I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9308 

To prohibit the use of Federal funds in certain high-speed rail projects 

until such date as the Secretary of Transportation certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress the completion of at least one mile of 

rail or electromagnetic guideway of such projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

AUGUST 6, 2024 

Mr. MIKE GARCIA of California (for himself, Mr. ELLZEY, and Mr. 

OBERNOLTE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To prohibit the use of Federal funds in certain high-speed 

rail projects until such date as the Secretary of Transportation certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress the completion of at least one mile of rail or 

electromagnetic guideway of such projects, 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 ‘‘No Frankenrail Act 

5 of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) The high-speed rail corridor development 

4 project that is the subject of Cooperative Agreement 

5 No. FR–HSR–0118–12–01–01 entered into between 

6 the California High-Speed Rail Authority and the 

7 Federal Railroad Administration (in this section re8 ferred to as the ‘‘California High Speed Rail 

9 project’’) first received Federal funds in 2009 in the 

10 form of a $2,500,000,000 grant from funds made 

11 available under title XII of division A of the Amer12 ican Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public 

13 Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 208). 

14 (2) The California High Speed Rail project was 

15 originally intended to cost $33,000,000,000 and be 

16 completed by 2020. 

17 (3) As of the date of introduction of this Act, 

18 the California High Speed Rail project is expected to 

19 cost at least $128,000,000,000 and has no expected 

20 completion date. 

21 (4) As of the date of introduction of this Act, 

22 the California High Speed Rail project has yet to 

23 construct a single mile of rail line. 


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1 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON FEDERAL FUNDS FOR COVERED 

2 PROJECTS. 

3 (a) PROHIBITION.—Except as provided in subsection 

4 (b), no Federal funds may be provided for use in any cov5 ered project. 

6 (b) TERMINATION OF PROHIBITION.—Subsection (a) 

7 shall cease to apply with respect to a covered project on 

8 the date on which the Secretary of Transportation certifies 

9 to the appropriate committees of Congress that at least 

10 1 mile of rail or electromagnetic guideway has been com11 pleted under the covered project. 

12 (c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

13 (1) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON14 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con15 gress’’ means— 

16 (A) the Committee on Transportation and 

17 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 

18 and 

19 (B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

20 and Transportation of the Senate. 

21 (2) COVERED PROJECT.—The term ‘‘covered 

22 project’’ means any project— 

23 (A) to construct a high-speed rail or de24 velop a high-speed rail corridor; and 


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1 (B) for which Federal funds were first dis2 bursed before the date that is 10 years before 

3 the date of enactment of this section. 

4 (3) HIGH-SPEED RAIL.—The term ‘‘high-speed 

5 rail’’ has the meaning given such term in section 

6 26105 of title 49, United States Code. 

Æ 


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