[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 935 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 935

   To establish a National Freight Network Trust Fund to improve the 
  performance of the national freight network, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 12, 2015

 Ms. Hahn (for herself, Mr. Poe of Texas, Ms. Lee, Mr. Lowenthal, Mr. 
 Farenthold, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Cohen, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mr. 
Takano, Mr. Peters, and Ms. Wilson of Florida) introduced the following 
    bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a National Freight Network Trust Fund to improve the 
  performance of the national freight network, 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 ``National Freight Network Trust Fund 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK TRUST FUND.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter A of chapter 98 of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 9512. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK TRUST FUND.

    ``(a) Creation of Trust Fund.--There is hereby established in the 
Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the `National 
Freight Network Trust Fund', consisting of such amounts as may be 
appropriated or credited to such Trust Fund as provided in this section 
and section 9602(b).
    ``(b) Transfers to Trust Fund.--There are hereby appropriated to 
the National Freight Network Trust Fund amounts equivalent to 5 percent 
of the import duties imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
the United States.
    ``(c) Expenditures.--Amounts in the National Freight Network Trust 
Fund shall be available without further appropriation to the Secretary 
of Transportation only for making expenditures to fund awards under the 
National Freight Network Grant Program established under section 3(a) 
of the National Freight Network Trust Fund Act of 2015.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections for subchapter A of 
chapter 98 of such Code is amended by adding at the end the following 
new item:

``Sec. 9512. National Freight Network Trust Fund.''.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--There is hereby established in the Department 
of Transportation a National Freight Network Grant Program (in this 
section referred to as the ``Program'') to improve the performance of 
the national freight network.
    (b) Grant Authority.--Under the Program, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in accordance with the national freight strategic plan 
developed under section 167 of title 23, United States Code, may make a 
grant to assist any project that improves the performance of a segment 
of the national freight network.
    (c) Grant Recipients.--Under the Program, the Secretary may make a 
grant to the following:
            (1) A State.
            (2) A regional or local transportation organization.
            (3) A port authority.
    (d) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under the Program, an 
entity specified in subsection (c) shall submit to the Secretary an 
application regarding a proposed project at such time, in such form, 
and containing such information as the Secretary determines is 
appropriate.
    (e) Selection Criteria.--In making grants under the Program, the 
Secretary shall evaluate and select projects on a competitive basis by 
considering the potential of the projects to--
            (1) generate national economic benefits;
            (2) improve the performance of key corridors and gateways;
            (3) reduce congestion;
            (4) improve transportation safety; and
            (5) enhance the national freight network.
    (f) Transparency.--For each application submitted under subsection 
(d) that does not result in a grant, the Secretary shall provide to the 
relevant applicant a written explanation describing the reasons a grant 
was not made.
    (g) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of a project 
assisted with a grant under the Program shall be 90 percent, except 
that a grant recipient may determine a lower Federal share than the 
Federal share otherwise determined under this subsection.
    (h) Funding.--In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall 
utilize amounts available in the National Freight Network Trust Fund 
established under section 9512 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
    (i) National Freight Network Defined.--In this section, the term 
``national freight network'' means--
            (1) the national freight network established under section 
        167 of title 23, United States Code;
            (2) roads and rail lines that connect such network to a 
        port;
            (3) on-dock rail;
            (4) projects that appear in a State freight plan;
            (5) projects that appear in a regional transportation plan;
            (6) high freight volume roadway or rail corridors that 
        provide connectivity for--
                    (A) ports;
                    (B) intermodal connectors;
                    (C) multimodal freight facilities;
                    (D) multistate freight corridors;
                    (E) international borders; or
                    (F) airports; and
            (7) railway-highway grade separations.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL FREIGHT POLICY.

    Section 167(c)(1) of title 23, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting ``, and update every 5 years thereafter,'' after ``shall 
establish''.
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