Title: A bill to establish a portal and database to receive and maintain information regarding blocked railroad-highway grade crossings and to require the Secretary of Transportation to evaluate the requirements of the railway-highway crossings program.
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
This bill provides statutory authority for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to establish and maintain a portal and corresponding database through which it shall receive information on blocked railroad-highway grade crossings as a three-year pilot program.
The FRA must use information from the database (1) to assist in identifying the locations and potential impacts of frequent and long-duration blocked railroad-highway grade crossings; (2) as a basis for outreach to communities, emergency responders, and railroads; and (3) to support collaboration in the prevention of incidents at railroad-highway grade crossings.
Additionally, the Department of Transportation must evaluate the requirements of its railway-highway crossing program to determine whether

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 700 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 700

To establish a portal and database to receive and maintain information 
 regarding blocked railroad-highway grade crossings and to require the 
    Secretary of Transportation to evaluate the requirements of the 
                   railway-highway crossings program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 11, 2021

 Mrs. Fischer (for herself, Mr. Peters, Mr. Moran, Mr. Tester, and Ms. 
  Klobuchar) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a portal and database to receive and maintain information 
 regarding blocked railroad-highway grade crossings and to require the 
    Secretary of Transportation to evaluate the requirements of the 
                   railway-highway crossings program.

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

SECTION 1. BLOCKED RAILROAD-HIGHWAY GRADE CROSSINGS PORTAL.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Railroad 
Administration (referred to in this section as the ``FRA'') shall 
establish and maintain a portal and corresponding database through 
which the FRA shall receive information on blocked railroad-highway 
grade crossings as a 3-year pilot program.
    (b) Contents.--The portal established pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall--
            (1) provide examples to users regarding common causes of 
        blocked crossings, such as--
                    (A) idling or moving trains; or
                    (B) instances when lights or gates are activated 
                when no train is present;
            (2) provide the complainant with the contact information 
        for reporting a blocked crossing to the relevant railroad; and
            (3) encourage the complainant to report the blocked 
        crossing to the relevant railroad.
    (c) Complaints.--The portal established pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall be programmed to receive complaints from the general public about 
blocked railroad-highway grade crossings. Any complaint reported 
through the portal shall indicate whether the complainant also reported 
the blocked crossing to the relevant railroad.
    (d) Information Received.--In reviewing complaints received 
pursuant to subsection (c), the FRA, to the extent practicable, shall 
review the information received from the complainant to account for 
duplicative or erroneous reporting.
    (e) Use of Information.--The information received and maintained in 
the database established pursuant to subsection (a) shall be used by 
FRA--
            (1) to assist the FRA in identifying the locations and 
        potential impacts of frequent and long-duration blocked 
        railroad-highway grade crossings;
            (2) as a basis for outreach to communities, emergency 
        responders, and railroads; and
            (3) to support collaboration in the prevention of incidents 
        at railroad-highway grade crossings.
    (f) Sharing Information Received.--
            (1) In general.--The FRA shall implement and make publicly 
        available procedures for sharing any nonaggregated information 
        received through the portal established pursuant to subsection 
        (a) with the public.
            (2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
        construed to authorize the FRA to make publicly available 
        sensitive security information.
    (g) Additional Information.--If the information submitted to the 
portal established pursuant to subsection (a) is insufficient to 
determine the locations and potential impacts of frequent and long-
duration blocked railroad-highway grade crossings, the FRA may collect, 
from the general public and from State and local law enforcement 
personnel, such additional information as may be necessary to make such 
determinations.
    (h) Limitations.--Complaints, data, and other information received 
through the portal established pursuant to subsection (a) may not be 
used--
            (1) to infer or extrapolate the rate or instances of 
        crossings beyond the data received through the portal; or
            (2) for any regulatory or enforcement purposes except those 
        specifically described in this section.
    (i) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the establishment of the 
pilot program under subsection (a), the Administrator of the FRA shall 
submit a report to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives that describes--
            (1) where, when, for how long, and what impacts have 
        resulted from frequent and long-duration blocked highway-rail 
        grade crossings based on the information received through the 
        portal established pursuant to subsection (a);
            (2)(A) whether and how the FRA verified the accuracy of the 
        complaints submitted to such portal; and
            (B)(i) if the portal continues to be the most effective 
        manner through which to collect such information; or
            (ii) if changes to the portal could improve its 
        effectiveness;
            (3) how the FRA used the data compiled by such portal to 
        assess the underlying cause and overall impacts of blocked 
        crossings; and
            (4) the engagement of the FRA with affected parties in 
        order to identify and facilitate solutions to any trends or 
        problems identified by data received and maintained through the 
        portal and corresponding database.
    (j) Sunset.--The section shall have no force or effect beginning on 
the date that is 3 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 2. RAILWAY HIGHWAY CROSSING PROGRAM STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Transportation shall evaluate the 
requirements of the railway-highway crossings program authorized under 
section 130 of title 23, United States Code, to determine whether--
            (1) the requirements of the program provide States 
        sufficient flexibility to adequately address current and 
        emerging grade-crossing safety issues;
            (2) the structure of the program provides sufficient 
        incentive and resources to States and local agencies to make 
        changes at grade crossing that are most effective at reducing 
        deaths and injuries;
            (3) there are appropriate tools and resources to support 
        States in using data-driven programs to determine the most 
        cost-effective use of program funds; and
            (4) any statutory changes are necessary to improve the 
        effectiveness of the program.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall submit a report to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, 
the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives that describes the results of the evaluation under 
subsection (a), including any recommended statutory changes referred to 
in subsection (a)(4).
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