I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1879 
To promote secure ferry transportation and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 12, 2011 
Mr. LARSEN of Washington (for himself, Mr. DICKS, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. SMITH 
of Washington, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. KEATING, Mr. SIRES, 
Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, Mr. BISHOP of New York, 
and Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To promote secure ferry transportation 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 ‘‘United States Ferry 
Systems Investment Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Ferries are a vital part of the United States 
transportation 
system, 
carrying 
more 
than 
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100,000,000 passengers annually in at least 38 
States. 
(2) In many congested metropolitan areas, fer-
ries are one of the few remaining options for signifi-
cant transportation capacity expansion. 
(3) Ferries are the sole or primary transpor-
tation connection for many island and isolated com-
munities. 
(4) Ferries provide a critical emergency evacu-
ation alternative for both large cities and remote lo-
cations. 
(5) Ferries can be part of an interim solution 
when transportation infrastructure fails. For exam-
ple, ferries were used to provide interim transpor-
tation after the terrorist attacks in New York on 
September 11, 2001, disrupted train service and 
after part of the San Francisco Bay Bridge col-
lapsed in the Loma Prieta earthquake. 
(6) Ferries offer a relatively energy-efficient, 
environmentally friendly, and low-stress mode of 
travel. 
(7) Almost all of the largest and most impor-
tant ferry services are publicly owned or provide 
transportation at public terminals, are integrated 
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with other transportation modes, and are operated 
in a manner to serve the public interest. 
(8) According to the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, almost 25 percent of United States ferries 
are 40 years or older and 5 percent of United States 
ferries are 60 years or older. 
(9) Federal investment in the United States 
ferry system is necessary because— 
(A) of the unique and important role fer-
ries play in the United States transportation 
system; 
(B) of the large and growing need for new 
and replacement ferry vessels and terminals; 
and 
(C) ferries do not fit neatly into other Fed-
eral mode-specific transportation programs. 
(10) The distribution of Federal ferry funds by 
formula is appropriate because that method of dis-
tribution would dedicate funding to the largest and 
most important public ferry systems. 
(11) The distribution of Federal ferry funds by 
discretionary awards is also appropriate because that 
method of distribution would help initiate and ex-
pand ferry services throughout the United States. 
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SEC. 3. SECRETARY DEFINED. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec-
retary of Transportation. 
SEC. 4. CONSTRUCTION OF FERRY BOATS AND FERRY TER-
MINAL FACILITIES. 
Section 147 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(c) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The funds made 
available to carry out this section for a fiscal year shall 
be allocated to those ferry systems and public entities re-
sponsible for developing ferries as follows: 
‘‘(1) Fifty percent of such funds shall be allo-
cated at the discretion of the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) Fifty percent of such funds shall be allo-
cated in accordance with the formula set out in sub-
section (d). 
‘‘(d) FORMULA.—The funds referred to in subsection 
(c)(2) shall be distributed as follows: 
‘‘(1) Fifty percent shall be based on the total 
annual number of passengers carried by a ferry sys-
tem. 
‘‘(2) Twenty-five percent shall be based on the 
total annual number of vehicles carried by a ferry 
system. 
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‘‘(3) Twenty-five percent shall be based on the 
total route miles serviced by a ferry system. 
‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be available to 
the Secretary from the Highway Trust Fund (other 
than the Mass Transit Account) $200,000,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2018 to carry 
out this section. 
‘‘(2) 
PERIOD
OF
AVAILABILITY.—Notwith-
standing section 118(b), funds made available to 
carry out this section shall remain available until ex-
pended.’’. 
SEC. 5. ELIGIBILITY OF FERRIES FOR THE CLEAN FUELS 
GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 5308 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(A)— 
(A) in clause (i) by striking the semicolon 
and inserting ‘‘, or ferries;’’; and 
(B) in clause (iii) by striking the semicolon 
and inserting ‘‘or ferries;’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in the heading by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘AND FERRIES.’’; and 
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(B) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘or ferries.’’. 
SEC. 6. FERRY JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish within the Department of Transportation a 
Ferry Joint Program Office (in this section, referred 
to as the ‘‘Office’’) for the purposes described in 
paragraph (2). 
(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Office 
shall be— 
(A) to coordinate Federal programs affect-
ing ferry and ferry facility construction, mainte-
nance, operations, and security; and 
(B) to promote transportation by ferry as 
a component of the United States transpor-
tation system. 
(b) FUNCTIONS.—The head of the Office shall carry 
out the following functions: 
(1) Coordinating programs related to ferry 
transportation carried out by the Department of 
Transportation, including programs carried out by 
the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal 
Transit Administration, the Maritime Administra-
tion, and the Research and Innovative Technology 
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Administration, and such programs carried out by 
the Department of Homeland Security and other 
Federal and State agencies, as appropriate. 
(2) Ensuring resource accountability for pro-
grams carried out by the Secretary related to ferry 
transportation. 
(3) Providing strategic leadership for research, 
development, testing, and deployment of technologies 
related to ferry transportation. 
(4) Promoting ferry transportation as a means 
to reduce social, economic, and environmental costs 
associated with traffic congestion. 
(5) Developing energy-efficient operating mod-
els to reduce carbon emissions associated with ferry 
transportation. 
SEC. 7. NATIONAL FERRY DATABASE. 
Section 1801(e) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, 
Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users 
(Public Law 109–59; 23 U.S.C. 129 note) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2) by inserting ‘‘, including 
any Federal, State, or local government funding 
sources,’’ after ‘‘sources’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
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(B) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D); 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 
the following: 
‘‘(C) ensure that the database is consistent 
with the national transit database maintained 
by the Federal Transit Administration; and’’; 
and 
(D) in subparagraph (D), as redesignated 
by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, by 
striking ‘‘2009’’ and inserting ‘‘2018’’. 
SEC. 8. NATIONAL FERRY TRANSPORTATION INSTITUTE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
award a grant to a college to establish a National Ferry 
Transportation Institute (in this section referred to as an 
‘‘Institute’’) at the college. 
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall award 
and administer the grant under subsection (a) in coopera-
tion with the heads of appropriate entities of the Depart-
ment of Transportation and of the appropriate State 
transportation department, public ferry transportation au-
thorities, private ferry operators, ferry builders, ferry 
transportation employees, and other colleges, universities, 
and research institutes. 
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(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Institute— 
(1) shall— 
(A) conduct research and recommend de-
velopment activities on methods of improving 
ferry transportation programs in the United 
States, including methods of reducing wake, 
providing alternative propulsion, integrating use 
of clean, renewable fuels, and testing advanced 
materials for use in ferry construction; 
(B) develop and conduct training programs 
for ferry transportation system employees, 
United States Government employees, and 
other individuals, as appropriate, on develop-
ments, techniques, and procedures pertaining to 
the construction and operation of ferries; 
(C) encourage and assist collaborative ef-
forts by public and private entities to preserve, 
improve, and expand the use of ferries as a 
mode of transportation; 
(D) preserve, utilize, and display historical 
information about the use of ferry transpor-
tation in the United States and in foreign coun-
tries; and 
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(E) develop models and recommendations 
to enhance security on ferries and in and 
around ferry facilities; and 
(2) may provide funds from a grant under sub-
section (a) to a contractor or other entity to assist 
the Institute in carrying out the functions described 
in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1). 
(d) SELECTION
CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall 
award the grant under subsection (a) on the basis of the 
following criteria: 
(1) The extent to which the needs of the State 
in which the applicant is located are representative 
of the importance of public and private ferries to the 
region’s transportation system, including both re-
gional travel and long-range travel and service to 
isolated communities. 
(2) The historical importance of ferry transpor-
tation to the region in which the applicant is located. 
(3) The history and diversity of such region in 
the maritime community, including ferry construc-
tion and repair and other shipbuilding activities. 
(4) The anticipated growth of ferry transpor-
tation and the building of ferries in such region. 
(5) The availability of public-private collabora-
tion in such region. 
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(6) The demonstrated research and extension 
resources available to the applicant to successfully 
carry out the functions described in subsection (c). 
(e) REQUIREMENT FOR NON-FEDERAL FUNDING.— 
A college may not be awarded the grant under subsection 
(a) unless the college is able to provide 25 percent of the 
costs associated with establishing, operating, and main-
taining the Institute and the research and development ac-
tivities carried out by the Institute from non-Federal 
sources. 
(f) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress a report on activities car-
ried out under this section, including a description of the 
activities carried out by the Institute. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2012 through 2018 to carry out 
this section. 
Æ 
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