Federal funding for municipal piers expanded under resilience program
H.R. 8508 — Piers Reinvestment Act · Filed by Robert Garcia (D-CA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Apr 27, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill amends federal transportation law to make municipal piers eligible for two existing federal grant programs: resilience improvement grants and at-risk coastal infrastructure grants. It also increases the authorization for one of these programs from $300 million to $500 million. The bill allows cities and towns to apply for federal money to strengthen, upgrade, or improve their public piers.
Why we flagged it
The bill straightforwardly expands eligibility for existing federal resilience and coastal infrastructure grant programs to include municipal piers, and increases the appropriation ceiling. It is a routine amendment to transportation law that broadens access to public infrastructure funding.
What the text implies
- The $200 million increase in authorization (from $300M to $500M) does not automatically appropriate funds—Congress must still pass appropriations legislation. The bill's effect depends on future budget decisions.
- Eligibility expansion may increase competition for grants among municipalities, potentially reducing per-project funding if total appropriations do not rise proportionally.
The full analysis lists 3 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
construction and engineering firms contracted for pier work; municipal governments and port authorities