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119-s-3694119th CongressWALLET

Maximizing Transportation Efficiency Act

Sponsored By: Senator Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]

Introduced

Summary

Embeds Transportation Demand Management across federal transportation programs to reduce congestion, improve air quality, and expand rural access to jobs and services. The bill defines TDM broadly and creates dedicated funding for rural and small, shovel-ready projects.

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  • Rural communities gain a dedicated TDM set-aside of $20.0 million per year for planning and implementation. Grants fund vanpools, carpooling, smart rural hubs, real-time traveler info, outreach, data, and coordination by State DOTs, tribal governments, transit agencies, local governments, MPOs serving rural areas, regional planning organizations, nonprofits, and colleges.
  • Small projects get a $20.0 million set-aside within the Congestion Relief Program to fund TDM-enabled projects sized between $0.5 million and $10.0 million, favoring quick, ready-to-build fixes.
  • Major federal programs including CMAQ, INFRA, Local and Regional Project Assistance, and the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation program are amended to explicitly allow TDM activities and expand eligible costs and applicants.

*Authorizes set-asides totaling $40.0 million per year ($20.0 million for rural TDM and $20.0 million for small projects).*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.

Definition of transportation demand management

If enacted, the bill would add a legal definition of "transportation demand management." The definition would list many eligible actions, like pricing parking and tolls, carpool and vanpool programs, trip planning and apps, micromobility and pedestrian improvements, telecommuting support, employer commute benefits, marketing, and data or ITS tools. This would make it clearer which projects can use federal transportation funds for demand-management work.

More federal grants for commute programs

If enacted, the bill would make transportation demand management an explicitly eligible activity in several federal grant programs. It would let Local and Regional Project Assistance grants, INFRA (large freight/highway) grants, the SMART program, and CMAQ funds pay for TDM work like trip planning, employer programs, pricing, and operations. State DOTs, MPOs, transit agencies, and local governments could include TDM in their applications. This is a rule change about eligibility and does not itself create new taxes or automatic payments to households.

More small congestion projects funded

If enacted, the bill would add a $20 million per year set-aside in the Congestion Relief Program for projects that cost between $500,000 and $10,000,000. The bill would also remove a rule that limited some Congestion Relief features to areas with more than 1,000,000 people, so more communities could use the program. If the small-project set-aside is not used in a year, the Secretary could move the unused funds to other program projects that year. These changes expand local access to funding but do not by themselves give money directly to households.

New rural transit planning grants

If enacted, the bill would set aside $20 million each year for rural transportation demand management grants. Eligible recipients would include State DOTs, MPOs serving rural areas, local and Tribal governments, transit agencies, and nonprofits or colleges. Grants could pay for planning, marketing, data, vanpools, traveler information systems, smart mobility hubs, ITS, trip-planning apps, employer incentive programs, and staff costs. If the set-aside is not fully used in a year, the Secretary could use the unused money for other program projects that year.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE]

DE • D

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ]

    AZ • D

    Sponsored 9/16/2026

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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