# 119-s-3694: Maximizing Transportation Efficiency Act

119-s-3694, Maximizing Transportation Efficiency Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3694
- As of: 2026-09-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3694
- Congress: 119
- Title: Maximizing Transportation Efficiency Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-27
- Sponsor: Sen. Blunt Rochester, Lisa [D-DE] (D-DE)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-09-18

## 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. - 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).*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2026-09-16T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Definition of transportation demand management: benefit, medium. 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…
- More federal grants for commute programs: benefit, medium. 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,…
- More small congestion projects funded: benefit, medium. 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 coul…
- New rural transit planning grants: benefit, low. 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,…

## Related bills

- 119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026
- 119-s-1503: Equality Act
- 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3694 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3694)

## Related
- [119-s-3923: Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Reauthorization Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3923)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503)
- [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3694 (as of 2026-09-18).