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
December 19, 2025
FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.
On November 12, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution (CR) that provided stopgap funding to keep the government open through January 30, 2026. Congress must pass the remaining nine annual funding bills by the end of January to avoid another government shutdown. The Senate is currently negotiating a proposed five-bill minibus appropriations package. If Congress fails to pass full-year appropriations, an additional CR, or the minibus by the end of January, a partial government shutdown is possible.
FROM AUSTIN
During the 89th Texas Legislative Session – 2nd Special Session, a new congressional district map was drawn for the November 2026 election. Despite a lower court judgment that the new map is unconstitutional, the United States Supreme Court ruled on December4 to allow its use.
December Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) Hearing
The Texas Transportation Commission met on December 16. Routine information was presented for their approval, including highway letting contracts, Federal and State aviation awards, promulgation of administrative rules, and routine minute orders and reports. Additionally, the Commission concurred with the RTC and approved Regional Toll Revenue in accordance with project agreements for the GoCarma Software System Transition on various managed lane corridors in the DFW region.
MONITORED BILLS LIST
If you need information on the bills being tracked, please contact Jackie Nolasco at jnolasco@nctcog.org.
HIGHLIGHTED BILLS (US Congress)
Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act of 2025 (H.R 6348/S. 1218): House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) and Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) introduced bipartisan legislation to help US regions prepare their transportation systems for major international sporting events. A companion bill was introduced in the Senate in April by Catwell (D-WA) and Moran (R-KS). The bill would authorize $50 million each year to support cities and surrounding regions as they manage the mobility demands of the FIFA World Cup, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Special Olympics, and similar events with the finding open five years before through 30 days after the event. Eligible uses include capital improvements, transit enhancements, active transportation, safety and congestion mitigation, traffic operations, and planning activities
MPO Eligibility
- MPOs within 100 miles of a covered event are eligible for funding.
- The bill formally defines a “host metropolitan planning organization,” which gives MPOs clear statutory standing.
- Host MPOs would receive up to $10 million per covered event and may subaward funds to partners.
- MPO-led planning activities are fully eligible, including multimodal coordination, intermodal planning, and operational planning.
- Projects must be located within 100 miles of the event and may not be temporary infrastructure.
- USDOT must provide planning and technical assistance to participating MPOs.
The House and Senate versions of the bill have been referred to their respective committees, but no additional actions have been taken.
RECENT COMMITTEE HEARINGS
US HOUSE
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – Subcommittee on Aviation met on December 3 and held a hearing on Advanced Air Mobility to review the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Reauthorization implementation and industry perspectives on integrating autonomous aircraft into the national airspace.
- The House Energy and Commerce Committee met on December 5 to review four pieces of legislation proposing revisions to the Clean Air Act’s air permitting and compliance framework. The following bills were presented to the committee:
- Air Permitting Improvements to Protect National Security Act: Allows flexibility in air permitting for certain facilities considered important to national security.
- RED Tape Act: Reduces overlapping environmental reviews between federal agencies.
- FENCES Act: Clarifies how pollution from outside the United States is treated in air quality decisions.
- FIRE Act: Updates how wildfire smoke and other uncontrollable events are handled in air quality reviews.
- The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – Subcommittee on Aviation on December 16 to hold the first FAA oversight hearing with newly confirmed Administrator Bryan Bedford; focusing on safety initiatives, workforce challenges, and National Airspace System modernization.
US SENATE
- The Senate Commerce Committee – Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation held a hearing on November 19 to examine the impacts of the 43-day federal government shutdown on the national airspace system.
- The Senate Commerce Committee – Subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation met on December 17 and heard testimony from FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford, highlighting safety and workforce initiatives, early modernization progress, and implementation of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).
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