Sponsors (2)
Official title: To require the inspector general of the Department of Transportation to conduct an audit on the use of Federal funds by certain entities providing public transportation, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 3, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress January 3, 2025
The bill increases transparency and can help state/local governments and riders by auditing COVID-era transit relief spending, but the tight 180-day deadline and inspector general resource demands may limit the audit's depth and divert oversight capacity.
Taxpayers will get a clearer accounting of how major transit agencies spent COVID-era federal relief funds, increasing transparency over federal transit spending.
State and local governments can use audit findings to improve oversight and fund management for future federal transit aid.
Urban communities, riders, and transportation workers may benefit indirectly if auditors identify misallocated funds and prompt corrective actions that restore or improve transit service.
Taxpayers and state/local officials may receive a high-level audit report because the 180-day deadline could force a quicker, less detailed review, limiting usefulness for complex spending questions.
Federal employees and other oversight priorities could be affected because the audit will require DOT Office of Inspector General staff time and resources, diverting capacity from other oversight work.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the DOT Inspector General to audit COVID-era federal transit relief funds to the five largest transit agencies and report to Congress within 180 days.
Requires the Department of Transportation Inspector General to audit how the five largest U.S. transit agencies used federal Coronavirus-era transit relief funds across the five fiscal years before enactment and to report findings to Congress within 180 days. The audit must cover amounts received under specified COVID relief and transit statutes and describe how funds were spent.