[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1572 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1572

To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide funds and incentives 
    for closures of rail-highway crossings, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 23, 1996

 Mr. DeWine (for himself and Mr. Lugar) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 
                              Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend title 23, United States Code, to provide funds and incentives 
    for closures of rail-highway crossings, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Railroad Crossing Safety Act of 
1996''.

SEC. 2. FUNDS AND INCENTIVES FOR CLOSURES OF RAIL-HIGHWAY CROSSINGS.

    (a) Increase in Federal Share of Crossing Closures.--Section 120(c) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``rail-highway 
crossing closure,'' after ``carpooling and vanpooling,''.
    (b) Incentive Payments for At-Grade Crossing Closures.--Section 130 
of such title is amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(i) Incentive Payments for At-Grade Crossing Closures.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        this section and subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), a State 
        may, from sums available to the State under this section, make 
        incentive payments to local governments in the State upon the 
        permanent closure by such governments of public at-grade 
        railway-highway crossings under the jurisdiction of such 
        governments.
            ``(2) Incentive payments by railroads.--A State may not 
        make an incentive payment under paragraph (1) to a local 
        government with respect to the closure of a crossing unless the 
        railroad owning the tracks on which the crossing is located 
        makes an incentive payment to the government with respect to 
        the closure.
            ``(3) Amount of state payment.--The amount of the incentive 
        payment payable to a local government by a State under 
        paragraph (1) with respect to a crossing may not exceed the 
        lesser of--
                    ``(A) the amount of the incentive payment paid to 
                the government with respect to the crossing by the 
                railroad concerned under paragraph (2); or
                    ``(B) $7,500.
            ``(4) Use of state payments.--A local government receiving 
        an incentive payment from a State under paragraph (1) shall use 
        the amount of the incentive payment for transportation safety 
        improvements.''.

SEC. 3. GUIDELINES FOR ANALYSIS OF COSTS AND BENEFITS OF NEW RAILWAY-
              HIGHWAY CROSSINGS.

    Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall prescribe guidelines to 
assist the States in analyzing the costs and benefits to the public of 
new railway-highway grade crossings. The purpose of the guidelines is 
to encourage uniformity in the analysis of such costs and benefits by 
the States.
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