Sponsors (4)
The bill shifts MPO decisionmaking toward locally elected officials to increase local influence and transparency in transportation planning, but reduces gubernatorial control and imposes short-term administrative costs and a tight timeline that could disrupt planning or delay projects.
Local elected officials and local governments will gain voting representation on restructured metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), giving communities—urban and rural—greater direct influence over regional transportation priorities and project selection.
Regional transportation planning will become more accountable and transparent by replacing all-gubernatorial membership rules with broader membership requirements, which can improve alignment of projects with local priorities and increase public visibility into decisionmaking.
State governments and governors will lose appointment control over affected MPOs, reducing state-level influence on regional project decisions and shifting power to local officials.
Local and state MPOs will incur additional administrative costs and staff time to redesignate or restructure governance to meet the bill's requirements within the one-year deadline.
The short one-year timeline for restructuring could disrupt ongoing planning processes and potentially delay transportation project decisions or implementation, affecting commuters and communities relying on planned projects.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
MPOs made up entirely of gubernatorial appointees must, within one year, be redesignated or restructured to include local elected officials under federal highway planning law.
Official title: To apply certain requirements for the structure of metropolitan planning organizations designated under title 23, United States Code, and for other purposes.
Introduced September 17, 2026 by Thomas Earl Emmer · Last progress September 17, 2026
Requires metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) that are currently composed only of officials appointed by a state governor to change their governance within one year. Affected MPOs must either be redesignated under an alternate federal MPO category or add members to meet the statutory membership rules that include locally elected officials. The change shifts decision-making authority away from all-gubernatorial-appointed MPO boards toward models that include local government representation, with potential effects on regional transportation priorities, planning processes, and who sets project funding recommendations.