zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to study the detention of commercial motor vehicle operators by shippers and receivers before loading and unloading their vehicles. Directs the Secretary to prescribe standards for the maximum number of hours that a commercial motor vehicle operator transporting property in interstate commerce may be reasonably detained, if not compensated for the time detained, by a shipper or receiver before the loading or unloading of the vehicle. Prohibits a shipper or receiver from detaining such operators before the loading or unloading of a vehicle without providing compensation for the time detained beyond the maximum number of hours that the Secretary determines is reasonable. Prescribes penalties for violation of this prohibition.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
San Joaquin Valley Transportation Enhancement Act of 2011 - Allows stimulus funds made available to California for highspeed rail service development under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to be used for any project to improve or maintain California State Route 99 between the cities of Sacramento and Bakersfield.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe and Efficient Transportation Act of 2011 - 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 operating on the IHS, and (2) establish the Safe and Efficient Vehicle Trust Fund.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Residential and Commuter Toll Fairness Act of 2011 - Grants a public authority the authority to carry out a program that offers discounts in transportation tolls to individuals who are residents of, or regular commuters to, a U.S. locality on an island, peninsula, or other area where transportation access is substantially constrained by geography and subject to a transportation toll to access or depart the locality (captive tollpayers). Declares that nothing in this Act may be construed to: (1) limit any other authority of a public authority, including the authority to offer discounts in transportation tolls to other tollpayers; or (2) affect, alter, or limit the applicability of state or local law with respect to the authority of a public authority to impose toll discounts.

Date: 2011-02-17
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish the VetStar Award Program, to annually recognize businesses for their contributions to veterans' employment.

Date: 2011-02-18
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to promulgate a rule to: (1) improve the daytime and nighttime visibility of agricultural equipment operating on public roads, and (2) establish minimum lighting and marking standards for such equipment. Requires the Secretary to review and revise such standards at least once every five years to reflect the latest revision of American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) Standard 279 entitled "Lighting and Marking of Agricultural Equipment on Highways."

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Marriage Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the federal judicial code to deny federal courts jurisdiction to hear or decide any question pertaining to the interpretation, or the validity under the Constitution, of the provision of the Defense of Marriage Act declaring that no state shall be required to give effect to any marriage between persons of the same sex under the laws of any other state.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Law
Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to prohibit the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from updating a flood plain area or a flood risk zone in a geographic area that meets the following conditions: (1) the area is intended to be protected by a levee that the Army Corps of Engineers determines has a design deficiency; (2) the entity responsible for the repair of such levee has implemented a repair plan that has been developed by the Corps or a professional licensed engineer and approved by the Corps or FEMA, that is based on sufficient and reasonably current design data that accurately reflects the condition of such levee and other flood protection facilities in the area, that will provide protection from the 1% annual chance flood for the area, and that includes an adequate financing mechanism; and (3) each state or local government with jurisdiction over any portion of the geographic area has implemented a surveillance and operations plan to provide for timely alerts and immediate remedial action when significant underseepage or potential failure occurs, has an evacuation plan, and has implemented an outreach and communication plan to advise occupants of potential flood risks, the opportunity to purchase flood insurance, and the consequences of failure to purchase insurance. Exempts a geographic area if the Director: (1) determines that the area is protected by a system that provides protection from the 1% annual chance flood; or (2) has suspended the updating of flood plain areas or flood risk zones in such area in accordance with this Act for seven consecutive years.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Emergency management
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.

Date: 2011-03-03
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Repeals the prohibition against state use of toll revenues as a credit toward the non-federal state matching share requirement for Appalachian development highway projects (thus allowing a state to use such revenues as a non-federal share match for such Appalachian highway projects).

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Motor Vehicle Owners Right to Repair Act of 2011 - Requires the manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold, leased, or otherwise introduced into U.S. commerce to: (1) provide to the vehicle owner and service providers all information necessary to diagnose, service, maintain, or repair the vehicle; (2) offer for sale to the vehicle owner and service providers any related tool or equipment; and (3) provide the information that enables aftermarket tool companies to manufacture tools with the same functional characteristics. Exempts trade secrets, so long as the information is not disclosed to authorized dealers or service providers. Authorizes enforcement of this Act by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and civil actions by state attorneys general.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Commerce
Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2011 or STANDUP Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to award incentive grants to states with graduated driver licensing laws that require novice drivers younger than age 21 to comply with a two-stage licensing process before receiving an unrestricted driver's license. Requires such laws, at a minimum, to include: (1) a learner's permit stage that commences at age 16 or older, lasts at least six months, prohibits driver use of a cellular phone or other communications device in nonemergency situations, and remains in effect until commencement of the intermediate stage or the driver attains age 18; (2) an intermediate stage in effect until the driver attains age 18 that commences immediately after expiration of the learner's permit stage, lasts at least six months, prohibits driver use of a cellular phone or other communications device in nonemergency situations, prohibits nighttime driving, prohibits more than one non-familial passenger under age 21 unless there is a licensed driver at least age 21 present in the vehicle; and (3) any other requirement that the Secretary may require. Deems a state that meets such minimum requirements to be in compliance regardless of whether a state law, enacted before January 1, 2011, establishes a class of license that permits licensees younger than age 18 to drive a motor vehicle in connection with work performed on or for the operation of a farm owned by family members of the licensees. Directs the Secretary to withhold a certain percentage of federal-aid highway funds from states that do not comply with the requirements of this Act.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to include U.S. Route 83 from U.S. Route 281 to U.S. Route 77 as part of the high priority Lower Rio Grande Valley Corridor of the National Highway System in Texas. Declares that the requirement of connection to an existing Interstate System segment shall not apply to segments of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Corridor or to the U.S. Route 59 Corridor from Laredo through Houston to near Texarkana, Texas.

Date: 2011-04-14
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe Highways and Infrastructure Preservation Act - Prohibits a state from prescribing or enforcing any regulation that allows a restricted property-carrying unit (any trailer, semitrailer, 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, semitrailer, 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 the date of enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Amendments of 1974; 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 also 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 be so operated lawfully on June 1, 2008.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
State Highway Flexibility Act - Allows a state to elect not to participate in the federal-aid highway program, including any federal highway program under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), beginning in FY2011, to carry out a direct federal-aid highway program to permit a state governor or chief executive officer, at least 90 days before the beginning of a fiscal year, to elect to: (1) waive the state's right to receive apportioned or allocated funds under the federal-aid highway program, and (2) receive instead a prorated amount of taxes appropriated to the Highway Trust Fund (other than for the Mass Transit Account) which are attributable to highway users in the state. Requires a pro rata reduction of such tax-equivalent amount in order to fund contract authority for programs of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Requires the state governor or chief executive officer making an election to: (1) agree to maintain the Interstate System in accordance with its current Interstate System program; (2) submit a plan describing the purposes, projects, and uses to which such amounts will be put and the federal-aid highway programmatic requirements the state elects to continue; and (3) agree to obligate program amounts exclusively for projects that would be eligible for surface transportation program funding. Directs the Secretary to carry out a similar alternative funding program for public transportation programs.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Broadband Conduit Deployment Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to require states to install broadband conduits (conduits for fiber optic cables that support broadband or wireless facilities for broadband service) in certain highway construction projects. Requires the Secretary to ensure that any requesting broadband provider has access to such installed broadband conduit on a competitively neutral and nondiscriminatory basis, for a charge not to exceed a cost-based rate.

Date: 2011-05-03
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Commercial Motor Vehicle Advanced Safety Technology Tax Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a general business tax credit for 50% of the cost of placing in service any qualified commercial vehicle advanced safety system. Defines "qualified commercial vehicle advanced safety system" as a manufacturer-certified brake stroke monitoring system, lane departure warning system, collision warning system, or vehicle stability system identified by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as significantly enhancing the safety or security of commercial drivers, vehicles, or passengers. Terminates such credit after 2016.

Date: 2011-05-04
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
Distracted Driving Prevention Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make distracted driving prevention incentive grants for each fiscal year to states that enact laws that prohibit, with certain exceptions, and establish fines for texting and/or handheld cellphone use while driving. Requires a state that receives a grant to allocate: (1) at least 50% to educate and advertise to the public about the dangers of texting or using a cellphone while driving as well as to enforce the distracted driving law; and (2) up to 50% for other traffic safety improvement projects. Directs the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to administer a distracted driving national education program with at least two high-visibility education and advertising campaigns. Requires the Secretary to establish a research program to study distracted driving by passenger and commercial vehicle drivers. Directs the the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report to Congress on existing and developing wireless communications technology that may be used to reduce problems associated with distracted driving. Requires the Secretary to: (1) issue regulations on the use of electronic or wireless devices, including cell phones and other distracting devices, by operators of commercial motor vehicles and school buses; and (2) prohibit their use in circumstances where it interferes with the driver's safe operation of the vehicles.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011 - 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 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.

Date: 2011-05-05
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Jason's Law - Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to direct the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) with respect to the pilot program to allocate funds to states, metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments to establish long-term parking facilities for commercial motor vehicles (trucks) on the National Highway System. Requires applications to incorporate one or more specified factors, such as: (1) addressing a safety need through development of additional truck parking capacity for use in hours-of-service compliance, and (2) reducing congestion and improving air quality mitigation. Directs the Secretary to conduct a survey annually: (1) regarding the capacity of each state to provide adequate parking and rest facilities for trucks, and (2) assessing the volume of truck traffic through the state and developing a metrics system to measure the adequacy of the state's parking facilities.

Date: 2011-05-10
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Changes from discretionary to mandatory the funding of nondiscrimination requirements for federal-aid highway projects under the surface transportation and bridge programs.

Date: 2011-05-11
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Gas Tax Holiday Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the excise tax on highway motor fuels for 45 days beginning 7 days after the enactment of this Act. Expresses the sense of Congress that consumers should immediately receive the benefit from the suspension of such tax (i.e., 18.4 cents per gallon tax reduction). Denies or limits for any company that is not a small, independent oil and gas company certain tax benefits for one year, including: (1) amortization of geological and geophysical expenditures; (2) the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery costs; (3) the tax deductions for intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells and for tertiary injectant expenses; (4) the percentage depletion allowance; (5) the exemption from limits on the deductibility of passive activity losses; and (6) the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities relating to oil, natural gas, or any primary product thereof. Prohibits the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method by major integrated oil companies. Limits or denies the foreign tax credit and tax deferrals for amounts paid or accrued by a dual capacity taxpayer to a foreign country or U.S. possession for any period with respect to combined foreign oil and gas income. Defines "dual capacity taxpayer" as a person who is subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and receives (or will receive) directly or indirectly a specific economic benefit from such county or possession. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to extend the one-year denial of tax benefits to any company that is not a small, independent oil and gas company if revenues raised during that period are insufficient to cover the cost of suspending the excise taxes on higway motor fuels.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
Drunk Driving Repeat Offender Prevention Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold specified graduated percentages of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds for FY2014-FY2016 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).

Date: 2011-06-03
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Idaho Efficient Vehicle Demonstration Act of 2011 - Prohibits any reduction of the apportionment of federal-aid highway funds to Idaho if: (1) it permits a commercial combination vehicle weighing between 105,500 and 129,000 pounds to operate on specified routes of the Interstate System within the state; (2) such vehicle does not exceed state weight limits for operation on state highways; and (3) the vehicle is limited to travel only on certain portions of Interstate Routes 15, 84, and 86. (Under current law, the federal-aid highway funds of a state shall be reduced if it permits a commercial combination vehicle with a weight in excess of federal weight limits to operate on Interstate System highways within the state.)

Date: 2011-06-03
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish: (1) a national highway tunnel inspection program, including standards for the proper safety inspection and evaluation of all highway tunnels; (2) a training and certification program for highway tunnel inspectors; and (3) a national inventory of highway tunnels. Includes tunnel construction, rehabilitation, and operational improvements (including safety inspection of such tunnels) as eligible projects under the federal surface transportation program.

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Waives compliance with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) minimum retroreflectivity standards by existing traffic control devices on or before the compliance dates established by the FHWA. Exempts from this waiver (thus requiring compliance with such standards by) traffic control devices installed on or after enactment of this Act. (Replacement of regulatory, warning, and post-mounted guide [except street name] signs is required by January 22, 2015. Replacement of street name signs and overhead guide signs is required by January 22, 2018.)

Date: 2011-06-21
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Authorizes the state of West Virginia to allow, by special permit, the operation of vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of up to 126,000 pounds for the hauling of coal and coal by-products on Interstate Route 77 in Kanawha County, West Virginia, between Exits 85 and 97.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-related Fatalities Everywhere Act of 2011 or ROADS SAFE Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to carry out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore the feasibility and the potential benefits of, and the public policy challenges associated with, more widespread deployment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe Drivers Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to study distracted driving, including cognitive distraction when driving and driver distraction impacts on young, inexperienced drivers. Requires the Secretary to withhold 25% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway program funds for the fiscal year if the state has not enacted or is not enforcing a law that: (1) prohibits, except in an emergency, an operator of a moving or idling motor vehicle on a public road from using a hand-held mobile device (other than a voice-activated, vehicle-integrated or similar device, or a global positioning system [GPS] which is not vehicle-integrated); and (2) requires, upon conviction of a violation of such prohibition, the imposition of certain minimum penalties.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Fighting Fraud in Transportation Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) to establish procedures to screen annually its list of registered motor carriers, brokers, and freight forwarders to: (1) ensure the list accurately reflects only those entities with currently active operating authority; and (2) show as inactive any motor carriers, brokers, or freight forwarders that are no longer active or in compliance with federal registration and security requirements. Requires the FMCSA Administrator to issue a distinctive registration number for each activity or service of a person (including motor carrier, freight forwarder, or broker) registered to provide one or more such activities or services. Requires a registrant to specify, in writing, the authority under which it is providing required services for each shipment for which it seeks compensation. Revises federal motor carrier registration requirements to prohibit a motor carrier from brokering transportation services unless registered as a broker. Revises and consolidates federal registration and security requirements for freight forwarders and brokers. Prohibits a person from acting as a freight forwarder or broker unless that person: (1) holds a freight forwarder's permit or broker's license issued by the FMCSA; and (2) furnishes a bond, insurance policy, or other type of security from a provider determined by the FMCSA Administrator to be adequate to insure financial responsibility of $100,000. Prohibits a person acting as a broker (other than a non-vessel-operating common carrier), or an ocean freight forwarder providing brokerage as part of an international through movement involving ocean transportation between the United States and a foreign port, from providing interstate brokerage services unless that person: (1) is registered under and in compliance with this Act, and (2) has satisfied financial security requirements. Prescribes civil penalties for violators of such requirements.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Protecting America's Roads Act or PARA - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), unless expressly authorized by Congress, from granting authority to Mexico-domiciled motor carriers to operate beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border except under a pilot program meeting certain requirements, including that: (1) it not exceed a period of three years, (2) it be carried out for period sufficient to generate statistically valid findings on the safety impacts of the pilot program, and (3) certain other program requirements are met.

Date: 2011-07-06
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to exempt from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material (hazmat) endorsement all class A commercial driver's license (CDL) holders who are custom harvesters, agricultural retailers, agricultural business employees, agricultural cooperative employees, or agricultural producers who operate a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000) gallons or less of diesel fuel if the tank is clearly marked with a placard reading "Diesel Fuel."

Date: 2011-07-06
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe Roads Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a national clearinghouse for verified positive alcohol and controlled substance test results and test refusals as well as violations of Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) alcohol and controlled substances regulations of commercial motor vehicle operators. Prohibits the release of clearinghouse information to a commercial motor carrier employer unless there has been compliance with all applicable federal privacy laws and regulations. Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees from such employers and other authorized users for informational requests. Prohibits an employer from hiring an individual to operate a commercial motor vehicle unless the employer has determined that the individual, for the preceding three-year period, has: (1) been tested for use of alcohol and controlled substances; (2) not tested positive for their use, or tested positive but has completed the return-to-duty process; (3) not refused to be tested; and (4) not violated FMCSA alcohol and controlled substances regulations. Directs the Secretary to establish a process: (1) to require employers to request and review any clearinghouse records of individuals before their employment as a commercial motor vehicle operator and for each year thereafter as long as the individual is so employed; and (2) for an individual and a state licensing authority to request and receive information from the clearinghouse. Subjects persons who violate the requirements of this Act to both civil and criminal penalties. Requires the Secretary to take certain actions to enhance DOT oversight of testing sites.

Date: 2011-07-08
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Drive to Stay Alive Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold 5% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds for FY2012, and each succeeding fiscal year, if the state has not enacted and implemented a law that: (1) prohibits a driver from using a personal wireless communications device (cell phone, but excluding a global navigation satellite system receiver used for positioning, emergency notification, or navigation [GPS]) to call or text while driving when there is a minor in the vehicle, (2) makes violation of the law a primary offense, and (3) establishes certain minimum fines and increased civil and criminal penalties. Permits laws meeting the requirements of this Act to provide exceptions for driver: (1) use of a hands-free device (other than a driver who is a minor), (2) use of a cell phone in emergency situations, and (3) use of a cell phone by a commercial motor vehicle driver or school bus driver.

Date: 2011-07-18
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
414 Plan Act of 2011 - Declares that federal laws and regulations (including prevailing rate of wage requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act) shall not apply to any federal-aid highway or highway safety construction project, except those relating to: (1) the safety or durability of a highway facility, or (2) public or workplace safety. Repeals the prohibition against approval of federal-aid highway projects or regulatory actions that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for nonmotorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless the project or action provides for a reasonable alternative route or such a route exists. Repeals also: (1) the reservation of certain allocations of funds for transportation enhancement activities, and (2) authorization for states to use certain funds for construction of pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities. Eliminates the requirement that statewide transportation plans and statewide transportation improvement programs provide for the development of accessible pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities. Expresses the sense of Congress that states, federal agencies, localities, and private stakeholders should take steps toward increased cooperation to further expedite surface transportation projects.

Date: 2011-09-14
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Grape Region Accelerated Production and Efficiency Act of 2011 - Exempts from federal maximum driving and on-duty time motor carrier regulations any drivers transporting grapes in a state if the transportation is: (1) during a harvest period, and (2) limited to an area within a 175 air mile radius from the location where the grapes are picked or distributed.

Date: 2011-10-05
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Motor Carrier Safety Improvement Act of 1999 to revise exemptions from federal maximum driving and on-duty time motor carrier regulations for drivers transporting agricultural commodities and farm supplies during planting and harvest periods. Extends the exemptions to drivers transporting agricultural farm supplies: (1) from a wholesale or retail distribution point of the farm supplies to a farm or other location where such supplies are intended to be used within a 100 air-mile radius from the distribution point, or (2) from a wholesale distribution point of the farm supplies to a retail distribution point of the farm supplies within a 100 air-mile radius from the wholesale distribution point.

Date: 2011-10-26
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2011 - Revises the authority of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to exempt a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment from federal safety standards for purposes of research, investigations, demonstrations, training, competitive racing events, show, or display. Requires the Secretary to: (1) exempt low volume motor vehicle manufacturers from such standards, and (2) treat such motor vehicles as assemblages of equipment for purposes of determining compliance with such standards. Defines "low volume manufacturer" as one whose total motor vehicle production claimed under the exemption is no more than 1,000 vehicles annually. Subjects a replica of a previously manufactured vehicle only to safety standards for the model year of the body of the vehicle it replicates. Requires a low volume manufacturer to register with the Secretary to qualify for such exemption. Directs the Secretary to require a permanent label to be fixed to such a motor vehicle identifying the safety standards or bumper standard from which the vehicle is exempt. Amends the Clean Air Act to allow low volume motor vehicle manufacturers who register with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to install a motor vehicle engine from a motor vehicle already fully certified as meeting federal air emissions standards, including those for on-board diagnostic systems (OBD II), but excluding those for evaporative emissions.

Date: 2011-10-27
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Beneficial Upgrades for Investment and Local Development of Bridges Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to issue categorical exclusions (that do not involve significant environmental impact) from the environmental assessment or environmental impact statement requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for certain highway construction activities, including: (1) bridge preventative maintenance, rehabilitation, or replacement; (2) highway modernization; and (3) public and private utilities rehabilitation, reconstruction, and replacement.

Date: 2011-11-02
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to revise and eliminate a condition on the addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania on the Appalachian development highway system of a segment from Port Maltida to Interstate Route 80 along U.S. Route 322. Eliminates the requirement that the addition not affect estimates of the cost to complete the system.

Date: 2011-11-14
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Fiscally Responsible St. Croix River Crossing Authorization Act - Authorizes the head of an appropriate federal agency to authorize and assist in the construction of a new St. Croix River bridge crossing between Minnesota and Wisconsin, provided mitigation measures are implemented to offset environmental impacts identified in the 2010 report prepared by the National Park Service. Limits federal funding for such project to $574 million.

Date: 2011-11-16
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Safe Roads for America Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of Transportation to modify the target compliance dates for the following minimum retroreflectivity level standards: (1) implementation and continued use of an assessment or management method that is designed to maintain traffic sign retroreflectivity at or above the established minimum levels; (2) replacement of regulatory, warning, and post-mounted guide (except street name) signs identified using the assessment or management method as failing to meet the established minimum levels; and (3) replacement of street name signs and overhead guide signs that are identified using the assessment or management method as failing to meet the established minimum levels. Requires the Secretary to revise the notice of proposed amendments published in the Federal Register on August 31, 2011, to incorporate the new target compliance dates. Includes measures designed to meet a state-established performance standard, federal regulation, or requirement contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices relating to minimum levels of retroreflectivity as projects for purposes of the highway safety improvement program. Allows a maximum 100% federal share of the costs of construction related to maintaining minimum levels of retroreflectivity of highway signs or pavement markings. Directs the Secretary to issue standards for the use of funds apportioned to a state for highway safety improvement projects to upgrade highway signs and pavement markings in order to meet or exceed minimum maintained levels of retroreflectivity. Requires such standards to prohibit fund use for maintenance activities.

Date: 2011-12-01
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Commuter Protection Act - Amends the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to expand the requirement that certain bridge tolls be just and reasonable to all bridges or tunnels constructed on a federal-aid highway. (Current law applies the just and reasonable toll requirement only to bridges constructed under the Bridge Act of 1906, the General Bridge Act of 1946, or the International Bridge Act of 1972.) Requires that tolls for all such bridges and tunnels be subject to review and regulation by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), upon complaint or the initiative of the Secretary, including with respect to increases in the amount of tolls. Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to define, determine, and, when appropriate, prescribe just and reasonable toll rates. Requires that such regulations: (1) establish an administrative complaint process for aggrieved persons to challenge such determinations or toll rate increases on bridges or tunnels, (2) authorize the Secretary or an administrative law judge to conduct investigations and hold formal hearings on such complaints, and (3) permit complainants to seek judicial review of a final administrative determination in a U.S. district court. Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) evaluate the use of tolls by interstate authorities to maintain and improve surface transportation facilities, and (2) make recommendations to increase transparency and accountability of the funding decisions by those authorities.

Date: 2011-12-15
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project Bonds Act of 2011 or TRIP Bonds Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit for any TRIP bond issued by 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. Defines "qualified project" as the capital improvements to any transportation infrastructure project (including roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, ports, and inland waterways) proposed and approved by a state infrastructure bank. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend certain customs fees for the processing of merchandise entered into the United States through specified dates in 2048.

Date: 2011-12-19
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
Drivers Accelerated Interest Deductibility Act of 2011 or the Drivers AID Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a deduction from gross income of up to $5,000 for interest paid for the purchase of certain new automobiles or light trucks during periods when the average national unemployment rate is not less than 7%.

Date: 2011-12-20
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Financing Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through September 30, 2016, the expenditure authority for the Highway Trust Fund; and (2) extend through September 30, 2018, current excise tax rates on motor fuels (i.e., gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene, and special motor fuels), excise taxes on heavy highway vehicles and highway tires, and the use tax on heavy vehicles. Appropriates to the Highway Trust Fund amounts equivalent to the net increase in revenues from onshore and offshore domestic energy leasing and production resulting from the Alaskan Energy for American Jobs Act, the PIONEERS Act, and the Energy Security and Transportation Jobs Act. Terminates the authority for transfers of motor fuel tax revenues to the Mass Transit Account of the Highway Trust Fund. Renames such Account as the Alternative Transportation Account and makes a one-time appropriation to such Account.

Date: 2012-02-01
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
No Tolls in North Carolina Act of 2012 - Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) to prohibit the establishment in North Carolina of any of the three toll collection facilities the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) is authorized to place on an Interstate System highway, bridge, or tunnel under the Interstate System reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program.

Date: 2012-03-08
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Kadyn's Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to withhold 10% of a state's apportionment of certain federal-aid highway funds if the state has not enacted and is not enforcing a law that imposes specified first offense and second offense civil and criminal penalties for motorists found guilty of illegally passing a stopped school bus.

Date: 2012-03-21
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Commercial Drivers Licenses for Veterans Act - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a program of grants to states to assist veterans who received and completed training to drive large vehicles while serving in the Armed Forces obtain, upon their discharge or release from active-duty service, state commercial drivers licenses. Requires states, in order to be grant-eligible, to demonstrate a shortage of individuals with such licenses. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on barriers experienced by such veterans in obtaining such licenses.

Date: 2012-03-28
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Heavy Truck Tax Fairness Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) repeal the excise tax on heavy trucks and trailers sold at retail, (2) increase the rate of tax on diesel fuel or kerosene to 30.7 cents per gallon, and (3) impose a floor stocks tax with respect to certain taxable fuels.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Taxation
Repeals the requirement that the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) prescribe regulations to require passenger motor vehicle dealers to distribute to prospective buyers information comparing insurance costs for different makes and models of passenger motor vehicles based on damage susceptibility and crashworthiness.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Repeals the requirement that the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) prescribe regulations to require passenger motor vehicle dealers to distribute to prospective buyers information comparing insurance costs for different makes and models of passenger motor vehicles based on damage susceptibility and crashworthiness. Declares any regulations promulgated pursuant to that requirement to have no force or effect. Directs the Secretary, after providing for public comment, to study and report to Congress on the most useful data, format, and method for providing simple and understandable damage susceptibility information to consumers.

Date: 2012-05-30
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule entitled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Battery Chargers and External Power Supplies," or any substantially similar regulation, regarding product class 7 (certain high-energy battery chargers described in such proposed rule).

Date: 2012-06-08
Topic: Transportation (Highways)
Subject: Energy