PSI Sci
New here? Follow the money and the votes · Not sure of your district? Find your U.S. House member · Find your state legislators

H.R. 8579: SMART Transportation Act

Before you vote › Federal bills

H.R. 8579: SMART Transportation Act

116th Congress · introduced 2020-10-13 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2020-10-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

SMART Transportation Act

Plain summary

Strengthening Methods to Advance Research and Technology in Transportation Act or the SMART Transportation Act This bill addresses provisions related to advanced transportation technologies. Among other provisions, the bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide grants to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, mobility, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure return on investment; establish a connected vehicle deployment pilot program to provide competitive grants to spur operational deployments to meet the transportation needs of certain entities through the use of the best available and emerging intelligent transportation systems; create an automated driving system demonstration program to provide competitive grants to test the safe integration of automated driving system technologies into the on-road transportation system, ensure significant data gathering and sharing of project data, and encourage collaboration and partnerships of multiple stakeholders; and implement and deploy an advanced digital construction management system program under its technology and innovation deployment program to include deploying advanced digital construction management systems that enable the use of digital technologies on construction sites by contractors and leverage the use of such technologies. DOT must ensure that grant recipients represent diverse geographical areas of the United States, including urban and rural areas.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

SMART Transportation Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text

No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.

Limited to a few requests an hour per person.

The strongest published arguments

Arguments for (supporters)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Arguments against (opponents)

Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

Alternatives

Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.

How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Balderson, Troy [R-OH-12] reported raising $2.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (1)
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong116-hr8579 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116