To amend title 49, United States Code, to provide assistance for cities hosting international sporting events taking place in the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Rick Larsen
D-WA | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Larsen of Washington (for himself and Mr. Owens) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Transportation Assistance for Olympic and World Cup Cities Act of 2025 creates a dedicated federal program to help American cities prepare their transportation systems for hosting major international sporting events. It authorizes $50 million per year in grants to metropolitan planning organizations in host cities, with up to $10 million per organization, and provides technical assistance from the Department of Transportation for planning, coordination, and expedited federal reviews.
Who Benefits and How
Cities and regions hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup (including Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, Dallas, Houston, Miami, and others) and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics benefit most directly through access to federal transportation grants. Metropolitan planning organizations receive funding to improve roads, transit, rail connections, and airport access. Transportation construction and engineering firms benefit from increased infrastructure contracts. Transit agencies can access bus-sharing programs to temporarily expand capacity during events.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Federal taxpayers fund the $50 million annual appropriation. The Department of Transportation takes on additional administrative workload for grant management, technical assistance, and expedited review requirements.
Key Provisions
- Authorizes $50 million per fiscal year for transportation grants, with up to $10 million per host metropolitan planning organization
- Covers Olympic, Paralympic, Special Olympics, and FIFA World Cup events
- Extends eligibility to state/local governments, transit agencies, airports, and Indian Tribes within 100 miles of event sites
- Provides technical assistance for transportation planning, intermodal coordination, and bus-sharing programs
- Requires expedited federal review of transportation submissions related to covered events
- Assistance available from 5 years before an event through 30 days after
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Authorizes federal transportation grants and technical assistance to cities hosting major international sporting events including the Olympics and FIFA World Cup.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Create dedicated federal funding stream for transportation infrastructure supporting major international sporting events to boost economic competitiveness of US host cities"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Cities hosting Olympics and FIFA World Cup (e.g., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston)
- Metropolitan planning organizations in host regions
- State and local transportation agencies
- Transit agencies and passenger rail operators near event sites
- Airports near event locations
- Construction and engineering firms receiving transportation contracts
- Transportation consulting and planning firms
- Indian Tribes in affected areas
Likely Burden Bearers
- Federal taxpayers (through the \M annual authorization)
- Department of Transportation (increased administrative workload)
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Transportation
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A multiday international sporting event including Olympic, Paralympic, Special Olympics, or FIFA World Cup events held at a site selected by IOC or FIFA that is not regularly held at such site
State/local government, Indian Tribe, territory hosting or supporting a covered event; metropolitan planning organizations, intercity passenger rail operators, or airport sponsors within 100-mile radius of covered event
Transportation project assisting with movement of people and goods for covered event, or mitigating adverse transportation effects from covered event
A metropolitan planning organization for an urbanized area in which a covered event is or will be held
As defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)
The Secretary of Transportation
As defined in section 101 of title 23
As defined in section 165 of title 23
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology