Federal law now permits EV charging at Interstate rest areas.

What it does

This bill amends federal highway law to explicitly permit electric vehicle charging stations at rest areas along Interstate highways. Currently, rest areas are restricted to certain uses; this bill carves out an exception allowing EV charging infrastructure for passenger cars at these federally funded facilities, while preserving the ban on other commercial activities. The bill also makes conforming edits to remove outdated references to EV charging in other sections of highway law.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a narrow, targeted amendment to highway law that permits a specific infrastructure use (EV charging) at a specific location type (Interstate rest areas) without creating new subsidies, mandates, or private carve-outs. It is a straightforward policy clarification.

What the text implies

• The bill does not mandate EV charging installation or fund it directly; it only permits states and private operators to install charging at rest areas if they choose. Implementation and funding depend on state/operator decisions and existing federal highway appropriations.
• Conforming amendments to §149(c)(2) and Jason's Law appear to remove EV charging references from those sections, possibly to avoid redundancy or conflicting authority now that §111(f) explicitly permits it. The net effect is clarification, not restriction.
• The savings clause in §111(f)(2) explicitly preserves the ban on other commercial activities, preventing rest areas from becoming general commercial zones—a meaningful protection against privatization creep.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Drivers gain access to EV charging infrastructure at publicly funded rest areas, reducing range anxiety and supporting the transition to electric vehicles without creating new tolls or private monopolies. The bill preserves the prohibition on other commercial activities, preventing rest areas from becoming privatized commercial zones.

Who stands to gain

• EV charging equipment manufacturers
• EV charging network operators
• Electric vehicle owners (consumer benefit, not corporate)

Named in the bill

U.S. Department of Transportation, Interstate System, Rest areas, Electric vehicle charging infrastructure, Section 111 of title 23, United States Code, Section 109(s) of title 23, United States Code, Section 32901(a) of title 49, United States Code, Section 149(c)(2) of title 23, United States Code, Section 1401(d)(2) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act

Where it stands

• Aug 1, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
• Aug 1, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works”

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, Dec 2025 to Dec 2025. Those filings disclosed $1,253,703 in lobbying spend. A filing names 8 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.

Jeff Merkley, the sponsor, reported $514,925 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Alliance for Automotive Innovation — $1,253,703 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jan 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.