At a recent forum for NCSL Foundation members in Washington, D.C., Kate Blackman and Natalie Wood, NCSL vice presidents of state research and policy, shared their forecasts for key issues likely to dominate the 2025 legislative sessions.

Legislative priorities in transportation for 2025 include finding alternatives to the gas tax, improving railroad safety and combatting distracted driving.

The most recent round of federal surface transportation funding was folded into the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires at the end of the 2026 federal fiscal year.

Congress uses surface transportation authorization to deliver transportation and related infrastructure funding to states, and it considers broad legislation such as the FAST Act and MAP-21 on a multiyear cadence.

For over 100 years, states have relied on gas taxes to support the construction and maintenance of surface transportation systems. Now, the growing use of electric vehicles and improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency are threatening state...

The future and focus of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which expires in 2026 and must be reauthorized during the next administration, is a big question mark.