Federal Liaison
The Federal Liaison coordinates with internal and external stakeholders to develop federal policy positions that promote Caltrans, CalSTA and the Governor’s Office goals and initiatives with the U.S. Congress and federal agencies.
The Federal Liaison serves as Caltrans’ Congressional liaison and coordinates outreach to key U.S. Congressional offices and Washington D.C.-based non-governmental organizations. The Federal Liaison provides timely and accurate responses to Congressional inquiries and tracks major transportation-related federal legislation.
The Federal Liaison coordinates Caltrans’ comments to the federal register, coordinates action plans to implement major federal policy, and coordinates Caltrans’ implementation of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act’s (MAP-21) transportation performance management. Contact Federal Liaison
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), otherwise known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, represents a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s infrastructure, competitiveness, and communities and provides approximately $550 billion in new Federal infrastructure investment.
In advance of future Congressional action reauthorizing surface transportation programs, Caltrans is seeking your input and active engagement to ensure our collective voice is heard and reflected in the next reauthorization bill. Please see the IIJA Reauthorization Website for more information.
- 2023 Caltrans IIJA Annual Policy Narrative (PDF)
- 2022 Caltrans IIJA Policy Narrative (Final) (PDF)
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Guidebook (PDF)
- CalSTA's IIJA Implementation Website
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) IIJA Implementation Website
- IIJA Guidance | FHWA
- IIJA Technical Assistance/Local Support | FHWA
- Federal Railroad Administration IIJA Implementation Website
- Federal Transit Administration IIJA Implementation Website
- Rebuilding California Website
- U.S. DOT IIJA California Fact Sheet (PDF)
- Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Tribal Playbook
Inflation Reduction Act (IRA)
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law by the President on August 16, 2022. The IRA provides billions of dollars in incentives, grants and loans to support new infrastructure investments in the areas of clean energy, transportation and the environment.
- White House IRA Guidebook (PDF)
- Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (full text)
- FHWA IRA Website
- Clean Energy for All Website
- By the Numbers: The Inflation Reduction Act
Looking for Discretionary Grant Funding Opportunities?
Technical Assistance and Resources
- Key Notices of Funding Opportunity | USDOT
- IIJA: Open and Upcoming Infrastructure Funding Opportunities | Whitehouse (PDF) - updated as of January 30, 2024
- USDOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard - Provides communities with an overview of discretionary grant opportunities that can help meet their transportation infrastructure needs.
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Discretionary Grant Program Tool
- IRA: Open Funding Opportunities (PDF)
- Technical Assistance Guide for Communities (PDF) - A list of federal resources to help communities deliver infrastructure projects.
- DOT Navigator - Helps communities understand the best ways to apply for grants, and to plan for/deliver transformative infrastructure projects/services. Some of the topics covered are:
- Training & Resources | Caltrans Local Assistance - Offers training classes for local and tribal agencies in coordination with the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and with funds from the Cooperative Training Assistance Program (CTAP). In partnership with California universities, these subsidized classes assist local and tribal agencies with the federal-aid process, as well as infrastructure management, worker and work site safety, and workforce development.
- Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on Spare Ratio - FTA clarified its guidance on the spare ratio policy, which ensures that grant recipients operate within prudent financial management guidelines and do not use federal funds to acquire rolling stock until needed.
- Build America Center (BAC)
- Successful Grant Application Examples
- BIL Launchpad (need an account to view application materials)
- Local Infrastructure Hub
- Factsheets for Discretionary Funding Programs
- Want to request a Caltrans Letter of Support for an Application? Please see Caltrans Office of Strategic Investment Planning.
News
- Register for NEW Caltrans 2024 Federal Grants 101 Webinar Series
- Caltrans developed a resourceful Safe Streets and Roads For All (SS4A) Outreach Flyer for SS4A grant award recipients. It provides guidance, strategies, resources, and tools to help develop grant recipients' Safety Action Plans. Please see Safe Streets and Roads For All (SS4A) Outreach Flyer.
- IIJA Newsletters
- Federal Liaison Presentations
- Federal Liaison News
Transportation Performance Management (TPM) Implementation Resources
Questions on TPM? Contact the Caltrans Federal Transportation Performance Management Team
- California Initial State Performance Report to FHWA (PDF)
- California Public Road Data from the Highway Performance Monitoring System
- Caltrans Federal Transportation Performance Management Team Contacts
- Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Performance Measures & Asset Management Plan - Key Implementation Dates (PDF)
- FHWA's Implementation Resource for Transportation Performance Management and Transit Asset Management (PDF)
- FHWA’s National Performance Dashboard
- FHWA's Noteworthy TPM Practices - June 27, 2017
- FHWA's TPM Website
- MAP-21 Performance Management Fact Sheets
- MAP-21 Performance Measure Data Matrix (XLSX)
- Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)'s Regional Progress Report - June 2017
- Seattle DOT's 2017 Performance Report (PDF) - September 2017
- State Performance Dashboard and Reports
- Resources - Asset Management - Federal Highway Administration (dot.gov)
- Mid-Point Applicability Determination for the CMAQ Traffic Congestion and CMAQ On-Road Mobile Source Emissions Measures
- Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program website
- FHWA Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measure Final Rule (PDF)
Caltrans' TPM Websites
- Performance Management 1 (Safety)
- Performance Management 2 (Pavement and Bridge Condition/Asset Management)
- Performance Management 3 (System Performance)
- Caltrans’ TPM Archive
Federal Notices of Public Rulemaking
After congressional bills become laws, federal departments and agencies are responsible for implementing those laws through regulations. Regulations are developed through the federal rulemaking process. In general, departments and agencies publish proposed rules for public comment in the Federal Register https://www.federalregister.gov/. This process allows the public the opportunity to comment on whether or not a rulemaking should be initiated.
Caltrans plays an important role by commenting on proposed federal rules and other notices that solicit public input, which could potentially impact the Department. Opportunities to respond to federal requests for comments will involve two-way communication – both to and from the Office of the Federal Liaison.