H.R. 4170

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4170 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4170

To require that certain aspects of bridge projects be carried out by 
certified contractors, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 26, 2025

Mr. Garamendi (for himself, Mr. Bost, Mr. Deluzio, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. 
Brownley, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Gottheimer, and Ms. Elfreth) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require that certain aspects of bridge projects be carried out by 
certified contractors, 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 ``Bridge Corrosion Prevention and 
Repair Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. CORROSION PREVENTION FOR BRIDGES.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Applicable bridge project.--The term ``applicable 
bridge project'' means a project for construction, replacement, 
rehabilitation, preservation, or protection, other than de 
minimis work, as determined by the entity carrying out the 
project, on--
(A) a bridge project that receives financial 
assistance under title 23, United States Code; or
(B) a project for a railroad bridge (as defined in 
section 237.5 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations 
(or successor regulations)) that receives financial 
assistance under title 49, United States Code.
(2) Certified contractor.--The term ``certified 
contractor'' means a contracting or subcontracting firm that 
has been certified by a third-party organization recognized 
industry-wide that evaluates the capability of the contractor 
or subcontractor to properly perform 1 or more specified 
aspects of an applicable bridge project described in subsection 
(b)(2).
(3) Qualified training program.--The term ``qualified 
training program'' means a training program in corrosion 
control, mitigation, and prevention that is--
(A) offered by an organization that provides 
trainees with a certification that meets the ANSI/NACE 
Number 13/SSPC-ACS-1 standard (or a successor standard) 
or another standard approved by the Administrator of 
the Federal Highway Administration; or
(B) an industrial coatings applicator training 
program--
(i) registered under the Act of August 16, 
1937 (commonly known as the ``National 
Apprenticeship Act'') (50 Stat. 664, chapter 
663; 29 U.S.C. 50 et seq.); and
(ii) that meets the standards of subpart A 
of part 29 and part 30 of title 29, Code of 
Federal Regulations (or successor regulations).
(b) Applicable Bridge Projects.--
(1) Quality control.--A certified contractor shall carry 
out aspects of an applicable bridge project described in 
paragraph (2).
(2) Aspects of applicable bridge projects.--Aspects of an 
applicable bridge project referred to in paragraph (1) 
include--
(A) surface preparation or coating application on 
steel, concrete, or rebar of an applicable bridge 
project;
(B) removal of a lead-based or other hazardous 
coating from steel or concrete of an existing 
applicable bridge project; and
(C) shop painting of structural steel or rebar 
fabricated for installation on an applicable bridge 
project.
(3) Corrosion management system.--In carrying out an 
applicable bridge project, the entity carrying out the project 
shall--
(A) implement a corrosion management system that 
utilizes industry-recognized standards and corrosion 
mitigation and prevention methods to address different 
considerations, including--
(i) surface preparation;
(ii) protective coatings;
(iii) materials selection;
(iv) cathodic protection;
(v) corrosion engineering;
(vi) personnel training; and
(vii) best practices in environmental 
protection to prevent environmental degradation 
and uphold public health; and
(B) require certified contractors, for the purpose 
of carrying out aspects of applicable bridge projects 
described in paragraph (2), to employ a substantial 
number of individuals that are trained and certified by 
a qualified training program.
(4) Certification.--For an applicable bridge project that 
includes an aspect described in paragraph (2), the entity 
carrying out the project shall only accept bids from a 
certified contractor that presents written proof that the 
certification of the contractor meets the relevant (AMPP) SSPC-
QP standards (or a successor standard).
(c) Training Program.--As a condition of entering into a contract 
for an applicable bridge project, each certified contractor shall 
provide training for each individual who is not a certified coating 
applicator but that the certified contractor employs to carry out 
aspects of applicable bridge projects described in subsection (b)(2).

SEC. 3. AVAILABILITY OF FEDERAL GRANT FUNDING FOR CORROSION CONTROL 
WORK ON RAIL BRIDGES.

Section 22402(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as subparagraph (G); 
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following:
``(F) to perform corrosion control work on rail 
bridges; or''.

SEC. 4. STUDY ON EFFICACY OF WEATHERING STEEL.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) weathering steel is often used for bridge construction 
projects because of its ability to withstand weather conditions 
better than other forms of steel;
(2) the collapse of the Fern Hollow Bridge in Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania, in January 2022 highlights the real threat that 
corrosion poses to the bridges of the United States;
(3) more research is needed into the vulnerabilities of 
weathering steel; and
(4) States and units of local government need more 
information on when and how to address the risk of corrosion to 
weathering steel.
(b) Study.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall--
(1) carry out a study on best practices for--
(A) the frequency and method of inspecting 
corrosion on weathering steel bridges; and
(B) addressing corrosion on weathering steel 
bridges;
(2) submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 
of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives a report on the results of the study under 
paragraph (1); and
(3) make the report under paragraph (2) available to State 
departments of transportation, metropolitan planning 
organizations (as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United 
States Code), regional transportation planning organizations 
(as defined in that section), and units of local government 
that own bridge assets.
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