# What the Business Uninterrupted Monetary Program Act Actually Does

This bill requires large transportation construction projects to set aside money to help local businesses that get hurt during construction. When cities or states build major transit systems or highways with federal funding, the construction often disrupts nearby businesses—closing access to storefronts, blocking customers from reaching restaurants, or forcing temporary relocations. This bill says project sponsors have to create a fund to compensate those affected businesses for their losses.

Here's how it works in practice. If a city gets federal money to build a new subway line or highway expansion project costing at least $50 million (for highways) or $100 million (for transit), they must establish what the bill calls a "BUMP Fund"—short for Business Uninterrupted Monetary Program Fund. The project sponsor decides how much money goes into this fund, but it can't exceed 10-25 percent of the local funding share they're already providing. The money can come from local sources or, with federal approval, from federal funds. Importantly, setting aside this money doesn't increase the total project cost or change how much local funding is required—it just redirects existing money.

When businesses suffer measurable financial harm from the construction, they can apply to receive help from the BUMP Fund. Eligible expenses include utilities, insurance, rent or mortgage payments, payroll, and lost income. The project sponsor decides which businesses qualify and how to distribute the money, but they have to explain their process upfront and prove they're reaching affected businesses. Any money left over after the project ends can be used for project improvements, cost overruns, environmental mitigation, or other approved purposes. The bill also creates a one-time competitive grant program offering up to $10 million to project sponsors for transit projects that started construction after October 2018 and were still ongoing as of June 2023.