Freedom to Move Act
- Bill Number
- H.R. 4719
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Transportation and Public Works
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-24: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- Last Updated
- 2026-04-21T08:05:51Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Freedom to Move Act (H.R. 4719) aims to fund and promote fare-free public transportation systems across the United States. Its main goals are to support state, county, and local governments in eliminating transit fares and to enhance safe, accessible, and reliable mass transit services, ultimately making communities more livable by improving mobility for residents.
Key Provisions
- Grant Program Establishment: The Secretary of Transportation must award competitive grants, known as "Freedom to Move Grants," starting no later than 360 days after the bill's enactment. These grants help cover lost revenue from eliminating fares and fund improvements to public transit.
- Eligibility and Application Process:
- Eligible applicants include states, counties, local municipalities, transit agencies, rural nonprofit organizations involved in public transit, or partnerships among these groups.
- Applications must detail:
- Plans for implementing fare-free transit.
- Strategies to expand and improve bus services, with a focus on redesigning routes for reliability, especially in low-income and historically underserved areas (e.g., connecting to essential services like schools and jobs).
- Community consultations with stakeholders such as local leaders, disability advocates, educators, labor unions, and housing agencies.
- An equity assessment of current transit gaps (e.g., commute times, ridership by demographics like age, income, disability, and race; route lengths and delays).
- Current fare evasion policies (e.g., fines, enforcement data by demographics) and plans to eliminate them, avoiding criminal penalties like jail time.
- Estimates of added costs from higher ridership (e.g., fuel, staff, maintenance).
- Data on assaults against transit workers and plans for employee protections, such as de-escalation training.
- Grant Duration and Distribution: Grants last 5 years and must be awarded to both rural and urban areas to ensure broad coverage.
- Allowed Uses of Funds:
- Directly support fare-free programs.
- Improve transit in underserved communities (defined as areas with poor or no bus service, low-income neighborhoods, or communities of color), including:
- Enhancing bus stop safety and accessibility.
- Adding shelters, signage, painted lanes, signal priority systems, and street redesigns.
- Covering operational costs like hiring and training staff to handle increased ridership.
- Conducting bus network redesigns.
- Reporting Requirements: Three years after funding begins, the Secretary must collect and report data from grantees on progress, including community demographics (by race, ethnicity, sex, and income) and reductions in transit equity gaps.
- Funding Authorization: $5 billion is authorized annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
- Key Definitions:
- Underserved community: Areas lacking bus service or with infrequent routes, often in low-income or majority-minority census tracts.
- Low-income individuals: Those with family income at or below 150% of the federal poverty line.
- Foster care youth: Children and youth in state or tribal care systems, plus those aged 13+ who aged out of such systems.
- Public transportation: Regular shared-ride services open to the public (or specific groups like the elderly or disabled), excluding intercity rail/bus, school buses, charters, or shuttles for specific sites.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill introduces a new federal grant program under the Department of Transportation, which does not exist in current law. It mandates specific equity-focused requirements for transit funding, such as eliminating fare evasion criminalization and prioritizing underserved groups in service improvements. While it builds on existing federal transit funding mechanisms (e.g., under the Federal Transit Administration), it uniquely ties grants to fare elimination and detailed community equity analyses, potentially shifting how local transit agencies allocate resources away from fare-based revenue models.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: The Department of Transportation will gain administrative responsibilities for reviewing applications, awarding grants, and compiling reports, increasing workload but providing new tools for equity in transit. Local and state agencies may see expanded budgets for transit but must comply with strict reporting and consultation rules.
- On Citizens: Could significantly boost access to free public transit, reducing transportation costs and barriers for low-income individuals, seniors, people with disabilities, youth (including those from foster care), and residents of underserved areas. This may lead to shorter commutes, better job/school access, and improved community health and economic mobility, though increased ridership could strain services if not managed well.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic public transit.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Local Governments and Transit Agencies: Primary recipients of grants; they must redesign services and end fare enforcement practices.
- Underserved and Low-Income Communities: Benefit from free, improved transit targeting mobility gaps, with emphasis on racial, ethnic, and economic equity.
- Transit Workers and Unions: Gain protections like training against assaults but may face higher demands from ridership growth.
- Advocates and Community Groups: Involved in consultations (e.g., disability, transit, labor, and education advocates) to shape programs.
- General Public: Especially non-drivers in rural and urban areas, who could see broader transit availability.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Requires grantees to phase out criminal penalties for fare evasion (e.g., treating it as a civil matter only), which could reduce interactions with the justice system and align with broader decriminalization efforts. The bill's equity evaluations promote data-driven decisions to address disparities, potentially setting precedents for future transit funding under federal civil rights laws like Title VI (prohibiting discrimination in federally funded programs).
- Constitutional: Relies on Congress's spending power to condition federal funds on equity and consultation requirements, which is standard for transportation grants. No apparent conflicts with federalism, as it supports voluntary state/local participation.
- Political: Advances progressive priorities like universal access to public services and racial/economic equity in infrastructure, potentially influencing debates on federal spending for social mobility. The bipartisan committee referral (Transportation and Infrastructure) suggests potential for cross-aisle support, though funding levels may spark fiscal policy discussions.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Pressley, Ayanna [D-MA-7]
Cosponsors (26)
Rep. Adams, Alma S. [D-NC-12], Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3], Rep. Bishop, Sanford D. [D-GA-2], Rep. Brown, Shontel M. [D-OH-11], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Cleaver, Emanuel [D-MO-5], Rep. Clyburn, James E. [D-SC-6], Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30], Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7], Rep. Fields, Cleo [D-LA-6], Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Lee, Summer L. [D-PA-12], Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10], Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4], Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5], Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3], Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12], Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12], Rep. Williams, Nikema [D-GA-5], Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, Alexandria [D-NY-14], Rep. Hayes, Jahana [D-CT-5], Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2], Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6], Rep. Evans, Dwight [D-PA-3]
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-24: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
- 2025-07-23: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 2025-07-23: Introduced in House
- 2025-07-23: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Freedom to Move Act — issued 2025-07-23 — PDF (10 pages)