[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3591 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3591
To provide for the competitive operation of the Northeast rail corridor
and Autotrain using State and private sector initiatives.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 20, 2001
Mr. Mica (for himself, Mr. DeLay, Mr. Graves, Mr. Hefley, Mr. Dan
Miller of Florida, Mr. Kingston, Mr. Linder, Mr. Collins, Mr. Pombo,
Mr. Petri, and Mr. Stearns) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the competitive operation of the Northeast rail corridor
and Autotrain using State and private sector initiatives.
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 ``Systemic Passenger Infrastructure
and Network Overhaul through Financial Freedom Act''.
SEC. 2. INTERIM DIRECTED SERVICE.
(a) Transfer of Ownership.--Effective on the date of the enactment
of this Act--
(1) title to all property of the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation necessary for the operation of the main
line of the Northeast Corridor between the District of Columbia
and Boston, Massachusetts, and the Autotrain shall transfer to
the Secretary of Transportation; and
(2) the note and mortgage described in section 24907 of
title 49, United States Code, is canceled, in consideration for
the transfer described in paragraph (1).
(b) Interim Operations.--The Secretary of Transportation shall
ensure the continuation of maintenance and dispatching of service on
the main line of the Northeast Corridor between the District of
Columbia and Boston, Massachusetts, and of the Autotrain, until
directed service is initiated under subsection (c). The Secretary is
authorized to use personnel of the National Railroad Passenger
Corporation to carry out this subsection.
(c) Directed Service.--Not later than 3 months after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall
complete a competitive selection of an entity or entities to maintain
and dispatch service on the main line of the Northeast Corridor between
the District of Columbia and Boston, Massachusetts, and for the
Autotrain, and shall take such actions as are necessary to initiate and
maintain such directed service until the disposition of such operations
pursuant to sections 3 and 4, and for such additional time as is
necessary to ensure the orderly transition of operations under those
sections. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary and any entity
or entities selected by the Secretary shall have the powers and
authorities, including access rights, of the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation with respect to the service involved.
SEC. 3. NORTHEAST CORRIDOR.
(a) Comptroller General Analysis.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall
transmit to the Secretary of Transportation a report analyzing the
capital requirements needed to ensure that the Northeast Corridor can
be operated in a financially viable manner.
(b) Determination of Appropriate Disposition.--Not later than 2
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, after
considering the prospects of financial viability, including capital
requirements as reported under subsection (a) and proposed financing
options, shall determine which of the following options is most
appropriate for the disposition of the operations (and all necessary
supporting property) described in section 2(b) and (c) with respect to
the Northeast Corridor:
(1) Transfer of such operations to an interstate compact,
entered into under section 410 of the Amtrak Reform and
Accountability Act of 1997, consisting of the States of the
Northeast Corridor.
(2) Transfer of such operations to a new quasi-governmental
corporation or to a private sector corporation.
(3) Retention of ownership by the Secretary of
Transportation, with competitive franchising, by 1 or more
entities, of the management and dispatching of service.
The Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report on the
determination made under this subsection.
(c) Implementation.--Not later than 6 months after a determination
is made under subsection (b), the Secretary shall implement the
appropriate disposition as so determined.
SEC. 4. AUTOTRAIN.
(a) Determination of Appropriate Disposition.--Not later than 1
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, after
considering the prospects of financial viability, including capital
requirements and proposed financing options, shall determine which of
the following options is most appropriate for the disposition of the
operations (and all necessary supporting property) described in section
2(b) with respect to the Autotrain:
(1) Transfer of such operations to a new quasi-governmental
corporation or to a private sector corporation.
(2) Retention of ownership by the Secretary of
Transportation, with competitive franchising, by 1 or more
entities, of the management and operations.
The Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report on the
determination made under this subsection.
(b) Implementation.--Not later than 6 months after a determination
is made under subsection (a), the Secretary shall implement the
appropriate disposition as so determined.
SEC. 5. FUNDING.
(a) Retention of Amounts.--The Secretary of Transportation shall
retain all amounts appropriated by the Federal Government for fiscal
year 2002 for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation that have not
been provided to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, and such
amounts shall be available to the Secretary for carrying out this Act.
(b) Transfer of Amounts.--The National Railroad Passenger
Corporation shall transfer to the Secretary of Transportation all
amounts appropriated by the Federal Government for fiscal year 2002 and
provided to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, and such
amounts shall be available to the Secretary for carrying out this Act.
SEC. 6. NONAPPLICABILITY OF PROVISION.
A local governmental authority (as defined in section 5302(a)(6) of
title 49, United States Code) shall not be subject to any obligation
under any arrangement pursuant to section 5333(b) of title 49, United
States Code, with respect to employees of the National Railroad
Passenger Corporation providing services to such authority pursuant to
a contract between the authority and the National Railroad Passenger
Corporation.
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