HIGH-SPEED RAIL TRANSPORTATION ACT I

WRITTEN BY - Sen. James Brown (D-Dixie)
----101st Congress of the United States
COSPONSORS
IN BRIEF
To provide funding towards a study of potentially new high speed rail routes, as well as improvement suggestions towards current Amtrak lines. 
== Section 1. Name of Bill ==
This Bill will be known as the High-Speed Rail Transportation Act I for the duration of this bill, in all debates, and following enactment by the executive branch will carry the same title.
== Section 2. Findings and Definitions ==
FINDINGS
# Whereas, constructing and establishing more high-speed rail routes within the United States would grow the national economy, incentivize more travel between our cities, and further research & engineering development in regards to rail management & construction.
# Whereas, improving the Northeast Corridor is imperative for improving Amtrak service and funding
# Whereas, to establish new guidelines on future public transportation projects & rail construction
# Whereas, to incentivize private investment into our passenger railways, instead of a pure reliance on Amtrak and state-owned rail agencies. 
DEFINITIONS
# High-Speed Rail - Passenger rail service, consisting of trains that can carry speeds in excess of 125 mph, and usually containing fewer stations than traditional rail service lines.
# Northeast Corridor - An electrified rail line owned by Amtrak, running service between Washington, D.C., and Boston, Massachusetts. 
== Section 3. Amtrak ==
Upon the passage of this legislation, the following reforms would be made towards Amtrak: 
# $100 million shall be provided to Amtrak, for the specific tasks:
## Developing a plan for identifying new potential high-speed rail routes across the United States, to be developed & constructed by 2010. 
## Developing a plan for identifying potential new projects for enhancing and improving transportation speeds & management of the Northeast Corridor, including tunnel & bridge renovations, the development of new stations, etc. 
## Identifying the costs of acquiring right of way, tracks, and related facilities for currently-used railroads across the United States. 
## Calculating the costs of backlog repairs for existing railroads across the United States 
# The Department of Transportation shall provide a $40 million grant towards any private corporation, both within the United States and other nations, as well as state-owned companies from other nations, who wish to provide intercity rail service within the United States. 
## The $40 million shall be provided to 3 chosen private corporations, after assessment by the Department of Transportation. 
# The Department of Transportation shall establish studies regarding incentivizing private corporations for investing into Amtrak and investing into new intercity transportation services.
== Section 4. Miscellaneous Reforms ==
Upon the passage of this legislation, the following reforms shall be made for present and future public transportation projects: 
# Environmental Impact Statements for public transportation projects, both undergoing currently and planned for the future, shall be limited to 75 pages. 
## Environmental Impact reviews for public transportation projects shall be no longer than 2 years in length.
# Public transportation projects, both undergoing currently and planned for the future, shall be exempt from review under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. 
# The following rules shall be established for the construction of future high-speed rail transit projects: 
## No tracks carrying trains traveling in excess of 100 mph may cross public or private roads carrying any form of automotive transport. 
## All routes must prioritize paths of least resistance and to avoid paths displacing family homes and/or businesses.
== Section 5. Funding ==
TOTAL BILL IMPLEMENTATION COST - $140 million
* Section 3a - $100 million
* Section 3b - $40 million
Category:Bills
Category:Law