Sponsors (3)
Blocks the Secretary of Transportation from using 23 U.S.C. § 149 to establish or maintain any value, congestion, or cordon pricing program nationwide.
The bill protects drivers and local control by blocking federal congestion/cordon pricing, but at the cost of reduced federal tools to manage traffic, lower potential emissions reductions, higher state/taxpayer costs, and fewer opportunities to fund or pilot transit‑supporting pricing innovations.
Drivers and commuters (taxpayers) are protected from new congestion or cordon tolls on federally supported value‑pricing programs, preserving current out‑of‑pocket travel costs for many daily travelers.
Local governments and urban communities retain control over whether to adopt pricing schemes, preserving local decision‑making and preventing federally encouraged tolling policies that some communities oppose.
Urban commuters and drivers likely face longer travel times because the bill reduces a federal tool for managing traffic and congestion, limiting options to smooth peak‑period demand.
Residents in cities may experience worse air quality and higher vehicle emissions because the bill restricts a proven pricing policy that can lower driving and emissions.
State governments and taxpayers could incur higher costs because states may need to adopt less efficient or more costly alternatives to manage congestion without federal value‑pricing tools.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from establishing or maintaining any value pricing program under 23 U.S.C. § 149 that uses value pricing, congestion pricing, or cordon pricing, effectively barring federal authorization for congestion-pricing mechanisms nationwide. The change narrows federal authority and prevents states or local programs from relying on this federal value-pricing authority to implement congestion or cordon pricing schemes.
Official title: To amend the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to prohibit congestion or cordon pricing in a value pricing program, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 13, 2025 by Nicole Malliotakis · Last progress January 13, 2025