Section 154 transfer program: open container (23 C.F.R. Part 1270; 23 U.S.C. § 154) ― penalty transfer funds to support alcohol and drug-impaired driving countermeasures in states that fail to enact…

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration awarded $1.878 million in formula grant funding to Administracion De Compensaciones POR Accidentes De Automoviles (operating as the Puerto Rico Traffic Safety Commission's CST division) on October 1, 2025, under the Alcohol Open Container Requirements program (CFDA 20.607), a Section 154 transfer program that directs penalty funds to support alcohol and drug-impaired driving countermeasures in jurisdictions that fail to enact and enforce compliant open container laws.

The recipient, a state government entity serving Puerto Rico, will deploy the funds through September 30, 2029, to support traffic safety initiatives addressing impaired driving. Under Section 154, Puerto Rico receives these transferred funds because it has not enacted and enforced an open container law meeting federal requirements—specifically, a law prohibiting possession or consumption of any open alcoholic beverage container, or consumption of alcohol, in the passenger area of any motor vehicle on public highways or rights-of-way, including by the driver.

The funding is obligated as $1.878 million and is available until expended. The recipient must retain all project records for three years following submission of a final expenditure report and retain other project deliverables. Reimbursement occurs on a claims basis through vouchers submitted for costs incurred; all participants use electronic funds transfer. Place of performance is San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Section 154 transfer program: open container (23 C.F.R. Part 1270; 23 U.S.C. § 154) ― penalty transfer funds to support alcohol and drug-impaired driving countermeasures in states that fail to enact and enforce conforming open alcohol container laws. Under section 154, to avoid the transfer of funds, a state must enact and enforce an open container law that prohibits the possession of any open alcoholic beverage container, or the consumption of any alcoholic beverage, in the passenger area of any motor vehicle (including possession or consumption by the driver of the vehicle) located on a public highway, or the right-of-way of a public highway, in the state. 23 U.S.C. 154(b)(1)