[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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