Equity Updates from the U.S. Department of Transportation

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has committed to an ambitious agenda to advance equity for all.  The following list of recent accomplishment will be updated regularly. Rather than being a complete synopsis, these represent a portion of the actions the Department is taking to advance equity.

• July 2022:
  • Issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to modernize the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) and Airport Concession DBE (ACDBE) program regulations to help further level the playing field for small, disadvantaged businesses. 
• June 2022:
  • Launched the Reconnecting Communities program to provide planning and construction grants to communities who have been cut off from opportunities by infrastructure projects. 
  • Released a beta version of the DOT Navigator, a new one-stop shop for communities to access DOT technical assistance and capacity building resources and to get more information to help them apply for DOT funding.
• May 2022:
  • Reestablished the Advisory Committee on Transportation Equity to provide independent advice on DOT equity programs
• April 2022:
  • Released the Department’s Equity Action Plan, establishing a foundation for DOT’s path towards building a transportation system that works for all people
• March 2022:
  • Established equity as one of the Department’s fiscal year (FY) 2022-2026 Strategic Goals
  • Piloted a new approach to reduce administrative burden for applicants applying for multiple discretionary grant programs.
• January 2021:
  • Launched USDOT-wide procurement dashboard to drive accountability for small and disadvantaged business goals
  • Published a toolkit for planning and funding rural and Tribal electric mobility infrastructure
• December 2021:
  • Reinforced small business requirements in the Federal Aviation Administration acquisition governance process
• November 2021:
  • Began implementation of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which contains historic investments in transportation equity
  • Held public meetings on DOT’s implementation of the Justice40 Initiative
• June 2021:
  • Reinvigorated USDOT’s programmatic enforcement of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Air Carrier Access Act
  • Proposed that equity be included as one of the Department’s FY 2022-2026 Strategic Goals
• May 2021:
  • Published a Request for Information asking the public for comments about transportation equity
• March 2021:
  • Consulted with Federally Recognized Tribes on updates to DOT Tribal Policy & Consultation Plan
  • Established the Equity Leadership Team & the Equity Task Force to lead the Department’s equity efforts
• February 2021:
  • Introduced racial equity and barriers to opportunity as a consideration for awarding discretionary grants

Have an idea to help advance transportation equity? Want to partner on one of these actions? Email us at equity@dot.gov to share your thoughts.

Interested in hearing the latest on our equity work?