Priorities for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act
By Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL) | 4/13/2026
SEN. KATIE BOYD BRITT (R-AL)
Chair
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for transportation infrastructure. Thankfully, we have an Administration committed to making our roads safer and our infrastructure stronger. As Chair of the Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee on the Senate Banking Committee, and as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the opportunities and challenges facing public transportation, both for the great state of Alabama and across the country, are at the top of my mind.
In a Senate Banking Committee hearing last year, I introduced President Trump’s Administrator of the FTA. In my remarks, I emphasized that “transit isn’t just about buses and rail lines, it’s about connecting Americans to opportunity and ultimately helping them achieve their American Dream.” My priorities for the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act reflect this goal.
Transit safety is one of these priorities. Safety is fundamental for both transit riders and workers. It influences ridership levels, builds public trust, and plays a critical role in deciding to use public transportation. With this in mind, I believe we should incentivize transit agencies to establish mechanisms that promote a stronger safety culture. As part of this, I am strongly supportive of requiring or encouraging the development of enhanced safety plans and rewarding agencies that demonstrate measurable performance improvements, such as accident reduction or hazard mitigation. These types of initiatives would promote proactive safety management, ultimately strengthening public confidence and improving the transit experience for both riders and workers.
Surface transportation reauthorization also provides an important opportunity to consider additional ways we can improve service for riders and ensure we are maximizing federal investment. For instance, Congress can work with the FTA to develop a framework for measuring and improving customer satisfaction by hearing directly from passengers themselves during or after their rides. This approach would place passengers at the center of federal transit policy and encourage data-driven service improvements.
Since taking office, I have been focused on cutting needless bureaucratic red tape, and my priorities for this reauthorization act are the same. I believe we need to strengthen our public transit systems by directing the FTA to simplify the bus procurement process for local agencies, while considering ways to reduce costs for both manufacturers and grantees. With the federal government covering up to 80 percent of purchase costs, this effort would address fragmented procurement and limited supplier competition, improving efficiency in the nation’s most used mode of transportation
I’m proud to co-lead bipartisan legislation in the Senate that I hope to see included in this reauthorization act. The Bus Rolling Stock Modernization Act would modernize outdated 40-year-old payment practices for our bus manufacturers and purchasers. This bill would help local transit agencies better serve their communities and support Made in America manufacturing, like New Flyer, located in Anniston, AL. This domestic manufacturer, one of the only companies in the nation that manufactures transit buses, creates good-paying jobs in our state, but even more importantly, it provides a critical product Americans rely on each and every day.
As we are considering updates to the country’s transit system, fiscal responsibility must remain top of mind. I would like to see incentives that reward agencies demonstrating sound financial stewardship and transparency. It’s important that agencies maintain clean and timely audits, publish public financial statements, and develop long-term financial plans. This type of initiative would promote accountability, efficiency, and responsible use of taxpayer dollars.
Congress must promote legislative solutions that spur economic development and drive investment in both our urban and rural areas, which are often overlooked. I will continue to work diligently with my colleagues and with the Trump Administration on a comprehensive Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act ahead of the end of this fiscal year. Americans deserve high-quality, American-made vehicles that allow them to connect with loved ones and travel safely and efficiently to church, work, school, the grocery store, and everywhere in between.