H.R. 6531

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6531 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6531

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations 
requiring bridge clearance information in certain GPS navigation 
devices, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 9, 2025

Mr. Latimer (for himself, Mr. Bresnahan, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, Mr. 
Mackenzie, and Mr. Kennedy of New York) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue regulations 
requiring bridge clearance information in certain GPS navigation 
devices, 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 ``Bridges not Bumpers Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. DOT BRIDGE CLEARANCE STRIKE WORKING GROUP.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a bridge clearance strike working group to make recommendations on ways 
to improve public-private data sharing regarding bridge clearance and 
commercial motor vehicle route data.
(b) Membership.--The working group established under subsection (a) 
shall include representatives from--
(1) the Federal Highway Administration;
(2) The Federal Railroad Administration;
(3) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration;
(4) State departments of transportation;
(5) trucking organizations;
(6) producers of GPS navigation systems;
(7) law enforcement agencies;
(8) companies that rent or lease covered rental vehicles 
directly to consumers; and
(9) Class I, II, and III railroad carriers.
(c) Contents of Recommendations.--The recommendations required 
under subsection (a) shall--
(1) include ways to improve the availability of information 
and route signs specific to commercial motor vehicles on GPS 
navigation tools;
(2) address potential liability issues if bridge clearance 
information shared between public and private partners is not 
accurate;
(3) address ways to improve truck driver knowledge about 
bridge strikes that may include a section on commercial 
driver's license tests about bridge strikes;
(4) include ways for companies that rent covered rental 
vehicles to clearly label their vehicles with height and weight 
information;
(5) include ways for companies that rent covered rental 
vehicles to provide notice, whether orally or written, of 
vehicle height to individuals who rent or lease a vehicle, and 
warn such individuals to look out for road signs about vehicle 
height; and
(6) address what public or private funding streams would be 
necessary to incorporate bridge clearance and truck route data 
into GPS navigation tools.
(d) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the working group 
issues recommendations under subsection (a), the Secretary shall issue 
such regulations as are necessary to implement such recommendations.
(e) Immunity From Certain Liability.--A GPS administrator shall be 
immune from liability in a civil action in any court for any injury 
resulting from the inclusion of information on clearance heights of 
bridges, tunnels, or underpasses provided by a State or the Federal 
Government.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON NATIONAL EDUCATION CAMPAIGN.

(a) In General.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Secretary, in coordination with the working group 
established under section 3, should conduct a national 
education campaign to prevent and raise awareness on bridge 
strikes by commercial motor vehicles; and
(2) the national education campaign should be targeted 
towards--
(A) educational programs for commercial drivers;
(B) independent operator businesses; and
(C) motor carrier associations.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL CLEARINGHOUSE FOR BRIDGE AND TUNNEL CLEARANCE STRIKES.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish 
a national clearinghouse for bridge and tunnel clearance strikes that--
(1) serves as a centralized repository for data collection, 
management, and dissemination of best practices for prevention 
of bridge strikes by commercial motor vehicles; and
(2) is modeled after the prototype developed by the 
National Cooperative Highway Research Program of the National 
Academies in the publication titled ``Guide for Preventing and 
Mitigating the Risk of Bridge and Tunnel Strikes by Motor 
Vehicles'' (NCHRP 08-139).
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 to carry out this section.

SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH ON POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS TO ROADWAY, 
BRIDGE, AND TUNNEL LOCATIONS.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a grant program 
to provide grants to eligible entities to conduct research using the 
clearinghouse established under section 4 to--
(1) identify roadway, bridge, and tunnel locations for 
potential infrastructure improvement projects to mitigate 
bridge and tunnel clearance strikes;
(2) conduct basic, preliminary engineering tasks to analyze 
alternative bridge strike mitigation options and identify 
preferred mitigation alternative recommendations; and
(3) assess the effectiveness of currently implemented and 
future countermeasures against bridge and tunnel clearance 
strikes and strategies and programs to reduce such strikes.
(b) Eligible Entities.--An entity eligible to receive a grant under 
this section is--
(1) a State department of transportation;
(2) a unit of local government;
(3) a metropolitan planning organization;
(4) Class II and Class III railroads; and
(5) a transportation safety organization.
(c) Prioritization.--In providing grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall prioritize eligible entities located in States with a 
high incidence of bridge strikes, as determined by the Secretary.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE.

In this Act:
(1) Commercial motor vehicle.--The term ``commercial motor 
vehicle'' has the meaning given the term in section 31132 of 
title 49, United States Code.
(2) Covered rental vehicle.--The term ``covered rental 
vehicle'' means a motor vehicle that--
(A) is self-propelled or towed and used on public 
streets, roads, and highways except a truck tractor;
(B) has a gross vehicle weight rating of at least 
5,700 pounds;
(C) is rented without a driver for an initial term 
of less than 4 months; and
(D) is part of a motor vehicle fleet of 5 or more 
motor vehicles that are used for rental purposes by a 
rental company.
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