Why It Matters
American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA), a trade group representing highway and transportation construction interests, filed a third-quarter lobbying disclosure covering surface transportation reauthorization, Highway Trust Fund solvency, federal permitting reform, and several regulatory matters. The filing supports highway and public transportation reauthorization due in 2026, including the BUILD America 250 Act, and Highway Trust Fund solvency measures, including S. 536, the Fair SHARE Act, which would impose a fee on electric vehicles.
By the Numbers
ARTBA's in-house third-quarter filing reports $165,000, up $60,000 from the $105,000 reported in-house for the second quarter of 2026.
The filing names five lobbyists: Rich Juliano, General Counsel and Managing Director; Dean Franks, Senior Vice President, Congressional Relations; Prianka Sharma, Vice President/Counsel, Regulatory Affairs; Lauren Schapker, Vice President, Legislative Affairs; and Dave Bauer, President and CEO. Franks served as a House staffer during the 108th and 109th Congresses.
Broader Context
The BUILD America 250 Act was ordered reported by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on May 22, 2026, and remained at committee stage as of the filing date.
The Fair SHARE Act, sponsored by Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), was referred to the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 12, 2025, and had not advanced beyond introduction by the filing date.
On the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rulemaking, the filing states ARTBA met with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). A supplemental proposed rule was published Sept. 9, leaving the definition in active rulemaking.
ARTBA urged proper implementation of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program in line with recent court action, including a March 2026 court dismissal of related litigation as moot after the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an October 2025 interim final rule requiring applicants and owners to establish eligibility on an individualized basis.
The filing also states support for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) permitting reforms. The House passed the SPEED Act, which would limit NEPA's scope, in December 2025; it had not been enacted by the filing date.
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ) issued a May 30, 2025, press release quoting Bauer commending the Interactive Federal Review Act for modernizing permitting for federal highway projects.
Competitive Landscape
Three other organizations are also reported lobbying S.536: Associated General Contractors of America Inc., Samsung SDI America Inc., and American Trucking Associations Inc.
The Bottom Line
ARTBA's in-house spending rose in the third quarter of 2026 after holding steady across several prior quarters, while outside-firm filings from Ballard Partners and Washington Council Ernst & Young, present in each of the six prior quarters from the first quarter of 2025 through the second quarter of 2026, do not appear this period.
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