Issue Brief 15-39
December 9, 2015
Summary 

On December 4, the president signed into law the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five-year, $305 billion reauthorization of federal surface transportation programs. The reauthorization is fully paid for, which required a $70 billion transfer to the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), offset by numerous revenue and spending provisions. The law represents the first long-term surface transportation reauthorization in more than a decade.

While the FAST Act incorporates elements from both House and Senate proposals, it adheres more closely to the Senate bill. It increases total funding, includes two major new grant programs, and reauthorizes federal rail programs. This Issue Brief provides a summary of major provisions in the FAST Act, focusing on changes to federal grant programs.