[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4545 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4545

 To authorize appropriations for the benefit of Amtrak for fiscal year 
                     2003, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 23, 2002

    Mr. Young of Alaska (for himself and Mr. Quinn) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize appropriations for the benefit of Amtrak for fiscal year 
                     2003, 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 ``Amtrak Reauthorization Act of 
2002''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 24104 of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read 
as follows:
``Sec. 24104. Authorization of appropriations
    ``(a) Capital Expenses.--
            ``(1) Authorization.--There are authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation, for the 
        benefit of Amtrak, $800,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 for 
        capital expenditures.
            ``(2) Payment to amtrak.--
                    ``(A) New capital projects.--The Secretary shall 
                make payments to Amtrak of amounts authorized under 
                paragraph (1) for capital projects not begun before the 
                date of the enactment of the Amtrak Reauthorization Act 
                of 2002 only if the Secretary has received, either in 
                an annual work plan or a supplement thereto, a 
                description of the work to be funded, a work timetable, 
                cost estimates, and a list of other funding sources if 
                the project is not entirely funded by the Federal 
                Government, with an identification for each project as 
                to which business unit described in subsection (e)(1) 
                it is associated with. The Secretary shall determine, 
                within 30 days after receiving a work plan or 
                supplement, whether each of the capital projects 
                proposed is sufficiently justified. To the extent that 
                the Secretary determines that a project is justified, 
                the Secretary shall make payments under this 
                subparagraph within 30 days after receipt from Amtrak 
                of a request for funds for the project.
                    ``(B) Ongoing capital projects.--In the case of 
                capital projects begun before the date of the enactment 
                of the Amtrak Reauthorization Act of 2002, Amtrak shall 
                transmit to the Secretary within 180 days after such 
                date of enactment a description of the work funded, a 
                work timetable, cost estimates, and a list of other 
                funding sources if the project is not entirely funded 
                by the Federal Government. The Secretary shall 
                determine, within 30 days after receiving a description 
                of the work funded, whether each of the capital 
                projects proposed is sufficiently justified. To the 
                extent that the Secretary determines that a project is 
                justified, the Secretary shall make payments under this 
                subparagraph within 30 days after receipt from Amtrak 
                of a request for funds for the project. The Secretary 
                shall not provide any further funding for a project 
                until the Secretary receives a description required 
                under this subparagraph.
            ``(3) Project oversight.--
                    ``(A) Notice of changes.--If the scope, timetable, 
                or cost of a project funded under paragraph (2) 
                substantially changes, Amtrak shall notify the 
                Secretary within 30 days after Amtrak learns of the 
                change.
                    ``(B) Oversight.--The Secretary shall conduct 
                oversight activities, including inspections as 
                necessary, to ensure appropriate progress of projects 
                funded under paragraph (2).
    ``(b) Operating Expenses.--
            ``(1) Authorization.--There are authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary, for the benefit of Amtrak, 
        $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2003 for operating expenditures.
            ``(2) Payment to amtrak.--The Secretary shall make payments 
        to Amtrak of amounts authorized under paragraph (1) as follows:
                    ``(A) 50 percent on October 1.
                    ``(B) 25 percent on January 1.
                    ``(C) 25 percent on April 1.
        Payments under this paragraph may only be made after 30 days 
        have expired after receipt by the Secretary of all documents 
        due under subsection (e).
    ``(c) Excess RRTA.--
            ``(1) Authorization.--There are authorized to be 
        appropriated to the Secretary, for payment to the Treasury by 
        the Secretary on behalf of Amtrak, for fiscal year 2003 an 
        amount equal to the amount Amtrak is required to pay under 
        section 3221 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 that is more 
        than the amount needed for anticipated benefits for individuals 
        who retire from Amtrak and for their beneficiaries.
            ``(2) Request for transfer of funds.--The Secretary shall 
        make payments to the Treasury of amounts authorized under 
        paragraph (1) only after the Secretary has received from Amtrak 
        a request for the transfer of such funds, which shall include 
        materials supporting, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, the 
        amount of the request.
    ``(d) Rail Security.--In addition to amounts authorized under 
subsections (a), (b), and (c), there are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary of Transportation for fiscal year 2003--
            ``(1) $375,000,000 for grants to finance the cost of 
        enhancements to the security and safety of Amtrak intercity 
        rail passenger service; and
            ``(2) $400,000,000 for grants for life safety improvements 
        to 6 New York Amtrak tunnels built in 1910, the Baltimore & 
        Potomac Amtrak tunnel built in 1872, and the Washington, D.C. 
        Union Station Amtrak tunnels built in 1904 under the Supreme 
        Court and House and Senate Office Buildings.
    ``(e) Annual Business Plan and Quarterly Assessments.--
            ``(1) Business plan.--Not later than September 1, 2002, 
        Amtrak shall transmit to the Secretary a comprehensive business 
        plan for fiscal year 2003, including targets for ridership, 
        revenues, and capital and operating expenses. The plan shall 
        include a separate accounting of such targets for each of the 
        following business units:
                    ``(A) Northeast Corridor.
                    ``(B) Autotrain.
                    ``(C) Amtrak West.
                    ``(D) Each other long-distance intercity train 
                route, accounted for separately.
                    ``(E) Contract Operations.
                    ``(F) Mail and Express.
                    ``(G) Corporate.
            ``(2) Quarterly assessments.--Not later than 30 days before 
        the beginning of each fiscal quarter, Amtrak shall transmit to 
        the Secretary--
                    ``(A) an assessment of the extent to which each 
                goal identified in the plan transmitted under paragraph 
                (1) has been achieved;
                    ``(B) an explanation of any failure to achieve such 
                a goal; and
                    ``(C) a description of any deviation from the 
                business plan.
        The assessment required under subparagraph (A) shall be 
        prepared by an outside financial consultant, which shall not be 
        an entity that has assisted Amtrak in the preparation of a 
        business plan under paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Certification.--The President of Amtrak shall certify 
        each business plan and quarterly assessment transmitted under 
        this subsection, and any other document required by this 
        section to be transmitted to the Secretary.
    ``(f) Availability of Amounts and Early Appropriations.--(1) 
Amounts appropriated under this section remain available until 
expended.
    ``(2) Amounts for capital acquisitions and improvements may be 
appropriated in a fiscal year before the fiscal year in which the 
amounts will be obligated.
    ``(g) Limitations on Use.--Amounts appropriated under this section 
may not be used to subsidize operating losses of commuter rail 
passenger or rail freight transportation.''.
                                 <all>