H.R. 8188119th CongressIn committeeLatest action Apr 3, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 8188 removes a federal ban on tribes spending transportation funds on road grading, affecting roughly 160,000 miles of tribal roads.
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HR 8188 removes a federal restriction that currently bars tribes from using Tribal Transportation Program funds for road grading, the process of smoothing and leveling unpaved roads. Tribes would gain flexibility to direct their existing federal transportation dollars toward grading if they choose. The Bureau of Indian Affairs must study the results and report to Congress within three years, examining miles improved and effects on emergency response, healthcare access, and job access.
Members of federally recognized Native American tribes are the people most directly affected. Most of the approximately 160,000 miles of roads serving tribal lands are currently in poor condition.
Tribes that have struggled to maintain safe roads under the existing restriction would have more control over how they allocate their transportation funds. The mandatory BIA study will track whether road conditions, emergency response times, and access to healthcare and employment improve after the restriction is lifted.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.