[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2006 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2006

 To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance 
  Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to permit 
 Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain 
       surface transportation facilities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           December 15, 2011

Mr. Lautenberg introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance 
  Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to permit 
 Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain 
       surface transportation facilities, 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 ``Commuter Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS.

    (a) In General.--Section 135 of the Surface Transportation and 
Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 508; Public Law 
100-17; 101 Stat. 174) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 135. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS.

    ``(a) In General.--Tolls for passage or transit over any bridge 
constructed under the Act of March 23, 1906 (33 U.S.C. 491 et seq.) 
(commonly known as the `Bridge Act of 1906'), the General Bridge Act of 
1946 (33 U.S.C. 525 et seq.), or the International Bridge Act of 1972 
(33 U.S.C. 535 et seq.), and over or through any bridge or tunnel 
constructed on a Federal-aid highway (as defined in section 101(a) of 
title 23, United States Code) under any other provision of law, shall 
be--
            ``(1) just and reasonable; and
            ``(2) subject to review and regulation by the Secretary, 
        upon complaint or the initiative of the Secretary, including 
        with respect to increases in the amount of tolls.
    ``(b) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations 
as are necessary to carry out this section, including regulations 
that--
            ``(1)(A) define the term `just and reasonable' for purposes 
        of this section;
            ``(B) establish a process to determine whether tolls are 
        just and reasonable for purposes of this section; and
            ``(C) prescribe, when appropriate, the just and reasonable 
        rates of tolls to be charged under this section;
            ``(2) establish a process for the filing of an 
        administrative complaint to challenge a determination described 
        in paragraph (1)(B);
            ``(3) authorize the Secretary, or a designated 
        administrative law judge--
                    ``(A) to consider a complaint from any person 
                aggrieved by a toll increase on any bridge or tunnel 
                described in subsection (a); and
                    ``(B) to conduct an investigation and, if 
                appropriate, hold a formal hearing on such a complaint; 
                and
            ``(4) authorize a person who submitted a complaint 
        described in paragraph (3)(A) to challenge the final 
        administrative determination of the Secretary or administrative 
        law judge on the complaint, after issuance of that 
        determination, in the appropriate United States district court 
        in accordance with subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, 
        of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the 
        `Administrative Procedure Act').''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents for the Surface 
Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (23 U.S.C. 
101 note; Public Law 100-17) is amended by striking the item relating 
to section 135 and inserting the following:

``Sec. 135. Review and regulation of tolls.''.

SEC. 3. STUDY ON USE OF TOLLS BY INTERSTATE AUTHORITIES.

    As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Comptroller General shall conduct, and submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report on the results of, a study--
            (1) to evaluate the use of tolls by interstate authorities 
        to maintain and improve surface transportation facilities; and
            (2) to make recommendations to increase transparency and 
        accountability of the funding decisions by those authorities.
                                 <all>