II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 899 

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 SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 23, 2021 

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

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) An effective transportation system for the 

2 Nation requires dedicated, predictable Federal fund3 ing for various capital and operating expenses, as 

4 demonstrated by the Highway Trust Fund, which 

5 supports all Federal highway programs, most public 

6 transit programs, and many Federal transportation 

7 safety programs. 

8 (2) Intercity passenger rail is the only surface 

9 transportation mode in the United States that— 

10 (A) does not receive any Federal funding 

11 through a trust fund for capital investment; 

12 and 

13 (B) is completely dependent on annual dis14 cretionary appropriations for both its capital ex15 penses and its operating costs. 

16 (3) In fiscal year 2019, Amtrak experienced 

17 record ridership, a historic low operating loss, and a 

18 record capital spend rate. 

19 (4) In markets with sufficient infrastructure 

20 and train frequency, Amtrak has proven to be an ef21 fective mode of transportation compared to commer22 cial air and bus service and private automobile use. 

23 (5) Intercity passenger rail offers substantial 

24 safety, energy, and environmental advantages com25 pared to most other transportation modes, but decVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:01 Apr 13, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S899.IS S899

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1 ades of in sufficient capital funding has drastically 

2 limited the role that intercity passenger rail can play 

3 in the Nation’s overall transportation network. 

4 (6) There are critical capital needs for the 

5 Northeast Corridor and the National Network, in6 cluding infrastructure, fleet, stations, and facilities. 

7 (7) Adding to the urgency of these capital in8 vestment needs, due to changing demographics, pop9 ulation growth, urbanization, and changing travel 

10 trends, intercity passenger rail will be needed to help 

11 move our Nation into the future. 

12 (8) For these reasons, an Intercity Passenger 

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

14 ensure a safe, sustainable, convenient transportation 

15 option for the people of the United States. 

16 SEC. 3. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND. 

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

18 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at 

19 the end the following: 

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

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

22 Treasury of the United States a trust fund, which shall 

23 be known as the ‘Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund’, 

24 consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated or 


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1 credited to the Intercity Passenger Railroad Trust Fund 

2 as provided in this section and section 9602(b). 

3 ‘‘(b) TRANSFER TO INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL

4 TRUST FUND.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is hereby appro6 priated to the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund 

7 for fiscal year 2022, and for each fiscal year there8 after, an amount equal to 50 percent of the average 

9 annual amounts appropriated to the Highway Trust 

10 Fund under section 9503 for fiscal years 2008 

11 through 2020. 

12 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION OF

13 ADDITIONAL SUMS.—There are hereby authorized to 

14 be appropriated to the Intercity Passenger Rail 

15 Trust Fund such additional sums as may be re16 quired to make the expenditures referred to in sub17 section (c). 

18 ‘‘(c) EXPENDITURES FROM THE INTERCITY PAS19 SENGER RAIL TRUST FUND.—Amounts in the Intercity 

20 Passenger Rail Trust Fund shall be available for obliga21 tion without further appropriations action for making ex22 penditures to carry out section 24314 of title 49.’’. 

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

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

25 by adding at the end the following new item: 

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


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1 SEC. 4. INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND EXPEND2 ITURES. 

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

4 States Code, is amended by inserting after section 24313 

5 the following: 

6 ‘‘§ 24314. Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund ex7 penditures 

8 ‘‘(a) EXPENDITURES FROM THE INTERCITY PAS9 SENGER RAIL TRUST FUND.—Amounts deposited into the 

10 Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund each fiscal year pur11 suant to section 9512(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 

12 1986 shall be available for obligation, without further ap13 propriation, in accordance with the ratios set forth in sub14 section (b). Amounts made available under this section 

15 shall remain available until expended. 

16 ‘‘(b) INTERCITY PASSENGER RAIL TRUST FUND EX17 PENDITURE RATIOS.—The Secretary may use amounts 

18 deposited into the Intercity Passenger Rail Trust Fund 

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

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

21 funds awarded pursuant to this subsection— 

22 ‘‘(1) 40 percent shall be used for activities asso23 ciated with the Northeast Corridor; and 

24 ‘‘(2) 60 percent shall be used for activities asso25 ciated with the National Network. 


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

2 may be construed as prohibiting discretionary funding 

3 from being provided to Amtrak.’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

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

6 by inserting after the item relating to section 24313 the 

7 following: 

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

Æ 


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