Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-05-19 00:00:00

Generating Renewal, Opportunity, and Work with Accelerated Mobility, Efficiency, and Rebuilding of Infrastructure and Communities throughout America Act or the GROW AMERICA Act

 Prescribes requirements for environmental reviews with respect to state and federal agency engagement, obstruction of navigation, historic sites, categorical exclusion of multimodal projects from environmental review, and creation in the Department of Transportation (DOT) of an Interagency Infrastructure Permitting Improvement Center.

Directs DOT to establish a multimodal freight incentive grant program and a National Freight Infrastructure Program.

Redesignates the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways as the National Highway System and the National Freight Network.

Requires the federal long-range transportation plan to include a transportation system resilience assessment.

Prescribes criteria for high performing metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) representing urbanized areas with populations of over 200,000.

Removes the congestion management process from the transportation planning process for MPOs.

Directs DOT to establish a pilot program for up to 10 MPOs to improve multimodal connectivity and increase connections for disadvantaged Americans and neighborhoods with limited transportation options.

Revises requirements with respect to congestion mitigation and air quality improvement, including electric vehicle charging stations and commercial motor vehicle anti-idling facilities in rest areas along the Interstate System.

Establishes in DOT:

 a discretionary TIGER Infrastructure Grant Program for various transportation projects; and a discretionary FAST Grant Program to reform the way surface transportation investments and decisions are made, implemented, and funded to achieve national transportation outcomes. Revises requirements for the funding of railroad rehabilitation and improvement financing, the state infrastructure bank program, toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries.

Establishes within DOT the position of Assistant Secretary for Innovative Finance.

Reauthorizes the federal-aid highway and related programs through FY2021, including revised obligation limitation and apportionment requirements.

Directs DOT to:

 establish a nationally significant federal lands and tribal projects program to fund construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of nationally significant federal lands and tribal transportation projects; carry out a broadband infrastructure deployment initiative; create a program to make critical and immediate improvements to infrastructure and highway safety; set-aside specified funds for states for highway safety data improvement activities on public roads; and create and maintain data sets and data analysis tools to assist MPOs, states, and the DOT in carrying out performance management analyses. Federal Public Transportation Act of 2015

Revises fixed guideway capital investment grants requirements. Authorizes grants to state and local governments for very small starts projects.

Revises requirements for formula grants for enhanced mobility and for rural areas, workforce development programs, and the public transportation safety program.

Requires recipients of transportation assistance to meet certain standards for hiring locally.

Reauthorizes specified public transportation assistance programs through FY2021.

Authorizes DOT to make competitive grants to state and local governmental entities for bus rapid transit projects.

Authorizes appropriations for specified highway safety programs through FY2021, and revises related requirements.

Revises criteria for state graduated driver licensing incentive grants.

Adds a 24-7 sobriety program to criteria for state repeat offender and open container laws.

Authorizes specified amounts of grant funds to states for distracted driving enforcement.

Authorizes appropriations for specified motor vehicle safety programs through FY2021, and increases penalties for safety violations.

Revises certain reporting requirements for tire manufacturers.

Requires DOT to conduct a pilot grant program to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness for a state process for informing consumers of open motor vehicle recalls at the time of motor vehicle registration.

Revises specified requirements for commercial motor vehicle and commercial driver safety.

Requires disqualification to operate a commercial motor vehicle for anyone who fails to pay an assessed civil penalty for a motor vehicle safety violation.

Revises certain medical and registration requirements for commercial motor vehicle operators.

Revises requirements for the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program.

Directs DOT to administer a High Priority Program, an innovative technology deployment grant program, and a Commercial Motor Vehicle Operators Grant Program.

Authorizes DOT to establish:

 a motor carrier safety facility working capital fund, and a financial assistance program for commercial driver's license program implementation. Directs DOT to maintain for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration a motor carrier safety advisory committee.

Revises requirements for the Unified Carrier Registration System plan.

Repeals the authorization for self-insurance by motor carriers.

Prescribes notice requirements relating to decisions that electronic logging devices fail to comply with standards.

Authorizes DOT to issue regulations:

 governing contractors that exercise control over motor carrier operations; and requiring motor vehicle employers to track and compensate employees for on-duty, not-driving time. Authorizes DOT, with respect to unsafe conditions or practices in the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmat transportation), to order necessary:

 operational controls, restrictions, and prohibitions without prior notice or an opportunity for a hearing; and removal, remediation, or disposal of hazardous materials causing unreasonable risk of death, personal injury, or significant harm to the property or the environment. Authorizes DOT to collect reasonable fees for the administration of the special permits and approvals for deposit into a Hazardous Materials Approvals and Permits Fund.

Revises requirements for planning and training grants under the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act of 1986.

Reauthorizes the program for regulating hazmat transportation through FY2021.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through FY2023 specified highway-related taxes as well as requirements for expenditures from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.

Replaces the Highway Trust Fund with a Transportation Trust Fund, and authorizes appropriations to it through FY2021.

Directs DOT to establish and support a National Cooperative Freight Transportation Research Program and a Priority Multimodal Research Program.

Revises the competitive selection process for the university transportation centers consortia program.

Requires the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) to create data sets and data analysis tools for intermodal transportation data.

Establishes in the BTS a National Transportation Library.

Authorizes the BTS Director to establish a Port Performance Statistics Program to provide nationally consistent measures of performance of the nation's maritime ports.

Revises requirements for the intelligent transportation system (ITS) program. Includes as an ITS program goal the development and deployment of automated vehicles in all modes of surface transportation.

Prescribes requirements for the use of funds to develop ITS infrastructure, equipment, and systems.

Rail for America Act

 Directs DOT to facilitate by financial assistance the establishment of a National High-Performance Rail System of integrated passenger and freight rail services, including a Current Passenger Rail Service Program and a Rail Service Improvement Program.

Authorizes appropriations through FY2021 for the System and for the planning, development, construction, and implementation of rail corridors and related infrastructure improvements.

Requires Amtrak to submit to the Secretary draft 5-year business line plans and draft 5-year capital asset plans.

Authorizes DOT to establish Regional Rail Development Authorities, including a Regional Committee, to facilitate the development of multi-state high-performance rail services, and to coordinate these investments with other rail, transit, highway, and aviation system services.

Prescribes requirements for the standardization of passenger equipment and level-entry boarding platforms.

Directs DOT to:

 evaluate the shared-use of right-of-way by passenger and freight rail systems and the operational, institutional, and legal structures that would best support improvements to both of these systems; and conduct a nationwide disparity and availability study to establish the availability and utilization of small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals in publicly funded railroad projects. Requires DOT to complete a National Rail Development Plan meeting certain criteria, and facilitate development of Regional Rail Development Plans.

Authorizes DOT to prescribe regulations or issue orders to require host railroads for joint operations that occur within a small geographic area to develop unified rules governing all operations within that area.

Revises or prescribes requirements relating to positive train control, hours of service, maximum employee duty hours, safety appliances, locomotive inspections, noise emission standards, and damaged track inspection equipment.

Authorizes federal agency heads to construct, install, operate, and maintain electric charging infrastructure for official agency vehicles.