[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2961 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2961

To establish the Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation 
         within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 20, 2014

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish the Office of Planning for Future Intercity Transportation 
         within the Office of the Secretary of 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 ``Office of Planning for Future 
Intercity Transportation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) High-speed passenger rail technology, while not new in 
        Europe and Asia, is a new transportation technology in the 
        United States. Its design, development, construction, 
        financing, funding, and operation require specific skills and 
        expertise that are not abundant in the United States, and will 
        require years to develop.
            (2) Unlike highways, mass transit, and aviation, high-speed 
        rail requires unique and separated rights of way to operate and 
        must be fully integrated with other passenger transportation 
        system elements to be successful.
            (3) In order to ensure the proper development of high-speed 
        intercity passenger rail service in the United States, it is 
        critical that a dedicated office be established at the highest 
        levels of the Federal Government to coordinate and facilitate 
        the intricate relationships between--
                    (A) various levels of government; and
                    (B) the wide range of industrial interests that 
                will be required to work together to make high-speed 
                rail successful.
            (4) Resources for transportation infrastructure are in high 
        demand. Many people contend that there are not enough resources 
        to maintain the transportation system the Nation has built, let 
        alone to build new modes of transportation such as high-speed 
        intercity passenger rail.
            (5) The capacity of the current transportation system 
        threatens the present and future competitiveness of the United 
        States. Unless investments are made in new, faster, and more 
        efficient transportation capacity, such as intercity high-speed 
        passenger rail, it will be very difficult for the United 
        States--
                    (A) to rise out of its current economic condition; 
                or
                    (B) to regain its leadership role domestically and 
                internationally.
            (6) Placing the development of a national system of 
        intercity high-speed rail corridors that are highly integrated 
        with other modes of transportation under the direct supervision 
        of the Secretary of Transportation and delegating the day-to-
        day administration of such system to an Assistant Secretary 
        will ensure an effective launch and the efficient operation of 
        a new national transportation modality.
            (7) It is in the interest of the United States to 
        expeditiously develop and deploy intercity high-speed passenger 
        rail under the singularly focused direction of the Secretary of 
        Transportation.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the head of the Office of Planning for Future Intercity 
        Transportation.
            (2) Eligible participant.--The term ``eligible 
        participant'' means--
                    (A) a State that has participated in the process to 
                develop and implement a cost allocation methodology 
                under section 209(a) of the Passenger Rail Investment 
                and Improvement Act of 2008 (49 U.S.C. 24101 note);
                    (B) a group consisting solely of States described 
                in subparagraph (A);
                    (C) an Interstate Compact consisting solely of 
                States described in subparagraph (A);
                    (D) a public agency established by 1 or more of the 
                States described in subparagraph (A) that is 
                responsible for providing intercity passenger rail 
                service; or
                    (E) any entity that seeks to perform services under 
                a contract awarded pursuant to this Act by providing--
                            (i) a description of how the entity intends 
                        to perform the covered services; and
                            (ii) materials demonstrating the entity's 
                        capability to perform the proposed services in 
                        accordance with the requirements under this 
                        Act.
            (3) Office.--The term ``Office'' means the Office of 
        Planning for Future Intercity Transportation established within 
        the Office of the Secretary of Transportation pursuant to 
        section 4.
            (4) Program participant.--The term ``program participant'' 
        means an eligible participant that has entered into an 
        authorized procurement process under this Act.
            (5) Rail carrier.--The term ``rail carrier'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 10102(5) of title 49, United 
        States Code.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Transportation.
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States and the District of Columbia.

SEC. 4. OFFICE OF PLANNING FOR FUTURE INTERCITY TRANSPORTATION.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish the Office of 
Planning for Future Intercity Transportation within the Office of the 
Secretary of Transportation. The Office shall be composed of the Office 
of High-Speed Rail Policy, the Office of High-Speed Planning, and the 
Office of High-Speed Rail Operations and Safety.
    (b) Assistant Secretary.--
            (1) Appointment.--The head of the Office shall be the 
        Assistant Secretary for Intercity Transportation Planning, who 
        shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
        consent of the Senate.
            (2) Duties.--The Assistant Secretary shall--
                    (A) serve as the principal policy advisor to the 
                Secretary and the Deputy Secretary on High-Speed Rail; 
                and
                    (B) assume responsibility for all activities of the 
                Federal Government associated with high-speed rail that 
                were previously delegated to the Administrator of the 
                Federal Railroad Administration or otherwise authorized 
                by Congress.
    (c) Functions.--Under the direction of the Assistant Secretary, the 
Office shall oversee the planning, development, construction, 
financing, funding, and operation of high-speed rail in selected 
corridors throughout the United States.
    (d) Feasibility Study.--Not later than 2 years after the date on 
which the Office is established under this section, the Secretary shall 
submit to Congress the results of a feasibility study that identifies 
and prioritizes corridors that offer the best opportunity to provide 
point-to-point transportation service based on--
            (1) travel demand;
            (2) the total cost of construction and operation; and
            (3) expected passenger and other business revenue generated 
        from the operation of transportation service.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated out of the 
Highway Trust Fund, for each of the fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017--
            (1) $20,000,000 to carry out the feasibility study required 
        under section 4(d); and
            (2) $5,000,000 for administrative expenses incurred by the 
        Office.
    (b) Contract Authority.--
            (1) Feasibility study.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
        subsection (a)(1) shall be available for the procurement of 
        contract services to carry out such studies as the Secretary 
        determines necessary to carry out section 4(d).
            (2) Other requirements.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to 
        subsection (a)(2) shall be available for the procurement of 
        contract services to carry out any other requirement under this 
        Act.
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