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Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate a report on the Request for Proposals required 
by this section, including summary information of any pro-
posals submitted to Amtrak and any proposals accepted 
by the Amtrak Board of Directors. 
(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the terms ‘‘small 
business concern’’ and ‘‘socially and economically dis-
advantaged individual’’ have the meanings given such 
terms in section 305(c). 
SEC. 209. AMTRAK DEBT. 
Section 205 of the Passenger Rail Investment and 
Improvement Act of 2008 (49 U.S.C. 24101 note) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, to the ex-
tent provided in advance in appropriations Acts’’ 
after ‘‘Amtrak’s indebtedness’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘as of the date of enactment of 
this Act’’ each place it appears; 
(3) in subsection (a), by striking the second 
sentence; 
(4) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘The Sec-
retary of the Treasury, in consultation’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘To the extent amounts are provided in advance 
in appropriations Acts, the Secretary of the Treas-
ury, in consultation’’; 
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(5) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘, to the ex-
tent provided in advance in appropriations Acts’’ 
after ‘‘as appropriate’’; 
(6) in subsection (e)(1), by striking ‘‘by section 
102 of this division’’; and 
(7) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘by section 
102’’ and inserting ‘‘for Amtrak’’. 
SEC. 210. AMTRAK PILOT PROGRAM FOR PASSENGERS 
TRANSPORTING DOMESTICATED CATS AND 
DOGS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, Amtrak shall develop a pilot 
program that allows passengers to transport domesticated 
cats or dogs on certain trains operated by Amtrak. 
(b) PET POLICY.—In developing the pilot program 
required under subsection (a), Amtrak shall— 
(1) in the case of a passenger train that is com-
prised of more than one car, designate, where fea-
sible, at least one car in which a ticketed passenger 
may transport a domesticated cat or dog in the same 
manner as carry-on baggage if— 
(A) the cat or dog is contained in a pet 
kennel; 
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(B) the pet kennel is stowed in accordance 
with Amtrak size requirements for carriage of 
carry-on baggage; 
(C) the passenger is traveling on a train 
operating on a route described in subparagraph 
(A), (B), or (D) of section 24102(7) of title 49, 
United States Code; and 
(D) the passenger pays a fee described in 
paragraph (3); 
(2) allow a ticketed passenger to transport a 
domesticated cat or dog on a train in the same man-
ner as cargo if— 
(A) the cat or dog is contained in a pet 
kennel; 
(B) the pet kennel is stowed in accordance 
with Amtrak requirements for cargo stowage; 
(C) the passenger is traveling on a train 
operating on a route described in subparagraph 
(A), (B), or (D) of section 24102(7) of title 49, 
United States Code; 
(D) the cargo area is temperature con-
trolled in a manner protective of cat and dog 
safety and health; and 
(E) the passenger pays a fee described in 
paragraph (3); and 
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(3) collect fees for each cat or dog transported 
by a ticketed passenger in an amount that, in the 
aggregate and at a minimum, covers the full costs 
of the pilot program. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the pilot 
program required under subsection (a) is first imple-
mented, Amtrak shall transmit to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate a report containing an 
evaluation of the pilot program. 
(d) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 
(1) SERVICE ANIMALS.—The pilot program re-
quired under subsection (a) shall be separate from 
and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak pas-
sengers traveling with service animals. Nothing in 
this section may be interpreted to limit or waive the 
rights of passengers to transport service animals. 
(2) ADDITIONAL TRAIN CARS.—Nothing in this 
section may be interpreted to require Amtrak to add 
additional train cars or modify existing train cars. 
(3) FEDERAL FUNDS.—No Federal funds may 
be used to implement the pilot program required 
under this section. 
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SEC. 211. AMTRAK BOARDING PROCEDURES. 
(a) REPORT.—Not later than 6 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Amtrak Office of Inspector 
General shall transmit to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate a report that— 
(1) evaluates Amtrak’s boarding procedures for 
passengers, including passengers using or trans-
porting non-motorized transportation such as wheel-
chairs and bicycles at its 10 stations through which 
the most people pass; 
(2) compares Amtrak’s boarding procedures 
to— 
(A) commuter railroad boarding proce-
dures at stations shared with Amtrak; 
(B) international intercity passenger rail 
boarding procedures; and 
(C) fixed guideway transit boarding proce-
dures; and 
(3) makes recommendations, as appropriate, to 
improve Amtrak’s boarding procedures, including 
recommendations regarding the queuing of pas-
sengers and free-flow of all station-users. 
(b) CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not 
later than 6 months after the release of the report re-
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quired under subsection (a), the Amtrak Board of Direc-
tors shall consider each recommendation provided under 
subsection (a)(3) for implementation across the Amtrak 
system. 
TITLE III—INTERCITY 
PASSENGER RAIL POLICY 
SEC. 301. FEDERAL-STATE PARTNERSHIP FOR NORTHEAST 
CORRIDOR DEVELOPMENT AND IMPROVE-
MENT. 
(a) AMENDMENT.—Chapter 244 of title 49, United 
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new section: 
‘‘§ 24407. Federal-State partnership for Northeast 
Corridor rehabilitation and improvement 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall develop and implement a program for issuing grants 
to applicants, on a competitive basis, for the purpose of 
financing the capital projects included in the Northeast 
Corridor Priority Project List developed under subsection 
(c). 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 
definitions apply: 
‘‘(1) APPLICANT.—The term ‘applicant’ means 
a State (including the District of Columbia), a group 
of States, an Interstate Compact, or a public agency 
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established by one or more States and having re-
sponsibility for providing intercity passenger or com-
muter rail service. 
‘‘(2) 
MAJOR
STATE-OF-GOOD-REPAIR 
PROJECT.—The term ‘major state-of-good-repair 
project’ means a capital project primarily intended 
to replace, rehabilitate or repair major Northeast 
Corridor infrastructure assets utilized for providing 
intercity rail passenger transportation, including 
tunnels, bridges, stations, and other assets as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) IMPROVEMENT PROJECT.—The term ‘im-
provement project’ means a capital project primarily 
intended to improve intercity passenger rail perform-
ance on the Northeast Corridor, including reduced 
trip times, increased train frequencies, higher oper-
ating speeds, and other improvements as determined 
by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) NORTHEAST CORRIDOR PRIORITY PROJECT 
LIST.—The Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Oper-
ations Advisory Commission, established under section 
24905, shall develop and approve a Northeast Corridor 
Priority Project List that shall include— 
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‘‘(1) a list of prioritized individual major state- 
of-good-repair projects and improvement projects 
along the Northeast Corridor that— 
‘‘(A) can be completed based on— 
‘‘(i) the funding authorized under sec-
tion 103(b) of the Passenger Rail Reform 
and Investment Act of 2015; 
‘‘(ii) any subsequent applicable au-
thorization in effect; 
‘‘(iii) in the absence of such an au-
thorization, a 5-year funding amount based 
on the most recent appropriation; or 
‘‘(iv) the requirements of subsection 
(d); and 
‘‘(B) are consistent with the Northeast 
Corridor capital investment plan required under 
section 24911(a); 
‘‘(2) an identification of the applicant for each 
individual project; 
‘‘(3) an identification of the sources of non- 
Federal matching funds for each project; and 
‘‘(4) a description of the benefits each project 
will bring to intercity rail passenger services. 
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‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—The Federal grants author-
ized under this section shall be for no more than 50 per-
cent of the net project cost of the project involved. 
‘‘(e) APPLICABILITY OF CAPITAL GRANT REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Except as specifically provided in this section, 
the use of any amounts appropriated for grants under this 
section shall be subject to the requirements of this chap-
ter. 
‘‘(f) MATCH REQUIREMENTS.—No grants may be ob-
ligated to an applicant under this section unless the appli-
cant has transmitted to the Secretary of Transportation 
a binding written commitment to provide all amounts nec-
essary for the purpose of matching Federal contributions 
as required by this section. 
‘‘(g) UPDATES TO LIST.—The Northeast Corridor 
Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission shall 
revise the NEC Priority Project List as necessary to re-
flect— 
‘‘(1) any differences in the availability of Fed-
eral funding from the levels assumed for purposes of 
subsection (c)(1)(A)(i) and (ii); 
‘‘(2) any elimination or addition of projects; 
and 
‘‘(3) any reduction or increase in benefits to be 
derived from a project. 
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‘‘(h) AVAILABILITY.—Amounts appropriated for car-
rying out this section shall remain available until ex-
pended. 
‘‘(i) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section shall 
supplant the requirement of applicants to compensate Am-
trak for the use of Amtrak facilities or services pursuant 
to section 24905(c). 
‘‘(j) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘Northeast Corridor’ means the Northeast Corridor 
main line between Boston, Massachusetts, and the District 
of Columbia, and the Northeast Corridor branch lines con-
necting to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Massa-
chusetts, and Spuyten Duyvil, New York, and facilities 
and services used to operate and maintain those lines.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for chapter 244 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new item: 
‘‘24407. Federal-State partnership for Northeast Corridor rehabilitation and im-
provement.’’. 
SEC. 302. RRIF IMPROVEMENTS. 
(a) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation shall issue regulations implementing the amend-
ments made by this section. 
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(b) COLLATERAL.—Section 502(h)(2) of the Railroad 
Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 (45 
U.S.C. 822(h)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘(2) The Secretary’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘(2)(A) The Secretary’’; 
(2) by inserting ‘‘The Secretary may subordi-
nate rights of the Secretary under any provision of 
title 49 or title 23 of the United States Code, to the 
rights of the Secretary under this section and sec-
tion 503.’’ after ‘‘from another source.’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(B) The Secretary shall, for purposes of making a 
finding under subsection (g)(4), accept the net present 
value on a future stream of State or local subsidy income 
or dedicated revenue as collateral offered to secure the 
loan.’’. 
(c) OFFICE
OF MANAGEMENT
AND BUDGET RE-
VIEW.—Section 502(i) of such Act (45 U.S.C. 822(i)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘In order to enable compliance with 
such time limit, the Office of Management and Budget 
shall take any actions required with respect to the applica-
tion within such 90-day period.’’ after ‘‘disapprove the ap-
plication.’’. 
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