I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1845 
To amend chapter 261 of title 49, United States Code, to provide for high- 
speed rail corridor development, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 11, 2021 
Mr. MOULTON (for himself, Ms. DELBENE, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Penn-
sylvania, and Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania) 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 subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend chapter 261 of title 49, United States Code, 
to provide for high-speed rail corridor development, 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 ‘‘American High-Speed 
Rail Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO CERTAIN HIGH-SPEED RAIL AS-
SISTANCE PROVISIONS. 
(a) APPLICABILITY.—Amendments made by this Act, 
and the applications of such amendments to other persons 
or circumstances, to chapter 261 shall apply to any Fed-
eral assistance provided on or after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
(b) HIGH-SPEED RAIL CORRIDOR PLANNING.—Sec-
tion 26101 of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘or 
group of public agencies for corridor planning 
for up to 50 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘, a group 
of public agencies, or a consortium composed of 
a public agency or group of public agencies and 
a private entity, for corridor planning for up to 
100 percent’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘No 
less’’ and all that follows through the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘The Secretary shall 
prioritize providing financial assistance for cor-
ridor planning activities with respect to which 
at least 20 percent of the total costs associated 
with eligible activities shall be from specified fi-
nancial sources.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(3) In this subsection, the term ‘specified fi-
nancial source’ means— 
‘‘(A) the Railroad Rehabilitation and Im-
provement Finance program under chapter V of 
the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Re-
form Act of 1976 (45 U.S.C. 821 et seq.); 
‘‘(B) the transportation infrastructure fi-
nance and innovation program in chapter 6 of 
title 23; 
‘‘(C) funding provided by the government 
of a country that is adjacent to the inter-
national border of the United States through 
which the proposed corridor will cross; 
‘‘(D) a State, local, or private source; or 
‘‘(E) any combination of the sources de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (D). 
‘‘(4) For any funds derived from the programs 
described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of para-
graph (3) that are used for costs associated with eli-
gible activities, such funds shall be repaid from 
State, local, or private sources.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking paragraph (2); and 
(B) by striking ‘‘(1) A corridor’’ and in-
serting ‘‘A corridor’’; 
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(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (13) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (14) as 
paragraph (16); and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (13) the 
following: 
‘‘(14) impacts associated with equity, resilience, 
sustainability, economic development, and climate; 
‘‘(15) the potential to serve an eligible place, as 
such term is defined in section 41731; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following sub-
section: 
‘‘(d) PROJECTS OR ACTIVITIES FOR HIGHER-SPEED 
RAIL.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—With respect to grants 
awarded under this section, the Secretary may 
award not more than 20 percent of grants under 
this section for projects or activities for higher-speed 
rail. 
‘‘(2) RELEVANT REQUIREMENTS.—With respect 
to grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary may 
apply requirements for high-speed rail to projects or 
activities for higher-speed rail, where applicable.’’. 
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