I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7681 

To establish the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund to ensure a safe, 

sustainable, convenient transportation option for the people of the United 

States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 20, 2020 

Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois (for himself, Mr. LAWSON of Florida, Mr. 

SCHNEIDER, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, and Mr. RUSH) 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 the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund to 

ensure a safe, sustainable, convenient transportation option for the people of the United States, 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 ‘‘Intercity Passenger 

5 Rail Trust Fund Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress makes the following findings: 

3 (1) An effective transportation system for the 

4 Nation requires dedicated, predictable Federal fund5 ing for various capital and operating expenses, as 

6 demonstrated by the Highway Trust Fund, which 

7 supports all Federal highway programs, most public 

8 transit programs, and many Federal transportation 

9 safety programs. 

10 (2) Intercity passenger rail is the only surface 

11 transportation mode in the United States that— 

12 (A) does not receive any Federal funding 

13 through a trust fund for capital investment; 

14 and 

15 (B) is completely dependent on annual dis16 cretionary appropriations for both its capital ex17 penses and its operating costs. 

18 (3) In fiscal year 2019, Amtrak experienced 

19 record ridership, a historic low-operating loss, and a 

20 record capital spend rate. 

21 (4) In markets with sufficient infrastructure 

22 and train frequency, Amtrak has proven to be an ef23 fective mode of transportation when compared to 

24 commercial air and bus service and private auto25 mobile use. 


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1 (5) Intercity passenger rail offers substantial 

2 safety, energy, and environmental advantages over 

3 most other transportation modes, but decades of in4 sufficient capital funding has drastically limited the 

5 role that intercity passenger rail can play in the Na6 tion’s overall transportation network. 

7 (6) There are critical capital needs on both the 

8 Northeast Corridor and the National Network, in9 cluding infrastructure, fleet, stations and facilities. 

10 (7) Adding to the urgency of all these needs, 

11 due to changing demographics, population growth, 

12 urbanization, and changing travel trends, intercity 

13 passenger rail will be needed to help move our Na14 tion into the future. 

15 (8) For these reasons, an Intercity Passenger 

16 Rail Trust Fund is needed now, more than ever, to 

17 ensure a safe, sustainable, convenient transportation 

18 option for the people of the United States. 

19 SEC. 3. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter A of chapter 98 of the 

21 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 

22 the end the following new section: 

23 ‘‘SEC. 9512. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND. 

24 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

25 Treasury a fund to be known as the ‘Intercity Passenger 


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1 Rail Trust Fund’, consisting of such amounts as may be 

2 appropriated or credited to the fund as provided in this 

3 section. 

4 ‘‘(b) TRANSFER TO INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL

5 TRUST FUND.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby appro7 priated to the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund 

8 for fiscal year 2021, and for each fiscal year there9 after, an amount equal to 50 percent of the average 

10 annual amounts appropriated to the Highway Trust 

11 Fund under section 9503 for fiscal years 2008 

12 through 2020. 

13 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION OF

14 ADDITIONAL SUMS.—There are hereby authorized to 

15 be appropriated to the Intercity Passenger Rail 

16 Trust Fund such additional sums as may be re17 quired to make the expenditures referred to in sub18 section (c). 

19 ‘‘(c) EXPENDITURES FROM THE INTERCITY PAS20 SENGER RAIL TRUST FUND.—Amounts in the Intercity 

21 Passenger Rail Trust Fund shall be available for obliga22 tion without further appropriations action for making ex23 penditures to carry out section 24314 of title 49.’’. 


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1 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections 

2 for subchapter A of chapter 98 of such Code is amended 

3 by adding at the end the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 9512. Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund.’’ 

4 SEC. 4. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND EXPEND5 ITURES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 243 of title 49, United 

7 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 24313 

8 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 24314. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND EX10 PENDITURES. 

11 ‘‘(a) EXPENDITURES FROM THE INTERCITY PAS12 SENGER RAIL TRUST FUND.—Amounts deposited into the 

13 Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund each fiscal year pur14 suant to section 9512(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

15 1986 shall be available for obligation, without further ap16 propriation, consistent with the ratios set forth in sub17 section (b). Amounts made available under this section 

18 shall remain available until expended. 

19 ‘‘(b) INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND EX20 PENDITURE RATIOS.—The Secretary may use amounts 

21 deposited into the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund 

22 each fiscal year to award grants to Amtrak, in accordance 

23 with the process described in section 24319. Of the grant 

24 funds awarded pursuant to this subsection— 


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1 ‘‘(1) 40 percent shall be used for activities asso2 ciated with the Northeast Corridor, and 

3 ‘‘(2) 60 percent shall be used for activities asso4 ciated with the National Network. 

5 ‘‘(c) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section 

6 may be construed as prohibiting discretionary funding 

7 from being provided to Amtrak.’’. 

8 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

9 chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is amended 

10 by inserting after the item relating to section 24313 the 

11 following new item: 

‘‘24314. Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund Expenditures.’’. 

Æ 


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