[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 906 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 906

 To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve roadway safety for 
 motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians and workers in proximity to 
                            vehicle traffic.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 25, 2003

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve roadway safety for 
 motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians and workers in proximity to 
                            vehicle traffic.

    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 ``Surface Transportation Safety Act of 
2003''.

SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF HAZARDS RELATED TO HIGHWAY FACILITIES.

    (a) Definition of Safety Improvement Project.--Section 101(a)(30) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``installs or 
maintains fluorescent, yellow-green signs at pedestrian or bicycle 
crossings or school zones,'' after ``call boxes,''.
    (b) Railway-Highway Crossings.--
            (1) Eligible projects.--The first sentence of section 
        130(a) of such title is amended by inserting ``maintenance of 
        protective devices,'' after ``structures,''.
            (2) Funds for protective devices.--Section 130(e) of such 
        title is amended by striking ``At least \1/2\'' and inserting 
        ``For each fiscal year, at least $150,000,000''.
            (3) Biennial reports to congress.--The third sentence of 
        section 130(g) of such title is amended--
                    (A) by striking ``Committee on Environment and 
                Public Works'' and inserting ``Committees on 
                Environment and Public Works and Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation''; and
                    (B) by striking ``not later than April 1 of each 
                year'' and inserting ``every other year''.
            (4) Expenditure of funds.--Section 130 of such title is 
        further amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Expenditure of Funds.--Funds made available to carry out this 
section shall be available for expenditure on compilation and analysis 
of data in support of activities carried out under subsection (g).''.
    (c) Availability of Surface Transportation Program Funds.--The 
second sentence of section 133(d)(1) of such title is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``equal'' after ``year an''; and
            (2) by striking ``which is'' and all that follows before 
        the period.
    (d) Hazard Elimination Program.--
            (1) Purposes.--Section 152(a)(1) of such title is amended 
        by inserting after ``pedestrians,'' the following: ``identify 
        roadway safety improvement needs for such locations, sections, 
        and elements,''.
            (2) Approval of projects.--Section 152(b) of such title is 
        amended by inserting before the period at the end the 
        following: ``, that reduces the likelihood of crashes involving 
        road departures, intersections, pedestrians, bicycles, older 
        drivers, or construction work zones''.
            (3) Expenditure of funds.--Section 152(c) of such title is 
        amended--
                    (A) in paragraph (2) by striking ``or'' at the end;
                    (B) in paragraph (3) by striking the period at the 
                end and inserting a semicolon; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) police assistance for traffic and speed management in 
        construction work zones;
            ``(5) installation of barriers between construction work 
        zones and traffic lanes for the safety of motorists and 
        workers; or
            ``(6) compilation and analysis of data under subsections 
        (f) and (g).''.
            (4) Conforming amendment.--Section 152(g) of such title is 
        amended by striking the third sentence and all that follows 
        through the period at the end of the section.
            (5) Biennial report to congress.--Section 152 of such title 
        is amended--
                    (A) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 
                (i); and
                    (B) by inserting after subsection (g) the 
                following:
    ``(h) Biennial Reports to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 years thereafter, 
the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on the results of 
the program under this section. The report shall include, at a minimum, 
the following:
            ``(1) A summary of State projects completed under this 
        section categorized by the types of hazards described in 
        subsection (b) and a statement of the cost of such projects.
            ``(2) An analysis of the effectiveness of such projects in 
        reducing the number and severity of crashes at high hazard 
        locations.
            ``(3) An assessment of the adequacy of authorized funding 
        for the program and State use of such funding to address the 
        national need for such projects.
            ``(4) Recommendations for funding and program improvements 
        to reduce the number of high hazard locations.''.

SEC. 3. WORKER INJURY PREVENTION AND FREE FLOW OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations to decrease the 
likelihood of worker injury and maintain the free flow of vehicular 
traffic by requiring workers whose duties place them on or in close 
proximity to a Federal-aid highway (as defined in section 101 of title 
23, United States Code) to wear high visibility garments. Such 
regulations may also require such other worker-safety measures for 
workers with those duties as the Secretary determines appropriate.
                                 <all>