I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5691 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to provide 
grants to carry out projects to reduce railway noise levels that adversely 
impact schools located in urbanized areas, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2018 
Mr. CROWLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a 
program to provide grants to carry out projects to reduce 
railway noise levels that adversely impact schools located 
in urbanized areas, 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 ‘‘Peaceful Learning Act 
of 2018’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise specifically 
provided, in this Act the definitions in section 5302 of title 
49, United States Code, shall apply. 
(b) ADDITIONAL DEFINITIONS.—In this Act, the fol-
lowing additional definitions apply: 
(1) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘local educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 9101 of the Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
(2) RAIL OPERATOR.—The term ‘‘rail operator’’ 
means an owner or operator of a fixed rail public 
transportation facility. 
(3) RAILWAY
NOISE.—The term ‘‘railway 
noise’’ means noise caused by a fixed rail public 
transportation facility. 
(4) SCHOOL.—The term ‘‘school’’ means an ele-
mentary school or a secondary school (as those 
terms are defined in section 9101 of the Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
7801)). 
SEC. 3. RAILWAY NOISE STUDY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy 
of Sciences to conduct a study on railway noise in the 
United States. 
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(b) CONTENTS OF STUDY.—In conducting the study, 
the National Academy of Sciences shall examine— 
(1) the threshold of railway noise at which 
health begins to be affected; 
(2) the effectiveness of noise abatement pro-
grams for railway noise on the property of a school; 
(3) the impacts of railway noise on schools; and 
(4) the noise assessment practices of the De-
partment of Transportation and whether such prac-
tices fairly and accurately reflect the burden of noise 
on communities. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after the 
date of the agreement entered into under subsection (a), 
the National Academy of Sciences shall transmit to the 
Secretary a report on the results of the study. Upon re-
ceipt of the report, the Secretary shall transmit a copy 
of the report to the appropriate committees of Congress. 
SEC. 4. NOISE MEASUREMENT AND EXPOSURE SYSTEMS. 
Not later than 12 months after the date of submis-
sion of the report under section 3, in consultation with 
the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agen-
cy and Government, State, and interstate agencies that 
the Secretary of Transportation considers appropriate, the 
Secretary shall by regulation— 
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