Legislative Affairs
Both the Texas Legislature and the United States Congress address many important transportation issues that affect the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Transportation and air quality in the North Central Texas region are impacted by legislative decisions at the State and federal levels.
NCTCOG staff regularly update policy and technical committee members, transportation partners and others interested in monitoring legislative initiatives related to the Regional Transportation Council (RTC) legislative priorities.
In order to understand current legislative initiatives, the RTC directed the development of a Transportation Funding 101 primer so legislators and the general public can better understand funding sources for transportation as well as trends that impact the amount of funding available. A shortfall of funding has been identified and the primer also addresses potential solutions to increase funding options.
Legislative Update
February 4, 2026
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
On January 30, the Senate approved five of the six remaining fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills, including the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (THUD) bill. Due to discussions related to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), DHS funding was removed from the broader spending package and extended until February 13. On February 1, funding for parts of the government covered by the spending package expired, resulting in a government shutdown. On February 3, the House adopted the Senate's revisions to the spending measure, extending department funding until September 30 and bringing the government shutdown to an end. Overall, the THUD bill protects core highway and transit formula programs, while rescinding and reallocating unobligated IIJA discretionary funding.
Approved FY 2026 THUD appropriations include:
- United States Department of Transportation: $25.1 billion in discretionary funding (This is slightly below last year when accounting for rescissions, but overall transportation funding increases once mandatory highway and airport trust fund spending is included.)
- In total, USDOT would see roughly $108 billion in new budget authority for FY 2026. The bill also repurposes roughly $2.3 billion in previously IIJA funding.
- Federal Highway Administration: $62.7 billion from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF). $927 million in new General Fund appropriations for the FHWA in the THUD bill.
- Federal Transit Administration: $14.6 billion from the HTF. $23 million in new General Fund appropriations for FTA in the THUD bill.
- Federal Railroad Administration: Receives an additional $265 million for safety and operations from the General Fund, with General Fund and IIJA Division J funds for Amtrak supporting the Northeast Corridor ($850 million) and National Network ($1.6 billion) needs.
- FIFA: $100.2 million in grant funding for transit agencies for costs related to eligible planning, capital, and operating expenses for equipment and facilities in support of matches or other public events held in domestic host cities.
- High-Speed Rail: Repealed $928.6 million in high-speed rail funding appropriated to California seventeen years ago and formally awarded in November 2011 but never spent, as well as older, unobligated high-speed rail funds.
FROM AUSTIN
On January 31, Democrat Taylor Rehmet won 57% of the vote in a special runoff election to fill the vacant District 9 Senate seat for the remainder of Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock’s term. District 9 includes part of Fort Worth and Northwest Tarrant County. It is expected that Rehmet and the Republican candidate, Leigh Wambsganss, will face off again in the November 2026 election for the seat’s full four-year term.
January Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) Hearing
The Texas Transportation Commission met on January 29. Development of the 2027 Unified Transportation Program (UTP) planning targets were presented. TxDOT will distribute draft planning targets to districts and metropolitan planning partners in early February. They plan to offer draft 2027 project recommendations to the Commission in June 2026, hold public meetings in July 2026, and request Commission approval in August 2026. Funding levels are expected to decrease from $100 billion to $94 billion in the 2027 UTP compared to the 2026 UTP.
MONITORED BILLS LIST
If you need information on the bills being tracked, please contact Jackie Nolasco at jnolasco@nctcog.org.
HIGHLIGHTED BILLS (US Congress)
H.R. 4776 - The SPEED Act, relating to shortening permitting timelines, limiting litigation, and restricting an administration’s ability to revoke project permits passed the U.S. House on December 18th. The bill moves to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. It must still be approved in Committee, pass the full Senate, and be signed by the President for it to become law.
RECENT COMMITTEE HEARINGS
US SENATE
- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on January 28 to discuss the federal environmental review and permitting processes. Witnesses from the energy and infrastructure sectors highlighted how uncertainty in the permitting system increases project timelines and costs. They emphasized that permitting reform could deliver economic and environmental benefits by providing clearer standards and reducing politicization.
- The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing on February 4 to examine autonomous vehicle policy in advance of the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization. Testimony from executives representing Tesla, Waymo, and the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association focused on the SELF-Drive Act, which would modernize federal vehicle safety standards by allowing exemptions from certain manual control requirements and requiring autonomous vehicle manufacturers to demonstrate safety compliance through a safety-case framework.
US HOUSE
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a full committee hearing on January 14 to allow members to present transportation and infrastructure priorities specific to their districts, helping inform the development of the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee held a subcommittee hearing on January 13 to discuss several draft bills relating to vehicle safety that the committee may consider as part of surface transportation reauthorization. The subcommittee focused on a flurry of auto-related bills, including two proposals that would create a federal autonomous vehicle framework.
Texas Legislature - 89th Session January 14, 2025 - June 2, 2025
- Regional Transportation Council Legislative Program for the 89th Texas Legislature 
- 89th Texas Legislature Summary of Bills (2025)
- 89th Texas Legislature Final Actions Presentation - Transportation
Texas Legislature - 88th Session January 10, 2023 - May 29, 2023
- Regional Transportation Council Legislative Program for the 88th Texas Legislature
- 88th Texas Legislature Summary of Bills (2023)
Other Resources
Congressional Updates important to our region
In 2005 Congress passed the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) . This legislation guided surface transportation policy and funding through 2009. Nine short-term extensions passed since SAFETEA-LU expired in 2009. The final short-term extension of SAFETEA-LU extended surface transportation authorization through June 30, 2012.
On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into law a two-year $105 billion surface transportation authorization, titled Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21). MAP-21 reauthorized the federal-aid highway, highway safety and transit programs that were last authorized by SAFETEA-LU. New programs and funding levels began on October 1, 2012, and continued through September 30, 2014. The final short-term extension of MAP-21 expired on December 4, 2015.
On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act into law, which authorizes Federal highway, transit, safety and rail programs for five years at $305 billion. The FAST Act is effective October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2020.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), signed into law by President Biden on November 15, 2021, is a five-year bill that authorizes $567.5 billion for surface transportation, including roads and bridges, and an additional $550 billion for water, broadband, cybersecurity, and energy infrastructure. With a total funding amount of $1.2 trillion, the act aims to modernize infrastructure across the nation and is set to expire on September 30, 2026.
2025 RTC Principles for Federal Surface Transportation Authorization