Title 49TransportationRelease 119-73not60

§31110 Authorization of Appropriations

Title 49 › Subtitle SUBTITLE VI— MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS › Part B— COMMERCIAL › Chapter 311— COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY › Subchapter I— GENERAL AUTHORITY AND STATE GRANTS › § 31110

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The law lets the Secretary of Transportation use money from the Highway Trust Fund (not the Mass Transit Account) to pay Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration administrative costs: $360,000,000 for FY2022; $367,500,000 for FY2023; $375,000,000 for FY2024; $382,500,000 for FY2025; and $390,000,000 for FY2026. The money can pay staff, rent, IT, research and technology, information and regulatory systems, outreach and education, other operating costs, safety reviews of new carriers, and other needed administrative expenses. The Secretary may run outreach and education through grants or contracts, including work to help detect and report human trafficking. The federal share can be up to 100% of a project, but no more than $4,000,000 each year from these funds. The amounts are available for obligation at apportionment/allocation or on October 1 of the fiscal year, stay available until spent, and approved funds are a federal payment obligation.

Full Legal Text

Title 49, §31110

Transportation — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)There are authorized to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for the Secretary of Transportation to pay administrative expenses of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration—
(1)$360,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
(2)$367,500,000 for fiscal year 2023;
(3)$375,000,000 for fiscal year 2024;
(4)$382,500,000 for fiscal year 2025; and
(5)$390,000,000 for fiscal year 2026.
(b)The funds authorized by this section shall be used for—
(1)personnel costs;
(2)administrative infrastructure;
(3)rent;
(4)information technology;
(5)programs for research and technology, information management, regulatory development, and the administration of performance and registration information systems management under section 31106(b);
(6)programs for outreach and education under subsection (c);
(7)other operating expenses;
(8)conducting safety reviews of new operators; and
(9)such other expenses as may from time to time become necessary to implement statutory mandates of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration not funded from other sources.
(c)(1)The Secretary may conduct, through any combination of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other activities, an internal and external outreach and education program to be administered by the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The program authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while deferring to existing resources, as practicable.
(2)The Federal share of an outreach and education project for which a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement is made under this subsection may be up to 100 percent of the cost of the project.
(3)From amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available not more than $4,000,000 each fiscal year to carry out this subsection.
(d)Amounts authorized from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) by this section shall be available for obligation on the date of their apportionment or allocation or on October 1 of the fiscal year for which they are authorized, whichever occurs first.
(e)Amounts made available under this section shall remain available until expended.
(f)The approval of funds by the Secretary under this section is a contractual obligation of the Federal Government for payment of the Federal Government’s share of costs.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2021—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 117–58 added subsec. (a) and struck out former subsec. (a) which authorized appropriations for administrative expenses of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration for fiscal years 2016 to 2020. 2018—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 115–99 inserted at end “The program authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while deferring to existing resources, as practicable.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective Oct. 1, 2015, see section 1003 of Pub. L. 114–94, set out as an

Effective Date

of 2015 Amendment note under section 5313 of Title 5, Government Organization and Employees.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

49 U.S.C. § 31110

Title 49Transportation

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60