S. 5181

119 S5181 IS: Modernizing Access to Public Roads Act
 U.S. Senate
 2026-07-30
 text/xml
 EN
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 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 5181  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   July 30, 2026   Mr. Curtis  (for himself and  Mr. Kelly ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation    A BILL
To require the Secretary of Transportation to establish a grant program relating to the digitization of county roads and the creation of publicly accessible road datasets, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Modernizing Access to Public Roads Act   or   MAP Roads Act  .
2.
Establishment of county road access and mapping pilot program
(a)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
County
The term  county  has meaning given the term in section 101 of title 23, United States Code.
(2)
County road
The term  county road  means a public road (as defined in section 101 of title 23, United States Code) that is recognized and maintained by a county government.
(3)
Digitization
The term  digitization  means the process of converting physical or analog map-based information into standardized electronic formats to produce geospatial data.
(4)
Geospatial data
The term  geospatial data  has the meaning given the term in section 752 of the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 ( 43 U.S.C. 2801 ).
(5)
Program
The term  program  means the pilot program established under subsection (b).
(6)
Secretary
The term  Secretary  means the Secretary of Transportation.
(b)
Establishment
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a pilot program to provide grants to States to support rural commerce, increase public safety, and improve public access and navigation by funding the digitization of county roads and the creation of centralized, publicly accessible road datasets.
(c)
Application
(1)
In general
To be eligible to receive a grant under the program, a State shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
(2)
Requirement
An application submitted under paragraph (1) shall demonstrate the capacity of the State to administer—
(A)
a subgrant program to distribute funds to counties; and
(B)
a statewide repository for county road data.
(3)
Priority
In selecting an application for a grant under the program, the Secretary shall give priority to an application in which the applicant State—
(A)
identifies a significant deficiency in digitized county roads within the State; and
(B)
expresses a commitment to coordinating with counties to create shared geospatial data standards.
(d)
Use of funds
(1)
County activities
Funds distributed to counties under the program may be used—
(A)
to digitize official county road records;
(B)
to convert paper maps or outdated formats to standardized geospatial datasets; and
(C)
to train personnel or hire contractors to assist in data creation and conversion.
(2)
State repository
The State department of transportation of each State participating in the program shall—
(A)
serve as the centralized data repository for all road data produced by counties in the applicable State under the program;
(B)
ensure that such data—
(i)
is published on a publicly accessible website;
(ii)
is organized in a manner that distinguishes between public and private roads;
(iii)
is compatible with third-party mapping platforms; and
(iv)
is updated not less frequently than annually; and
(C)
to the maximum extent practicable, coordinate with Federal agencies and mapping authorities to align data formats and metadata.
(e)
Reporting requirements
Not later than 180 days after the establishment of the program, and annually thereafter for 3 years, each State awarded a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary a report, which shall include, with respect to the period of time since the previous report—
(1)
a list of counties that received a subgrant;
(2)
the amount of funding distributed to each county;
(3)
the number of miles of county roads digitized under the program;
(4)
the status of State repository development and data integration efforts; and
(5)
any recommendations for improvement or expansion of the program.
(f)
Savings provision
Nothing in this Act—
(1)
confers any new authority on a county or State to declare, designate, or assert jurisdiction over a road as a county road where such designation or jurisdiction does not otherwise exist under applicable State or local law;
(2)
alters, affects, or determines the legal status of any road for purposes of ownership, jurisdiction, or public access; or
(3)
limits or expands any existing rights, claims, or defenses relating to road ownership, rights-of-way, or public access under Federal, State, or local law.
(g)
Rule of construction
Nothing in this Act permits the public disclosure of geographic information system data regarding the nature, location, character, or ownership of historic, paleontological, or archaeological resources that is protected under any other provision of law.
(h)
Authorization of appropriations
(1)
In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031, to remain available until expended.
(2)
Administrative expenses
Of the amounts made available to carry out the program for each fiscal year, the Secretary may use not more than 2 percent to administer the program.
(i)
Sunset
The authority to make grants under this section shall terminate on September 30, 2031.