119-hr5216

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5216 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

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119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 5216

 To require the Secretary of Transportation, to issue regulations and 
 guidance to allow certain regional transportation planning 
organizations to increase spare bus ratios to 30 percent, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 September 8, 2025

 Ms. Titus introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To require the Secretary of Transportation, to issue regulations and 
 guidance to allow certain regional transportation planning 
organizations to increase spare bus ratios to 30 percent, 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 ``Bus Utilization for Fleet 
Flexibility and Emergency Resilience Act'' or the ``BUFFER Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) Extreme weather events such as extreme heat and extreme 
 cold threaten the lives and livelihoods of communities across 
 the United States.

    (2) Instances of extreme weather can increase vehicle 
 repair and maintenance needs for transit buses.

    (3) Operational disruptions to fixed bus routes during 
 extreme weather events are dangerous to people who rely on bus 
 services to get around.

    (4) Transit agencies with high-frequency and high-intensity 
 service, including regions that are tourism and live 
 entertainment hubs, face additional operational challenges.

SEC. 3. INCREASE OF SPARE BUS RATIO.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the 
Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, shall issue such 
regulations and guidance as are necessary to allow, upon request, a 
regional transportation planning organization to increase the spare bus 
ratio of such organization to 30 percent.

    (b) Eligibility for Spare Bus Ratio Increase.--To be eligible for 
an increase described under subsection

    (a) , a regional transportation 
planning organization shall submit to the Administrator--

    (1) a certification that the region regularly experiences 
 extreme weather events;

    (2) a description of how extreme weather events have 
 disrupted bus operations in the region; and

    (3) a description of how increasing the spare ratio will 
 help ensure reliable services for users of fixed bus routes 
 during incidents of extreme weather.
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