Sponsor
Stephen Cohen
Representative · D-TN
Representative · D-TN
The bill centralizes and elevates victims' roadway safety concerns through a permanent, well-accessed Advocate to improve outreach and policy input, while imposing new administrative costs and limits on the Office's ability to take enforcement action, creating a trade-off between better coordination/visibility and modest added bureaucracy with constrained authority.
Victims, survivors, and their families gain a dedicated federal point of contact at DOT to raise roadway safety concerns and recommendations directly to Department leadership.
State and local governments, DOT programs, and taxpayers benefit from aggregated, accessible stakeholder feedback that can inform and improve road safety policies, programs, and outreach.
Federal transportation staff and stakeholders gain continuity and better-informed recommendations because the Advocate is a career appointee with full access to Department documents.
Victims and families may find the Advocate limited in effectiveness because the Office cannot pursue enforcement, policy, or legal actions to directly resolve concerns.
Taxpayers and DOT operations will incur additional costs and administrative resources to create and staff the Advocate, potentially diverting funds or staff time from other programs.
The requirement for quarterly meetings and reporting could shift Secretary and staff time toward oversight and administrative compliance rather than program delivery.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a National Roadway Safety Advocate at DOT to collect stakeholder input, educate the public, and report annually to the Secretary.
Official title: To establish the position of National Roadway Safety Advocate within the Department of Transportation, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 31, 2025 by Stephen Cohen · Last progress January 31, 2025
Creates a new career position in the Department of Transportation called the National Roadway Safety Advocate inside the Office of the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy. The Advocate will collect and communicate recommendations from crash victims, survivors, and other roadway stakeholders to DOT leadership, serve as a stakeholder contact and educator, provide aggregated feedback, meet regularly with the Secretary, publish accessible materials, and submit an annual report; the role cannot give legal advice, make agency decisions, or interfere with enforcement or personnel matters. The office must be established within 180 days of enactment and will receive funding and support from the Under Secretary's office.