Safe and Affordable Transit Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Safe and Affordable Transit Act amends 49 U.S.C. 5321 to let the Transportation Secretary make operating grants to public transportation systems eligible under section 5307 without applying the usual population requirement. Grant funds may be used to hire additional officers to police public transportation and stations, contract with local police departments for more officer presence, and make physical infrastructure upgrades that improve passenger and operator safety, including monitoring devices and operator shields. The bill authorizes $50 million for each fiscal year 2026 through 2030. It also directs DOT to enter an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies for a study, in consultation with frontline transit worker labor organizations, on what transit agencies are doing to prevent crime, which tactics succeed or fail, and best practices to reduce crime in public transportation systems.
Who Benefits and How
Public transit agencies benefit from operating grants that can pay for police presence and safety infrastructure. Transit passengers and frontline transit workers benefit from investments aimed at reducing crime and improving station and vehicle safety. Transit labor organizations benefit from formal consultation in the crime-prevention study.
Who Bears the Burden and How
DOT and FTA must administer the new grant authority and National Academies study. Local police departments and transit agencies receiving funds may need to staff, coordinate, and report safety activities. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of $50 million per year in authorized appropriations.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes operating grants for public transportation systems eligible under section 5307 regardless of the usual population requirement.
- Allows grants to fund additional transit police, contracts with local police departments, monitoring devices, operator shields, and other safety infrastructure.
- Authorizes $50 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Requires a Transportation Research Board study on successful and unsuccessful transit crime-prevention tactics and best practices.
- Requires consultation with labor organizations representing frontline transit workers.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Authorizes $50 million per year for transit operating grants that fund police presence and passenger-safety infrastructure, and requires a National Academies study on transit crime prevention.
Key Policy Areas
Transportation, Public Safety, Grants
Primary Purpose
Authorizes $50 million per year for transit operating grants that fund police presence and passenger-safety infrastructure, and requires a National Academies study on transit crime prevention.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Public transit agencies
- Transit passengers
- Frontline transit workers
- Transit labor organizations
- Local police departments contracting with transit agencies
Identified Costs
- Department of Transportation
- Federal Transit Administration
- Transportation Research Board
- Federal taxpayers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
Ms. Friedman (for herself and Ms. Malliotakis) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Local police departments contracting with transit agencies
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology