Interstate Rail Compacts Advancement Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.3090 | Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve (D-TN)
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
Interstate Rail Compacts Advancement Act of 2021
This bill establishes a grant program and makes other changes to support interstate rail compacts with improving and enhancing intercity passenger rail transportation systems.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) must award up to 10 matching grants each fiscal year to interstate rail compacts or commissions for administrative costs related to the compact. In awarding the grants, DOT must consider (1) the amount of funding from and participation of railroads and other stakeholders, (2) whether the compact seeks to restore routes formerly operated by Amtrak, and (3) other factors. Additionally, DOT must give preference to compacts that are initiating, restoring, or enhancing intercity rail passenger transportation.
Further, DOT must publish on its website a list of interstate rail compacts, as well as annuallly updated information for the public about how states may establish compacts.
The bill also repeals a prohibition on the use of funds made available for Amtrak to carry out interstate rail compacts.

To establish a grant program to support interstate rail compacts and 
improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of passenger and freight 
          rail transportation systems, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Interstate Rail Compacts Advancement 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. INTERSTATE RAIL COMPACTS.

    (a) Identification.--Section 410 of the Amtrak Reform and 
Accountability Act of 1997 (Public Law 105-134; 49 U.S.C. 24101 note) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)(2) by striking ``(except funds made 
        available for Amtrak)''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Interstate Rail Compacts Program.--The Secretary of 
Transportation shall--
            ``(1) make available on a publicly accessible website a 
        list of interstate rail compacts established in accordance with 
        subsection (a);
            ``(2) provide information to the public regarding 
        interstate rail compacts, including how States may establish 
        interstate rail compacts under subsection (a); and
            ``(3) annually update the information provided under 
        paragraph (2).''.
    (b) Grants Authorized.--Chapter 229 of title 49, United States 
Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:
``Sec. 22909. Interstate rail compacts support program
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall develop and implement a 
program for providing administrative assistance grants to an applicant, 
on a competitive basis, to support interstate and regional efforts--
            ``(1) to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of 
        intercity passenger rail; and
            ``(2) to promote and develop intercity passenger rail 
        service, including through initiating, restoring, or enhancing 
        intercity passenger rail service.
    ``(b) Applicant Selection Criteria.--
            ``(1) In general.--In awarding grants under this section, 
        the Secretary shall consider--
                    ``(A) the amount of funding received (including 
                funding from railroads) or other significant 
                participation by State, local, and regional 
                governmental and private entities;
                    ``(B) the applicant's work to facilitate and 
                encourage regional planning for passenger rail 
                improvement, enhancement, and development;
                    ``(C) the applicant's work to foster, through rail 
                transportation systems, economic development, 
                particularly in rural communities and for disadvantaged 
                populations;
                    ``(D) the applicant's efforts to provide guidance 
                to local communities on public and private resources 
                relate to community concerns, such as congestion, rail 
                and grade crossing safety, trespasser prevention, quiet 
                zones, idling, and rail line relocations;
                    ``(E) whether the applicant seeks to restore 
                service over routes formerly operated by Amtrak, 
                including routes described in section 11304(a) of the 
                Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (title 
                XI of division A of Public Law 114-94);
                    ``(F) the applicant's dedication to providing 
                intercity passenger rail service to regions and 
                communities that are underserved or not served by other 
                intercity public transportation;
                    ``(G) whether the applicant is enhancing 
                connectivity and geographic coverage of the existing 
                national network of intercity rail passenger service;
                    ``(H) the applicant's efforts to engage with 
                entities to deploy railroad safety technology or 
                programs, including trespassing prevention, rail 
                integrity inspection systems, or grade crossing safety;
                    ``(I) whether the applicant prepares regional rail 
                and corridor service development plans and 
                corresponding environmental analysis;
                    ``(J) whether the applicant would maximize the net 
                benefits of the funds authorized for use under this 
                section, considering the cost-benefit analysis of the 
                proposed project, including anticipated private and 
                public benefits relative to the costs of the proposed 
                project; and
                    ``(K) whether the applicant has engaged with the 
                Federal, local, or State government and transportation 
                planning agencies to identify projects necessary to 
                enhance multimodal connections or facilitate service 
                integration between rail service and other modes, 
                including between intercity rail passenger 
                transportation and intercity bus service, commercial 
                air service, or commuter rail service.
            ``(2) Preference.--In selecting grant recipients, the 
        Secretary shall give preference to applicants that are 
        initiating, restoring, or enhancing intercity rail passenger 
        transportation.
    ``(c) Application Process.--The Secretary shall prescribe the form 
and manner of filing applications under this section.
    ``(d) Performance Measures.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish 
        performance measures for each grant recipient to assess 
        progress in achieving strategic goals and objectives.
            ``(2) Annual report.-- The Secretary shall require grant 
        recipients to submit an annual report of the activities of such 
        recipient and information related to applicable performance 
        measures, which may include--
                    ``(A) a demonstration of progress to achieve or 
                advance the relevant criteria described in subsection 
                (c); and
                    ``(B) receipt of non-Federal matching funds from 
                each member State at least once during each fiscal 
                year.
    ``(e) Federal Share of Total Project Cost.--The Secretary shall 
require each recipient of a grant under this subsection to provide a 
non-Federal match of not less than 50 percent of the administrative 
costs of the interstate rail compact.
    ``(f) Applicable Requirements.--The use of any amounts appropriated 
for grants under this section shall be subject to the applicable 
requirements under this chapter.
    ``(g) Applicability.--Amounts appropriated to carry out this 
section shall remain available until expended.
    ``(h) Limitations.--
            ``(1) Maximum funding per applicant.--The Secretary may not 
        award a grant under this section in an amount exceeding 
        $500,000 for each applicant in any fiscal year.
            ``(2) Numeric limitation.--The Secretary may not provide 
        grants under this section to more than 10 interstate rail 
        compacts in any fiscal year.
    ``(i) Use of Interstate Rail Compact Grants and Other Federal 
Funding.--A recipient of an interstate rail compact grant under this 
section may use such grant in combination with other Federal grants 
awarded that would benefit the applicable use.
    ``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Applicant.--The term `applicant' means an interstate 
        rail compact or an interstate commission composed of 2 or more 
        States that has been established to promote, develop, or 
        operate intercity passenger rail transportation systems.
            ``(2) Intercity passenger rail service.--The term 
        `intercity passenger rail service' has the meaning given the 
        term `intercity rail passenger transportation' in section 
        24102.''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 229 of title 49, 
United States code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``22909. Interstate rail compacts support program.''.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 20117(a)(4) of title 
49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) Regional planning guidance.--The Secretary may 
        withhold up to $20,000,000 annually of the amount made 
        available for each fiscal year under paragraph (1) to 
        facilitate and provide guidance for regional planning 
        processes, including not more than $2,000,000 to provide 
        funding for interstate rail compacts and commissions.''.
                                 <all>