I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 935 

To establish a National Freight Network Trust Fund to improve the 

performance of the national freight network, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2015 

Ms. HAHN (for herself, Mr. POE of Texas, Ms. LEE, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Mr. 

FARENTHOLD, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. COHEN, Ms. JACKSON

LEE, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. PETERS, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) 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 a National Freight Network Trust Fund to 

improve the performance of the national freight network, 

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 ‘‘National Freight Net5 work Trust Fund Act of 2015’’. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

2 

•HR 935 IH

1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK TRUST FUND. 

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

3 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 

4 the end the following new section: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 9512. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK TRUST FUND. 

6 ‘‘(a) CREATION OF TRUST FUND.—There is hereby 

7 established in the Treasury of the United States a trust 

8 fund to be known as the ‘National Freight Network Trust 

9 Fund’, consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated 

10 or credited to such Trust Fund as provided in this section 

11 and section 9602(b). 

12 ‘‘(b) TRANSFERS TO TRUST FUND.—There are here13 by appropriated to the National Freight Network Trust 

14 Fund amounts equivalent to 5 percent of the import duties 

15 imposed under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 

16 United States. 

17 ‘‘(c) EXPENDITURES.—Amounts in the National 

18 Freight Network Trust Fund shall be available without 

19 further appropriation to the Secretary of Transportation 

20 only for making expenditures to fund awards under the 

21 National Freight Network Grant Program established 

22 under section 3(a) of the National Freight Network Trust 

23 Fund Act of 2015.’’. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

3 

•HR 935 IH

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. National Freight Network Trust Fund.’’. 

4 SEC. 3. NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established in 

6 the Department of Transportation a National Freight 

7 Network Grant Program (in this section referred to as the 

8 ‘‘Program’’) to improve the performance of the national 

9 freight network. 

10 (b) GRANT AUTHORITY.—Under the Program, the 

11 Secretary of Transportation, in accordance with the na12 tional freight strategic plan developed under section 167 

13 of title 23, United States Code, may make a grant to as14 sist any project that improves the performance of a seg15 ment of the national freight network. 

16 (c) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Under the Program, the 

17 Secretary may make a grant to the following: 

18 (1) A State. 

19 (2) A regional or local transportation organiza20 tion. 

21 (3) A port authority. 

22 (d) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 

23 the Program, an entity specified in subsection (c) shall 

24 submit to the Secretary an application regarding a pro25 posed project at such time, in such form, and containing 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

4 

•HR 935 IH

1 such information as the Secretary determines is appro2 priate. 

3 (e) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In making grants under 

4 the Program, the Secretary shall evaluate and select 

5 projects on a competitive basis by considering the potential 

6 of the projects to— 

7 (1) generate national economic benefits; 

8 (2) improve the performance of key corridors 

9 and gateways; 

10 (3) reduce congestion; 

11 (4) improve transportation safety; and 

12 (5) enhance the national freight network. 

13 (f) TRANSPARENCY.—For each application submitted 

14 under subsection (d) that does not result in a grant, the 

15 Secretary shall provide to the relevant applicant a written 

16 explanation describing the reasons a grant was not made. 

17 (g) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 

18 of a project assisted with a grant under the Program shall 

19 be 90 percent, except that a grant recipient may determine 

20 a lower Federal share than the Federal share otherwise 

21 determined under this subsection. 

22 (h) FUNDING.—In carrying out the Program, the 

23 Secretary shall utilize amounts available in the National 

24 Freight Network Trust Fund established under section 

25 9512 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

5 

•HR 935 IH

1 (i) NATIONAL FREIGHT NETWORK DEFINED.—In 

2 this section, the term ‘‘national freight network’’ means— 

3 (1) the national freight network established 

4 under section 167 of title 23, United States Code; 

5 (2) roads and rail lines that connect such net6 work to a port; 

7 (3) on-dock rail; 

8 (4) projects that appear in a State freight plan; 

9 (5) projects that appear in a regional transpor10 tation plan; 

11 (6) high freight volume roadway or rail cor12 ridors that provide connectivity for— 

13 (A) ports; 

14 (B) intermodal connectors; 

15 (C) multimodal freight facilities; 

16 (D) multistate freight corridors; 

17 (E) international borders; or 

18 (F) airports; and 

19 (7) railway-highway grade separations. 

20 SEC. 4. NATIONAL FREIGHT POLICY. 

21 Section 167(c)(1) of title 23, United States Code, is 

22 amended by inserting ‘‘, and update every 5 years there23 after,’’ after ‘‘shall establish’’. 

Æ 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS