 50 percent for projects described in subsection (d) that connect to airports that are large hub airports (as defined in section 47102 of title 49, United States Code) as of the date of enactment of this Act; and
(2)
not less than 30 percent for projects described in subsection (d) that connect to airports that are medium hub airports (as defined in section 47102 of title 49, United States Code) as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(g) Cost-Share
(1) In general
The Federal share of the cost of a project carried out with a grant under this section shall be determined in accordance with section 120 of title 23, United States Code.
(2) Non-Federal share
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, an eligible entity may use toward the non-Federal share of the cost of a project carried out with a grant under this section—
(A)
credit assistance under the TIFIA program (as defined in section 601(a) of title 23, United States Code), if that credit assistance was provided for a project described in paragraph (12)(G) of that section; and
(B)
any passenger facility charges (as defined in section 40117(a) of title 49, United States Code) collected by the eligible entity.
(h) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this section.