1.
This Act may be cited as the
Ferry Transportation Enhancement
Act
.
2.
Authorization of funding for construction of ferry boats and
ferry terminal facilities
(a)
Section 1064(c) of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 129
note) is amended to read as follows:
(c)
(1)
There shall be available,
out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account), to the
Secretary for obligation at the discretion of the Secretary $150,000,000 for
each of the fiscal years 2004 through 2009. Sums made available to carry out
this section shall remain available until expended.
(2)
The Secretary shall give
priority in the allocation of funds under this section to those ferry systems,
and public entities responsible for developing facilities for ferries, that
carry the greatest number of passengers and vehicles, carry the greatest number
of passengers in passenger-only service, or provide critical access to areas
that are not well-served by other modes of surface transportation.
.
3.
Eligibility of ferry maintenance facilities for Federal
funding
(a)
Section 129(c) of title 23,
United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in the matter preceding
paragraph (1), by inserting and maintenance
after
terminal
; and
(2)
in paragraph (3), by
inserting or maintenance
after terminal
each
place it appears.
(b)
Section 1064 of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (23 U.S.C. 129
note) is amended by inserting and maintenance
after terminal
each place it appears.
4.
Eligibility of ferries for clean fuels program
Section 5308 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended—
(1)
in clauses (i) and (iii) of
subsection (a)(3)(A) and in subsection (e), by inserting or
ferries
after buses
each place it appears;
(2)
in subsection (e), by
inserting or ferry
after bus
each place it
appears;
(3)
in the heading for subsection
(e)(2), by inserting or
ferries
after buses
; and
(4)
in the heading for subsection
(e)(3), by inserting or
ferry
after bus
.
5.
Ferry Joint Program Office
(a)
The Secretary of
Transportation shall establish a Ferry Joint Program Office (in this section,
referred to as the Office
) to coordinate Federal programs
affecting ferry boat and ferry facility construction, maintenance, and
operations and to promote ferry service as a component of the Nation’s
transportation system. The Ferry Joint Program Office shall coordinate ferry
and ferry-related programs within the Department of Transportation (including
the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the
Maritime Administration, and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics) and with
the Department of Homeland Security and other Federal and State agencies, as
appropriate.
(b)
The functions of the Office
shall include—
(1)
ensuring resource
accountability;
(2)
coordinating policy relating
to ferry transportation among the various agencies of the Department of
Transportation and other departments of the United States Government;
(3)
providing strategic
leadership for ferry research, development, testing, and deployment; and
(4)
promoting ferry
transportation as a means to reduce social, economic, and environmental costs
associated with traffic congestion.
6.
(a)
The Secretary of
Transportation shall maintain a national ferry database, which shall contain
current information regarding ferry systems, routes, vessels, passengers and
vehicles carried, funding sources, and any other information that the Secretary
determines to be useful. The Secretary shall utilize data from the study
conducted under section 1207(c) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century (23 U.S.C. 129 note), and make modifications to that data, as
appropriate.
(b)
The Secretary shall produce
the first updated version of the national ferry database not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act and shall update such database every 2
years after such date.
(c)
The Secretary shall ensure
that the national ferry database is easily accessible to the public.
7.
National Ferry Transportation Institute
(a)
Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall award
grants to an institution of higher education to establish a National Ferry
Transportation Institute (referred to in this section as the
Institute
).
(b)
The Secretary shall develop
and administer the Institute in cooperation with the Department of
Transportation, State transportation departments, public ferry transportation
authorities, private ferry operators, ferry boat builders, ferry employees, and
other institutions of higher education and research institutes.
(c)
The Institute shall—
(1)
conduct research and
recommend development activities on methods of improving ferry transportation
programs in the United States, including methods of reducing wake and providing
alternative propulsion;
(2)
develop and conduct training
programs for ferry system employees, Federal Government employees, and other
individuals, as appropriate, on recent developments, techniques, and procedures
pertaining to the construction and operation of ferries;
(3)
encourage and assist
collaborative efforts by public and private entities to preserve, improve, and
expand the use of ferries as a mode of transportation; and
(4)
preserve, utilize, and
display historical information about the use of ferries in the United States
and in foreign countries.
(d)
In selecting the location for
the Institute, the Secretary shall consider—
(1)
the importance of public and
private ferries to the region’s transportation system, including both regional
travel and long-range travel and service to isolated communities;
(2)
the historical importance of
ferry transportation to the region;
(3)
the history and diversity of
the region’s maritime community, including ferry construction and repair and
other shipbuilding activities;
(4)
the anticipated growth of
ferry service and ferry boat building in the region;
(5)
the availability of
public-private collaboration in the region; and
(6)
the presence of nationally
recognized research universities in the region.
(e)
There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation $2,000,000 for each of the
fiscal years 2004 through 2009, to carry out the provisions of this section.
The Secretary may authorize the acceptance and expenditure of funding provided
to the Institute by public and private entities.
(f)
Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
submit a report to Congress describing the activities of the Institute and the
progress in carrying out this section.