[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3694 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3694
To provide for the development of transportation demand management
strategies, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 27, 2026
Ms. Blunt Rochester introduced the following bill; which was read twice
and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the development of transportation demand management
strategies, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Maximizing Transportation Efficiency
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) transportation demand management (as defined in section
101(a) of title 23, United States Code) (referred to in this
section as ``TDM'') increases the efficiency of the existing
transportation infrastructure of the United States, provides
greater access to jobs and services, and strengthens
communities and families across the country;
(2) compared to their urban counterparts, rural communities
have a disproportionate number of elderly and disabled
residents, elevated poverty levels, and limited access to
essential services like schools, healthcare facilities, stores,
and banks, and the implementation of TDM strategies can help to
address these disparities;
(3) TDM can provide transportation options to those in
rural communities who lack access to a car;
(4) according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
rural households spend more on transportation than urban
households;
(5) limited transit options in rural areas increase
dependence on owning a vehicle;
(6) in 2024, traffic congestion was estimated to cost the
United States $74,000,000,000;
(7) TDM works to lower the cost of congestion by increasing
efficiency in the transportation system;
(8) other modes of transportation are well-suited to rural
communities, particularly carpooling and vanpooling;
(9) carpool and vanpool systems are essential for helping
employees reach their worksites and residents access essential
services in rural locations; and
(10) implementing TDM is a cost-effective use of
transportation dollars.
SEC. 3. TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
(a) Definition of Transportation Demand Management.--Section 101(a)
of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (32) through (36) as
paragraphs (33) through (37), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (31) the following:
``(32) Transportation demand management.--
``(A) In general.--The term `transportation demand
management' means the use of strategies to inform and
encourage travelers to maximize the efficiency of a
transportation system, leading to improved mobility,
reduced congestion, and improved air quality, including
strategies that use planning, programs, operations,
policies, marketing, communications, incentives,
pricing, data, and technology.
``(B) Inclusions.--Transportation demand management
may include--
``(i) encouraging employers to offer
qualified transportation fringe benefits (as
defined in section 132(f) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986);
``(ii) incentives, subsidies, and use of
game-like elements such as points,
leaderboards, and challenges to encourage
engagement and participation in desired
transportation choices;
``(iii) appropriate pricing of parking,
tolls, transit, and other options;
``(iv) carpooling and vanpooling;
``(v) trip planning and ridematching;
``(vi) the implementation of State laws and
local ordinances relating to transportation
demand management, commute trip reduction, or
other similar regulations;
``(vii) parking management;
``(viii) use of high occupancy vehicle
(HOV) and high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes;
``(ix) promotion and support of
telecommuting, remote, and hybrid work
schedules;
``(x) marketing, outreach, and education to
inform people about options and shift behavior;
``(xi) support of micromobility and
pedestrian infrastructure;
``(xii) active transportation (as defined
in section 11529(l) of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (23 U.S.C. 217 note;
Public Law 117-58)); and
``(xiii) other activities that will
disperse the demand on the transportation
system.''.
(b) Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program.--
Section 149(b)(7) of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by adding ``or'' after the semicolon at the end;
(2) by striking ``program shifts'' and inserting the
following: ``program--
``(A) shifts''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(B) is for the purpose of implementing
transportation demand management strategies;''.
(c) National Infrastructure Project Assistance.--Section 6701 of
title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (E)(ii), by striking
``or'' at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking
``and'' at the end and inserting ``or''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) for the purpose of implementing
transportation demand management (as defined in section
101(a) of title 23) strategies; and''; and
(B) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by inserting ``for any project other
than a project described in paragraph (1)(G),'' before
``the eligible project costs''; and
(2) in subsection (h)(1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) activities related to the implementation of
transportation demand management (as defined in section
101(a) of title 23) strategies.''.
(d) Local and Regional Project Assistance.--Section 6702(a)(3) of
title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (G), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) by redesignating subparagraph (H) as subparagraph (I);
and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (G) the following:
``(H) a project to implement transportation demand
management (as defined in section 101(a) of title 23)
strategies; and''.
(e) Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation Grant
Program.--Section 25005(e) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs
Act (23 U.S.C. 502 note; Public Law 117-58) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by adding at the end the
following:
``(ix) Transportation demand management.--
The implementation of transportation demand
management (as defined in section 101(a) of
title 23, United States Code) strategies.'';
and
(2) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)(viii), by striking ``and''
at the end;
(B) in subparagraph (B)(vii), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) activities related to the implementation of
transportation demand management (as defined in section
101(a) of title 23, United States Code) strategies.''.
SEC. 4. RURAL TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT SET-ASIDE.
Section 173 of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (c), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting ``Except as
provided in subsection (p), the Secretary'';
(2) in subsection (e)(1), in the matter preceding
subparagraph (A), by inserting ``and in subsection (p)'' after
``paragraph (2)'';
(3) in subsection (f), in the matter preceding paragraph
(1), by striking ``An eligible entity'' and inserting ``Except
as provided in subsection (p), an eligible entity''; and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
``(p) Rural Transportation Demand Management Set-Aside.--
``(1) In general.--Of the amounts made available for the
program for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall use
$20,000,000 to provide grants for the development and
implementation of transportation demand management strategies
in rural areas to improve mobility, increase access to jobs,
and bring more modal options to families and communities in
rural areas.
``(2) Eligible recipients.--An entity eligible to receive a
grant under this subsection is--
``(A) a State department of transportation;
``(B) a metropolitan planning organization (as
defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United States
Code) serving 1 or more rural areas;
``(C) a unit of local government;
``(D) a Tribal government;
``(E) a public transit agency;
``(F) a regional transportation planning
organization; and
``(G) a nonprofit organization or institution of
higher education engaged in rural transportation
planning and commuter service programs, including
transportation management associations.
``(3) Eligible activities.--Funds from a grant under this
subsection may be used for--
``(A) development of transportation demand
management plans and policies to optimize rural
transportation networks;
``(B) marketing and public outreach campaigns to
encourage shared mobility, transit use, and alternative
transportation modes;
``(C) data collection and analysis to evaluate
rural travel patterns and assess congestion reduction
strategies;
``(D) implementation of innovative transportation
demand management strategies to encourage shared and
alternative modes of transportation, including--
``(i) vanpooling programs;
``(ii) carpooling programs;
``(iii) employer-based or local or Tribal
government commuting incentive programs;
``(iv) real-time traveler information
systems;
``(v) smart rural transportation hubs;
``(vi) intelligent transportation system
applications to enhance rural mobility; and
``(vii) deploying trip-planning
applications, mobility-as-a-service platforms,
and behavioral incentives;
``(E) coordination of public-private partnerships
to leverage technology solutions for rural travel
efficiency; and
``(F) costs associated with managing and operating
transportation demand management strategies, including
staff salaries.
``(4) Unutilized funds.--For any fiscal year, if the
Secretary determines that the amount set aside under paragraph
(1) will not be fully utilized for grants under this
subsection, the Secretary shall use the unutilized amounts to
provide grants for other projects under the program.''.
SEC. 5. CONGESTION RELIEF PROGRAM.
Section 129(d) of title 23, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)(A)--
(A) in clause (i), by striking ``with a population
of more than 1,000,000''; and
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ``with a population
of more than 1,000,000'';
(2) in paragraph (5)(D), by striking ``A grant'' and
inserting ``Except as provided in paragraph (8), a grant''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) Small project set-aside.--
``(A) In general.--Of the amounts made available
for the program for each fiscal year, the Secretary
shall use $20,000,000 to make grants to eligible
entities for projects under the program with an
estimated cost that is--
``(i) not less than $500,000; and
``(ii) not more than $10,000,000.
``(B) Unutilized funds.--For any fiscal year, if
the Secretary determines that the amount set aside
under subparagraph (A) will not be fully utilized for
grants described in that subparagraph, the Secretary
shall use the unutilized amounts to provide grants for
other projects under the program.''.
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