Sponsors (2)
The bill increases worker and public roadway safety through better data, outreach, research, and standardized planning—but does so at cost to states and local agencies (especially smaller jurisdictions) and requires modest new federal spending and administrative capacity to realize benefits.
Construction and highway/roadside transportation workers will face fewer vehicle intrusions, speed-related incidents, and serious injuries because States must collect worker-specific crash/injury data, carry out targeted prevention strategies, expand Move Over outreach, fund research-backed countermeasures, and require work zone safety plans.
Federal funding and programs will provide sustained resources for public outreach and safety research (NHTSA PSAs/outreach and university/federal research centers), increasing the capacity to educate drivers and develop new engineering/technology solutions for work zone safety.
States and project applicants will have stronger incentives and clearer federal-aligned guidance to adopt standardized work zone safety plans and FHWA best practices, improving consistency across projects and potentially making applicants more competitive for federal funding.
State and local governments — especially smaller and resource-limited agencies — will face increased data-collection, reporting, planning, and compliance costs to meet new definitions, outreach, and safety-plan requirements, potentially delaying projects or shifting local budgets.
Smaller jurisdictions and rural communities may be disadvantaged: limited planning capacity and technical assistance could leave them unable to comply quickly or compete effectively for grants, widening disparities in safety improvements.
The authorized federal appropriations (e.g., $2M/yr for outreach and $3M/yr for research centers) increase federal spending and could contribute to budgetary pressure or require offsets elsewhere.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Requires better highway-worker crash data, adds worker-protection criteria to planning and grants, expands Move Over outreach, and funds DOT research and NHTSA outreach for FY2027–FY2031.
Introduced March 26, 2026 by Catherine Marie Cortez Masto · Last progress March 26, 2026
Requires federal, state, and program-level changes to improve safety for highway workers by strengthening crash data collection and classification, adding worker-protection criteria to grant evaluations and State safety plans, directing NHTSA outreach about Move Over laws, and funding targeted research and public awareness. It authorizes modest annual funding for NHTSA outreach ($2 million/year) and DOT research ($3 million/year) for FY2027–FY2031 and sets deadlines for outreach products and follow-on public service announcements. Makes States improve how they record and distinguish highway worker crashes and require States whose worker injuries or deaths rise over a recent two-year period to add strategies to their next State Strategic Highway Safety Plan; requires grant applicants to describe protections for workers during construction and after project completion; and directs DOT to expand research and outreach using existing FHWA and university resources.