Safe Transit for All Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 8699
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Policy Area
- Transportation and Public Works
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-05-07: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- Last Updated
- 2026-05-22T08:07:26Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose
The Safe Transit for All Act of 2026 (H.R. 8699) aims to improve safety on public transit by requiring large urban transit agencies that receive federal funding to collect and report data on "street harassment" experienced by passengers. Street harassment is defined as unwanted words, gestures, or actions in public places targeting someone's actual or perceived personal traits (like race, sex, age, or disability), which the person finds intimidating or threatening.
Key Provisions
- Safety Plan Requirements (amends 49 U.S.C. § 5329(d)):
- Applies to transit agencies receiving federal aid under section 5307 in urban areas with 200,000+ residents.
- Mandates a data collection program including:
- Easy-to-use online and in-person reporting tools for passengers who experience or witness harassment.
- Data on incident details (frequency, type like verbal/physical/sexual assault, location, time), victim demographics (race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability, income, language, sex, sexual orientation), reasons for targeting, and effects on transit use.
- Multilingual outreach for non-English speakers.
- Public website posting of anonymized data shortly after collection.
- Response protocols for handling reports.
- National Transit Database Reporting (amends 49 U.S.C. § 5335):
- Agencies must submit their street harassment data to the federal database.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Adds a new mandatory element (J) to public transit safety plans under § 5329(d), focused specifically on passenger harassment data.
- Expands the National Transit Database to include street harassment metrics, previously limited to other safety and performance data.
- Introduces a clear definition of "street harassment" tied to civil rights laws (e.g., Civil Rights Act protections against discrimination).
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will oversee compliance; agencies face setup costs for reporting systems but gain data for better safety planning.
- Citizens/Passengers: Easier reporting could lead to targeted anti-harassment measures, improving transit safety and accessibility, especially for vulnerable groups.
- International Relations: None apparent; focuses on domestic transit.
Main Stakeholders
- Public transit agencies in large urban areas (e.g., cities like New York, Los Angeles) receiving federal funds.
- Transit passengers, particularly those facing harassment based on protected traits.
- Federal government (U.S. Department of Transportation/FTA) for data collection and enforcement.
- Civil rights advocates monitoring discrimination-linked incidents.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Strengthens data-driven enforcement of transit safety and civil rights laws without creating new crimes or penalties.
- Constitutional: Protects free speech by focusing on intimidating actions, not protected expression; requires anonymized data to safeguard privacy.
- Political: Bipartisan intro (sponsors from both parties); emphasizes equity in urban transit, potentially influencing future funding tied to safety data.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (4)
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large], Rep. Johnson, Henry C. "Hank" [D-GA-4], Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7], Rep. Kennedy, Timothy M. [D-NY-26]
Recent Actions
- 2026-05-07: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- 2026-05-07: Introduced in House
- 2026-05-07: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Safe Transit for All Act of 2026 — issued 2026-05-07 — PDF (5 pages)