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Senate language adds project dashboard, revenue triggers and unobligated-balance requirement
Summary
The Senate version of the transportation bill would add a quarterly dashboard tracking delayed and over-budget projects, repeal certain "10g" reporting requirements, require AOT updates on revenues, and set an unobligated Transportation Fund balance and reporting triggers if revenues fall.
During the conference committee walkthrough, committee counsel described several Senate additions designed to increase transparency and to create revenue-triggered reporting requirements for the transportation program.
Damian Leonard explained the Senate would require an annual graphical dashboard with quarterly updates showing projects delayed more than one year and projects whose costs have increased by more than 50% or $5 million, whichever is less. The Senate also proposed repealing the current "10g" reports that list projects with large cost increases and other budget changes; the dashboard is intended to replace those reports after a one-year overlap.
The Senate text would require the Secretary of Transportation to provide two updates to the Joint Transportation Oversight Committee on state Transportation Fund revenues and federal funding status on Sept. 30 and Dec. 15. If overall state or federal funding for FY26 declines by 4% or more, the Secretary must submit a detailed report identifying impacts on FY26 projects.
The Senate bill also includes an unobligated Transportation Fund balance requirement of $686,000 at the close of FY25/entering FY26. Leonard told the committee those revenue and balance items are interconnected with changes in other bills, including proposals in the House that would reduce certain DMV fees (the Houses S.46 and other miscellaneous DMV changes) that together were estimated to reduce revenue by over $600,000; committee members flagged that those other bills could make the Senates unobligated-balance language unnecessary.
"Section 3 from the senate bill ... requires the transportation fund to have an unobligated fund balance of $686,000 at the beginning or after the close of fiscal year 25 as fiscal year 26 opens," Leonard said. He added that other modifications under consideration in separate bills could reduce or eliminate the need for that requirement.
Committee members noted the interrelatedness of revenue, appropriations and the transportation program and asked to coordinate further with the Joint Fiscal Office and appropriations conferees as conference work continues.
