II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2512 

To establish an emergency transportation safety fund for the reconstruction 

of bridges along the Interstate Highway System, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 23, 2014 

Mr. MCCONNELL (for himself and Mr. PAUL) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To establish an emergency transportation safety fund for 

the reconstruction of bridges along the Interstate Highway System, 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 ‘‘Emergency Interstate 

5 Bridge Safety Fund Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 

8 (1) The Davis-Bacon Act requires that workers 

9 on all federally funded or federally assisted construcVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:23 Jun 26, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2512.IS S2512

jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 2512 IS

1 tion projects be paid what is commonly referred to 

2 as a prevailing wage, as calculated by the Wage and 

3 Hour Division of the Department of Labor. 

4 (2) According to the Congressional Budget Of5 fice, if the Davis-Bacon Act were repealed, the Fed6 eral Government could save an estimated 

7 $12,700,000,000 in discretionary outlays from 2015 

8 through 2023. 

9 (3) These savings could be redirected to the re10 construction of closed and functionally obsolete 

11 bridges along the Interstate Highway System, which 

12 would improve highway safety and interstate com13 merce. 

14 TITLE I—ESTABLISHMENT AND 

15 FUNDING 

16 SEC. 101. REPEAL OF DAVIS-BACON ACT OF 1931 WAGE RE17 QUIREMENTS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter IV of chapter 31 of 

19 title 40, United States Code (40 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.), is 

20 repealed. 

21 (b) REFERENCE.—Beginning on the date of the en22 actment of this Act, any reference in any law to a wage 

23 requirement under subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 

24 40, United States Code, shall be null and void. 


jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 2512 IS

1 SEC. 102. EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE SAFETY FUND. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

3 Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known 

4 as the ‘‘Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund’’. 

5 (b) TRANSFERS TO EMERGENCY INTERSTATE

6 BRIDGE SAFETY FUND.—- 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas8 ury shall regularly transfer amounts equal to the 

9 savings achieved through the repeal of the wage re10 quirements under subsection (a) from the capital 

11 budgets of each affected Federal agency to the 

12 Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund. 

13 (2) EMERGENCY RELIEF EXPENDITURES.—Sec14 tion 125(c) of title 23, United States Code, is 

15 amended by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(3) EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE SAFETY

17 FUND.—Amounts deposited into the Emergency 

18 Interstate Bridge Safety Fund established under 

19 section 102(a) of the Emergency Interstate Bridge 

20 Safety Fund Act are authorized to be obligated to 

21 carry out, in priority order, the projects on the cur22 rent list compiled by the Secretary under section 

23 201(b)(1) of such Act that meet the eligibility re24 quirements set forth in subsection (a).’’. 


jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 2512 IS

1 TITLE II—EMERGENCY INTER2 STATE BRIDGE SAFETY PRI3 ORITY LIST 

4 SEC. 201. EMERGENCY INTERSTATE BRIDGE PRIORITIES. 

5 (a) LIST.—The Secretary of Transportation, in con6 sultation with a representative sample of State and local 

7 government transportation officials, shall compile a 

8 prioritized list of emergency interstate bridge projects, 

9 which will guide the allocation of funding to the States 

10 from the Emergency Interstate Bridge Safety Fund estab11 lished under section 102. 

12 (b) CRITERIA.—In compiling the list under sub13 section (a), the Secretary of Transportation, in addition 

14 to any other criteria established by the Secretary, shall 

15 rank the emergency interstate bridge projects in descend16 ing order, beginning with projects that— 

17 (1) are part of the Federal interstate highway 

18 system; 

19 (2) involve a bridge that is closed or deemed 

20 functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Ad21 ministration for safety reasons; 

22 (3) have a significant impact on interstate com23 merce; 

24 (4) would affect a significant volume of traffic; 

25 and 


jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 2512 IS

1 (5) have the greatest overall value to the sur2 rounding community. 

3 (c) REPORT.—Not later than 120 days after the date 

4 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor5 tation shall submit a report to Congress that includes— 

6 (1) a prioritized list of emergency interstate 

7 bridge projects to be funded through the Emergency 

8 Interstate Bridge Safety Fund; and 

9 (2) a description of the criteria used to estab10 lish the list referred to in paragraph (1). 

11 (d) QUARTERLY UPDATES.—Not less frequently than 

12 4 times per year, the Secretary of Transportation shall— 

13 (1) update the report submitted pursuant to 

14 subsection (c); 

15 (2) send a copy of the report to Congress; and 

16 (3) make a copy of the report available to the 

17 public through the Department of Transportation’s 

18 website. 

Æ 


jbell on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS