Sponsors
The bill increases federal oversight and creates pathways for public acquisition of toll assets to curb abusive tolling and give states local control, but those benefits come with taxpayer costs, administrative burdens, legal complexities, and uneven implementation risks.
Drivers and commuters on privately operated toll roads will face greater federal oversight and potential enforcement (DOT investigations and FTC/DOJ referrals), which can deter abusive or excessive tolling and improve accountability.
States and localities could gain the ability to acquire toll assets through a federal purchase program, allowing state ownership to set tolls and reinvest revenue locally, which may reduce profit-driven pricing and fund transportation improvements.
Low-income commuters stand to be protected from sudden toll spikes if investigations, enforcement, or public acquisition lead to restrained or more equitable toll-setting.
Federal purchases of toll assets would likely require taxpayer funding and could increase federal spending or the deficit if acquisitions are costly.
Legal and contractual barriers, plus uneven scope of oversight between private and public toll systems, could delay or limit implementation, creating uncertainty for commuters, operators, investors, and local governments.
Investigations and enforcement referrals will increase DOT administrative workload and enforcement activity, requiring staff time and likely reallocating agency resources — costs that ultimately fall on taxpayers.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires DOT to investigate private toll pricing, study federal purchase/transfer of private toll roads to states, and report findings and recommendations to Congress within one year.
Introduced August 19, 2025 by Suhas Subramanyam · Last progress August 19, 2025
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to investigate pricing practices on privately owned toll roads for price gouging, unfair practices, or unreasonable tolls and to refer potential violations to the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission. Requires a feasibility and fiscal study of the federal government purchasing privately owned toll roads and transferring them to the states, and mandates a congressional report with findings and recommendations within one year of enactment.