lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-05-16 00:00:00

Revises state agency authority with respect to operation of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities. Replaces the exception from general HOV restrictions for low emission and energy-efficient vehicles with one for alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles. Authorizes a state agency (including a state transportation department) with jurisdiction over the operation of an HOV facility to permit alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to use HOV lane highways. Requires states to establish procedures for enforcing restrictions on such vehicles operating on HOV lane highways. Requires a state agency which collects tolls on HOV facilities for their use by vehicles not otherwise exempted from HOV restrictions to use excess toll revenues for certain highway projects, giving priority consideration to those for developing alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel and projects for improving highway safety. Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Transportation and states should provide additional incentives (including the use of HOV lanes on state Interstate System highways and routes) for the purchase and use of advanced technology and dedicated alternative fuel vehicles.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-08-02 00:00:00

Raechel and Jacqueline Houck Safe Rental Car Act of 2012 - Requires a rental company that receives a Secretary of Transportation (DOT) ordered notification from the manufacturer of a covered rental vehicle of equipment defect, or noncompliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards, during the vehicle rental period to contact the renter and any authorized driver of the vehicle about the defect or noncompliance. Covers a rental vehicle: (1) rated at 26,000 pounds gross vehicle weight or less, (2) rented without a driver for an initial term of under 4 months, and (3) that is part of a motor vehicle fleet of 5 or more motor vehicles used for rental purposes by a rental company. Authorizes a rental company that receives notification of a defect or the noncompliance of a new vehicle or new replacement vehicle equipment in the company's possession to rent such vehicle or equipment only if the defect or noncompliance is remedied. Prohibits a rental company from knowingly making inoperable any safety devices or elements of design installed on or in a compliant motor vehicle or vehicle equipment unless the company reasonably believes such vehicle or equipment will not be used when the devices or elements are inoperable. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request, to inspect records of a rental company with respect to a safety investigation. Authorizes the Secretary to require a rental company to keep records or make reports for purposes of compliance with federal motor vehicle safety orders or regulations. Authorizes the Secretary to study the effectiveness of the amendments made by this Act and of other activities of rental companies.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-02-12 00:00:00

Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2013 - Allows a state to authorize a vehicle with a maximum gross weight (including enforcement tolerances) exceeding certain federal weight limitations to operate on Interstate Highway System (IHS) routes in the state if: (1) the vehicle is equipped with at least six axles, (2) the weight of any single axle does not exceed 20,000 pounds, (3) the weight of any tandem axle does not exceed 34,000 pounds, (4) the weight of any group of 3 or more axles does not exceed 51,000 pounds, and (5) the gross weight of the vehicle does not exceed 97,000 pounds.

Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish a safe and efficient vehicle bridge infrastructure improvement program. Requires the Secretary to apportion amounts from the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund to states for eligible bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) impose a tax on any vehicles that exceed federal weight limitations (gross vehicle weight in excess of 80,000 pounds) operating on the IHS, and (2) establish the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2013-02-26 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 Preserving Access to Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area Act - Requires the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area in North Carolina to be managed in accordance with the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy/Environmental Assessment issued by the National Park Service (NPS) on June 13, 2007, for the Recreational Area until the Secretary of the Interior issues a new final rule that meets the additional restrictions specified below. Bars the imposition of any additional restrictions on pedestrian or motorized vehicular access to any part of the Recreation Area for species protection beyond those in the Interim Management Strategy, other than as specifically authorized pursuant to this Act.

Allows the Secretary if, based on peer-reviewed science and after public comment, it is determined that additional restrictions on access to a part of the Recreation Area are necessary to protect endangered species, to only restrict pedestrian and vehicular access for recreational activities for the shortest possible time and on the smallest possible portions of such area.

Prohibits the final rule titled "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, Cape Hatteras National Seashore--Off-Road Vehicle Management" from having any force or effect.

Invalidates the April 30, 2008, consent decree filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina regarding off-road vehicle use at the Seashore.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-04-23 00:00:00

Drunk Driving Repeat Offender Prevention Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold specified graduated percentages of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds for FY2016-FY2018 if the state has not enacted and is not enforcing a law requiring the installation of an ignition interlock device for a minimum of 180 days on each motor vehicle operated by an individual convicted of driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence (having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08% or greater).

Authorizes reduction of the 180-day period to 90 days if: (1) the driver's license is suspended for a minimum of 180 days as a result of the conviction, and (2) the period for installation of an ignition interlock device begins after the last day of the suspension.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-05-07 00:00:00

Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from providing grants or funds to a state, county, town, or township, Indian tribe, municipal, or other local government for use in any program to check helmet usage or create checkpoints for a motorcycle driver or passenger.

Repeals the authority of the Secretary to make grants to states that have a law which makes it unlawful for any individual on an operating motorcycle to be without a motorcycle helmet.

Revises grant eligibility requirements to eliminate the requirement that states achieve a certain rate of compliance with such law.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-05-09 00:00:00

Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act of 2013 - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semi-trailer, container, or other property-carrying unit longer than 53 feet, except for a fire-fighting unit) to operate on the National Highway System (NHS) (including the Interstate System), unless the operation of such unit is authorized by the state on June 1, 2008, and in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including seasonal operations) on or before that date.

Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a commercial motor vehicle combination on the NHS (except a vehicle or load that cannot be dismantled or divided easily, and that has been issued a special permit under state law) with more than one property-carrying unit (excluding the truck tractor) whose property-carrying units are more than: (1) the maximum combination trailer, semi-trailer, or other type of length limitation allowed by state law on June 1, 2008; or (2) the length of the property-carrying units of those commercial motor vehicle combinations, by specific configuration, in actual and lawful operation on a regular or periodic basis (including continual seasonal operation) in such state on or before June 1, 2008. Prohibits a state from allowing the operation of a vehicle or combination (other than a longer combination vehicle) exceeding Interstate weight limits on the Interstate System unless its operation was lawful: (1) on July 1, 1956; (2) in the case of the overall gross weight of any group of two or more consecutive axles, on January 4, 1975; or (3) under a special permit pursuant to state (grandfather) law. Declares that Interstate weight limitations on vehicles and combinations (other than longer combination vehicles) that operate on the Interstate System shall apply to such vehicles and combinations that operate on non-Interstate segments of the NHS, unless: (1) such segments are subject to lower state weight limits; or (2) a state allows the operation of any vehicle or combination on an existing non-Interstate segment of the NHS that could have been lawfully operated on June 1, 2008.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-06-13 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 Permits the continued operation of trucks on any segment of the U.S. Route 41 corridor in Wisconsin designated as a route on the Interstate System that could operate legally on such segment before that designation without regard to federal weight limitation requirements.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-06-19 00:00:00

Strengthen And Fortify Existing Bridges Act of 2013 or SAFE Bridges Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program to assist states to rehabilitate or replace bridges found to be structurally deficient, functionally obsolete, or fracture critical.

Requires states to use apportioned program funds for projects to rehabilitate and replace such bridges.

Sets the federal share of project costs at 100%.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-06-20 00:00:00

Safe Streets Act of 2013 - Requires each state to have in effect within two years a law, or each state department of transportation and metropolitan planning organization (MPO) an explicit policy statement, that requires all federally-funded transportation projects, with certain exceptions, to accommodate the safety and convenience of all users in accordance with certain complete streets principles.

Defines "complete streets principles" as federal, state, local, or regional level transportation laws, policies, or principles which ensure that the safety and convenience of all users of a transportation system, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit users, children, older individuals, motorists, freight vehicles, and individuals with disabilities, are accommodated in all phases of project planning and development.

Allows such law or policy to make project-specific exemptions from such principles only if: (1) affected roadways prohibit specified users by law from using them, the cost of a compliance project would be excessively disproportionate to the need, or the population, employment densities, traffic volumes, or level of transit service around a roadway is so low that the expected roadway users will not include pedestrians, public transportation, freight vehicles, or bicyclists; and (2) all such exemptions are properly approved.

Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a method for evaluating compliance by state departments of transportation and MPOs with complete streets principles.

Requires the Access Board to issue final standards for accessibility of new construction and alterations of pedestrian facilities for public rights-of-way.

Requires the Secretary to conduct research regarding complete streets to: (1) assist states, MPOs, and local jurisdictions in developing and implementing complete streets-compliant plans, projects, procedures, policies, and training programs; and (2) establish benchmarks for, and provide technical guidance on, implementing complete streets policies and principles.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-06-26 00:00:00

Motorcoach Safety, Accountability, and Technology Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue regulations to ensure that an individual conducts a brake performance inspection before each motorcoach trip to ensure that the brake performance satisfies all federal law requirements.

Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to: (1) establish minimum performance standards for onboard electronic air brake monitoring systems for motorcoaches, (2) require motorcoaches to be equipped with automatic emergency braking and collision warning systems, (3) require motorcoaches with a gross vehicle weight rating of more than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a lane departure warning system, and (4) require motorcoaches to be equipped with a device to limit maximum speed to 70 miles per hour. Requires the Secretary to make such technologies tamper resistant.

Directs the Secretary to study the feasibility of requiring motorcoaches be retrofitted with such technologies.

Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to establish standards for motorcoaches to use regrooved, recapped, or retreaded tires.

Revises Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program requirements.

Requires the Secretary to approve plans under which states agree to assume responsibility for improving motor carrier safety and adopt and to enforce commercial motor vehicle safety, hazardous materials transportation safety, or compatible regulations, standards, and orders if the plan ensures that (except in the case of an imminent or obvious safety hazard) an inspection of a passenger motorcoach is conducted at a station, terminal, border crossing maintenance facility, and destination (as under current law), but also a weigh station, rest stop, turnpike service area, or other location where adequate food, shelter, and sanitation facilities are available for passengers as well as passengers with disabilities.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2013-06-27 00:00:00

Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project Bonds Act of 2013 or TRIP Bonds Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit for any TRIP bond issued by or for the benefit of a state infrastructure bank as part of an issue, if 100% of the available project proceeds from such issue are to be used for expenditures incurred for one or more qualified projects. Requires proceeds from the sale of bonds issued under this Act to be held in a TRIP Bonds Trust Account (including one or more subaccounts).

Defines "qualified project" as a capital transportation infrastructure project (including roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, ports, and inland waterways) proposed and approved by a state infrastructure bank, as well as any flood damage risk reduction project with a completed Report of the Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps of Engineers.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-07-09 00:00:00

Permits the continued operation of trucks on any segment of U.S. Route 78 in Mississippi designated as a route on the Interstate System. Prohibits federal weight limitation requirements from applying to those trucks that could operate legally on such segment before that designation.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-08-02 00:00:00

Maximize Our Highways Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to study the economically beneficial uses of rights-of-way associated with federal-aid highways, including: (1) the identification of economically beneficial activities that may be carried out to ensure those rights-of-way are used in the most economically beneficial manner; and (2) an analysis of the costs and benefits of, barriers to, and revenue generated by carrying out such activities.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-09-11 00:00:00

Idaho Safe and Efficient Vehicle Act of 2013 - Prohibits application of federal weight limitations to a longer combination vehicle operating on a segment of the Interstate System in Idaho if it: (1) has a gross vehicle weight of 129,000 pounds or less; (2) complies with certain single axle, tandem axle, and bridge formula weight limits; and (3) is authorized to operate on that segment under Idaho law.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-10-30 00:00:00

Drug Free Commercial Driver Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to modify regulations that require motor carriers to conduct preemployment, reasonable suspicion, random, and post-accident testing of commercial motor vehicle operators for controlled substances or alcohol.

Allows a motor carrier to use hair testing as a method for detecting use of controlled substances by an operator, but only for preemployment testing and random testing (but the latter only if the motor carrier tested the operator at preemployment using the same method).

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue scientific and technical guidelines for hair testing of operators for use of controlled substances.

Directs the Secretary to develop procedures to allow a motor carrier during the rulemaking process to apply for an exemption from current requirements to allow use of hair testing of operators for controlled substances instead of other methods of preemployment and random testing.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-10-30 00:00:00

True Understanding of the Economy and Safety Act or TRUE Safety Act - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO), after the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) reports to Congress on an hours of service field study, to assess the methodology followed by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) in carrying out the efficacy of the restart rule ("Hours of Service of Drivers") published on December 27, 2011, which applies to operators of commercial motor vehicles of property subject to maximum DOT driving time requirements.

Requires the assessment to evaluate the extent to which that methodology meets the requirements of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) that: (1) the data collected is representative of the drivers subject to the restart rule, (2) the methodology is statistically valid, and (3) the study followed the FMCSA plan for the "Scheduling and Fatigue Recovery Project."

Directs GAO to assess the Regulatory Impact Analysis that accompanied the final 2011 restart rule.

Nullifies the 2011 restart rule until six months after the study report required by this Act has been submitted to Congress.

Prohibits the Secretary from applying the restart rule if the conclusions of the field study completed pursuant to MAP-21 do not support or concur with the conclusions of the laboratory study on which the rule was based.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-11-14 00:00:00

Revises the highway safety improvement program.

Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), under the highway safety improvement program, to establish performance measures for states to use to assess significant reductions in the number of serious injuries and fatalities (as under current law) specifically for both motorized and nonmotorized transportation.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2013-12-03 00:00:00

Road Usage Fee Pilot Program Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish the Road Usage Fee Pilot Program to make competitive grants to state or local governments, or metropolitan planning, regional transportation planning, or tribal organizations to conduct pilot studies on implementing mileage-based fee systems as a method for funding transportation highway projects.

Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) a technology and privacy working group, (2) a transportation system and equity working group, and (3) an environmental working group.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2014-01-09 00:00:00

Building and Repairing Infrastructure with Domestic Gains in Employment Act of 2013 or BRIDGE Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make competitive grants to states for projects to repair or replace a bridge.

Requires the Secretary in awarding such grants to give preference to projects that: (1) address bridges with a demonstrated significant need for repair or replacement, and (2) create a significant number of jobs.

Sets the federal share of project costs at 80%.
Topic: Transportation — Highways
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2014-01-28 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to designate natural gas fueling corridors in the United States for long haul truck traffic.

Requires the Secretary, in designating these corridors, to: (1) seek to establish an interconnection of natural gas fueling stations across the United States that will serve the highest possible volume of long haul truck traffic; (2) take into consideration the location of existing natural gas fueling stations, with the goal of having them located no more than 200 miles apart in such corridors; and (3) provide public notice and an opportunity for comment.