[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 532 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 532

 To improve highway-rail grade crossing safety, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 23, 2015

 Mr. Blumenthal (for himself and Mr. Schumer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To improve highway-rail grade crossing safety, 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 ``Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety 
Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. RAILWAY-HIGHWAY CROSSING PROGRAM.

    In addition to amounts otherwise apportioned for the highway safety 
improvement program described in section 148 of title 23, United States 
Code, there are authorized to be appropriated, for each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2019, $50,000,000, which shall be set aside for the 
Railway-Highway Crossings Program authorized under section 130 of such 
title.

SEC. 3. HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING GRANTS SAFETY PROGRAM.

    Chapter 225 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in section 22501(1), by striking ``to a maximum of 3 
        States per year for development'' and inserting ``for the 
        development'';
            (2) in section 22504(b)--
                    (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``Under 
                Section 22501(2)''; and
                    (B) by striking ``$250,000'' and inserting 
                ``$2,500,000''; and
            (3) by amending section 22505 to read as follows:
``Sec. 22505. Authorization of appropriations
    ``(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated, for 
each of the fiscal years 2016 through 2019, $100,000,000 for grants 
authorized under section 22501.
    ``(b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to this 
section shall remain available until expended.''.

SEC. 4. RAIL LINE RELOCATION AND IMPROVEMENT CAPITAL GRANT PROGRAM.

    Section 20154 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(1), by striking ``, motor vehicle 
        traffic flow, community quality of life, or economic 
        development'';
            (2) in subsection (c)(4), by striking ``motor vehicle and 
        pedestrian traffic, safety, community quality of life, and area 
        commerce'' and inserting ``safety''; and
            (3) in subsection (h)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (2); and
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (2); and
            (4) in subsection (i), by striking ``$350,000,000 for each 
        of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009'' and inserting 
        ``$25,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2016 through 2019''.

SEC. 5. OPERATION LIFESAVER.

    Section 206(c) of the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (division 
A of Public Law 110-432) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Federal Railroad Administration, for each of the 
fiscal years 2016 through 2019, $3,000,000 to carry out this 
section.''.

SEC. 6. HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY PERSONNEL.

    (a) Grade Crossing Safety Managers.--In addition to the personnel 
authorized to be employed by the Federal Railroad Administration on the 
day before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administration 
shall hire 16 full-time grade crossing safety managers to work with 
State and local officials to identify safety improvements to highway-
rail grade crossings.
    (b) Trespass Prevention Managers.--In addition to the personnel 
authorized to be employed by the Federal Railroad Administration on the 
day before the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administration 
shall hire 8 trespass prevention managers to work with local 
governments, schools, businesses, and railroads to develop site-
specific mitigation plans.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Federal Railroad Administration, for fiscal years 
2016 through 2019, such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 7. FEASIBILITY OF USING NEW TECHNOLOGY TO REPORT HIGHWAY-RAIL 
              GRADE CROSSING PROBLEMS.

    Section 20152 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(c) Feasibility Study.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
conduct a study of the feasibility of requiring railroads to provide 
additional means for the public to report problems at highway-rail 
grade crossings, including through a website and text messaging.''.
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