113 S2961 IS: Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation Act
U.S. Senate
2014-11-20
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Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.
This Act may be cited as the
Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation Act
.2.Congress finds the following:(1)High-speed passenger rail technology, while not new in Europe and Asia, is a new transportation
technology in the United States. Its design, development, construction,
financing, funding, and operation require specific skills and expertise
that are not abundant in the United States, and will require years to
develop.(2)Unlike highways, mass transit, and aviation, high-speed rail requires unique and separated rights
of way to operate and must be fully integrated with
other passenger transportation system elements to be successful.(3)In order to ensure the proper development of high-speed intercity passenger rail service in the
United States, it is critical that a dedicated office be established
at the highest levels of the Federal Government to coordinate and
facilitate the intricate relationships between—(A)various levels of
government; and(B)the wide range of industrial interests that will be
required to work together to make high-speed rail successful.(4)Resources for transportation infrastructure are in high demand. Many people contend that there are
not
enough resources to maintain the transportation system the Nation has
built, let alone to build new modes of
transportation such as high-speed intercity passenger rail.(5)The capacity of the current transportation system threatens the present and future competitiveness
of the
United States. Unless investments are made in new, faster, and more
efficient transportation capacity, such as intercity high-speed passenger
rail, it will be very difficult for the United
States—(A)to rise out of
its current economic condition; or(B)to regain its leadership role
domestically and internationally.(6)Placing the development of a national system
of intercity high-speed rail corridors that are highly integrated with
other modes of transportation under the direct supervision of the
Secretary of
Transportation and delegating the day-to-day administration of such system
to an Assistant Secretary will ensure an effective
launch and the efficient operation of a new national transportation
modality.(7)It is in the interest of the United States to expeditiously develop and deploy intercity high-speed
passenger rail under the singularly focused direction of the Secretary of
Transportation.3.In this Act:(1)The term Assistant Secretary means the head of the Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation.(2)The term eligible participant means—(A)a State that has participated in the process to develop and implement a cost allocation
methodology under section 209(a) of the Passenger Rail Investment and
Improvement Act of 2008 (49 U.S.C. 24101 note);(B)a group consisting solely of States described in subparagraph (A);(C)an Interstate Compact consisting solely of States described in subparagraph (A);(D)a public agency established by 1 or more of the States described in subparagraph (A) that is
responsible for providing intercity passenger rail service; or(E)any entity that seeks to perform services under a contract awarded pursuant to this Act by
providing—(i)a description of how the entity intends to perform the covered services; and(ii)materials demonstrating the entity’s capability to perform the proposed services in accordance with
the
requirements under this Act.(3)The term Office means the Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation established
within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation pursuant to section
4.(4)The term program participant means an eligible participant that has entered into an authorized procurement process under
this Act.(5)The term rail carrier has the meaning given such term in section 10102(5) of title 49, United States Code.(6)The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation.(7)The term State means each of the several States and the District of Columbia.4.Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation(a)Not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
establish
the Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation within the
Office of the Secretary of Transportation. The Office shall be
composed of the Office of High-Speed Rail Policy, the Office of
High-Speed Planning,
and the Office of High-Speed Rail Operations and Safety.(b)(1)The head of the Office shall be the Assistant Secretary for Intercity Transportation Planning, who
shall be appointed by the
President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.(2)The Assistant Secretary shall—(A)serve as the principal policy advisor to the
Secretary and the Deputy Secretary on High-Speed Rail; and(B)assume responsibility for all activities of the Federal Government
associated with high-speed rail that were previously delegated to the
Administrator
of the Federal Railroad Administration or otherwise authorized by
Congress.(c)Under the direction of the Assistant Secretary, the Office shall oversee the planning,
development, construction, financing, funding, and operation of high-speed
rail in selected corridors throughout the United States.(d)Not later than 2 years after the date on which the Office is established under this section, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress the results of a feasibility study that
identifies and prioritizes corridors that offer the best opportunity to
provide point-to-point transportation service based on—(1)travel demand;(2)the total cost of construction and operation; and(3)expected passenger and other business revenue generated from the operation of transportation
service.5.Authorization of appropriations(a)There are authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund, for each of the fiscal years
2015, 2016, and 2017—(1)$20,000,000 to carry out the feasibility study required under section 4(d); and(2)$5,000,000 for administrative expenses incurred by the Office.(b)(1)Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a)(1) shall be available for the procurement of
contract services to carry out such studies as the Secretary determines
necessary to carry out section 4(d).(2)Amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection (a)(2) shall be available for the procurement of
contract services to carry out any other requirement under this Act.