II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2006 

To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance 

Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to permit 

Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain 

surface transportation facilities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 15, 2011 

Mr. LAUTENBERG introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary 

of Transportation to permit Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain surface transportation facilities, 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 ‘‘Commuter Protection 

5 Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS. 

2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 135 of the Surface Trans3 portation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 

4 (33 U.S.C. 508; Public Law 100–17; 101 Stat. 174) is 

5 amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 135. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS. 

7 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Tolls for passage or transit over 

8 any bridge constructed under the Act of March 23, 1906 

9 (33 U.S.C. 491 et seq.) (commonly known as the ‘Bridge 

10 Act of 1906’), the General Bridge Act of 1946 (33 U.S.C. 

11 525 et seq.), or the International Bridge Act of 1972 (33 

12 U.S.C. 535 et seq.), and over or through any bridge or 

13 tunnel constructed on a Federal-aid highway (as defined 

14 in section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code) under 

15 any other provision of law, shall be— 

16 ‘‘(1) just and reasonable; and 

17 ‘‘(2) subject to review and regulation by the 

18 Secretary, upon complaint or the initiative of the 

19 Secretary, including with respect to increases in the 

20 amount of tolls. 

21 ‘‘(b) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall promul22 gate such regulations as are necessary to carry out this 

23 section, including regulations that— 

24 ‘‘(1)(A) define the term ‘just and reasonable’ 

25 for purposes of this section; 


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1 ‘‘(B) establish a process to determine whether 

2 tolls are just and reasonable for purposes of this sec3 tion; and 

4 ‘‘(C) prescribe, when appropriate, the just and 

5 reasonable rates of tolls to be charged under this 

6 section; 

7 ‘‘(2) establish a process for the filing of an ad8 ministrative complaint to challenge a determination 

9 described in paragraph (1)(B); 

10 ‘‘(3) authorize the Secretary, or a designated 

11 administrative law judge— 

12 ‘‘(A) to consider a complaint from any per13 son aggrieved by a toll increase on any bridge 

14 or tunnel described in subsection (a); and 

15 ‘‘(B) to conduct an investigation and, if 

16 appropriate, hold a formal hearing on such a 

17 complaint; and 

18 ‘‘(4) authorize a person who submitted a com19 plaint described in paragraph (3)(A) to challenge the 

20 final administrative determination of the Secretary 

21 or administrative law judge on the complaint, after 

22 issuance of that determination, in the appropriate 

23 United States district court in accordance with sub24 chapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7, of title 5, 


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1 United States Code (commonly known as the ‘Ad2 ministrative Procedure Act’).’’. 

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of con4 tents for the Surface Transportation and Uniform Reloca5 tion Assistance Act of 1987 (23 U.S.C. 101 note; Public 

6 Law 100–17) is amended by striking the item relating to 

7 section 135 and inserting the following: 

‘‘Sec. 135. Review and regulation of tolls.’’. 

8 SEC. 3. STUDY ON USE OF TOLLS BY INTERSTATE AUTHORI9 TIES. 

10 As soon as practicable after the date of enactment 

11 of this Act, the Comptroller General shall conduct, and 

12 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report 

13 on the results of, a study— 

14 (1) to evaluate the use of tolls by interstate au15 thorities to maintain and improve surface transpor16 tation facilities; and 

17 (2) to make recommendations to increase trans18 parency and accountability of the funding decisions 

19 by those authorities. 

Æ 


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