Referred to the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Apr 24, 1997
Visual Pollution Reduction Act - Amends Federal aid highway law to repeal a provision which allows outdoor advertising to be placed within a certain distance of unzoned commercial or industrial areas on or near the Interstate and primary highway systems. Prohibits: (1) any new sign, display, or device from being erected after the enactment of this Act in specified areas adjacent to such systems; and (2) compensation from being paid for the removal of such signs and related advertising, with exceptions. Provides that a State shall not be considered to have made provision for effective control of the erection and maintenance of signs along the Interstate and primary systems: (1) unless it maintains and annually submits to the Secretary of Transportation an inventory of all State signs for which such control is required; and (2) if it carries out or permits the removal of vegetation in, or alteration of, certain rights-of-way in order to improve the visibility of any sign located outside a right-of-way. Requires such State inventory to identify each sign that is located along a system highway designated as a scenic byway.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Aug 21, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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