S. 1236 – Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act

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Updated February 8, 2026 at 1:52 AM UTC

The Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act directs the Secretary of Transportation to create guidance for making emergency relief projects more resilient to disruptions. It updates the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief manual, promotes design practices that aid low‑ and moderate‑income families, and changes cost rules so projects can include justified resilience improvements. The bill affects federal and state transportation agencies that manage disaster‑related repair and reconstruction work.

Key Provisions

Defines “emergency relief project” and a detailed definition of “resilience” for transportation facilities
Requires the Secretary to revise the FHWA emergency relief manual within 90 days to include the resilience definition, state procedures, and encouragement of Complete Streets and access for low‑ and moderate‑income families
Mandates development of best‑practice guidance for using resilience in emergency relief projects and distribution of that guidance to FHWA divisions and state DOTs
Establishes a process to track how resilience is considered in projects and to monitor project costs
Amends the cost‑limitation rule so a project may exceed the cost of repairing a comparable facility if it includes economically justified resilience improvements

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Environment and Public Works Committee

April 20, 2021

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

April 20, 2021

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Environment and Public Works Committee

April 20, 2021

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued April 20, 2021

II

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1236

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

April 20, 2021

Ms. Baldwin (for herself and Mr. Braun) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Transportation to develop best practices for incorporating resilience into emergency relief projects, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Rebuilding Stronger Infrastructure Act.

2.

Emergency relief program

(a)

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Emergency relief project

The term emergency relief project means a project carried out under the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code.

(2)

Resilience

(A)

In general

The term resilience means, with respect to a facility, the ability—

(i)

to anticipate, prepare for, or adapt to conditions; or

(ii)

to withstand, respond to, or recover rapidly from disruptions.

(B)

Inclusions

The term resilience includes, with respect to a facility, the ability—

(i)

to resist hazards or withstand impacts from disruptions;

(ii)

to reduce the magnitude, duration, or impact of a disruption; or

(iii)

to have the absorptive capacity, adaptive capacity, and recoverability to decrease vulnerability to a disruption.

(3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.

(b)

Improving the emergency relief program

Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall—

(1)

revise the emergency relief manual of the Federal Highway Administration—

(A)

to include and reflect the definition of the term resilience;

(B)

to identify procedures that States may use to incorporate resilience into emergency relief projects; and

(C)

to encourage the use of Complete Streets design principles and consideration of access for moderate- and low-income families impacted by a declared disaster;

(2)

develop best practices for improving the use of resilience in—

(A)

the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code; and

(B)

emergency relief efforts;

(3)

provide to division offices of the Federal Highway Administration and State departments of transportation information on the best practices developed under paragraph (2); and

(4)

develop and implement a process to track—

(A)

the consideration of resilience as part of the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code; and

(B)

the costs of emergency relief projects.

(c)

Cost limitation

Section 125(d) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:

(2)

Cost limitation

The total cost of a project funded under this section may not exceed the cost of repair or reconstruction of a comparable facility unless the Secretary determines that the project incorporates economically justified betterments, including protective features to increase the resilience of the facility.

.