[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1394 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1394

   To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize programs and 
activities to promote intermodal transportation of passengers, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 20, 2003

  Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. 
Burgess, Mr. Frost, Mr. Owens, Mr. Case, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Ms. 
Norton, Mr. Baker, Ms. McCollum, and Ms. Millender-McDonald) introduced 
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend title 49, United States Code, to authorize programs and 
activities to promote intermodal transportation of passengers, 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 ``Intermodal Transportation Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. INTERMODAL TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 5315 the following:
``Sec. 5316. Intermodal transportation facilities program
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out 
an intermodal transportation facilities program in accordance with this 
section.
    ``(b) Grants.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall 
make grants on a competitive basis to public or private entities to 
finance projects for the construction, reconstruction, maintenance, 
repair, and renovation of facilities, whether publicly or privately 
owned, designed and operated to promote the intermodal transportation 
of passengers.
    ``(c) Eligible Grant Recipients.--The Secretary shall make grants 
for a project under this section directly to the public or private 
entity that will develop or operate the facility receiving assistance 
under the project.
    ``(d) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant for a 
project under this section, an entity shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such form, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require. At a minimum, the application shall 
contain a plan for the project and such additional information as the 
Secretary may require to ensure full accountability for the obligation 
and expenditure of amounts for the project.
    ``(e) Eligible Projects.--Facilities for which assistance may be 
provided under the program include the following:
            ``(1) Facilities to connect urban or rural local transit, 
        van, and commuter services with intercity bus and rail 
        services.
            ``(2) Facilities to connect intercity bus, intercity rail, 
        local transit, van, and commuter services with commercial air 
        services.
            ``(3) Facilities to provide park and ride services at 
        suburban locations connecting with local mass transportation, 
        commuter services, and intercity bus and rail facilities.
            ``(4) Such other intermodal facilities as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.
    ``(f) Priority.--In making grants under this section, the Secretary 
shall give priority to projects that integrate all available modes of 
intercity and local mass transportation in a community.
    ``(g) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project 
financed using amounts from a grant under this section shall not exceed 
90 percent.
    ``(h) Applicability of Planning and Other Requirements.--The 
Secretary may make a grant for a project under this section only after 
finding that the project is part of the approved program of projects 
required under sections 5303 through 5306. Section 5333(b) applies to a 
project receiving assistance under this section.
    ``(i) Contract Authority.--A grant approved by the Secretary that 
is financed with amounts made available to carry out this section is a 
contractual obligation of the United States Government to pay the 
Government's share of the cost of the project.
    ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There shall be available 
from the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this section $100,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2004 through 2009. Such sums shall remain 
available until expended.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 5315 the following:

``5316. Intermodal facilities program.''.

SEC. 3. RURAL CONNECTIONS TO AIRPORTS.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 5316, as inserted by section 2(a) of 
this Act, the following:
``Sec. 5317. Rural connections to airports
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall carry out 
a program to promote essential intercity bus and commercial van service 
by private operators between non-urbanized and small urban areas and 
primary airports, as defined in section 47102, including intermediate 
points.
    ``(b) State Programs.--A State shall use amounts apportioned under 
this section for eligible transportation projects that are included in 
a State program of projects. The program shall be submitted annually to 
the Secretary. The Secretary may approve the program only if the 
Secretary finds that the program is consistent with the purposes of 
this section and provides a fair distribution of amounts in the State.
    ``(c) Apportionment of Amounts.--The Secretary shall apportion 
amounts made available to carry out this section among the States in 
the same manner as amounts are apportioned under section 5311(c).
    ``(d) Eligible Projects.--Eligible projects under this section 
include--
            ``(1) planning and marketing for eligible intercity bus and 
        commercial van service;
            ``(2) capital grants for bus terminals, park and ride 
        facilities, and joint-use facilities, including intermodal 
        terminals located at or near an airport or at any other 
        location, if there is a planned airport connection from the 
        facility;
            ``(3) operating grants through purchase-of-service 
        agreements, user-side subsidies, and demonstration projects;
            ``(4) developing and enhancing security procedures for bus 
        and commercial van passengers connecting to commercial air 
        services; and
            ``(5) enhancing connections between intercity bus or 
        commercial van service and commercial air services at the 
        airport.
    ``(e) Eligible Service Providers.--
            ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), a State may 
        contract with a duly licensed private operator of intercity bus 
        or commercial van service to provide essential intercity bus or 
        commercial van service under the program.
            ``(2) Limitation.--Funds made available to carry out this 
        section may not be used to provide service that duplicates, in 
        whole or in part, service being provided by an existing private 
        operator without operating subsidy.
    ``(f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project 
financed using amounts made available under this section shall not 
exceed 90 percent.
    ``(g) Availability of Amounts.--Amounts apportioned to a State 
under this section shall remain available until expended.
    ``(h) Relationship to Other Laws.--Section 5311(j) applies to this 
section.
    ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There shall be available 
from the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004, 2005, and 
        2006; and
            ``(2) $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007, 2008, and 
        2009.
Such sums shall remain available until expended.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended 
by inserting after the item relating to section 5316, as inserted by 
section 2(b) of this Act, the following:

``5317. Rural connections to airports.''.

SEC. 4. FUNDING FOR RURAL TRANSPORTATION ACCESSIBILITY INCENTIVE 
              PROGRAM.

    Section 3038(g) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st 
Century (49 U.S.C. 5310 note; 112 Stat. 393) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``the following amounts'' and 
                inserting ``$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 
                through 2009''; and
                    (B) by striking `buses:'' and all that follows 
                before the last sentence and inserting ``buses.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``$6,800,000 shall be 
        available for fiscal years 2000 through 2003'' and inserting 
        ``$5,000,000 shall be available for each of fiscal years 2004 
        through 2009''.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION SYSTEM.

    Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
``Sec. 5339. National transportation information system
    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out, 
on a priority basis and in coordination with States and private 
entities, a national public transportation information system in 
accordance with this section.
    ``(b) Information To Be Included in System.--
            ``(1) In general.--The system shall include, to the maximum 
        extent practicable, for all public and private providers of 
        scheduled passenger transportation service over fixed routes, 
        information on--
                    ``(A) service, fares, and schedules; and
                    ``(B) availability of service accessible to persons 
                with disabilities.
            ``(2) Providers of scheduled passenger transportation 
        service defined.--In paragraph (1), the term `providers of 
        scheduled passenger transportation service' includes providers 
        of intercity bus and intercity rail service, commuter service, 
        local and rural transit service, and demand responsive 
        intercity bus service.
    ``(c) Public Access to System.--Information included in the system 
shall be made available to the public, on a real-time basis, by 
telephone and on the Internet. Such system shall be fully accessible to 
persons with disabilities.
    ``(d) Deadline.--The system shall be fully operational not later 
than 5 years after the date of enactment of this section.
    ``(e) Private Contractors.--The Secretary may carry out this 
section by contracting with private entities to plan, construct, 
operate, and maintain the system.
    ``(f) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project 
financed using amounts made available to carry out this section shall 
not exceed 90 percent.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There shall be available 
from the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2004 and 2005; 
        and
            ``(2) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 
        2009.
Such sums shall remain available until expended.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for such chapter is amended 
by adding at the end the following:

``5339. National transportation information system.''.

SEC. 6. CAPITAL PROJECTS.

    (a) Definition of Capital Project.--Section 5302(a)(1)(G)(ii) of 
title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
                            ``(ii) excluding construction of a 
                        commercial revenue producing facility to the 
                        extent that the facility is not intended to be 
                        used to provide mass transportation or 
                        intercity bus or rail transportation.''.
    (b) Capital Investment Grants and Loans.--Section 5309(a)(1)(C) of 
such title is amended to read as follows:
            ``(C) the capital costs of coordinating mass transportation 
        with other transportation, including costs associated with the 
        mass transportation, intercity bus, or intercity rail 
        components of facility projects intended to enhance such 
        coordination;''.
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