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US Congress · H.R. 171 · In committee

Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2025-01-03
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act Read the full text

Government Operations and Politics

What it does

The bill would require the Department of Transportation's inspector general to audit federal funds received over the 5 fiscal years before enactment by the 5 public transit agencies with the most passenger trips in 2019. The audit would cover money received under regular transit law and four coronavirus relief laws, and describe how the funds were spent. The inspector general would have to report the results to Congress within 180 days of enactment.
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.

Read it in plain language

AI plain language2 sections
Written by AI from the complete official bill text and independently fact-checked against it. Not legal advice.
1Short title

This section would let the bill be officially called the Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act .

2Inspector General audit on public transportation coronavirus relief spending

This section would require the inspector general of the Department of Transportation to audit the federal funds given to each specified transit agency under a set of listed transportation and coronavirus relief laws, covering the 5 fiscal years ending before this Act becomes law. The audit would have to show the amount of funds each agency received under each of those laws and describe how the agency spent that money. Not later than 180 days after this Act becomes law, the inspector general would have to submit a report with the audit results to Congress. The laws to be audited would be chapter 53 of title 49 of the United States Code, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Public transportation would carry the meaning already given to that term in section 5302 of title 49 of the United States Code. A specified transit agency would mean one of the 5 entities providing public transportation that reported the most unlinked passenger trips to the National Transit Database for calendar year 2019 and that received federal funds under any of the listed laws.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

2. Inspector General audit on public transportation coronavirus relief spending (a) Inspector general audit (1) Audit required The inspector general of the Department of Transportation shall conduct an audit of funds provided to each specified transit agency under the applicable laws during the 5 fiscal years ending before the date of enactment of this Act. (2) Contents of audit The audit conducted under paragraph (1) shall include the amount of funds received under each of the applicable laws and a description of how such funds were spent. (3) Report to Congress Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the inspector general shall submit to Congress a report containing the results of the audit. (b) Definitions In this Act: (1) Applicable laws The term applicable laws means the following: (A) Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code. (B) The Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020. (C) The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. (D) The Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. (E) The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. (2) Public transportation The term public transportation has the meaning given the term in section 5302 of title 49, United States Code. (3) Specified transit agency The term specified transit agency means the 5 entities providing public transportation with the most unlinked passenger trips for calendar year 2019, as reported to the National Transit Database, that received Federal funds under any of the applicable laws.

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 2 sections

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-01-03

In the House.

Committee, then floor votes in both chambers · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-12. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

2%
of bills introduced became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=16,213)
2
sponsors, out of 218 needed to pass

Who is lobbying on this

AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATIONvia AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
5 filings
From 5 filings in federal lobbying disclosures (LDA), via lda.gov, naming this bill (2025 to 2026). Filings are self-reported by lobbying firms and show who is paid to influence this bill. They do not say which side, or whether it worked.
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. (2025-01-04).