Congress blocks cities from charging rush-hour tolls to fund transit
H.R. 351 — 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. · Filed by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends federal transportation law to prohibit the U.S. Department of Transportation from establishing or maintaining any 'value pricing program' that includes congestion pricing or cordon pricing—fees charged to drivers during peak traffic hours or to enter certain zones. The bill blocks a federal tool that allows states and cities to manage traffic and fund transit by charging variable tolls, benefiting drivers who want to avoid such fees but potentially harming cities seeking to reduce congestion and fund public transportation.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is to block a specific transportation-pricing mechanism (congestion/cordon pricing) within federal value pricing programs. It is a straightforward prohibition, not a subsidy or carve-out, but it restricts a policy tool that serves public-interest goals.
What the text implies
- Blocks federal authorization for congestion pricing even if a state or city votes to adopt it, centralizing transportation policy in Congress rather than allowing local/regional choice.
- Eliminates a revenue source for transit and road maintenance that does not require raising general taxes, potentially forcing reliance on property taxes or other funding mechanisms.
- May reduce incentives for transit investment and mode-shift away from single-occupancy vehicles, with long-term air quality and public health consequences.
- Prevents dynamic pricing that could reduce peak-hour congestion and associated emissions, locking in current traffic patterns and pollution levels.
Who it affects
The bill removes a policy tool that cities and states use to reduce traffic congestion, fund transit improvements, and manage road capacity—benefits that accrue broadly to commuters and the public. By blocking congestion pricing, the bill favors drivers who avoid tolls in the short term but eliminates a mechanism that could improve air quality, reduce commute times for transit users, and generate revenue for transportation infrastructure without raising general taxes.
Who stands to gain
- drivers avoiding tolls
- automotive industry (increased vehicle miles traveled)
Named in the bill
U.S. Department of Transportation, Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, 23 U.S.C. 149, value pricing program, congestion pricing, cordon pricing
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Jan 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 13, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $720,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 164 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Nicole Malliotakis, the sponsor, reported $1,140,250 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Trucking Associations — $720,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI scored this bill from its title only — the full text has not been read; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
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