FERRIES Act

Summary#

This bill, the FERRIES Act, updates and codifies several federal ferry grant programs and provides new funding. It changes existing law in titles 23 and 49 of the U.S. Code to give the Secretary of Transportation authority to make grants for passenger ferry boats, ferry terminals, ferry operations in rural areas, and ferry fleet modernization. The bill moves and renames some programs from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into title 49 (creating sections 5308 and 5313) and changes eligibility and funding rules for those grants.

What it means for you#

  • State and local transit agencies and designated recipients may be eligible to apply for new or expanded ferry grants for building boats and terminals, modernizing fleets, and supporting essential rural ferry service.
  • Shipyards could be eligible for grants tied to fleet modernization and job creation.
  • Communities that rely on ferries, including rural routes, could receive federal grant money for service and infrastructure.
  • The Secretary of Transportation will administer these grant programs under the amended rules and funding levels set in the bill.

Expenses#

The bill sets or changes authorization and appropriations amounts in several places:

  • Amends section 147(h) of title 23 to authorize $160,000,000 (FY2027), $162,000,000 (FY2028), $164,000,000 (FY2029), $166,000,000 (FY2030), and $168,000,000 (FY2031) for construction of ferry boats and terminal facilities.
  • Adds a new authorization of $200,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2027–2031 to carry out an urban passenger ferry grant program under section 5307(h). It also changes an apportionment figure in section 5336(h)(1) from $30,000,000 to $100,000,000.
  • Changes the ferry fleet modernization program (transferring it into title 49 as section 5313) and sets an authorization figure of $140,000,000 for each fiscal year 2027–2031 in the statutory text.
  • Revises the rural ferry program (to become section 5308), including an authorization of $300,000,000 for each fiscal year 2027–2031, with $100,000,000 of that from the Highway Trust Fund; and a requirement that at least 80 percent of those funds go to certain eligible services.
  • Title II appropriations in the bill provide specific sums: $500,000,000 (total, $100,000,000 per year FY2027–FY2031) to the Federal Highway Administration for construction of ferry boats and terminals; $1,250,000,000 (total, $250,000,000 per year FY2027–FY2031) to the Federal Transit Administration for passenger ferry grants; $1,250,000,000 (total, $250,000,000 per year FY2027–FY2031) for competitive rural ferry grants; and $500,000,000 (total, $100,000,000 per year FY2027–FY2031) for the ferry fleet modernization and shipyard job creation grant program.
  • Administrative limits are specified for some accounts: up to 1.5 percent of FHWA amounts for operations/administration and up to 2 percent of certain FTA amounts for administrative and oversight expenses.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.