Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-6003
Sponsor: Rep. Oberstar, James L. [D-MN-8]
Introduced: 2008-05-08 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Accounting
Administrative procedure
Alaska
Alcohol as fuel
Alien labor
Alternative energy sources
Authorization
Biodegradation
Buy American
Canada
Capital budgets
Capital investments
China
Collective bargaining
Commemorations
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Connecticut
Corporate finance
Corporation directors
Debt
Delaware
Department of Transportation
District of Columbia
Early retirement
East Asia
Economic development
Economics and Public Finance
Employee rights
Environmental Protection
Environmental assessment
Europe
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to transportation
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Financial planning
Florida
Foreign Trade and International Finance
France
Germany
Government Operations and Politics
Government corporations
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Highspeed ground transportation
Historic sites
History
Illegal aliens
Immigration
Indiana
Industrial arbitration
Infrastructure
Inspectors general
Intermodal transportation
Labor and Employment
Labor contracts
Law
Leases
Louisiana
Lubrication and lubricants
Maintenance and repair
Maryland
Massachusetts
Mediation
Methanol
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
New Jersey
New York City
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Performance measurement
Planning-programming-budgeting
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Railroad commuting traffic
Railroad employees
Railroad engineering
Railroad equipment
Railroad finance
Railroad freight operations
Railroad passenger traffic
Railroad safety
Railroads
Right-of-way
Science, Technology, Communications
Spain
Standards
Surface Transportation Board
Technology transfer
Tennessee
Texas
Traffic congestion
Transportation research
Tunnels
United Kingdom
Wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: 
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for Amtrak for FY2009-FY2013.
 
Authorizes Amtrak to contract for the operation of an intercity rail service or route not included in the national rail passenger transportation system.
 
Requires Amtrak to: (1) implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system; (2) submit an annual budget and business plan and a five-year financial plan; (3) submit grant requests to the Secretary of Transportation for authorizations of appropriations for specified uses; and (4) develop a single, nationwide standardized methodology for establishing and allocating the operating and capital costs among the states and Amtrak associated with trains operated on state supported routes.
 
Requires the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak jointly to develop or improve metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of intercity passenger train operations.
 
Provides for: (1) a Northeast Corridor state-of-good-repair plan; and (2) a restructuring of Amtrak's indebtedness.
 
Replaces the Northeast Corridor Coordination Board with a Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission.
 
Authorizes: (1) congestion grants to states for the capital costs of facilities and equipment necessary for high priority rail corridor projects; and (2) state preparation of state rail plans.
 
Requires studies of passenger rail service, locomotive biofuel, and the use of biobased lubricants.
 
Requires Amtrak to establish a Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a rail cooperative research program, and the Comptroller General to compare the U.S. passenger rail system with the systems in specified other countries.
 
 
Authorizes a public transportation authority or rail carrier to submit disputes over trackage use and railroad rights-of-way to the Surface Transportation Board for nonbinding mediation.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to establish a high-speed rail corridor program, including capital project finance grants. Directs the Secretary to solicit proposals for projects for an initial high-speed rail system between Washington, DC, and New York City (Northeast Corridor), as well as for additional projects on any other corridor.
 

 

 
Directs the Secretary to conduct an alternatives analysis of the December 1, 1998, extension of the designation of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor.

action_date: 2008-06-05
text: 
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 - 
Title I: Authorizations - 
(Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for: (1) Amtrak capital and operating grants, including capital grants to states, the Office of the Inspector General of Amtrak, and Amtrak for compliance with the requirements of Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990; (2) Amtrak repayment of long-term debt and capital leases; and (3) the rail cooperative research program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009 for grants to Amtrak and states participating in the Next Generation Corridor Train Equipment Pool Committee. 

Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to withhold up to one-half of 1% of certain funds for the costs of project management oversight of capital projects carried out by Amtrak.

(Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for costs associated with Amtrak early buyouts.

(Sec. 104) Requires the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), working with Amtrak, the city of Baltimore, state of Maryland, and non-Amtrak rail operators to: (1) approve a new rail tunnel alignment in Baltimore that will allow an increase in train speed and service reliability; and (2) ensure completion of the related environmental review process. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.

Title II: Amtrak Reform and Operational Improvements - 
(Sec. 201) Amends federal transportation law to define the national rail passenger transportation system as: (1) Amtrak's Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor; (2) high-speed corridors designated by the Secretary once they have been improved for high-speed service; (3) long-distance routes (of greater than 750 miles) operated on the date of enactment of this Act; and (4) short-distance routes operated by Amtrak or a non-Amtrak recipient of federal capital assistance.

Authorizes Amtrak and a state, regional or local authority, or another person to agree on the operation of an intercity route or service not included in the national rail transportation system.

Declares that this Act does not preclude Amtrak from restoring, improving, or developing non-high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

(Sec. 202) Replaces the Amtrak Reform Board with a reconstituted Board of Directors of Amtrak, with revised composition requirements.

(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Amtrak Board of Directors to employ an independent financial consultant with experience in railroad accounting to assist Amtrak in improving Amtrak's financial accounting and reporting system and practices.

Requires the Amtrak Board to: (1) implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system; (2) submit to Congress each fiscal year through FY2013 a report that allocates Amtrak's revenues and costs to each of its routes and lines of business; and (3) develop a five-year financial plan.

(Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary to establish substantive and procedural requirements for grant requests, including a 30-day approval process.

(Sec. 206) Directs the Amtrak Board to develop and implement a single methodology for allocating train route operating and capital costs among states and Amtrak.

(Sec. 207) Requires the FRA Administrator and Amtrak to develop jointly new or improve existing metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of intercity passenger train operations. 

(Sec. 208) Requires Amtrak to develop a Northeast Corridor state-of-good-repair capital project spending plan.

(Sec. 209) Directs the Secretary to establish a Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission. 
 
Directs Amtrak to determine the infrastructure and equipment improvements necessary to provide regular Acela service between Washington, DC, and New York City and between New York City and Boston within specified periods of time. Authorizes appropriations. 
 
(Sec. 210) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to make agreements to restructure Amtrak's long-term debt and capital leases.

(Sec. 211) Directs Amtrak to evaluate improvements necessary to make all existing intercity rail stations readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. Requires the FRA to monitor and conduct periodic reviews of Amtrak's compliance in making its services and facilities accessible to such individuals.

(Sec. 213) Permits a state to make an agreement with Amtrak to use facilities and equipment of, or have services provided by, Amtrak, under terms agreed to by the state and Amtrak, to enable the state to utilize an entity other than Amtrak to provide services required for operation of the route. 

(Sec. 214) Repeals Amtrak self-sufficiency requirements.

Authorizes the Secretary and other federal agencies to establish facilities and procedures to conduct preclearance of passengers on Amtrak trains entering the United States from Canada.

(Sec. 215) Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess progress made by Amtrak management and the DOT in implementing this Act.

(Sec. 216) Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to determine the cost and benefits of expanding passenger rail service options in underserved communities.

(Sec. 217) Authorizes the Secretary to make congestion grants to states, or to Amtrak in cooperation with states, for the capital costs of facilities and equipment for high priority rail corridor projects necessary to reduce congestion or facilitate ridership growth in intercity passenger rail transportation.

(Sec. 218) Requires Amtrak to submit to Congress a plan for restoring passenger rail service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Sanford, Florida. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 219) Directs the FRA to study and report to Congress on: (1) the extent to which Amtrak freight and passenger rail operations could use biofuel blends to power its fleet of locomotives; and (2) the feasibility of using biodegradable lubricants by Amtrak freight and passenger railroads. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 221) Subjects Amtrak to Buy American requirements for purchases of $100,000 or more.

(Sec. 222) Directs the Inspector General of the DOT to: (1) develop metrics standards for evaluating the quality of performance and service of Amtrak intercity passenger rail services, including routes not currently served by Amtrak which might be able to support passenger rail service at a reasonable cost; (2) identify the five worst performing Amtrak routes; and (3) recommend to Congress a process for DOT to consider Amtrak and other proposals to serve underperforming routes and routes not currently served by Amtrak.

(Sec. 223) Directs the Amtrak Inspector General to report to Congress on Amtrak's utilization of its facilities, including the Beech Grove Repair facility in Indiana.

(Sec. 224) Directs the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to report to Congress on the effectiveness of preferring Amtrak service over freight transportation service.

Title III: Intercity Passenger Rail Policy - 
(Sec. 301) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to an applicant state, group of states, Interstate Compact, or public agency to assist in financing the capital costs of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment necessary to provide intercity passenger rail transportation.

(Sec. 302) Authorizes states to prepare and maintain a state rail plan that: (1) sets forth state policy involving freight and passenger rail transportation (including commuter rail operations); and (2) includes a long-range rail investment program. Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures for the review of state rail plans.

(Sec. 303) Directs Amtrak to establish a Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee to design, develop specifications for, and procure standardized next-generation corridor equipment.

(Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to establish a rail cooperative research program to address intercity rail passenger and freight rail services, including ways to expand the transportation of international trade traffic, enhance the efficiency of intermodal interchange at ports and other intermodal terminals, and increase availability of rail service for seasonal freight needs. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory board to recommend research, technology, and technology transfer activities related to rail passenger and freight transportation.

(Sec. 305) Directs the Comptroller General to compare the U.S. passenger rail system with the passenger rail systems in Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, China, Spain, and Japan, and report findings to specified congressional committees.

Title IV: Commuter Rail Transit Enhancement - 
(Sec. 401) Authorizes a public transportation authority or rail carrier to submit disputes over trackage use and railroad rights-of-way to the STB for nonbinding mediation.

Title V: High Speed Rail - 
(Sec. 501) Directs the Secretary to establish a high-speed rail corridor program. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to a state, a group of states, an Interstate Compact, a public agency, or Amtrak to finance capital projects in high-speed rail corridors. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.

(Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary to: (1) solicit proposals for projects for an initial high-speed rail system between Washington, DC, and New York City (Northeast Corridor), as well as for additional projects on any other corridor; and (2) examine how to achieve maximum economic development of the Northeast Corridor. 

(Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary to conduct an alternatives analysis of the December 1, 1998, extension of the designation of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor, including a feasibility analysis of the expansion of the South Central High-Speed Rail Corridor to the Port of Houston, Texas.

(Sec. 504) Sets forth certain grant conditions for projects funded under this title, including collective bargaining requirements.

action_date: 2008-06-11
text: 
Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 - 
Title I: Authorizations - 
(Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013 for: (1) Amtrak capital and operating grants, including capital grants to states, to the Amtrak Office of the Inspector General, and for accessibility improvements and barrier removal for individuals with disabilities; (2) Amtrak repayment of long-term debt and capital leases; and (3) the rail cooperative research program. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009 for grants to Amtrak and states participating in the Next Generation Corridor Train Equipment Pool Committee. 

Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to withhold up to one-half of 1% of certain funds for the costs of project management oversight of capital projects carried out by Amtrak.

(Sec. 102) Authorizes appropriations for costs associated with Amtrak early buyouts.

(Sec. 104) Requires the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), working with Amtrak, the city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and non-Amtrak rail operators to: (1) approve a new rail tunnel alignment in Baltimore that will allow an increase in train speed and service reliability; and (2) ensure completion of the related environmental review process. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.

(Sec. 105) Bars the use of funds to employ unauthorized alien workers.

(Sec. 106) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority to finance in part the capital and preventive maintenance projects included in its Capital Improvement Program. Conditions the availability of funds, in part, on assurance that each licensed wireless provider serving the public within the rail system has access to the system on an ongoing basis. Authorizes appropriations. 

Title II: Amtrak Reform and Operational Improvements - 
(Sec. 201) Amends federal transportation law to define the national rail passenger transportation system as: (1) Amtrak's Boston-Washington Northeast Corridor; (2) high-speed corridors designated by the Secretary once they have been improved for high-speed service; (3) long-distance routes (of greater than 750 miles) operated on the date of enactment of this Act; and (4) short-distance routes operated by Amtrak or a non-Amtrak recipient of federal capital assistance.

Authorizes Amtrak and a state, regional or local authority, or another person to agree on the operation of an intercity route or service not included in the national rail transportation system.

Declares that this Act does not preclude Amtrak from restoring, improving, or developing non-high-speed intercity passenger rail service.

(Sec. 202) Replaces the Amtrak Reform Board with a reconstituted Board of Directors of Amtrak, with revised composition requirements.

(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Amtrak Board of Directors to employ an independent financial consultant with experience in railroad accounting to assist Amtrak in improving Amtrak's financial accounting and reporting system and practices.

Requires the Amtrak Board to: (1) implement a modern financial accounting and reporting system; (2) submit to Congress each fiscal year through FY2013 a report that allocates Amtrak's revenues and costs to each of its routes and lines of business; and (3) develop a five-year financial plan.

(Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary to establish substantive and procedural requirements for grant requests, including a 30-day approval process.

(Sec. 206) Directs the Amtrak Board to develop and implement a single methodology for allocating train route operating and capital costs among states and Amtrak.

(Sec. 207) Requires the FRA Administrator and Amtrak to develop jointly new or improve existing metrics and minimum standards for measuring the performance and service quality of intercity passenger train operations. 

(Sec. 208) Requires Amtrak to develop a Northeast Corridor state-of-good-repair capital project spending plan.

(Sec. 209) Directs the Secretary to establish a Northeast Corridor Infrastructure and Operations Advisory Commission. 
 
Directs Amtrak to determine the infrastructure and equipment improvements necessary to provide regular Acela service between Washington, DC, and New York City and between New York City and Boston within specified periods of time. Authorizes appropriations. 
 
(Sec. 210) Authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to make agreements to restructure Amtrak's long-term debt and capital leases.

(Sec. 211) Directs Amtrak to evaluate improvements necessary to make all existing intercity rail stations readily accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities by 2010. Requires the FRA to monitor and conduct periodic reviews of Amtrak's compliance in making its services and facilities accessible to such individuals.

(Sec. 213) Permits a state to make an agreement with Amtrak to use facilities and equipment of, or have services provided by, Amtrak, under terms agreed to by the state and Amtrak, to enable the state to utilize an entity other than Amtrak to provide services required for operation of the route. 

(Sec. 214) Repeals Amtrak self-sufficiency requirements.

(Sec. 215) Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to assess progress made by Amtrak management and the DOT in implementing this Act.
 
(Sec. 216) Requires the Comptroller General of the United States to determine the cost and benefits of expanding passenger rail service options in underserved communities.
 
(Sec. 217) Authorizes the Secretary to make congestion grants to states, or to Amtrak in cooperation with states, for the capital costs of facilities and equipment for high priority rail corridor projects necessary to reduce congestion or facilitate ridership growth in intercity passenger rail transportation.

(Sec. 218) Requires Amtrak to submit to Congress a plan for restoring passenger rail service between New Orleans, Louisiana, and Sanford, Florida. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 219) Directs the FRA to study and report to Congress on: (1) the extent to which Amtrak freight and passenger rail operations could use biofuel blends to power its fleet of locomotives; and (2) the feasibility of using biodegradable lubricants by Amtrak freight and passenger railroads. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 221) Subjects Amtrak to Buy American requirements for purchases of $100,000 or more.

(Sec. 222) Directs the Inspector General of the DOT to: (1) develop metrics standards for evaluating the quality of performance and service of Amtrak intercity passenger rail services, including routes not currently served by Amtrak which might be able to support passenger rail service at a reasonable cost; (2) identify the five worst performing Amtrak routes; and (3) recommend to Congress a process for DOT to consider Amtrak and other proposals to serve underperforming routes and routes not currently served by Amtrak.

(Sec. 223) Directs the Amtrak Inspector General to report to Congress on Amtrak's utilization of its facilities, including the Beech Grove Repair facility in Indiana.

(Sec. 224) Directs the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to report to Congress on the effectiveness of preferring Amtrak service over freight transportation service.

(Sec. 225) Directs the Secretary to: (1) find ways to streamline compliance with specified National Historic Preservation Act requirements for federally-funded railroad infrastructure repair and improvement projects; and (2) take immediate action to cooperate with named Alaska and North Carolina entities in expediting the decisionmaking process for safety-related projects involving railroad and Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor property and facilities that have disputed historic significance.

(Sec. 226) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) expanded commuter rail service between New Haven, Connecticut, and Springfield, Massachusetts, is an important transportation priority; and (2) Amtrak should work cooperatively with the states of Connecticut and Massachusetts to enable such expanded service.

(Sec. 227) Directs Amtrak to evaluate for Congress the passenger rail service between Cornwells Heights, Pennsylvania, and New York City and between Princeton Junction, New Jersey, and New York City to determine whether to expand the service on such routes by increasing the frequency of stops or reducing commuter ticket prices.

Title III: Intercity Passenger Rail Policy - 
(Sec. 301) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to an applicant state, group of states, Interstate Compact, or public agency to assist in financing the capital costs of facilities, infrastructure, and equipment necessary to provide intercity passenger rail transportation.

(Sec. 302) Authorizes states to prepare and maintain a state rail plan that: (1) sets forth state policy involving freight and passenger rail transportation (including commuter rail operations); and (2) includes a long-range rail investment program. Requires the Secretary to prescribe procedures for the review of state rail plans.

(Sec. 303) Directs Amtrak to establish a Next Generation Corridor Equipment Pool Committee to design, develop specifications for, and procure standardized next-generation corridor equipment.

(Sec. 304) Directs the Secretary to establish a rail cooperative research program to address intercity rail passenger and freight rail services, including ways to expand the transportation of international trade traffic, enhance the efficiency of intermodal interchange at ports and other intermodal terminals, and increase availability of rail service for seasonal freight needs. Directs the Secretary to establish an advisory board to recommend research, technology, and technology transfer activities related to rail passenger and freight transportation.

(Sec. 305) Directs the Comptroller General to compare the U.S. passenger rail system with the passenger rail systems in Canada, Germany, Great Britain, France, China, Spain, and Japan and report findings to specified congressional committees.

Title IV: Commuter Rail Transit Enhancement - 
(Sec. 401) Authorizes a public transportation authority or rail carrier to submit disputes over trackage use and railroad rights-of-way to the STB for nonbinding mediation.

(Sec. 402) Requires Amtrak to engage in good faith discussions, with commuter rail entities and public transportation authorities operating on the same trackage owned by a rail carrier as Amtrak, with respect to: (1) the routing and timing of trains to most efficiently move, particularly during peak hours, the maximal number of commuters, intercity, and passenger rail passengers; and (2) the expansion and enhancement of commuter rail and regional rail public transportation service.

Title V: High Speed Rail - 
(Sec. 501) Directs the Secretary to establish a high-speed rail corridor program. Authorizes the Secretary to make competitive grants to a state, a group of states, an Interstate Compact, a public agency, or Amtrak to finance capital projects in high-speed rail corridors. Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.
 
(Sec. 502) Directs the Secretary to: (1) solicit proposals for projects for an initial high-speed rail system between Washington, DC, and New York City (Northeast Corridor), as well as for additional projects on any other corridor; and (2) examine how to achieve maximum economic development of the Northeast Corridor. 
 
(Sec. 503) Directs the Secretary to conduct an alternatives analysis of the December 1, 1998, extension of the designation of the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor, including feasibility analyses of the expansion of the South Central High-Speed Rail Corridor to the Port of Houston, Texas, to Memphis, Tennessee, and south of San Antonio to a location in far south Texas to be chosen at the discretion of the Secretary.

(Sec. 504) Sets forth certain grant conditions for projects funded under this title, including collective bargaining requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-06-12
text: Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 779.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the the motion to refer H. Res. 1258, and the motion to suspend the rules and agree to H. Res. 1235, which had been considered earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The Clerk was authorized to correct section numbers, punctuation, and cross references, and to make other necessary technical and conforming corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 6003.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 311 - 104 (Roll no. 400).
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 311 - 104 (Roll no. 400).
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: On motion to recommit with instructions Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 194 - 230 (Roll no. 399).
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H5264)
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Davis (KY) motion to recommit with instructions. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the bill to be reported back to the House with an amendment adding a new section providing for a locomotive alternative fuel study.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Mr. Davis (KY) moved to recommit with instructions to Transportation. (consideration: CR H5263-5265; text: CR H5263)
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The House adopted the amendment in the nature of a substitute as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union. (text: CR H5233-5246)
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The House adopted the remaining amendments en gross as agreed to by the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H5261)
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 6003.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: UNFINISHED BUSINESS - The Chair announced that the unfinished business was the question of adoption of the Sessions amendment which had been debated earlier and on which further proceedings had been postponed.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Patrick Murphy (PA) amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Murphy (CT) amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the McCarthy (NY) amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Sessions amendment the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Sessions demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Sessions amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Smith (WA) amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 10 minutes of debate on the Tom Davis (VA) amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: DEBATE - Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1253, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 30 minutes of debate on the Oberstar amendment.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: GENERAL DEBATE - The Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of general debate on H.R. 6003.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: The Speaker designated the Honorable James P. Moran to act as Chairman of the Committee.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union pursuant to H. Res. 1253 and Rule XVIII.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 6003 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Considered under the provisions of rule H. Res. 1253. (consideration: CR H5222-5265)
action_date: 2008-06-10
text: Rule H. Res. 1253 passed House.
action_date: 2008-06-09
text: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1253 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 6003 with 1 hour of general debate. Previous question shall be considered as ordered without intervening motions except motion to recommit with or without instructions. Measure will be considered read. Specified amendments are in order. All points of order against consideration of the bill are waived except those arising under clause 9 or 10 of rule XXI. It shall be in order to consider as an original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure now printed in the bill.
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 434.
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 110-690.
action_date: 2008-06-05
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation. H. Rept. 110-690.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2008-05-22
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2008-05-20
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2008-05-20
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2008-05-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E875-876)
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2008-05-08
text: Introduced in House