[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4228 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4228

    To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish additional 
 requirements for certain transportation projects with estimated costs 
           of $2,500,000,000 or more, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 10, 2015

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend title 23, United States Code, to establish additional 
 requirements for certain transportation projects with estimated costs 
           of $2,500,000,000 or more, 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 ``Transportation Megaprojects 
Accountability and Oversight Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS.

    (a) In General.--Section 106 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Megaprojects.--
            ``(1) Megaproject defined.--In this subsection, the term 
        `megaproject' means a project that has an estimated total cost 
        of $2,500,000,000 or more, and such other projects as may be 
        identified by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Comprehensive risk management plan.--A recipient of 
        Federal financial assistance under this title for a megaproject 
        shall, in order to be authorized for construction, submit to 
        the Secretary a comprehensive risk management plan that 
        contains--
                    ``(A) a description of the process by which the 
                recipient will identify, quantify, and monitor the 
                risks that might result in cost overruns, project 
                delays, reduced construction quality, or reductions in 
                benefits with respect to the megaproject;
                    ``(B) examples of mechanisms the recipient will use 
                to track risks identified pursuant to subparagraph (A);
                    ``(C) a plan to control such risks; and
                    ``(D) such assurances as the Secretary considers 
                appropriate that the recipient will, with respect to 
                the megaproject--
                            ``(i) regularly submit to the Secretary 
                        updated cost estimates; and
                            ``(ii) maintain and regularly reassess 
                        financial reserves for addressing known and 
                        unknown risks.
            ``(3) Peer review group.--
                    ``(A) In general.--A recipient of Federal financial 
                assistance under this title for a megaproject shall, 
                not later than 90 days after the date when such 
                megaproject is authorized for construction, establish a 
                peer review group for such megaproject that consists of 
                at least 5 individuals (including at least 1 individual 
                with project management experience) to give expert 
                advice on the scientific, technical, and project 
                management aspects of the megaproject.
                    ``(B) Membership.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Not later than 180 days 
                        after the date of the enactment of this 
                        subsection, the Secretary shall establish 
                        guidelines describing how a recipient described 
                        in subparagraph (A) shall--
                                    ``(I) recruit and select members 
                                for a peer review group established 
                                under such subparagraph; and
                                    ``(II) make publicly available the 
                                criteria for such selection and the 
                                identity of members so selected.
                            ``(ii) Conflict of interest.--No member of 
                        a peer review group for a megaproject may have 
                        a direct or indirect financial interest in such 
                        megaproject.
                    ``(C) Tasks.--A peer review group established under 
                subparagraph (A) by a recipient of Federal financial 
                assistance for a megaproject shall--
                            ``(i) meet annually until completion of the 
                        megaproject;
                            ``(ii) not later than 90 days after the 
                        date of the establishment of the peer review 
                        group and not later than 90 days after the date 
                        of any significant change, as determined by the 
                        Secretary, to the scope, schedule, or budget of 
                        the megaproject, review the scope, schedule, 
                        and budget of the megaproject, including 
                        planning, engineering, financing, and any other 
                        elements determined appropriate by the 
                        Secretary; and
                            ``(iii) submit a report on the findings of 
                        each review under clause (ii) to the Secretary, 
                        Congress, and the recipient.
            ``(4) Transparency.--A recipient of Federal financial 
        assistance under this title for a megaproject shall publish on 
        the Internet Web site of such recipient--
                    ``(A) the name, license number, and license type of 
                each engineer supervising an aspect of the megaproject; 
                and
                    ``(B) the report submitted under paragraph 
                (3)(C)(iii), not later than 90 days after such 
                submission.''.
    (b) Applicability.--The amendment made by subsection (a) applies 
with respect to projects that are authorized for construction on or 
after the date that is 1 year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act.
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