Balance the Highway Trust Fund Act

Where This Stands

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Signed

Currently IN_COMMITTEE. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.

Version history

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View official text →

The Frame

What this does

This legislation would tie federal transportation spending directly to incoming tax receipts, potentially reducing the amount of money available for highway and transit projects if tax revenue falls below current authorized spending levels.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

State Departments of Transportation

States would see their federal highway and transit funding distributions adjusted annually based on actual tax revenue receipts.

Federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs

These programs would be subject to new annual spending caps tied to revenue estimates.

What changed

Current stage: IN_COMMITTEE.

What's next

Floor Vote.

Summary

This bill proposes to cap annual federal spending on highway and mass transit projects so that total obligations do not exceed the amount of tax revenue collected for those purposes in the same year. If enacted, it would require the Secretary of Transportation to adjust funding distributions to states based on these revenue estimates starting October 1, 2025.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Why It Matters

This legislation would tie federal transportation spending directly to incoming tax receipts, potentially reducing the amount of money available for highway and transit projects if tax revenue falls below current authorized spending levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does this bill change current transportation funding?

It restricts federal spending on highways and mass transit to match the actual tax revenue collected for those funds, rather than allowing spending to exceed those receipts.

When would these changes take effect?

The provisions of the bill would take effect on October 1, 2025.

What happens if a state cannot use its allocated obligation authority?

The Secretary of Transportation is required to redistribute that unused authority to other states that are able to use the funds, with priority given to states with large existing balances.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Revenue-Linked Spending

The bill shifts from a model of authorized spending to a revenue-constrained model for the Highway Trust Fund.

Highway Trust Fund Secretary of the Treasury

Connected Entities

organizationSecretary of the Treasury“The bill references this agency”Map →

dollar_amount49“The bill references this title”Map →

otherTitle 49“The bill references this title”Map →

dollar_amount202“The bill references this section”Map →

date1986“The bill references this year”Map →

dateOctober 1, 2025“The bill takes effect on this date”Map →

otherPublic Law 112-141“The bill references this law”Map →

otherInternal Revenue Code of 1986“The bill amends this code”Map →

otherSection 5338“The bill amends this section”Map →

organizationSecretary of Transportation“The bill references this agency”Map →

otherSection 104“The bill references this section”Map →

dateAugust 1“The bill references this date”Map →

dollar_amount5505“The bill's identifier”Map →

dollar_amount104“The bill references this section”Map →

organizationCommittee on Environment and Public Works“Referred the bill to this committee”Map →

otherMAP-21“The bill references this act”Map →

otherSection 202“The bill references this section”Map →

organizationUnited States Senate“Introduced and referred the bill to the Committee on Environment and Public Work”Map →

organizationBureau of Transportation Statistics“The bill references this agency”Map →

dollar_amount204“The bill references this section”Map →

dollar_amount144“The bill references this section”Map →

personLee“Introduced the bill in the Senate”Map →

dollar_amount5338“The bill references this section”Map →

otherSection 144“The bill references this section”Map →

organizationHighway Trust Fund“The bill aims to limit spending from this fund”Map →

otherSection 204“The bill references this section”Map →

otherUnited States Code“The bill references this code”Map →

dollar_amount9503“The bill references this section”Map →

bill_numberS. 5505“The bill's identifier”Map →

dateDecember 12, 2024“The bill was introduced on this date”Map →

otherTitle 23“The bill references this title”Map →

otherSection 9503“The bill references this section”Map →

dollar_amount23“The bill references this title”Map →

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance85
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy60
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment10
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level