The MAP Roads Act establishes a federal pilot program to fund states in digitizing county road records and creating publicly accessible digital maps. It directly affects rural counties and state transportation departments by providing grants to convert paper maps into standardized digital formats, ensuring datasets distinguish public vs. private roads and work with mapping platforms. States must use funds for digitization, training, and building centralized repositories updated annually, with $20 million authorized yearly from 2026-2031. The program aims to improve rural commerce, safety, and navigation without altering road jurisdiction or ownership under existing law.
This bill requires drivers working for ride-share companies under federal contracts in the U.S. or Hawaii to meet specific standards: be at least 21 years old, read and speak English well enough to interact with the public and officials, safely operate vehicles, hold a valid state license, and pass a road test. It includes an exception for deaf or hearing-impaired drivers using American Sign Language. Companies must certify all drivers meet these requirements, and non-compliance results in a 5-year ban from federal contracts. The law applies to transportation network companies (like Uber or Lyft) and shared-use mobility providers seeking federal contracts.
This bill requires the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish new safety standards for side underride guards on trucks and trailers within 18 months, with full compliance required within two years. The standards mandate that these guards prevent passenger vehicles from sliding under trucks during collisions, improve safety for vulnerable road users like motorcyclists, and include aerodynamic features to aid fuel efficiency. The bill also creates an advisory committee to monitor underride safety and mandates studies to better understand and prevent these crashes. It aims to reduce the thousands of deaths and injuries from underride crashes that have occurred over the past 50 years, as documented by the National Transportation Safety Board.
HR 2167, the Transportation Equity Act, creates a new Transportation Equity Committee within the Department of Transportation. The committee, composed of 9-15 diverse members representing communities, tribes, academia, and advocacy groups, will provide independent advice to the Secretary on measuring transportation equity - such as access to jobs, economic opportunity, and community connectivity. It will develop recommendations for national metrics but cannot make final policy decisions, which remain with the Secretary. The committee must meet publicly at least twice yearly and ensure broad geographic and community representation in its work.
This bill requires manufacturers of self-driving vehicle systems to publicly define and declare the specific conditions (like weather, road types, or time of day) where their technology is designed to operate safely. It mandates that these "operational design domains" be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and posted on the manufacturer's website. The law prohibits systems from functioning outside these declared domains and adds civil penalties for violations. This directly affects car companies developing autonomous driving technology, imposing new transparency and safety compliance requirements.
HR 5008, the Affordable Commutes Act of 2025, directs the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to investigate pricing practices on privately owned toll roads for potential price gouging or unfair toll setting. It requires the Secretary to refer any findings of unfair practices to the Attorney General and Federal Trade Commission. The bill also mandates a study on whether the federal government could purchase private toll roads and transfer ownership to states, assessing impacts on toll costs, feasibility, and consumer benefits. Within one year of enactment, the Secretary must submit a report to Congress with investigation results, study findings, and recommendations to address unfair pricing or facilitate toll road transfers. This bill affects commuters using private toll roads by initiating a review of their pricing structure and potential long-term ownership changes.
This bill establishes a new federal program to improve rural roads critical for agriculture. It provides funding for projects that replace weight-limited bridges, enhance access to farms and agricultural facilities, and upgrade safety on high-risk rural roads. The program targets local roads and rural minor collectors, with the federal government covering up to 90% of eligible project costs. It directly affects rural communities and agricultural businesses by addressing infrastructure barriers to farm operations and local economic activity. The funding is allocated through existing highway apportionment formulas under Title 23, U.S. Code.
HR 3768, the Gas Prices Relief Act of 2025, eliminates the federal gasoline tax for all gasoline sold between its enactment and December 31, 2025. This directly affects gasoline consumers (drivers and businesses) and fuel producers/dealers, who must pass the tax savings to consumers by lowering prices. The bill requires the Treasury to transfer equivalent funds to the Highway Trust Fund and the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund to maintain existing funding streams. It mandates that the tax reduction benefit be immediately reflected in lower consumer prices, with enforcement authority granted to the Secretary to ensure compliance.
HR 3030, the Highway Formula Fairness Act, adds a new provision allowing the Transportation Secretary to provide extra highway funding to states that have experienced population growth since the last census, proportional to their population increase. This directly affects states with rising populations by potentially increasing their federal highway funds based on demographic changes. The bill also mandates a study by the Transportation Secretary to assess whether current highway funding formulas fairly distribute funds based on highway user taxes and state contributions, and to develop recommendations for modernizing the system. The study must be completed and reported to Congress within 90 days of the bill's enactment.
HR 3880, the Clear the ROADS Act, requires states to prohibit non-government individuals from recklessly blocking highways in ways that endanger public safety. If a state fails to meet this requirement, the federal government would withhold 10% of that state's annual highway funding starting October 1 each year. The bill directs the Transportation Secretary to issue rules within 180 days to define how states must comply. This affects all states receiving federal highway funds, directly targeting reckless road obstructions by private individuals.
