I
103D CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 896
To abolish the Interstate Commerce Commission.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEBRUARY 6, 1993
Mr. HEFLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the
Committees on Energy and Commerce and Public Works and Transportation
A BILL
To abolish the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Interstate Commerce
Commission Sunset Act of 1993’.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
This Act is a part of the continuing effort by Con-
gress to reduce unnecessary and burdensome Government
regulations and to improve the productivity and competi-
tiveness of United States industries in domestic and world
markets.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that—
(1) a safe, sound, competitive, and fuel efficient
surface transportation system is vital to the mainte-
nance of a strong national economy, an improved
balance of payments, and a strong national defense;
(2) the statutes governing Federal regulation of
the truck, intercity bus, interstate water carrier,
household goods freight forwarder, broker, rail pas-
senger, pipeline (other than water, gas, or oil), and
ferry industries are outdated and should be substan-
tially amended to reflect the transportation needs
and realities of the present and future;
(3) historically, the existing regulatory struc-
ture has tended in certain circumstances to inhibit
market entry, carrier growth, maximum utilization
of equipment and energy resources, and opportuni-
ties for minorities, small businesses, and others to
enter the interstate trucking and bus industries;
(4) protective regulation has resulted in operat-
ing inefficiencies and anticompetitive pricing, has
tended to suppress technological and managerial in-
novation, and has tended to restrict the range of
price and service options available to shippers and
passengers;
(5) available evidence suggests that many bil-
lions of dollars in savings to a broad range of United
States industries have already been associated with
recent transportation law reforms and that removal
of the remaining regulations and adoption of addi-
tional transportation productivity measures will re-
sult in additional savings that will enable United
States companies to become much more productive
and more competitive in domestic and world mar-
kets;
(6) the Interstate Commerce Commission’s reg-
ulatory responsibilities other than for rail are not
needed and should be eliminated entirely and its re-
maining authority over the transportation of prop-
erty by railroads should be transferred to the De-
partment of Transportation;
(7) the Interstate Commerce Commission
should cease operation at the end of fiscal year
1995; and
(8) legislative and resulting changes should be
implemented with the least amount of disruption
consistent with achieving the reforms enacted.
SEC. 4. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY UNDER TITLE 49.
(a) CHAPTER 103.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 103 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 10301.
(2) Section 10302.
(3) Section 10303.
(4) Section 10304.
(5) Section 10305.
(6) Section 10306.
(7) Section 10307.
(8) Section 10308.
(9) Subsection (b) of section 10310.
(10) Section 10311.
(11) Section 10322.
(12) Subsection (b) of section 10328.
(13) Sections 10329(a)(2), 10329(c)(2), and
10329(c)(3).
(14) Section 10330(b).
(15) Subchapter III.
(16) Section 10361.
(17) Section 10363.
(18) Section 10364.
(19) Subchapter V.
(b) CHAPTER 105.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 105 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 10502.
(2) Section 10504.
(3) Sections 10521 through 10530.
(4) Subchapter III.
(5) Subchapter IV.
(c) CHAPTER 107.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 107 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Subsections (d) and (e) of section 10701.
(2) Subsection (b) of section 10702.
(3) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section
10704.
(4) Subsections (a), (o), and (p) of section
10705a.
(5) Section 10706.
(6) Section 10708.
(7) Section 10722.
(8) Section 10725.
(9) Section 10733.
(10) Section 10735.
(11) Section 10749.
(12) Subsection (c) of section 10751.
(13) Subsection (b) of section 10761.
(14) Section 10766.
(d) CHAPTER 109.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 109 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 10921.
(2) Subsections (a), (b), and (d) through (k) of
section 10922.
(3) Section 10923.
(4) Section 10924.
(5) Section 10925.
(6) Section 10926.
(7) Section 10927.
(8) Section 10928.
(9) Section 10929.
(10) Section 10930.
(11) Section 10931.
(12) Section 10932.
(13) Section 10933.
(14) Section 10934.
(e) CHAPTER 111.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 111 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Subsections (b) and (c) of section 11101.
(2) Section 11102.
(3) Section 11106.
(4) Section 11107.
(5) Section 11108.
(6) Section 11110.
(7) Section 11111.
(8) Section 11127.
(9) Section 11142.
(f) CHAPTER 113.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 113 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 11304.
(2) Section 11321.
(3) Section 11323.
(4) 
Subchapter 
III, 
other 
than 
section
11348(b).
(g) CHAPTER 115.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 115 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 11503a.
(2) Section 11506.
(h) CHAPTER 117.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 117 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 11704.
(2) Section 11708.
(3) Section 11711.
(i) CHAPTER 119.—The following provisions of chap-
ter 119 of title 49, United States Code, are repealed effec-
tive October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 11905.
(2) Section 11906.
(3) Section 11908.
(4) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section
11909.
(5) Subsections (a)(2) through (a)(4) of section
11910.
(6) Section 11912.
(7) Subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section
11914.
SEC. 5. TRANSFER OF AUTHORITY TO DEPARTMENT OF
TRANSPORTATION.
(a) CHAPTER 101.—There are hereby transferred to
and vested in the Secretary of Transportation all func-
tions, powers, and duties of the Interstate Commerce
Commission under the following sections of chapter 101
of title 49, United States Code, effective October 1, 1994:
(1) Section 10101 as amended in subsection
(a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘to provide for the impar-
tial regulation of the modes of transportation
subject to this subtitle,’’;
(B) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and
inserting the following new paragraphs:
‘‘(1) to promote safe, adequate, economical, and
efficient transportation;
‘‘(2) to cooperate with each State and the offi-
cials of each State on transportation matters;’’; and
(C) in paragraph (3)—
(i) by striking ‘‘carrier of passengers’’
and inserting ‘‘carriers’’;
(ii) by striking clause (B);
(iii) by redesignating clause (C) as
clause (B); and
(iv) by striking ‘‘enacted by the Bus
Regulatory Reform Act of 1982’’.
(2) Section 10101a.
(3) Section 10102 as amended—
(A) in paragraph (4)—
(i) by striking ‘‘an express carrier, a
pipeline carrier,’’;
(ii) by striking ‘‘a sleeping car car-
rier,’’; and
(iii) by striking ‘‘household goods’’;
(B) by striking paragraph (5);
(C) by inserting ‘‘and a freight forwarder’’
before the period at the end of paragraph (6);
(D) by striking paragraph (8);
(E) in paragraph (9)—
(i) by striking ‘‘holding itself out to
the general public (other than as an ex-
press, pipeline, rail, sleeping car, motor, or
water carrier) to provide’’ and inserting
‘‘that provides’’;
(ii) by inserting ‘‘and’’ after the semi-
colon at the end of subparagraph (A);
(iii) by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semi-
colon following subparagraph (B) and in-
serting a period; and
(iv) by striking subparagraph (C);
(F) in paragraph (11) by striking ‘‘Com-
mission’’ each place it appears and inserting
‘‘Federal Trade Commission’’;
(G) by striking paragraph (12);
(H) by inserting after paragraph (12) the
following new paragraph:
‘‘(13) ‘interstate transportation’ means trans-
portation—
‘‘(A) between a place in—
‘‘(i) a State and a place in another
State;
‘‘(ii) a State and another place in the
same State through another State;
‘‘(iii) the United States and a place in
a territory or possession of the United
States to the extent the transportation is
in the United States;
‘‘(iv) the United States and another
place in the United States through a for-
eign country to the extent the transpor-
tation is in the United States; or
‘‘(v) the United States and a place in
a foreign country to the extent the trans-
portation is in the United States; and
‘‘(B) in a reservation under the exclusive
jurisdiction of the United States or on a public
highway.’’;
(I) by striking paragraph (14) and insert-
ing the following new paragraph:
‘‘(14) ‘motor contract carrier’ means a person,
other than a motor common carrier, providing motor
vehicle transportation for compensation under con-
tinuing agreements with a person or a number of
persons.’’;
(J) in paragraph (16)(A) by striking ‘‘as
provided in section 10521(a) (1) and (2) of this
title’’ and inserting ‘‘interstate transportation’’;
(K) in paragraph (17) by striking ‘‘deter-
mined by the Commission’’ and inserting
‘‘thereof’’;
(L) by striking paragraph (19);
(M) in paragraph (21) by striking ‘‘lighter,
and ferry’’ and inserting ‘‘and ferry’’;
(N) 
in 
paragraph 
(22) 
by 
striking
‘‘, fare,’’;
(O) by striking paragraph (23);
(P) in paragraph (26)—
(i) by striking ‘‘of passengers or’’;
(ii) by striking ‘‘, or both,’’; and
(iii) by striking ‘‘passengers and’’;
(Q) in paragraph (31) by striking ‘‘subject
to the jurisdiction of the Commission under this
subtitle’’; and
(R) by redesignating the paragraphs of
such section 10102, as so amended, as para-
graphs (1) through (27), respectively.
(b) CHAPTER 103.—There are hereby transferred to
and vested in the Secretary of Transportation all func-
tions, powers, and duties of the Interstate Commerce
is required, the President shall provide an oppor-
tunity for presentation of views concerning the tak-
ing of such action.
‘‘(3) MODIFICATION
OF
LIMITATIONS.—The
President may also remove or modify any action
taken under paragraph (2) if the President deter-
mines that such removal or modification is likewise
in the national interest.
‘‘(4) DELEGATION
OF
AUTHORITY; REGULA-
TIONS.—The President may delegate any or all au-
thority under this subsection to the Secretary of
Transportation who shall consult with other agencies
as 
appropriate. 
Any 
suspension, 
modification,
amendment, condition, or limitation imposed under
paragraph (2), and documentary requirements that
may be necessary to institute and enforce such ac-
tions, shall be accomplished in accordance with di-
rections of the President under regulations issued by
the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with
other agencies as appropriate. Such regulations and
orders shall be enforced by the Department of
Transportation, the Department of the Treasury,
and the Department of Justice.
‘‘(5) COMPLIANCE
WITH
OTHER
APPLICABLE
LAWS.—This section shall in no way affect the re-