State Transportation Policy

All State Funding & Policy Resources

State Transportation Policy and Funding


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Why the focus on state policy?

State legislators face a critical choice: continue pumping scarce dollars into a complex and opaque system designed to spend funds based more on politics than needs, or revise their policies to expand transparency and accountability, boost state and local economies, invest in innovation, save money and improve safety for the traveling public.

Most of the 23 states that increased their own transportation funding sources between 2012 and 2015 also failed to update the underlying policies governing the spending of those new funds — policies that are often relics of decades-old priorities out-of-touch with the new needs of increasingly diverse economies and demographics.

Considering this and the fact that the federal transportation program is still largely a block grant given to and controlled by the states, state leadership on transportation issues is more important than ever to advance creative and innovative transportation funding and policy reforms to make the most of limited infrastructure dollars.

Recent updates

We are regularly producing new resources and informative posts about state transportation funding and policy. Catch up on the most recent news (including periodic webinars) right here.

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Join our state network

Congress dawdles; states step up. Learn more about our new network to support smart state efforts to raise transportation revenues, and join it today.

Tell Me More

 

This page and the menu below is the hub for all of our state transportation policy and funding resources. Start with the most current highlights on state policy and funding that are active during the current (2016) legislative sessions, view our past work chronicling the states raising new funding since 2012, or look at our widely cited data on how voters have responded to legislators raising new transportation fees or taxes.


  • Transportation Vote 2018
    Transportation Vote 2018

    Tracking the 2018 ballot measures and referenda that will raise new revenue for transportation at the local or state level.

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  • Tracking Increases in State Transportation Funding
    Tracking Increases in State Transportation Funding

    Since the start of the 2013, major new proposals from governors, state legislatures and blue ribbon commissions galore have sparked…

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  • Transportation briefing book for governors
    Transportation briefing book for governors

    This guide shows governors and their administration how a fresh approach to transportation is fundamental to creating quality jobs…

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  • Transportation Vote 2016
    Transportation Vote 2016

    Tracking the 2016 ballot measures and referenda that will raise new revenue for transportation at the local or state level.

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  • Tracking State Policy & Funding Legislation
    Tracking State Policy & Funding Legislation

    Which states are moving to raise new money for transportation? Which states are proposing to change to how those dollars are spent?…

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  • 12 Policies States Should Consider in 2016
    12 Policies States Should Consider in 2016

    This outlines 12 proven reform-minded policy solutions states should consider implementing to expand transparency and accountability,…

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  • State Transportation Funding in 2015
    State Transportation Funding in 2015

    A near historic 12 states total raised new transportation funding in 2015. This report distills what happened in 2015 into some lessons…

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  • Keys to Winning State Transportation Funding
    Keys to Winning State Transportation Funding

    Across the country states are raising revenue to bring their transportation infrastructure into a state of good repair and better meet…

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  • Join our state advocacy network
    Join our state advocacy network

    Congress dawdles; states step up. Learn more about our new network to support smart state efforts to raise transportation revenues.

    Read More →

  • Analysis – How do voters respond to raising $ for transport?
    Analysis – How do voters respond to raising $ for transport?

    A short analysis of how voters responded following successful legislative votes to increase taxes or fees to invest in transportation.…

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  • Measuring Up – State and Local Transportation Funding
    Measuring Up – State and Local Transportation Funding

    It’s certainly not a new trend, but as federal transportation spending has remained flat, plans to raise state and local transportation…

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