# 119-hr-502: Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act

119-hr-502, Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1] (R-MN); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2025-12-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-502
- As of: 2025-12-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-502
- Congress: 119
- Title: Protecting Infrastructure Investments for Rural America Act
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-01-16
- Sponsor: Rep. Finstad, Brad [R-MN-1] (R-MN)
- Cosponsors: 8
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2025-12-21

## Summary

This bill **shifts Rural Surface Transportation Grant support toward much smaller rural communities.** It narrows the program's definition of "rural" and creates a formal "small community" category with specific funding priorities. - Creates a "small community" category for places outside urbanized areas with populations of 5,000 or less. Projects in these places can receive up to a 90% federal share and the Department of Transportation must use at least 5% of annual program funds for them. - Redefines "rural" to mean areas outside urbanized areas with populations of 30,000 or less. Grants may fund highway, road, bridge, or tunnel projects that promote economic growth or improve local quality of life. - Keeps states, regional planning organizations, local governments, and tribal governments eligible to apply. It removes the prohibition that prevented DOT from spending more than 10% of program funds on grants under $25 million.

## Cosponsors (8)

- Rep. Golden, Jared F. [D-ME-2] (D-ME), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Stauber, Pete [R-MN-8] (R-MN), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Mann, Tracey [R-KS-1] (R-KS), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7] (R-MN), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Van Orden, Derrick [R-WI-3] (R-WI), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moolenaar, John R. [R-MI-2] (R-MI), 2025-01-16T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Flood, Mike [R-NE-1] (R-NE), 2025-02-04T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Tiffany, Thomas P. [R-WI-7] (R-WI), 2025-02-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- More grant access for small rural towns: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program would refocus on small, rural places. A small community would mean outside an urbanized area, with 5,000 people or less. At least 5% of each year’s program money would be reserved for these small communities. Eligibility text would shift to…
- Small-town projects need 10% local match: cost, low. If enacted, federal grants for small-community projects would be capped at 90% of project cost. Project sponsors would need at least a 10% nonfederal match. A small community means a place outside an urbanized area with 5,000 or fewer people. This would apply only to projects funded by this grant p…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250
- 119-hr-1773: Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025
- 119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act
- 119-hconres-12: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.

## Sources
- [119-hr-502 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/502)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-9250: Great American Outdoors Act 250](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9250)
- [119-hr-1773: Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1773)
- [119-hr-38: Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-38)
- [119-hr-1628: 761st Tank Battalion Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1628)
- [119-hconres-12: Supporting the Local Radio Freedom Act.](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hconres-12)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-502 (as of 2025-12-21).