# 119-s-2619: MORE DOT Grants Act

119-s-2619, MORE DOT Grants Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2619
- As of: 2026-09-10
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-2619
- Congress: 119
- Title: MORE DOT Grants Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2025-07-31
- Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV] (D-NV)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-10

## Summary

**Boost access to DOT discretionary grants for small counties with large amounts of federal land.** This bill would cut local match costs and remove application barriers so High‑Density Public Land Counties and the local or Tribal governments inside them can compete more effectively for federal transportation grants. - Local and Tribal governments: Projects located in qualifying counties would see local matching requirements reduced by 50 percent, lowering the up‑front cash needed to apply for qualifying DOT discretionary grants. - Small, rural counties and isolated communities: The Secretary of Transportation would have to provide extra technical assistance before and during application windows and may simplify scoring, partnership, and cash‑on‑hand rules to reduce barriers to applying. - New applicants and Tribal governments: Applicants in these counties who have not received support under a qualifying program in the prior 10 years get application priority, and Tribal governments receive a related preference and special consideration for rural set‑asides. This framework applies to a defined set of DOT discretionary programs, including BUILD/Local and Regional Project Assistance, Mega grants, INFRA, rural surface transportation grants, bus and low/no emission transit grants, airport improvement, rail infrastructure, and other similar programs.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT] (R-MT), 2025-07-31T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2025-07-31T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Extra grant help for rural counties: benefit, low. If enacted, the Secretary would have to provide extra technical help to a High‑Density Public Land County or its local or Tribal governments when they ask. If enacted, this help must be available before and during the annual grant application period. If enacted, the Secretary would give priority to…
- Half local match for eligible counties: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would cut required local matching funds in half for a High‑Density Public Land County and any unit of local or Tribal government inside such a county. If enacted, the 50% reduction would apply to match requirements for qualifying DOT discretionary grant programs, notwithstandin…
- Which counties and grants qualify: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would define a "High‑Density Public Land County" as one with 100,000 people or fewer and more than half its land owned or managed by the Federal Government. If enacted, it would define "Secretary" to mean the Secretary of Transportation. If enacted, it would define "Tribal gove…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026
- 119-s-5283: Momnibus Act
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act
- 119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for the taxation of certain residents of Taiwan with income from sources within the…

## Sources
- [119-s-2619 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2619)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4949: Water Resources Development Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4949)
- [119-s-5283: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5283)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-3940: Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3940)
- [119-s-199: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide special rules for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-199)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2619 (as of 2026-09-10).