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SEC. 4205. WORKING GROUP FOR DEVELOPMENT OF PRAC-
TICES AND PROCEDURES TO ENHANCE FED-
ERAL-STATE RELATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 
a working group of State attorneys general, State con-
sumer protection administrators, and Federal and local 
law enforcement officials for the purpose of developing 
practices and procedures to enhance the Federal-State 
partnership in enforcement efforts, exchange of informa-
tion, and coordination of enforcement efforts with respect 
to interstate transportation of household goods and of 
making legislative and regulatory recommendations to the 
Secretary concerning such enforcement efforts. 
(b) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out subsection (a), 
the working group shall consult with industries involved 
in the transportation of household goods. 
(c) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT EXEMP-
TION.—The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App.) shall not apply to the working group established 
under subsection (a). 
(d) TERMINATION DATE.—The working group shall 
remain in effect until September 30, 2009. 
SEC. 4206. CONSUMER HANDBOOK ON DOT WEB SITE. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall take such action as may
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be necessary to ensure that publication ESA 03005 of the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration entitled 
‘Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move’, is 
prominently displayed, and available in language that is 
readily understandable by the general public, on the Web 
site of the Department of Transportation. 
SEC. 4207. RELEASE OF HOUSEHOLD GOODS BROKER IN-
FORMATION. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary shall modify the regulations con-
tained in part 375 of title 49, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, to require a broker that is subject to such regula-
tions to provide shippers with the following information 
whenever they have contact with a shipper or potential 
shipper: 
(1) The Department of Transportation number 
of the broker. 
(2) The ESA 03005 publication referred to in 
section 4206 of this Act. 
(3) A list of all motor carriers providing trans-
portation of household goods used by the broker and 
a statement that the broker is not a motor carrier 
providing transportation of household goods.
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SEC. 4208. CONSUMER COMPLAINT INFORMATION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF SYSTEM.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary 
shall—
(1) establish a system for filing and logging 
consumer complaints relating to motor carriers pro-
viding transportation of household goods and for 
compiling complaint information gathered by the De-
partment of Transportation and the States with re-
gard to such carriers, a database of the complaints, 
and a procedure for the public to have access to ag-
gregated information and for carriers to challenge 
duplicate or fraudulent information in the database; 
and 
(2) issue regulations requiring each motor car-
rier of household goods to submit on a quarterly 
basis a report summarizing—
(A) the number of shipments that originate 
and are delivered for individual shippers during 
the reporting period by the carrier; 
(B) the number and general category of 
complaints lodged by consumers with the car-
rier; 
(C) the number of claims filed with the 
carrier for loss and damage in excess of $500;
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(D) the number of such claims resolved 
during the reporting period; 
(E) the number of such claims declined in 
the reporting period; and 
(F) the number of such claims that are 
pending at the close of the reporting period. 
(b) USE OF INFORMATION.—The Secretary shall con-
sider information in the data base established under sub-
section (a) in its household goods compliance and enforce-
ment program. 
SEC. 4209. INSURANCE REGULATIONS. 
(a) REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall undertake 
a review of the current Federal regulations regarding in-
surance coverage provided by motor carriers providing 
transportation of household goods and revise such regula-
tions in order to provide enhanced protection for shippers 
in the case of loss or damage as determined necessary. 
(b) DETERMINATIONS.—The review shall include, but 
not be limited to, a determination of—
(1) whether the current regulations provide ade-
quate protection for shippers; 
(2) whether an individual shipper should pur-
chase insurance as opposed to the carrier; and
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(3) whether there are abuses of the current reg-
ulations that leave the shipper unprotected in loss 
and damage claims. 
SEC. 4210. ESTIMATING REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 14104(b)(1) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘(1) REQUIRED TO BE IN WRITING.—
‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Except as otherwise 
provided in this subsection, every motor carrier 
providing transportation of household goods de-
scribed in section 13102(10)(A) subject to ju-
risdiction under subchapter I of chapter 135 
shall conduct a physical survey of the household 
goods to be transported on behalf of a prospec-
tive individual shipper and shall provide the 
shipper with a written estimate of charges for 
the transportation and all related services. 
‘(B) WAIVER.—A shipper may elect to 
waive a physical survey under this paragraph by 
written agreement signed by the shipper before 
the shipment is loaded. A copy of the waiver 
agreement must be retained as an addendum to 
the bill of lading and shall be subject to the 
same record inspection and preservation re-
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quirements of the Secretary as are applicable to 
bills of lading. 
‘(C) ESTIMATE.—
‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding a 
waiver under subparagraph (B), a carrier’s 
statement of charges for transportation 
must be submitted to the shipper in writ-
ing and must indicate whether it is binding 
or nonbinding. 
‘(ii) BINDING.—A binding estimate 
under this paragraph must indicate that 
the carrier and shipper are bound by such 
charges. The carrier may impose a charge 
for providing a written binding estimate. 
‘(iii) NONBINDING.—A nonbinding es-
timate under this paragraph must indicate 
that the actual charges will be based upon 
the actual weight of the individual ship-
per’s shipment and the carrier’s lawful tar-
iff charges. The carrier may not impose a 
charge for providing a nonbinding esti-
mate.’.
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SEC. 4211. APPLICATION OF STATE CONSUMER PROTEC-
TION LAWS TO CERTAIN HOUSEHOLD GOODS 
CARRIERS. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General shall conduct 
a study on the current consumer protection authorities 
and actions of the Department of Transportation and the 
impact on shippers and carriers of houshold goods involved 
in interstate transportation of allowing State attorneys 
general to apply State consumer protection laws to such 
transportation. 
(b) MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED.—In conducting 
the study, the Comptroller General shall consider, at a 
minimum—
(1) the level of consumer protection being pro-
vided to consumers through Federal household goods 
regulations and how household goods regulations re-
lating to consumer protection compare to regulations 
relating to consumer protection for other modes of 
transportation regulated by the Department of 
Transportation; 
(2) the history and background of State en-
forcement of State consumer protection laws on 
household goods carriers providing intrastate trans-
portation and what effects such laws have on the 
ability of intrastate household goods carriers to op-
erate;
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(3) what operational impacts, if any, would re-
sult on household goods carriers engaged in inter-
state commerce being subject to the State consumer 
protection laws; and 
(4) the potential for States to regulate rates or 
other business operations if State consumer protec-
tion laws applied to interstate household goods 
movements. 
(c) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study, the 
Comptroller General shall consult with the Secretary, 
State attorneys general, consumer protection agencies, 
and the household goods industry. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall transmit to the Committee of Transportation and In-
frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science and Transportation of the 
Senate a report on the results of the study. 
SEC. 4212. APPLICABILITY TO HOUSEHOLD GOODS MOTOR 
CARRIERS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The provisions of title 49, United 
States Code, and this Act (including any amendments 
made by this Act) relating to the transportation of house-
hold goods shall only apply to household goods motor car-
riers.
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(b) HOUSEHOLD
GOODS
MOTOR
CARRIER
DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘household goods motor 
carrier’ means a motor carrier as defined in section 
13102(12) of title 49, United States Code, which, in the 
ordinary course of its business of providing transportation 
of household goods, offers some or all of the following ad-
ditional services: binding and nonbinding estimates, 
inventorying, protective packing and unpacking of indi-
vidual items, and loading and unloading at personal resi-
dences. 
SEC. 4213. VIOLATIONS OF OUT-OF-SERVICE ORDERS. 
Section 31310(i)(2) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘(D) an employer that knowingly and willfully 
allows or requires an employee to operate a commer-
cial motor vehicle in violation of an out-of-service 
order shall, upon conviction, be subject for each of-
fense to imprisonment for a term not to exceed one 
year or a fine under title 18, or both.’. 
SEC. 4214. CRIMINAL PENALTY FOR HOLDING GOODS HOS-
TAGE . 
Section 14915 of title 49, United States Code, as 
added by section 4204 of this Act is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
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‘(d) CRIMINAL PENALTY.—A motor carrier that has 
been convicted of knowingly and willfully holding house-
hold goods hostage by falsifying documents or demanding 
the payment of charges for services that were not per-
formed or were not necessary in the safe and adequate 
movement of a shipment of household goods shall be fined 
under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or 
both.’. 
TITLE V—TRANSPORTATION 
RESEARCH AND EDUCATION 
Subtitle A—Funding 
SEC. 5101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The following sums are author-
ized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund 
(other than the Mass Transit Account): 
(1) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH, DE-
VELOPMENT, 
AND
DEPLOYMENT
PROGRAM.—To 
carry out sections 502, 503, 506, 507, 509, and 510 
of title 23, United States Code, and sections 5207, 
5210, 5211, and 5402 of this title—
(A) $169,000,000 for fiscal year 2004; 
(B) $239,500,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(C) $239,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; 
(D) $239,500,000 for fiscal year 2007; 
(E) $239,500,000 for fiscal year 2008; and