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 21, 2025
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
Reconciliation
This week, House Republicans received a green light from President Trump to move forward with their single-bill approach to the reconciliation process. The House blueprint includes cost-cutting measures, an increased debt limit, and the passage of the 2017 Trump tax cuts. The President’s approval follows Senate Republicans advancing a "skinny" budget resolution that allocates funding for the military, energy, and border protection. Senate Republicans are pursuing a two-step approach—first attempting to secure an early win by passing the "skinny" budget resolution, then later pushing forward the full 2017 tax cuts. Now, with the House in the driver’s seat, the Senate will opt for a backup plan approach in case the House plan falls through. The House budget resolution needs to pass out of the Budget Committee before moving to a full floor vote where Republicans hold a razor thin majority. Speaker Johnson is indicating there will be a vote on the resolution in the coming weeks.
Road Safety Hearing
On February 12, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Highways and Transit met to assess roadway safety programs in the United States. Witnesses included representatives from county associations, roadway safety planners, and labor organizations. The hearing focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the previous surface authorization bill and identifying necessary improvements for the upcoming authorization bill. Key priorities discussed included funding flexibility, permitting reform, heavy-duty truck weight limits, and enhanced educational and safety outreach efforts for drivers.
FROM AUSTIN
A House Appropriations Committee hearing was held on Wednesday, February 19 on TxDOT's proposed budget. TxDOT's Executive Director, Marc Williams, and Chief Financial Officer, Stephen Steward, testified. Recommendations included $40.4 billion in all funds, with state highway funds making up the majority of TxDOT funding ($9.91 billion). TxDOT said recommendations provided $7.89 billion from Proposition 1 and $7.50 billion from Proposition 7. Representative Cassandra Garcia Hernandez asked about the End the Streak initiative. Mr. Williams provided additional information on the communication campaign and its investments. Representative Brian Harrison asked about the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) initiative and how it was funded. Mr. Williams and Mr. Steward assured the Representative that no state dollars had been utilized for the program, which is now halted due to the Trump administration.
MONITORED BILLS LIST
If you need information on the bills being tracked, please contact Jackie Nolasco at jnolasco@nctcog.org.
RECENT HEARINGS
TEXAS SENATE
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Senate Finance met on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, to consider SB 1, General Appropriations Bill - Article VI - Natural Resources. LBB staff testified on the budget for TCEQ. Recommendations included $849.3 million in all funds, a $55.5 million increase, primarily due to various federally funded program increases and offset by decreases due to the removal of one-time costs. The Committee also heard testimony from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Much of the discussion was related to TCEQ's public input efforts and permit applications.
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Senate Finance met on Wednesday, February 13, 2025, to consider SB 1, General Appropriations Bill - Article VII - Business and Economic Development. This included TxDOT and TxDMV.
US SENATE
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On February 19, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee met to discuss the permitting process in United States and what can be done to help reduce regulatory issues this Congress.
US HOUSE
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On February 12, the House Transportation Subcommittee on Highways and Transit met to evaluate efforts to improve highway safety through policy and program reviews within the Department of Transportation.
UPCOMING COMMITTEE HEARINGS
TEXAS SENATE
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Senate Natural Resources Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 26, to adopt committee rules and meet for an organizational hearing.
US SENATE
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The Environment and Public Works Committee will meet on Wednesday, February 26, to conduct a case study review on some of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) projects that have taken place over the past few years.
Texas Legislature - 89th Session January 14, 2025 - June 2, 2025
- Regional Transportation Council Legislative Program for the 89th Texas Legislature 
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
- Texas House of Representatives
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.
2019 RTC Principles for Federal Surface Transportation Authorization