[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3429 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3429
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for security
improvements to over-the-road bus operations, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 6, 2001
Mr. Young of Alaska (for himself, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Petri, and Mr.
Borski, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Graves, Ms. Eddie Bernice
Johnson of Texas, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Mascara, Mr. Holden, Mr. Rahall,
Mr. Honda, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Costello, Mr.
McGovern, Mr. Filner, and Ms. Millender-McDonald) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for security
improvements to over-the-road bus operations, 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 ``Over-the-Road Bus Security and
Safety Act of 2001''.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY OVER-THE-ROAD BUS SECURITY ASSISTANCE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation may make grants to
private operators of over-the-road buses for system-wide security
improvements to their operations, including the reimbursement of
extraordinary security-related costs determined by the Secretary to
have been incurred by such operators since September 11, 2001, and
including--
(1) constructing and modifying garages, facilities, or
over-the-road buses to assure their security;
(2) acquiring, upgrading, installing, or operating
equipment, software, or accessorial services for collection,
storage, or exchange of passenger and driver information
through ticketing systems or otherwise, and information links
with government agencies;
(3) training employees in recognizing and responding to
terrorist threats, evacuation procedures, passenger screening
procedures, and baggage inspection;
(4) hiring and training security officers or ``bus
marshals'';
(5) installing cameras and video surveillance equipment on
over-the-road buses and at garages and over-the-road bus
facilities;
(6) creating a program for employee identification or
background investigation;
(7) establishing an emergency communications system linked
to police and emergency personnel; and
(8) implementing and operating passenger screening programs
at terminals and on over-the-road buses.
(b) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost for which any
grant is made under this Act shall be 90 percent.
(c) Relationship to Other Laws.--Section 5333 of title 49, United
States Code, shall apply to a grant made under this Act in the same
manner and to the same extent as to a grant made under chapter 53 of
such title.
SEC. 3. PLAN REQUIREMENT.
The Secretary may not make a grant under this Act to a private
operator of over-the-road buses until the operator has first submitted
to the Secretary--
(1) a plan of the operator for making security improvements
described in section 2 and the Secretary has approved the plan;
and
(2) such additional information as the Secretary may
require to ensure accountability for the obligation and
expenditure of amounts made available to the operator under the
grant.
SEC. 4. OVER-THE-ROAD BUS DEFINED.
In this Act, the term ``over-the-road bus'' means a bus
characterized by an elevated passenger deck located over a baggage
compartment.
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation to carry out this Act
$200,000,000 for fiscal year 2002. Such sums shall remain available
until expended.
(b) Imposition and Collection of Passenger Fees.--The Secretary
shall impose and collect from passengers of private operators of over-
the-road buses in fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004 a fee to pay the
cost of carrying out this Act. Such fee shall be $0.25 for each bus
trip of a passenger of a private operator of an over-the-road bus if
the cost of the trip is more than $5. Subject to subsection (c) and
notwithstanding section 9701 of title 31, United States Code, and the
procedural requirements of section 553 of title 5, United States Code,
the Secretary shall impose the fee through the publication of notice of
such fee in the Federal Register, and begin collection of the fee
within 60 days of the date of enactment of this Act, or as soon as
possible thereafter.
(c) Requirement for Appropriation Before Imposition or Collection
of Fees.--The Secretary shall not impose or collect a fee under this
section before the date on which all or any portion of the amounts
authorized by subsection (a) are appropriated to carry out this Act.
(d) Fees Payable to Secretary.--All fees imposed and amounts
collected under this section are payable to the Secretary.
(e) Receipts Credited to Account.--Notwithstanding section 3302 of
title 31, United States Code, all fees collected under this section--
(1) shall be credited to a separate account established in
the Treasury;
(2) shall be available immediately, without further
appropriation, for expenditure but only for making grants under
section 2 in fiscal years 2003 and 2004; and
(3) shall remain available until expended.
(f) Fees Collected by Bus Operators.--A fee imposed under this
section shall be collected by the private operators of over-the-road
buses and shall be remitted by such operators to the Secretary on the
last day of each calendar month. The amount to be remitted shall be for
the calendar month preceding the calendar month in which the remittance
is made.
(g) Information.--The Secretary may require the provision of such
information as the Secretary decides is necessary to verify that fees
have been collected and remitted at the proper times and in the proper
amounts.
(h) Refunds.--The Secretary may refund to a private operator of an
over-the-road bus any fee paid by such operator by mistake or any
amount paid by such operator in excess of that required.
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