PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

S. 1589: BRIDGE Act

Before you vote › Federal bills

S. 1589: BRIDGE Act

114th Congress · introduced 2015-06-16 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2015-06-16 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

BRIDGE Act

Plain summary

Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act or the BRIDGE Act Establishes the Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and managed by a Board of Directors, which shall provide direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $50 million ($10 million for rural infrastructure projects). Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Establishes an Office of Technical and Rural Assistance to: provide technical assistance to state and local governments and parties in public-private partnerships in the development and financing of eligible, including rural, infrastructure projects; and establish a regional infrastructure accelerator demonstration program. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the business activities of IFA. Prohibits IFA financing of a project if: it is private or does not create a public benefit, or the loan applicant is unable to demonstrate a sufficient revenue stream. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for eligible infrastructure projects and for the repayment of such loans. Requires an annual independent audit of IFA finances. Requires the President, immediately after IFA approves financing for a proposed project, to convene a meeting of representatives of all permitting agencies to: establish a permitting timetable for the environmental review of a project, and coordinate with relevant state agencies and regional infrastructure development agencies in the review of such projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of IFA to: establish fees with respect to loans and loan guarantees that are sufficient to cover IFA's administrative costs; and take actions to make IFA a self-sustaining entity, with administrative and federal credit subsidy costs fully funded by fees and risk premiums on loans and loan guarantees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $15 billion to $16 billion the aggregate amount of proceeds from tax-exempt facility bonds the Department of Transportation shall allocate among qualified highway or surface freight transfer facilities.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

BRIDGE Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · 11 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Kirsten E. Gillibrand (D-NY), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Roger F. Wicker (R-MS), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Thom Tillis (R-NC)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] reported raising $20.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bond
A way to borrow money. A government sells bonds to raise money now and promises to pay it back with interest over time. Bonds repaid from taxes often need voter approval.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong114-s1589 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114