II 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 713 

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

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2019 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Highway-Rail Grade 

5 Crossing Safety Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RAILWAY-HIGHWAY CROSSING PROGRAM. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—In addition to amounts otherwise 

8 apportioned for the highway safety improvement program 

9 under section 148 of title 23, United States Code, there 

10 is authorized to be appropriated $50,000,000, which shall 


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1 be set aside for the Railway-Highway Crossings Program 

2 under section 130 of that title, for each of fiscal years 

3 2020 through 2024. 

4 (b) TREATMENT.—Funds made available under sub5 section (a) shall be administered as if apportioned under 

6 chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code. 

7 SEC. 3. CONSOLIDATED RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE AND SAFE8 TY IMPROVEMENTS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 11102 of the FAST Act 

10 (Public Law 114–94; 129 Stat. 1623) is amended— 

11 (1) in subsection (a)— 

12 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

13 by striking ‘‘section 24407 of title 49, United 

14 States Code, (as added by section 11301 of this 

15 Act)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 22907 of title 49, 

16 United States Code’’; 

17 (B) in paragraph (5), by striking 

18 ‘‘$330,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$780,000,000’’; 

19 and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(6) For each of fiscal years 2021 through 

22 2024, such sums as are necessary.’’; 

23 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘section 

24 24407’’ and inserting ‘‘section 22907’’; and 


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1 (3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

2 following: 

3 ‘‘(c) HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY; 

4 RAIL LINE RELOCATION AND IMPROVEMENT.—From the 

5 amount appropriated under subsection (a), the Secretary 

6 shall use, for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024— 

7 ‘‘(1) $250,000,000 to carry out section 

8 22907(c)(6) of title 49, United States Code; 

9 ‘‘(2) $175,000,000 to carry out section 

10 22907(c)(5) of title 49, United States Code; and 

11 ‘‘(3) $25,000,000 to carry out section 

12 22907(c)(10) of title 49, United States Code.’’. 

13 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

14 22907(c)(10) of title 49, United States Code, is amended 

15 by inserting ‘‘, including public education and awareness 

16 campaigns for highway-rail grade crossing safety’’ after 

17 ‘‘rail safety’’. 

18 SEC. 4. OPERATION LIFESAVER. 

19 Section 206(c) of the Rail Safety Improvement Act 

20 of 2008 (division A of Public Law 110–432; 49 U.S.C. 

21 22907 note) is amended by striking subsection (c) and in22 serting the following: 

23 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal Railroad 


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1 Administration to carry out this section $3,000,000 for 

2 each of fiscal years 2020 through 2024.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING SAFETY PER4 SONNEL. 

5 (a) GRADE CROSSING SAFETY MANAGERS.—In addi6 tion to the personnel authorized to be employed by the 

7 Federal Railroad Administration on the day before the 

8 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 

9 Federal Railroad Administration (referred to in this sec10 tion as the ‘‘Administrator’’) shall hire 16 full-time grade 

11 crossing safety managers to work with State and local offi12 cials to identify safety improvements to highway-rail grade 

13 crossings. 

14 (b) TRESPASS PREVENTION MANAGERS.—In addi15 tion to the personnel authorized to be employed by the 

16 Federal Railroad Administration on the day before the 

17 date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall hire 

18 8 trespass prevention managers to work with local govern19 ments, schools, businesses, and railroads to develop site20 specific mitigation plans. 

21 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

23 carry out this section such sums as are necessary for each 

24 of fiscal years 2020 through 2024. 


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1 SEC. 6. PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND STATISTICS ON 

2 HIGHWAY-RAIL GRADE CROSSING PROB3 LEMS. 

4 Section 20152 of title 49, United States Code, is 

5 amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (a), in the matter preceding 

7 paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this sec8 tion as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Transportation’’; and 

9 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(c) PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND STATIS11 TICS.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enact12 ment of this subsection, the Secretary shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) aggregate information and statistics relat14 ing to highway-rail grade crossings, including from 

15 studies conducted by the Federal Railroad Adminis16 tration, rail carriers, and independent entities; 

17 ‘‘(2) provide the information and statistics de18 scribed in paragraph (1) to State departments of 

19 transportation; and 

20 ‘‘(3) establish and maintain a publicly acces21 sible Internet website that contains the information 

22 and statistics described in paragraph (1).’’. 

Æ 


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