H.R. 7301

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7301 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7301

To provide for the development of transportation demand management 
strategies, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 30, 2026

Ms. Strickland introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

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.''.
<all>