I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1631
To provide for the financing of high-speed rail infrastructure, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2005
Mr. YOUNG of Alaska (for himself, Mr. OBERSTAR, Mr. LATOURETTE, and 
Ms. CORRINE BROWN 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 subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for the financing of high-speed rail infrastructure, 
and for other purposes.
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 ‘‘Rail Infrastructure De-
velopment and Expansion Act for the 21st Century’’.
SEC. 2. HIGH-SPEED INTERCITY RAIL FACILITY BONDS. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Chapter 261 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 26106. High-speed rail infrastructure bonds 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may designate 
bonds for purposes of subsection (f) or section 54 of the 
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 if—
‘‘(1) the bonds are to be issued by—
‘‘(A) a State, if the entire railroad pas-
senger transportation corridor containing the 
infrastructure project to be financed is within 
the State; 
‘‘(B) 1 or more of the States that have en-
tered into an agreement or an interstate com-
pact consented to by Congress under section 
410(a) of Public Law 105–134 (49 U.S.C 
24101 nt); or 
‘‘(C) an agreement or an interstate com-
pact described in subparagraph (B); 
‘‘(2) the bonds are for the purpose of financ-
ing—
‘‘(A) projects that make a substantial con-
tribution to providing the infrastructure and 
equipment required to complete a high-speed 
rail transportation corridor (including projects
for the acquisition, financing, or refinancing of 
equipment and other capital improvements, in-
cluding the introduction of new high-speed tech-
nologies such as magnetic levitation systems, 
track or signal improvements, the elimination of 
grade crossings, development of intermodal fa-
cilities, improvement of train speeds or safety, 
or both, and station rehabilitation or construc-
tion), but only if the Secretary determines that 
the projects are part of a viable and comprehen-
sive high-speed rail transportation corridor de-
sign for intercity passenger service, including a 
design for minimally operable segments of a 
corridor designated under section 104(d)(2) of 
title 23, United States Code; or 
‘‘(B) projects for the Alaska Railroad; 
‘‘(3) for a railroad passenger transportation 
corridor design that includes the use of rights-of-way 
owned by a freight railroad, a written agreement ex-
ists between the applicant and the freight railroad 
regarding such use and ownership, including com-
pensation for such use and assurances regarding the 
adequacy of infrastructure capacity to accommodate 
both existing and future freight and passenger oper-
ations, and including an assurance by the freight
railroad that collective bargaining agreements with 
the freight railroad’s employees (including terms 
regulating the contracting of work) shall remain in 
full force and effect according to their terms for 
work performed by the freight railroad on such rail-
road passenger transportation corridor; 
‘‘(4) the corridor design eliminates existing rail-
way-highway grade crossings that the Secretary de-
termines would impede high-speed rail operations; 
‘‘(5) the applicant agrees to comply with—
‘‘(A) the standards of section 24312, as in 
effect on September 1, 2002, with respect to 
the project in the same manner that the Na-
tional Railroad Passenger Corporation is re-
quired to comply with such standards for con-
struction work financed under an agreement 
made under section 24308(a); and 
‘‘(B) the protective arrangements estab-
lished under section 504 of the Railroad Revi-
talization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 
(45 U.S.C. 836) with respect to employees af-
fected by actions taken in connection with the 
project to be financed by the bond; and 
‘‘(6) the applicant agrees not to pay the prin-
cipal or interest on the bonds using funds derived di-
rectly or indirectly from the Highway Trust Fund, 
except as permitted by law as of the date of the en-
actment of this section. 
‘‘(b) BOND AMOUNT LIMITATION.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of bonds des-
ignated under this section may not exceed—
‘‘(A) in the case of subsection (f) bonds, 
$1,200,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2006 through 2015; and 
‘‘(B) in the case of section 54 bonds, 
$1,200,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
2006 through 2015. 
‘‘(2) CARRYOVER OF UNUSED LIMITATION.—If 
for any fiscal year the limitation amount under sub-
paragraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) exceeds—
‘‘(A) with respect to subparagraph (A) of 
paragraph (1), the amount of subsection (f) 
bonds issued during such year; or 
‘‘(B) with respect to subparagraph (B) of 
paragraph (1), the amount of section 54 bonds 
issued during such year, 
the limitation amount under subparagraph (A) or 
(B) of paragraph (1), as the case may be, for the 
following fiscal year (through fiscal year 2019) shall 
be increased by the amount of such excess.