November 13, 2026

FROM WASHINGTON, D.C.

It has been over a week since the 2026 midterm elections, which resulted in Democrat gained seats nationwide and both chambers of Congress shifting to Democratic control. In the U.S. House of Representatives, Democrats currently hold 254 seats, while Republicans hold 163 seats. In the U.S. Senate, Democrats hold 54 seats and Republicans hold 44. Two senate races remain uncalled in Alaska and Mississippi, and 19 races for the US House of Representatives are yet to be determined. On November 9, newly elected congressmembers attended orientation at the U.S. Capitol before being sworn into office on January 3, 2027, the start of the 120th Congressional Session. As the incoming majority party in the House of Representatives, Democrats will also elect a new Speaker of the House at that time. 

The current continuing resolution for both Appropriations and the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act will expire on December 11, and a full reauthorization will most likely not occur until the next Congressional session. An extension is expected in December, but the length is unknown at this time.  Representative Rick Larsen (D-Washington) is expected to chair the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Representative Larsen hopes to refile and pass H.R. 8870: Build America 250 (BA250) through the House at the start of the 120th Session, with the goal of having it fully enacted by June 2027. If passed, this bill would reauthorize USDOT's surface transportation programs for five years, with $580 billion in dedicated funding beginning in fiscal year 2027. The Senate is also expected to release their own bill text in the new Congressional session

FROM AUSTIN

On November 3, Democrats won every statewide race on the ballot, marking the first Democratic statewide victory in Texas since 1994. Gina Hinojosa won the governor's race by 7.1 points, while James Talarico won the United States Senate seat by 11.7. Democrats are on track to gain 21 seats in the Texas House, giving them their first majority in more than two decades. Sixteen Republican incumbents lost their seats, and the House will have 42 new members. Representative Angie Chen Button (R) lost House District 112 (Richardson) to Zach Herbert (D), Representative John McQueeney (R) lost House District 97 (Fort Worth) to Beth Llewellyn McLaughlin (D), and Representative Morgan Meyer (R) retained House District 108 (University Park). Republicans currently hold a 19-12 majority in the Texas Senate. Taylor Rehmet (D) held Senate District 9 (Fort Worth), while former Mansfield Representative David Cook (R) won Senate District 22 (Waco). The vacancies in Attorney General-elect Nathan Johnson's Senate District 16 (Dallas) and Comptroller-elect Sarah Eckhardt's Senate District 14 (Austin) will be filled through a "expedited" special election before the 90th legislative session.

While the 90th Legislature convenes on January 12th, incumbent members began pre-filing on Monday, November 9, with bills accepted until March 12, 2027. According to the Texas Legislative Online (TLO) website, 1,262 bills were filed on the first day of pre-filing, ahead of the 90th legislative session. During last year's regular session, lawmakers filed over 8,700 bills and 2,700 resolutions, with fewer than 1,200 being passed and sent to the Governor. 

During the first day of pre-filing, transportation-related bill topics include:

• Transportation Funding – Permitting additional uses of Prop 1/State Highway Fund; Additional uses of State Highway Fund for airports, seaports, spaceports, border; Creation of new funds for certain areas or projects: STRONG Fund, Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund
• General Transportation – High-Speed Rail CDA; Flood control measures for TxDOT projects; Toll billing/collection; Toll discounts; HOV occupants; Advanced air mobility operations and regulation; Bicycle traffic rule changes
• Air Quality – Scrap tires program; concrete plant regulation
• Land Use/Planning – Municipal Utility Districts; subdivision plans/plats; Public Improvement Districts; infrastructure costs incurred by a developer; parking requirements
• Energy/Wind – Solar/wind energy devices; equipment used to dispense energy to EVs; ERCOT interconnections

Texas Tribune – October Fort Worth Legislative Priorities Event

On October 7, the Texas Tribune held a panel to discuss and prioritize the most pressing issues facing the Fort Worth community, prior to the upcoming Texas Legislature Session. The panel consisted of Fort Worth State Representative Nicole Collier, Jason Villalba, Chair and CEO of the Texas Hispanic Policy Foundation, and Renzo Downey, lead writer of The Blast. The Texas Tribune also gave Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker a chance to speak. Property taxes, education, data centers, and affordability were the main topics of discussion among the panel. Rep. Collier and Mayor Parker agreed that lowering property taxes would only exacerbate the problem by reducing funding for essential public services, agreeing that community centers and healthcare programs would be some of the first to be cut. Mr. Villalba remarked that expanding school choice programs will be the top priority for Republican representatives this session. Data centers are also a major concern, as Rep. Collier noted that Tarrant County’s water and natural resources must be preserved. Affordability, including property taxes, will be a major focus of the upcoming legislative session. 

Texas Tribune – October Dallas Legislative Priorities Event

On October 8, the Texas Tribune held a panel to discuss policy priorities for the Dallas community, prior to the upcoming Texas Legislature Session. Panelists included Representatives Jeff Leach, Venton Jones, and Senator Tan Parker, as well as finance experts Greg Meeks and John Sepehri. The first panel discussion between Representatives Leach and Jones focused primarily on affordability, property taxes, education, and data centers. Both Representatives addressed transportation and noted that transportation funding should be prioritized. Representative Leach wants to cut property taxes but believes that there are enough funds elsewhere to pay for roads and other infrastructure. Representative Jones supports public transportation, but he also wants to hold the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) and other transportation entities accountable. He supports expanding public transportation options, including high speed rail, but he prefers to invest in existing infrastructure. Senator Parker’s panel with two finance experts was focused on establishing Dallas as a finance hub, rivaling New York and Delaware. 

October Texas Transportation Commission (TTC) Hearing

The TTC met on October 29. Contracts for highway improvement and other transportation facilities, routine maintenance, and construction and rehabilitation of buildings were presented and approved unanimously by the Commission. Additionally, eminent domain proceedings for acquiring real property for non-controlled and controlled access highways were passed, along with the approval of all routine minute orders. 

MONITORED BILLS LIST

If you need information on the state or federal bills being tracked, please contact Jackie Nolasco.

• Texas Legislature
• US Congress

UPCOMING COMMITTEE HEARINGS

TEXAS SENATE

• The Senate Transportation Committee will meet on Tuesday, August 25, at 9 am. The Committee will discuss the following interim charges of interest:
  • Prioritizing Public Safety at Rail-Grade Crossings: Examine the Texas Department of Transportation’s implementation of increased funding for rail-grade separation projects. Examine how the agency is using these new resources to prioritize projects for mobility and safety concerns. Make recommendations to ensure that expanded state investments deliver measurable improvements in freight movement and community safety.
    o Studying the Deployment of Autonomous Vehicle Technology: Study the deployment of autonomous vehicle technology as authorized by SB 2807, (89th Session), including rulemaking adopted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. Quantify the impact on traffic-related collisions. Make recommendations to ensure that the continued deployment of autonomous vehicles prioritizes public safety and aligns with the evolving technological landscape on Texas roads.
• The Senate Economic Development Committee will meet on Thursday, September 3, at 9 am. The Committee will discuss the following interim charge of interest:
  • Ensuring Local Hotel Occupancy Tax Accountability: Study the collection, reporting, and use of state and local hotel occupancy tax revenues, and review data and outcomes under the current legislative framework to assess whether it is operating as intended. Make recommendations to ensure the effectiveness of local incentives and safeguard long-term fiscal accountability.

TEXAS HOUSE

• The House Transportation Funding Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, September 2, at 10 am. The Subcommittee will meet to hear invited testimony only on the following interim charge:
  • Texas Department of Transportation Funding: Examine the formula funding and discretionary funding categories used by the Texas Department of Transportation to allocate dollars for planning and construction of projects. Examine the adequacy of current funding revenue to meet projected transportation needs. Evaluate continuing the County Transportation Infrastructure Fund grant program and assess its benefits to rural road infrastructure and public safety. Recommend ways to improve transportation-related funding, allocation methodologies, and transparency.

RECENT COMMITTEE HEARINGS

TEXAS SENATE

• The Senate Transportation Committee met on Tuesday, August 25, at 9am. The Committee reviewed TxDOT’s implementation of increased funding for rail-grade separation projects, the deployment of autonomous vehicle technology as authorized by SB 2807, and the issuance of Commercial Driver Licenses (CDL) in Texas.
• The Senate Natural Resources Committee met on Monday, September 21, at 9am. The Committee studied the lifecycle and decommissioning of wind and solar facilities. 
• The Senate Economic Development Committee met on Tuesday, September 22, at 9am. The Committee studied the collection, reporting, and use of state and local hotel occupancy tax revenues, and reviewed data and outcomes under the current legislative framework to assess whether it is operating as intended. Additionally, the Committee studied the impact of AI on the Texas workforce and its implications for economic competitiveness.
  
  

TEXAS HOUSE

• The House Environmental Regulation Committee met on Tuesday, September 15, at 10am. The Committee reviewed the implementation and associated rulemaking of legislation passed by the Committee and enacted by the 89th Legislature, including SB 763, which relates to standard permits for certain concrete plants.

US SENATE

• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee met on Tuesday, November 10, at 9:30am. The Committee met on several pending nominations including Leslie Becera to be Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Governmental Affairs.

Texas Legislature - 90th Session January 12, 2027 - May 31, 2027

- Regional Transportation Council Legislative Program for the 90th Texas Legislature

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

- Texas House of Representatives 

- Texas Senate
 

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

Resources

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs (IIJA) Act

• IIJA Act Summary Presentation [PDF]
• IIJA Act Text

FAST Act

• NCTCOG FAST Act Summary [PDF]
• FAST Act Summary Presentation [PDF]
• FAST Act Text

MAP-21

• NCTCOG MAP-21 Summary [PDF]
• MAP-21 Text

SAFETEA-LU

• NCTCOG SAFETEA-LU Summary [PDF]
• SAFETEA-LU Text