I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6064 
To provide certain rights to commuters who ride public transportation. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 30, 2010 
Mr. RUPPERSBERGER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To provide certain rights to commuters who ride public 
transportation. 
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 ‘‘Commuter Bill of 
Rights Act of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act the following definitions 
apply: 
(1) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 
recipient’’ means a provider of public transportation. 
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(2) 
PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION.—The 
term 
‘‘public transportation’’ means transportation by a 
conveyance that provides regular and continuing 
general or special transportation to the public, but 
does not include schoolbus, charter, sightseeing, or 
intercity bus transportation or intercity passenger 
rail transportation provided by the entity described 
in chapter 243 (or a successor to such entity). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
SEC. 3. COMMUTER TRANSIT RIGHTS COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an inde-
pendent commission to be known as the ‘‘Commuter Tran-
sit Rights Commission’’ (hereinafter in this Act referred 
to as the ‘‘Commission’’). 
(b) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.—The duties of the 
Commission shall be— 
(1) to evaluate current Federal rules and regu-
lations on commuter safety in emergency situations 
that govern transit providers; 
(2) to evaluate contingency plans that transit 
providers use across the United States and identify 
best practices; and 
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(3) to make recommendations to the Secretary 
of Transportation (referred to in this Act as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) pursuant to subsection (h). 
(c) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(1) NUMBER
AND
APPOINTMENT.—Not later 
than 60 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Commission, which shall be composed of 12 
members, shall be appointed by the Secretary as fol-
lows: 
(A) 2 members shall be commuters of pub-
lic transportation. 
(B) 2 members shall be experts in rail 
safety. 
(C) 2 members shall be experts in water 
transportation. 
(D) 2 members shall be employees of State 
transportation agencies. 
(E) 2 members shall be experts in pas-
senger safety. 
(F) 2 members shall be experts in emer-
gency medicine. 
(2) RESTRICTION.—No employee of the Depart-
ment of Transportation may serve as a member of 
the Commission. 
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(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the 
Commission shall be elected by the members at the 
initial meeting. 
(d) TERMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member shall be ap-
pointed for the life of the commission. 
(2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy on the Commission 
shall be filled in the same manner as the original ap-
pointment. 
(3) PAY AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.— 
(A) PAY.—Except as provided in subpara-
graph (C), each member of the Commission 
shall be paid at a rate equal to the daily equiva-
lent of the minimum annual rate of basic pay 
for level IV of the Executive Schedule under 
section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for 
each day, including travel time, during which he 
or she is engaged in the actual performance of 
duties vested in the Commission. 
(B) TRAVEL
EXPENSES.—Members shall 
receive travel expenses, including per diem in 
lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sub-
chapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
Code. 
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(C) PROHIBITION
OF
COMPENSATION
OF 
FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Com-
mission who are full-time officers or employees 
of the United States or Members of Congress 
may not receive additional pay, allowances, or 
benefits by reason of their service on the Com-
mission. 
(e) MEETINGS.— 
(1) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 
after the date on which all members of the Commis-
sion are appointed, the Commission shall hold its 
first meeting. 
(2) SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS.—The commission 
shall meet monthly at the call of the Chairperson. 
(3) QUORUM.—A majority of the Commission 
shall constitute a quorum but a lesser number may 
hold hearings. 
(f) STAFF.—The Chairperson may appoint and fix 
the pay of additional personnel as the Chairperson con-
siders appropriate. 
(g) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.— 
(1) HEARINGS AND SESSIONS.—The Commis-
sion may, for the purpose of carrying out this Act, 
hold hearings, sit and act at times and places, take 
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testimony, and receive evidence as the Commission 
considers appropriate. 
(2) POWERS OF MEMBERS AND AGENTS.—Any 
member or agent of the Commission may, if author-
ized by the Commission, take any action which the 
Commission is authorized to take by this section. 
(h) RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) COMMUTER
BILL
OF
RIGHTS.—Not later 
than 160 days after its initial meeting, the Commis-
sion shall make recommendations to the Secretary 
that shall be known as the ‘‘Commuter Bill of 
Rights’’. The Commuter Bill of Rights shall include 
the following: 
(A) A list of situations in which a provider 
of public transportation shall implement its con-
tingency plan. 
(B) Recommendations for the minimum 
standards that a contingency plan of a provider 
of public transportation must meet, including 
the following: 
(i) Provision of food, water, rest-
rooms, ventilation, and medical services. 
(ii) Distribution of critical information 
to commuters on a disabled or delayed 
train or other transit vehicle, including a 
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time frame for when commuters will be 
permitted to exit such disabled or delayed 
transit vehicle and how such commuters 
will be redirected to their final destinations 
in a timely manner. 
(C) Recommendations for Federal regula-
tions on commuter safety in an emergency situ-
ation. 
(2) PROCEDURE.—A majority of the Commis-
sion shall approve each recommendation before it is 
included in the Commuter Bill of Rights and sub-
mitted to the Secretary. 
(3) SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT.—The Commission 
shall submit a supplemental report to the Secretary 
along with the Commuter Bill of Rights that con-
tains all of the recommendations that the Commis-
sion considered, including those recommendations 
that did not receive a majority vote for inclusion in 
the Commuter Bill of Rights. 
(i) TERMINATION.—The Commission shall terminate 
on the date that the Commission submits the Commuter 
Bill of Rights and supplemental report to the Secretary 
under subsection (h). 
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SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The 
Secretary may provide grants on a competitive basis to 
providers of public transportation to develop and imple-
ment contingency plans that fulfill the Commuter Bill of 
Rights. 
(b) APPLICATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this section, an eligible recipient shall 
submit an application not later than 90 days after 
the Secretary has issued a notice of availability at 
such time and in such manner as the Secretary may 
reasonably require. 
(2) CONTINGENCY
PLAN
IMPLEMENTATION.— 
An eligible recipient shall include in its application 
a cost estimate of implementing the contingency 
plan to fulfill the Consumer Bill of Rights. 
(3) CERTIFICATION.—When submitting an ap-
plication, a provider of public transportation shall 
certify to the Secretary that the provider will imple-
ment its contingency plan not later than 90 days 
after receiving a grant under this section. 
(d) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—An eligible recipient may 
only receive one grant under this section. The amount of 
such grant shall be the greater of $50,000 or 50 percent 
of the total amount of costs estimated in implementing 
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the Commuter Bill of Rights as determined by the Sec-
retary. 
SEC. 5. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall review the 
Commuter Bill of Rights submitted by the Commission 
under section 3 and issue regulations to require providers 
of public transportation to comply with the standards rec-
ommended by the Commuter Bill of Rights. 
(b) FEDERAL POLICIES.—The Secretary shall use the 
Bill of Rights as recommended by the Commission to de-
velop federal policies that will require compliance with the 
Bill of Rights by commuter transit providers. Such policies 
shall include— 
(1) a requirement for providers of public trans-
portation to submit for approval by the Secretary a 
proposed contingency plan meeting minimum stand-
ards according to the Bill of Rights; 
(2) a requirement that contingency plans be re-
viewed and updated as necessary and re-submitted 
to the Secretary every 5 years; and 
(3) a requirement that providers of public 
transportation comply with the final rule issued pur-
suant to subsection (a) not later than 180 days after 
the rule is issued under subsection (a). 
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