[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1637 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1637

                 To improve intermodal transportation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 14, 2005

    Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mr. Baker, Mr. 
 Conyers, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Nadler, Mr. Cummings, Mr. 
  Blumenauer, Mr. Matheson, Ms. Millender-McDonald, Mr. McIntyre, Ms. 
   Norton, and Mr. Filner) introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
                 To improve intermodal transportation.

    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 
2005''.

SEC. 2. INTERMODAL PASSENGER FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 55 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:

           ``SUBCHAPTER III--INTERMODAL PASSENGER FACILITIES

``Sec. 5571. Policy and purposes
    ``(a) Development and Enhancement of Intermodal Passenger 
Facilities.--It is in the economic interest of the United States to 
improve the efficiency of public surface transportation modes by 
ensuring the connection with and access to intermodal passenger 
terminals, thereby streamlining the transfer of passengers among modes, 
enhancing travel options, and increasing passenger transportation 
operating efficiencies.
    ``(b) General Purposes.--The purpose of this subchapter is to 
accelerate intermodal integration among North America's passenger 
transportation modes through--
            ``(1) assuring intercity public transportation access to 
        intermodal passenger facilities;
            ``(2) encouraging the development of an integrated system 
        of public transportation information; and
            ``(3) providing intercity bus intermodal passenger facility 
        grants.
``Sec. 5572. Definitions
    ``In this subchapter--
            ``(1) the term `capital project' means a project for--
                    ``(A) acquiring, constructing, improving, or 
                renovating a publicly or privately owned or operated 
                intermodal facility that is related physically and 
                functionally to intercity bus service in order to 
                establish or enhance coordination between intercity bus 
                service and transportation, including aviation, local 
                public transportation by bus or rail, commuter bus or 
                rail, intercity rail, seaports, and the National 
                Highway System, including physical infrastructure 
                associated with private bus operations at existing and 
                new intermodal facilities, such as building 
                construction or renovation, special lanes, curb cuts, 
                ticket kiosks and counters, passenger waiting areas, 
                baggage and package express storage, employee parking, 
                office space, security, and signage; and
            ``(B) establishing or enhancing coordination between 
        intercity bus service and transportation, including aviation, 
        commuter bus or rail, intercity rail, and the National Highway 
        System through a publicly or privately owned or operated 
        integrated system of public transportation information;
            ``(2) the term `commuter service' means service designed 
        primarily to provide daily work trips within the local 
        commuting area;
            ``(3) the term `Intercity bus service' means--
                    ``(A) regularly scheduled bus service for the 
                general public which--
                            ``(i) operates with limited stops over 
                        fixed routes connecting two or more urban 
                        areas, or connecting rural areas with urban 
                        areas, not in close proximity;
                            ``(ii) has the capacity for transporting 
                        baggage carried by passengers; and
                            ``(iii) makes meaningful connections with 
                        scheduled intercity bus service to more distant 
                        points; and
                    ``(B) charter and tour bus service;
            ``(4) the term `intermodal passenger facility' means a 
        passenger terminal that does, or can be modified to, 
        accommodate several modes of transportation and related 
        facilities, including some or all of the following: intercity 
        rail, commuter bus or rail, intercity bus, local public 
        transportation, either bus or rail, airport limousine service 
        and airline ticket offices, rent-a-car facilities, taxis, 
        private parking, and other transportation services;
            ``(5) the term `local governmental authority' includes--
                    ``(A) a political subdivision of a State;
                    ``(B) an authority of at least one State or 
                political subdivision of a State;
                    ``(C) an Indian tribe; and
                    ``(D) a public corporation, board, or commission 
                established under the laws of the State;
            ``(6) the term `owner or operator of a public 
        transportation facility' means an owner or operator of 
        intercity-rail, intercity-bus, commuter-rail, rail-transit, 
        bus-transit, or ferry services;
            ``(7) the term `recipient' means any public or private 
        entity that receives a grant to carry out this section directly 
        from the Federal Government;
            ``(8) the term `Secretary' means the Secretary of 
        Transportation;
            ``(9) the term `State' means a State of the United States, 
        the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Virgin Islands; and
            ``(10) the term `urban area' means an area that includes a 
        municipality or other area that the Secretary, after 
        considering local patterns and trends of urban growth, decides 
        is appropriate for a local public transportation system to 
        serve individuals in the locality.
``Sec. 5573. Assurance of access to intermodal passenger facilities
    ``Intercity buses and other modes of transportation shall, to the 
maximum extent practicable, have access to publicly funded intermodal 
passenger facilities including passenger facilities described in 
section 5574.
``Sec. 5574. Intercity bus intermodal passenger facility grants
    ``(a) General Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation may make 
grants under this section to recipients in financing a capital project, 
as defined in section 5572, only if the Secretary finds that the 
proposed project is justified and has an adequate financial commitment.
    ``(b) Competitive Grant Selection.--The Secretary shall conduct a 
national solicitation for applications for grants under this section. 
Grantees shall be selected on a competitive basis.
    ``(c) Share of Net Project Costs.--
            ``(1) A grant shall not exceed 80 percent of the net 
        project cost, as determined by the Secretary.
            ``(2) The portion of the net costs of an eligible project 
        that is not funded under this section shall be from an 
        undistributed cash surplus, a replacement or depreciation cash 
        fund or reserve, or new public or private capital and may 
        include amounts appropriated to or made available to a 
        department or agency of the Federal government that are 
        eligible to be expended for transportation.
    ``(d) Contractual Obligations.--A grant provided under this section 
that is financed with amounts made available under section 5575(a) is a 
contractual obligation of the United States Government to pay the 
Government's share of the cost of the project.
    ``(e) Regulations.--The Secretary may issue regulations necessary 
to carry out this section.
``Sec. 5575. Funding
    ``(a) Mass Transit Account.--To carry out this subchapter, there is 
authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2006 through 
2009 from the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund, 
$75,000,000, of which no more than $5,000,000 may be used to carry out 
paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 5571(b). The requirements of section 
5309 shall apply to a project that receives funds pursuant to this 
subsection.
    ``(b) Highway Account.--
            ``(1) There is authorized to be appropriated from the 
        Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to 
        carry out section 5571(b)(3) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
        years 2006 through 2009.
            ``(2) The funding made available under paragraph (1) shall 
        be available for obligation in the same manner as if such funds 
        were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23 and shall be 
        subject to any obligation limitation imposed on funds for 
        Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs.
    ``(c) Period of Availability.--Amounts made available by subsection 
(a) of this section shall remain available until expended.
    ``(d) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents for chapter 55 
of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting at the end the 
following:
           ``subchapter iii--intermodal passenger facilities
``5571. Policy and purposes.
``5572. Definitions.
``5573. Assurance of access to intermodal facilities.
``5574. Intercity bus intermodal passenger facility grants.
``5575. Funding.''
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