[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4867 Engrossed Amendment Senate (EAS)]

103d CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4867

_______________________________________________________________________

                               AMENDMENTS
                  In the Senate of the United States,

                                                       August 18, 1994.
      Resolved, That the bill from the House of Representatives (H.R. 
4867) entitled ``An Act to authorize appropriations for high-speed rail 
transportation, and for other purposes'', do pass with the following

                              AMENDMENTS:

            Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``High-Speed Ground Transportation 
Development Act of 1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
            (1) high-speed rail offers safe and transportation in 
        certain densely traveled corridors linking major metropolitan 
        areas in the United States;
            (2) high-speed rail may have environmental advantages over 
        certain other forms of intercity transportation;
            (3) Amtrak's Metroliner service between Washington, 
        District of Columbia, and New York, New York, the United States 
        premier high-speed rail service, has shown that Americans will 
        use high-speed rail when that transportation option is 
        available;
            (4) new high-speed rail service should not receive Federal 
        subsidies for operating and maintenance expenses;
            (5) State and local governments should take the prime 
        responsibility for the development and implementation of high-
        speed rail service;
            (6) the private sector should participate in funding the 
        development of high-speed rail systems;
            (7) in some intercity corridors, Federal planning 
        assistance may be required to supplement the funding 
        commitments of State and local governments and the private 
        sector to ensure the adequate planning, including reasonable 
        estimates of the costs and benefits, of high-speed rail 
        systems;
            (8) improvement of existing technologies can facilitate the 
        development of high-speed rail systems in the United States; 
        and
            (9) Federal assistance is required for the improvement, 
        adaptation, and integration of technologies for commercial 
        application in high-speed rail service in the United States.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to encourage far-sighted 
State, local, and private efforts in the analysis and planning for 
high-speed rail systems in appropriate intercity travel corridors.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL HIGH-SPEED RAIL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Part C of subtitle IV of title 49, United States 
Code (relating to passenger transportation), is amended by adding at 
the end the following new chapter:

               ``CHAPTER 251--HIGH-SPEED RAIL ASSISTANCE

``Sec. 25101. Corridor planning
    ``(a) Authority.--The Secretary may provide financial assistance to 
an applicant, based upon the criteria set forth in subsection (d) of 
this section, to fund corridor planning under subsection (b)(1) of this 
section.
    (b) Eligible Activities.--
            ``(1) A corridor planning activity is eligible for 
        financial assistance under subsection (c) if the Secretary 
        determines that it is necessary to establish appropriate 
        engineering, operational, financial, environmental, or 
        socioeconomic projections for the establishment of high-speed 
        rail service in the corridor and that it leads toward 
        development of a prudent financial and institution plan for 
        implementation of specific high-speed rail improvements. 
        Eligible corridor planning activities include--
                    ``(A) environmental assessments;
                    ``(B) feasibility studies emphasizing commercial 
                technology improvements or applications;
                    ``(C) Economic analyses, including ridership, 
                revenue and operating expense forecasting;
                    ``(D) assessing the impact on rail employment of 
                developing high-speed rail corridors;
                    ``(E) assessing community economic impacts;
                    ``(F) interface with State and metropolitan area 
                transportation planning and corridor planning with 
                other States;
                    ``(G) operational planning;
                    ``(H) route selection analyses;
                    ``(I) preliminary engineering and design;
                    ``(J) identification of specific improvements to a 
                corridor, including electrification, line 
                straightening, grade crossing closings, and other 
                right-of-way improvements, bridge rehabilitation and 
                replacement, use of advanced locomotives and rolling 
                stock, ticketing, interface with other modes of 
                transportation, parking and other means of passenger 
                access, track, signal, station and other capital works, 
                and use of intermodal terminals;
                    ``(K) preparation of financing plans and 
                prospectuses; and
                    ``(L) creation of public/private partnerships.
            ``(2) No financial assistance shall be provided under this 
        section for corridor planning with respect to the main line of 
        the Northeast Corridor, between Washington, District of 
        Columbia, and Boston, Massachusetts.
    ``(c) Corridor Planning Assistance.--
            ``(1) The Secretary may provide under this subsection 
        financial assistance to an applicant for corridor planning for 
        up to 50 percent of the publicly financed costs associated with 
        eligible activities.
            ``(2) No less than 20 percent of publicly financed costs 
        associated with eligible activities shall come from State and 
        local sources, which State and local sources cannot include 
        funds from any Federal program.
    ``(d) Criteria for Determining Financial Assistance.--Selection by 
the Secretary of applicants for financial assistance under this section 
shall be based on such criteria as the Secretary considers appropriate, 
including--
            ``(A) the relationship or inclusion of the corridor in the 
        Secretary's national high-speed ground transportation policy;
            ``(B) the extent to which the proposed planning focuses on 
        systems which will achieve sustained speeds of 125 miles per 
        hour or greater;
            ``(C) the integration of the corridor into metropolitan 
        area and Statewide transportation planning;
            ``(D) the potential interconnection of the corridor with 
        other parts of the Nation's transportation system, including 
        the interconnection with other countries;
            ``(E) the anticipated effect of the corridor on the 
        congestion of other modes of transportation;
            ``(F) whether the work to be funded will aid the efforts of 
        State and local governments to comply with the Clean Air Act;
            ``(G) the past and proposed financial commitments and other 
        support of State and local governments and the private sector 
        to the proposed high-speed rail program, including the 
        acquisition of rolling stock;
            ``(H) the estimated level of ridership;
            ``(I) the estimated capital cost of corridor improvements, 
        including the cost of closing, improving, or separating 
        highway-rail grade crossing;
            ``(J) rail transportation employment impacts;
            ``(K) community economic impacts;
            ``(L) the extent to which the projected revenues of the 
        high-speed rail service to be planned, along with any financial 
        commitments of State or local governments and the private 
        sector, are expected to cover capital costs and operating and 
        maintenance expenses; and
            ``(M) whether a route has been selected, specific 
        improvements identified, and capacity studies completed.
``Sec. 25102. High-speed rail technology improvements
    ``(a) Authority.--The Secretary is authorized to undertake 
activities for the improvement, adaptation, and integration of 
technologies for commercial application in high-speed rail service in 
the United States.
    ``(b) Eligible Recipients.--In carrying out activities authorized 
in subsection (a), the Secretary may provide financial assistance to 
any United States private business, educational institution located in 
the United States, State or local government or public authority, or 
agency or the Federal Government.
    ``(c) Consultation With Other Agencies.--In carrying out activities 
authorized in subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult with such 
other governmental agencies as may be necessary concerning the 
availability of appropriate technologies for commercial application in 
high-speed rail service in the United States.
``Sec. 25103. Definitions.
    ``For purposes of this chapter--
            ``(1) the term `applicant' means a public agency, or a 
        group of such public agencies, seeking financial assistance 
        under this title;
            ``(2) the term `financial assistance' includes grants, 
        contracts, and cooperative agreements;
            ``(3) the term `high-speed rail' means rail passenger 
        transportation expected to reach and maintain speeds of 125 
        miles per hour or greater;
            ``(4) the term `publicly funded costs' means the costs 
        funded after April 29, 1993, by Federal, State, and local 
        governments;
            ``(5) the term `State'' means any of the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and any 
        other territory or possession of the United States;
            ``(6) the term `United States private business' means a 
        business entity organized under the laws of the United States, 
        or of a State, and conducting substantial business operations 
        in the United States.
``Sec. 25104. Safety regulations
    ``The Secretary shall promulgate such safety regulations as may be 
necessary for high-speed rail services.''.

SEC. 4. COLUMBUS AND GREENVILLE RAILWAY.

    (a) Redemption of Outstanding Obligations and Liabilities.--
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of 
Transportation, or the Secretary of the Treasury, if a holder of any of 
the obligations, shall allow the Delta Transportation Company, doing 
business as the Columbus & Greenville Railway, to redeem the 
obligations and liabilities of such company which remain outstanding 
under sections 505 and 511 of the Railroad Revitalization and 
Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 825 and 831, respectively).
    (b) Value.--For purposes of subsection (a), the value of each of 
the obligations and liabilities shall be an amount equal to the value 
established under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661 
et seq.).

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Authorization For Fiscal Year 1995.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation $29,000,000 for 
financial assistance authorized under sections 25101 and 25102 of title 
49, United States Code.
    (b) Authorization For Fiscal Year 1996.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary--
            (1) $40,000,000 for financial assistance authorized under 
        section 25101 of title 49, United States Code; and
            (2) $30,000,000 for financial assistance authorized under 
        section 25102 of title 49, United States Code.
    (c) Authorizations for Fiscal Year 1997.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation--
            (1) $40,000,000 for financial assistance authorized under 
        section 25101 of title 49, United States Code; and
            (2) $30,000,000 for financial assistance authorized under 
        section 25102 of title 49, United States Code.
    (d) Administrative Expenses of Secretary.--Of the amounts 
authorized to be appropriated under subsections (a), (b) and (c), the 
Secretary of Transportation may reserve the funds necessary for payment 
of the administrative expenses incurred by the Secretary in carrying 
out the Secretary's responsibilities under chapter 251 of title 49, 
United States Code.
    (e) Funds to Remain Available.--Funds made available under this 
section shall remain available until expended.

            Amend the title so as to read: ``An Act to authorize 
      appropriations for high-speed ground transportation, and for 
      other purposes.''.

            Attest:






                                                             Secretary.