Over the past six years, Congress has passed a series of 32 short-term extensions to the highway-funding bill, while it has struggled to pass a long-term transportation funding plan.
To help Congress reach a resolution faster and in time for the May 31 deadline, the U.S. Transportation Department will unveil its multiyear $478 billion proposal to fund surface transportation repairs.
The 361-page bill is a revised version of a multiyear bill introduced last year. A general outline of the proposal has been shared with Congress, but details of the plan have not been released. U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will unveil the new plan in Washington.
The proposal emphasizes the importance of removing unrepaired vehicles from U.S. roads faster — including requiring all new car dealers to check for uncompleted recalls when owners take their vehicles in for service.
It would also require tire purchases to be registered with the manufacturer — and give the government the power to set new electronics safety standards and file criminal charges against vehicle hackers.
It would phase out traditional toll collectors, requiring that after Oct. 1, 2016, "new toll facilities on federal-aid highways use only non-cash electronic technology for toll collection."
