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
May 16, 2025
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
On Wednesday, May 14, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing met to review the FY 2026 Department of Transportation budget. The hearing focused on addressing the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) staffing shortages, boosting infrastructure investments, and maintaining key housing assistance, all while proposing overall budget cuts to grant programs to reduce spending. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy emphasized the necessity for air traffic control reform and modernization, as well as the streamlining of infrastructure projects.
On Wednesday, May 14, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee met to review the implementation of the 2024 FAA reauthorization bill. The hearing focused on the Trump administration’s efforts to modernize and transform the nation’s aviation systems, which includes addressing air traffic control shortages, encouraging new technology and protecting U.S. consumers.
FROM AUSTIN
There are less than three weeks left of the 89th session of the Texas Legislature. The first significant deadline in May was this Monday, May 12. House bills were due to be reported out of committees by Monday; bills that were not reported out have no chance of moving forward this session. Additionally, Thursday, May 15, was a significant deadline in the House. A House bill had to get its initial approval on the House floor by that date. If a House bill was not passed, it will not move forward this session unless it is amended onto a similar bill, which does not happen frequently. Local and consent House bills have one extra day to pass out of the House.
The House Transportation Committee met on May 12 at 8 am to review several bills of interest. SB 546 (Menendez) would remove the two-point seatbelt option and require school districts to report bus inventory and costs for three-point seatbelt compliance over four years. SB 1902 (Nichols) would create a standard for license plates when selling the vehicles, allowing plates to be kept by the owner and transferred to a new vehicle. All bills were approved in a closed session the next day.
The Senate Transportation Committee met on May 14 at 8 am to review and approve several bills. HB 2003 (Harris) would require an entity proposing a high-speed rail project to disclose key financial and operational details about its high-speed rail project by adding it to the Transportation Rail Plan. HB 2029 (Noble) would clarify that travel trailer owners do not have to get a safety inspection for travel trailers. These bills were approved by the committee.
MONITORED BILLS LIST
If you need information on the bills being tracked, please contact Jackie Nolasco at jnolasco@nctcog.org.
HIGHLIGHTED BILLS WITH ACTION
- SB 2351, Relating to the construction, expansion, or modification of certain concrete plants under a standard permit. Passed the House on May 9, 2025. Enrolled and forwarded to the governor for action.
- HB 2149, Relating to nonconforming land uses after the adoption of or change to a zoning regulation or boundary. Passed the House on May 9, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 464, Relating to the establishment of a grant program to support the elimination of illegally disposed of scrap tires. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 954, Relating to the authority of a county to cancel subdivisions in the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 1557, Relating to waiver programs for certain veterans provided by toll project entities. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 2440, Relating to the authority of a state agency or the state's air quality state implementation plan to impose certain restrictions with respect to a motor vehicle, including a motor vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 2462, Relating to the use of a high occupancy vehicle lane by an operator of a motor vehicle who is pregnant. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 2621, Relating to the recording and archiving of live video feed by the Texas Department of Transportation. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 2725, Relating to discount programs provided by toll project entities for certain customers. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 3134, Relating to advanced air mobility. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- SB 1555, Relating to a grant program to fund certain railroad grade separation projects. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Enrolled and forwarded to the governor for action.
- SB 1729, Relating to the registration and inspection of vehicles. Passed the House on May 10, 2025. Enrolled and forwarded to the governor for action.
- HJR 35, Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of and use of money in the Grow Texas fund and allocating certain general revenues to that fund. Passed the House on May 12, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HJR 47, Proposing a constitutional amendment providing for the creation of the Texas severance tax revenue and oil and natural gas (Texas STRONG) defense fund. Passed the House on May 12, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- SB 1841, Relating to the confidentiality of certain information collected by certain local governments and airport governing boards. Passed the House on May 12, 2025. Enrolled and forwarded to the governor for action.
- SB 2017, Relating to the creation of a criminal offense for operating a vehicle under certain circumstances causing a tire of the vehicle to spin, lose traction, or leave the surface of a highway. Passed the Senate on May 12, 2025. Received in the House
- HB 3722, Relating to the protection of certain airspace designated for use by Department of Defense contractors. Passed the House on May 13, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 1109, Relating to an exemption from certain motor fuel taxes for counties in this state. Passed the House on May 13, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- SB 1697, Relating to a customer guide to home solar energy devices. Signed by the governor on May 13, 2025.
- HB 2011, Relating to the right to repurchase from a condemning entity certain real property for which ad valorem taxes are delinquent. Passed the House on May 14, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 3514, Relating to the operation of a program by the Texas Department of Transportation to allow a real property owner to plant or replace vegetation in a right-of-way. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 4473, Relating to a study by the Texas Department of Transportation of the construction and maintenance of certain county road systems in this state. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- HB 4520, Relating to requirements for loans or grants provided by the Texas Transportation Commission to aviation facilities located in economically disadvantaged counties. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- SB 480, Relating to the authority of a local government to enter into an interlocal contract with certain governmental entities to participate in water research or planning activities. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Received in the Senate.
- SB 2039, Relating to the applicability of certain pedestrian laws to certain sidewalk users. Passed the House on May 15, 2025. Received in the Senate.
UPCOMING COMMITTEE HEARINGS
TEXAS HOUSE
- The House Transportation Committee will meet on Monday, May 19 at 8 am. The Committee will meet to consider the following bills of interest:
- SB 35 Relating to design-build contracts
- SB 1365 Relating to vehicle registration, license plates, and inspection reports
- SB 1394 Relating to weight and tire load restrictions for the operation of a vehicle transporting ready-mixed concrete on a public highway
- SB 2199 Relating to increasing the criminal penalty for loading certain overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials at a weight that exceeds the weight limitations authorized for the vehicle
- SB 2200 Relating to a prohibition on the operation or movement of certain overweight vehicles transporting hazardous materials under certain circumstances; creating a criminal offense
- The House Ways and Means Committee will meet on Monday, May 19 at 9 am. The Committee will meet to consider the following bill of interest:
- SB 1277 Relating to the expiration of the municipal sales and use tax for street maintenance in certain municipalities
- The House Criminal Jurisprudence Committee will meet on Tuesday, May 20 at 8 am. The Committee will meet to consider the following bill of interest:
- SB 826 Relating to the operation of a motor vehicle in a school crossing zone while intoxicated
- SB 2017 Relating to the creation of a criminal offense for operating a vehicle under certain circumstances causing a tire of the vehicle to spin, lose traction, or leave the surface of a highway
US SENATE
- The Environment and Public Works Committee will meet on May 21 on the US Environment Protection Agency’s proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
RECENT HEARINGS
TEXAS HOUSE
- Transportation (May 12)
- SB 546 Relating to seat belts on buses that transport children (Approved on May 13)
- SB 1902 Relating to the administration of the dealer-issued license plates database and to the removal and transfer of license plates (Approved on May 13)
- Homeland, Public Safety, Veterans (May 14)
- SB 2569 Relating to the reporting requirement for certain law enforcement agencies regarding the agencies' use or operation of an unmanned aircraft (Approved)
- Land and Resource Management (May 15)
- SB 1708 Relating to the effect of the model subdivision rules on an exception to county platting requirements applicable to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality (Pending)
- SB 2523 Relating to the release of an area from the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a municipality by petition (Pending)
TEXAS SENATE
- Business and Commerce (May 13)
- HB 431 Relating to the regulation by a property owners' association of the installation of solar roof tiles (Pending)
- HB 1522 Relating to notice of a meeting held under the open meetings law (Pending)
- HB 3228 Relating to the inclusion of recycling or disposal provisions in certain lease agreements of wind or solar power facilities (Pending)
- HB 3229 Relating to recycling of certain renewable energy components (Pending)
US HOUSE
- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation and Housing met on May 14 to review the FY 2026 Department of Transportation budget. The summary is discussed above.
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee held a “Member Day” to hear priorities of committee members.
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee met on May 15 for a hearing titled, “FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024: An Update on Implementation One Year Later.” The summary is discussed above.
US HOUSE
- The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee met on May 13 on the pending nomination for David Fink to be Federal Railroad Administrator.
- The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee met on May 14 to discuss pending nominations including Sean McMaster to be Federal Highway Administrator.
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