zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Holocaust Rail Justice Act - Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity. Declares that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action; and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002. Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the extent to which the public has access to records, including archived information, with respect to the deportation of such persons to Nazi concentration camps on such trains.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Law
National Metro Safety Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation, notwithstanding certain prohibitions, to: (1) develop, implement, and enforce national safety standards for transit agencies operating heavy rail on fixed guideways; and (2) require such standards to include National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regarding crashworthiness, emergency access and egress, event recorders, and hours of service.

Date: 2011-03-31
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Focusing Resources, Economic Investment, and Guidance to Help Transportation Act of 2011 - Declares U.S. policy with respect to freight transportation. Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) an Office of Freight Planning and Development. Directs the Secretary to develop a long-term National Freight Freight Transportation Strategic Plan to guide planning and investments in the national transportation system to move freight. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop new or improve existing tools to support an outcome-oriented, performance-based approach to evaluate proposed freight-related and other transportation projects; (2) facilitate the collection of transportation-related data to support a broad range of evaluation methods and techniques to assist in making transportation investment decisions; and (3) consider improvements to the Commodity Flow Survey that reduce identified freight data gaps and deficiencies and help evaluate forecasts of transportation demand. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a competitive grant program for capital investment projects that improve the efficiency of the national transportation system to move freight, and (2) give priority to projects with the highest system performance improvement relative to their benefit-cost analysis. Limits the federal share of project net capital costs at 80%. Requires a grant recipient to submit to the Secretary: (1) a project management plan and an annual financial plan for a project with a total cost of $500 million or more, and (2) an annual financial plan for a project with a total cost of $100 million or more. Repeals specified prohibitions against the transfer of amounts from the Highway Trust Fund to the Port Infrastructure Development Fund.

Date: 2011-04-01
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Altamont Corridor Rail Improvement Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Altamont Corridor Rail Project (California) for final design and construction of a new fixed guideway for FY2011-FY2021. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make allocations for capital investment grants for such fiscal years for any remaining preliminary engineering and final design and construction of the Project. Allows for the use of any alternative analysis or environmental impact report relating the Project to satisfy Federal Railroad Administration capital assistance requirements for new fixed guideway capital projects.

Date: 2011-04-13
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Freight Rail Infrastructure Capacity Expansion Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a tax credit for 25% of the cost of new qualified freight rail infrastructure property and qualified locomotive property, and (2) a taxpayer election to expense the cost of qualified freight rail infrastructure property (i.e., deduct all costs in the current taxable year). Terminates such credit and expensing election after 2016. Requires compliance with federal wage rate requirements under the Davis-Bacon Act as a condition of eligibility for the tax credit and expensing allowance provided by this Act.

Date: 2011-06-02
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Alaska Railroad Right of Way Extension Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, and other appropriate federal officials, to convey to the Alaska Railroad Corporation all rights, title, and interests of the United States to certain land located between North Pole, Alaska, and Delta Junction, Alaska, for the purpose of constructing a railroad corridor extension and related support areas and structures. Requires Surface Transportation Board approval for the phased construction of such extension.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) to conduct an annual audit of the financial statements of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation.

Date: 2011-07-28
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Rescinds all unobligated stimulus funds made available for capital assistance for high-speed rail corridors under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Date: 2011-08-05
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Northeast Corridor Rail Tunnel Safety Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for Amtrak use, after the Secretary has received and approved a project engineering and financial plan, to complete New York tunnel life safety projects and to rehabilitate tunnels in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Requires at least 25% of amounts appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for capital grants to states for rail line relocation and improvement projects to be used for high-speed rail or associated projects.

Date: 2011-10-03
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Prohibits the obligation of federal funds for high-speed rail projects in California until after September 30, 2012. Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress with respect to the California High Speed Rail project.

Date: 2011-10-07
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to make development phase activities (including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, permitting, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities) eligible for railroad rehabilitation and improvement direct loans and loan guarantees. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to reduce the interest rates on direct loans, made for the sole purpose of installing positive train control systems, to state and local governments, interstate compacts, government sponsored authorities and corporations, and railroads.

Date: 2011-10-14
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amtrak Food and Beverage Service Savings Act - Revises the authority of Amtrak to provide food and beverage services on its trains. Allows Amtrak to provide food and beverage service on its trains only if the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) selects a qualified bidder whose bid would result in the lowest cost, or the greatest source of revenue, to Amtrak. (Under current law, Amtrak may provide such services on its trains only if revenues from the services each year at least equal the cost of providing them.) Authorizes the FRA to exempt Amtrak from such requirement if no qualified bidder responds to FRA requests for proposals. Requires the FRA to pay directly to the entity providing food and beverage service on Amtrak trains any portion of Amtrak appropriations necessary to cover a net loss, but only to the extent that it was anticipated in the bid selected.

Date: 2011-11-03
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe Transportation of Hazardous Materials Act of 2011 - Requires railroad carriers engaged in the transportation of hazardous materials (hazmats) to submit to the Secretary of Transportation, and update annually, a plan for providing at least 48 hours notification to requesting local emergency responders before transporting hazmats through their jurisdictions. Directs the Secretary to require carriers to demonstrate periodically that the plan's procedures are adequate to give appropriate notice to such responders.

Date: 2011-11-04
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to states and designated entities for projects to improve the efficiency of freight mobility in the United States. Establishes the National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Fund to carry out projects under this Act. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a tax on taxable ground transportation of property equal to 1% of the fair market value of such transportation. Requires deposit into the Fund of amounts equivalent to the tax imposed on taxable ground transportation of property.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Freight Rail Economic Development Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make capital grants to a class I, class II, or class III railroad or a state or local government for freight rail economic development projects, particularly projects to construct freight rail switches and sidings. Prescribes prevailing wage rate requirements for such projects in accordance with the Davis-Bacon Act.

Date: 2012-03-27
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National High Performance Passenger Rail Transportation-Oriented Development Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish an initiative to promote passenger rail operations and transportation-oriented development by creating rail projects qualified for federal incentives for communities to encourage dedicated revenue sources for urban and regional rail corridor development. Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to provide direct loans and loan guarantees for qualified rail projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make secured loans, loan guarantees, or lines of credit for such projects. Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to: (1) states to identify transportation-oriented development opportunities, (2) states and regions outside the Northeast Corridor to establish Regional Advisory Committees and identify stations and potential stations within the region to maximize development and commercial revenue generation to support financially the development of a high performance rail passenger corridor, and (3) states and entities along the Northeast Corridor to establish a Northeast Corridor Transportation-Oriented Development Working Group and identify Northeast Corridor stations and potential stations to maximize development and commercial revenue generation to support financially the creation of a true high-speed rail corridor in the Northeast Corridor.

Date: 2012-04-16
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Make It In America, Create Transportation Manufacturing Jobs in America Act - Eliminates certain grounds for waiving Buy American requirements that the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) obligate federal funding for certain air navigation, highway, and rail activities and projects only if U.S. steel, iron, and manufactured goods are used in such projects. (Retains the current waiver of such Buy American requirements for any case where use of U.S. material will increase overall costs of a highway and roadway or highspeed rail project by more than 25%.) Revises waiver of Buy American requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirements if the cost of U.S.-produced components and subcomponents is: (1) more than 60% of the cost of all components of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rolling stock in the case of obligations made on or before December 31, 2011; (2) more than 66% of the cost of all components of rolling stock in the case of obligations made during calendar 2014; (3) 75% of the cost of all components of rolling stock in the case of obligations made during calendar 2015; or (4) 85% of the cost of all components of rolling stock in the case of obligations after December 31, 2016. Repeals the Secretary's authority to exempt Amtrak from Buy American requirements in certain circumstances. Revises waiver requirements to authorize a waiver with respect to rolling stock in each of the circumstances enumerated for FAA rolling stock.

Date: 2012-07-26
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2011 - Amends the Clayton Act to grant the United States exclusive authority to bring suit for injunctive relief against a common carrier that is not a rail common carrier subject to the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board (STB). Revises provisions prohibiting anticompetitive transactions except for those approved by specified federal agencies acting under certain statutes to eliminate the exemption for certain STB approved transactions. Provides that, in any civil action against a rail common carrier, the U.S. district court shall not be required to defer to the primary jurisdiction of the STB.Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to regulate, and engage in antitrust enforcement regarding, collective rate agreements and certain transactions, including railroad mergers and acquisitions. Permits treble damages against railroad common carriers in antitrust suits to parties injured by antitrust violations without regard to whether such railroads have filed rates or whether a complaint challenging rates has been filed. Amends federal transportation law to terminate the exemptions from antitrust laws for collective ratemaking agreements. Requires the STB, when reviewing a proposed agreement, to take into account its impact upon shippers, consumers, and affected communities. Revises STB authority to provide that a rail carrier, corporation, or a person participating in an approved transaction is not exempt from specified antitrust laws. Makes such provision inapplicable to any transaction relating to the pooling of railroad cars approved by the STB or its predecessor agency.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Commerce
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the allowable amount of the railroad track maintenance tax credit; (2) revise the types of expenditures eligible for such credit; and (3) extend such credit through 2013.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Revises positive train control systems implementation requirements for Class I railroad carriers that regularly provide intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation over their main lines. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to afford such carriers an opportunity to revise their plans as lines are added or removed. Prohibits the Secretary from disapproving a carrier's plan on the grounds that it does not cover a line over which intercity rail or commuter rail passenger transportation will not be provided, nor will poison- or toxic-by-inhalation hazardous materials be transported, on or after December 31, 2015. Requires a certain report by the Secretary to Congress to include the ability of such carriers to meet the December 31, 2015, deadline for implementation of positive train control systems.

Date: 2011-02-08
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Focusing Resources, Economic Investment, and Guidance to Help Transportation Act of 2011 - Declares U.S. policy with respect to freight transportation. Establishes within the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) an Office of Freight Planning and Development. Directs the Secretary to develop a long-term National Freight Freight Transportation Strategic Plan to guide planning and investments in the national transportation system to move freight. Directs the Secretary to: (1) develop new or improve existing tools to support an outcome-oriented, performance-based approach to evaluate proposed freight-related and other transportation projects; (2) facilitate the collection of transportation-related data to support a broad range of evaluation methods and techniques to assist in making transportation investment decisions; and (3) consider improvements to the Commodity Flow Survey that reduce identified freight data gaps and deficiencies and help evaluate forecasts of transportation demand. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a competitive grant program for capital investment projects that improve the efficiency of the national transportation system to move freight, and (2) give priority to projects with the highest system performance improvement relative to their benefit-cost analysis. Limits the federal share of project net capital costs at 80%. Requires a grant recipient to submit to the Secretary: (1) a project management plan and an annual financial plan for a project with a total cost of $500 million or more, and (2) an annual financial plan for a project with a total cost of $100 million or more. Repeals specified prohibitions against the transfer of amounts from the Highway Trust Fund to the Port Infrastructure Development Fund.

Date: 2011-02-16
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National Metro Safety Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation, notwithstanding certain prohibitions, to: (1) develop, implement, and enforce national safety standards for transit agencies operating heavy rail on fixed guideways; and (2) require such standards to include National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommendations to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) regarding crashworthiness, emergency access and egress, event recorders, and hours of service.

Date: 2011-03-10
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Alaska Railroad Right of Way Extension Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior, and other appropriate federal officials, to convey to the Alaska Railroad Corporation all rights, title, and interests of the United States to certain land located between North Pole, Alaska, and Delta Junction, Alaska, for the purpose of constructing a railroad corridor extension and related support areas and structures. Requires Surface Transportation Board approval for the phased construction of such extension.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2017.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to make eligible for use of a state's apportionment of coordinated border infrastructure program funds certain improvements for the safe movement of freight and passenger rail at or across the borders between the United States and Canada and the United States and Mexico. Reauthorizes the program through FY2015, indexed for inflation.

Date: 2011-07-13
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Holocaust Rail Justice Act - Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity.

Declares that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action, and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002.

Directs the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the extent to which the public has access to records, including archived information, with respect to the deportation of such persons to Nazi concentration camps on such trains.

Date: 2013-04-11
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Law
Northeast Corridor Rail Tunnel Safety Act - Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for Amtrak use, after the Secretary has received and approved a project engineering and financial plan, to complete New York tunnel life safety projects and to rehabilitate tunnels in Washington, DC, and Baltimore, Maryland.

Date: 2013-04-12
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National High Performance Passenger Rail Transportation-Oriented Development Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish an initiative to promote intercity and urban passenger rail operations and transportation-oriented development by creating rail projects qualified for federal incentives for communities to encourage dedicated revenue sources for urban and regional rail corridor development. Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to four qualified pilot projects.

Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to provide direct loans and loan guarantees for qualified rail projects. Authorizes the Secretary to make secured loans, loan guarantees, or lines of credit for such projects.

Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to: (1) state, local, or regional authorities to identify transportation-oriented development opportunities; (2) states, localities, and regions outside the Northeast Corridor to establish regional authorities and identify existing and potential stations within the region to maximize development and commercial revenue generation to support financially the development of a high performance intercity or urban rail passenger corridor; and (3) states and local or regional entities along the Northeast Corridor to establish a Northeast Corridor Transportation-Oriented Development Working Group and identify Northeast Corridor existing and potential stations to maximize development and commercial revenue generation to support financially the creation of a true high-speed rail corridor in the Northeast Corridor.

Date: 2013-04-12
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Pets on Trains Act of 2013 - Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains.

Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs.

Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.

Date: 2013-05-21
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Safe Freight Act - Prohibits the operation of a freight train or light locomotive engine used in the movement of freight unless it has a crew of at least two individuals, one of whom is certified by the Federal Rail Administration as a locomotive operator and the other as a train conductor.

Date: 2013-08-02
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Railway Inspection and Transparency Act - Directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to require each railroad carrier to arrange for an independent inspection by a professional engineer of: (1) all railroad bridges at least biennially, and (2) all railroad signals and switches at least semiannually.

Requires: (1) each railroad carrier to provide inspection results to the FRA, and (2) the FRA to make those results available to the public.

Date: 2013-11-20
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act - Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to make the installing of positive train control systems eligible for railroad rehabilitation and improvement direct loans and loan guarantees.

Extends the railroad safety technology grants program for FY2014-FY2018.

Date: 2013-12-03
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Responsible Rail and Deterring Deficiency Act - Declares that the Congress determines that a certain California high-speed train project would not be adequately served by continuation of federal assistance.

Directs the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), based upon that determination, to exercise its right under the grant agreement (entered into between the FRA and the California High Speed Rail Authority numbered FR-HSR-0009-10-01-05 on December 5, 2012) to suspend any further financial assistance for the project until: (1) the California High Speed Rail Authority certifies to the FRA that it has access to state funds, or other non-federal funds, in the amounts specified in the grant agreement and such funds are available to meet the Authority's financial obligations under that agreement; or (2) September 30, 2017.

Prohibits the FRA from amending, supplementing, or otherwise changing the terms of the grant agreement until the requirements for suspension of federal assistance have been met.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Altamont Corridor Rail Improvement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make allocations for capital investment grants for FY2015-FY2024 for any remaining preliminary engineering and final design and construction of the Altamont Corridor Rail Project (California).

Allows for the use of any alternative analysis or environmental impact report relating the Project to satisfy Federal Railroad Administration capital assistance requirements for new fixed guideway capital projects.

Date: 2014-04-10
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Requires a rail carrier to have a storage plan, meeting specified requirements and approved by the Surface Transportation Board, for any of its rail cars that it stores for three or more years, and continues to store, on tracks (except rail yard or storage yard tracks) that pass through a commercial- or residential-zoned area that were designed or previously used for through transportation of trains.

Date: 2014-05-20
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Tank Car Safety Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to revise federal regulations regarding DOT-111 tank cars used to move flammable liquids to: (1) improve tank car design standards for new cars to include an outer steel jacket around it and thermal protection, full-height head shields, and high-flow capacity pressure relief valves; and (2) require additional safety upgrades to tank cars built after October 2011 by including installation of such valves and design modifications to prevent bottom outlets from opening in case of accident.

Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress a plan to phase out older-model DOT-111 tank cars that are not retrofitted to meet the new federal requirements.

Date: 2014-05-22
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
RESPONSE Act of 2014 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council.

Directs the Subcommittee to evaluate the following topics and develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation for hazardous materials incidents involving railroads:

 the quality and application of training for local emergency first responders related to rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities near railroads; the effectiveness of funding levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities; a strategy for integration of commodity flow studies, mapping, and access platforms for local emergency responders and how to increase the rate of access to the individual responder in existing or emerging communications technology; the need for emergency response plans for rail, similar to existing law related to maritime and stationary facility emergency response plans for hazardous materials; the need for a rail hazardous materials incident database; increasing access to relevant, useful, and timely information for the local emergency responder for training purposes and in the event of a rail hazardous materials incident; and determining the most appropriate agencies and offices for the implementation of the recommendations. Terminates the Subcommittee not later than four years after this Act's enactment, subject to one year extensions.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Emergency management
Safer Trucks and Buses Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that covered motor carrier data is not made available to the public, and prohibits such data from being used in a civil action for damages resulting from an incident involving a motor carrier, until the Secretary submits a report certifying that recommendations required by this Act have been implemented.

Defines "covered motor carrier data" as data generated with respect to a motor carrier under the Compliance, Safety, Accountability initiative of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

 Requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report that contains recommendations on how to improve such initiative, including by ensuring that it:

 utilizes and generates only safety data and scores determined to be predictive of motor carrier accidents, appropriately addresses concerns relating to the age of utilized safety data, does not unfairly harm small motor carriers as a result of limited safety data availability, appropriately addresses differences between motor carriers transporting passengers and those transporting freight, generates safety data that allows individual motor carriers and their safety scores to be effectively compared, and utilizes accurate safety data. Establishes deadlines for such report, for implementation of such recommendations, and for certification of such implementation.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Allows railroad employees to remain or go on duty for a period in excess of the limitations established under hours-of-service requirements to the extent necessary to clear a blockage of vehicular traffic at a grade crossing.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to make appropriate arrangements with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council to study the cost and impact of rerouting freight rail traffic of hazardous material to avoid its transportation through urban areas.

Date: 2014-12-11
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.

Date: 2013-02-28
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Railroad Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2013 - Amends the Clayton Act to grant the United States exclusive authority to bring suit for injunctive relief against a common carrier that is not a rail common carrier subject to the jurisdiction of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

Revises provisions prohibiting anticompetitive transactions except for those approved by specified federal agencies acting under certain statutes to eliminate the exemption for certain STB approved transactions.

Provides that, in any civil action against a rail common carrier, the U.S. district court shall not be required to defer to the primary jurisdiction of the STB.

Empowers the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to regulate, and engage in antitrust enforcement regarding, collective rate agreements and certain transactions, including railroad mergers and acquisitions.

Permits treble damages against railroad common carriers in antitrust suits to parties injured by antitrust violations without regard to whether such railroads have filed rates or whether a complaint challenging rates has been filed.

Amends federal transportation law to terminate the exemptions from antitrust laws for collective ratemaking agreements.

Requires the STB, when reviewing a proposed agreement, to take into account its impact upon shippers, consumers, and affected communities.

Revises STB authority to provide that a rail carrier, corporation, or a person participating in an approved transaction is not exempt from specified antitrust laws. Makes such provision inapplicable to any transaction relating to the pooling of railroad cars approved by the STB or its predecessor agency.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Commerce
Railroad Safety and Positive Train Control Extension Act - Revises the railroad safety risk reduction program.

Extends from December 31, 2015, to December 31, 2020, the deadline for submission to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) by each Class I railroad carrier and each entity providing regularly scheduled intercity or commuter rail passenger transportation of a plan for implementing a positive train control (PTC) system on certain of its tracks.

Authorizes the Secretary to extend the implementation deadline, upon application, in one-year increments, if specified circumstances exist.

Directs the Secretary to revise federal regulations requiring a Class II or III railroad (including a tourist or excursion railroad) to equip its locomotives with an onboard PTC system to operate in PTC territory.

Extends for five years the time for such railroad to meet the deadline for equipping its locomotives with a PTC system.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Pets on Trains Act of 2013 - Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains.

Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs.

Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Short Line Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to award grants to private or nonprofit organizations involved in, or affiliated with, transportation by regional (Class II) railroads and shortline (Class III) railroads for research, development, evaluation, and training efforts to enhance rail safety practices and safety culture.

Date: 2014-06-17
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
RESPONSE Act of 2014 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council.

Directs the Subcommittee to develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation, including regarding:

 the quality and application of training for local emergency first responders related to rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities near railroads; the effectiveness of funding levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities; a strategy for integration of commodity flow studies, mapping, and access platforms for local emergency responders and how to increase the rate of access to the individual responder in communications technology; the lack of emergency response plans for rail, similar to existing law related to maritime and stationary facility emergency response plans; the development of a train incident database; increasing access to relevant, useful, and timely information for the local emergency responder; and determining the most efficient agencies and offices for the implementation of the recommendations. Terminates the Subcommittee not later than four years after this Act's enactment, subject to one year extensions.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Emergency management
Toxics by Rail Accountability and Community Knowledge (TRACK) Act of 2014 - Requires railroad carriers found at fault for an unintended release of hazardous materials (hazmat) due to a railroad accident or incident during calendar year 2010 to:

 review periodically any post-accident public health assessments of hazmat-exposed individuals who could experience long-lasting or irreversible health effects; inform those individuals in a timely manner of any health information, including information on long-lasting or irreversible health consequences; and offer to renegotiate any legal settlements made to affected individuals in which additional information about potential for such consequences has been later disclosed in a post-accident public health assessment. Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe regulations:

 requiring railroad carriers transporting hazmat to give first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel accurate and current commodity flow data and assist with the development of emergency operations and hazmat response plans for railroad accidents or incidents; and establishing a procedure for railroad carriers to permit a train to pass a red signal at a moveable bridge. Requires the Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, to develop route safety and security risk assessment tools for short line and regional railroad carriers.

Revises the railroad safety risk reduction program by requiring railroad carriers to develop a comprehensive program to improve safety by reducing the number and rates of accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities (as under current law) through the use of safety management systems and their associated key principles, analysis of operational incidents and accidents, and continuous evaluation and improvement programs.

Directs the Secretary to prescribe regulations requiring railroad carriers transporting hazmat to:

 give first responders, emergency response officials, and law enforcement personnel real-time information regarding hazmat on the train in the event of an incident, accident, or emergency; and develop a public education program for communities along railroad hazmat routes. Prescribes certain civil penalties for any railroad carrier that violates a requirement or regulation under this Act.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
This bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to assess a civil penalty of $10,000 against a railroad carrier for each complete hour in which a shift change of rail carrier employees causes a blockage of vehicular traffic at a grade crossing.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Moving Obstructed Trains In-between Openings Now (MOTION) Act

Allows railroad employees to remain or go on duty for a period in excess of the limitations established under hours-of-service requirements to the extent necessary to clear a blockage of vehicular traffic at a grade crossing.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Pets on Trains Act of 2015

 Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains.

Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs.

Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.

Date: 2015-02-03
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Rail Crossings Safety Improvement Act 

This bill reauthorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation for FY2016-FY2019, at levels reduced from those for FY2006-FY2009, for capital grants to states for rail line relocation and improvement projects.

Date: 2015-02-04
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Short Line Railroad Rehabilitation and Investment Act of 2015

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for railroad track maintenance, to: (1) expand the types of maintenance expenditures eligible for such credit, and (2) extend such credit through 2016.

Date: 2015-02-04
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Taxation
Requires a rail carrier to have a storage plan, meeting specified requirements and approved by the Surface Transportation Board, for any of its rail cars that it stores for three or more years, and continues to store, on tracks (except rail yard or storage yard tracks) that pass through a commercial- or residential-zoned area that were designed or previously used for through transportation of trains.

Date: 2015-02-10
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Commuter Rail Passenger Safety Act 

 Amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to make the installing of positive train control systems eligible for railroad rehabilitation and improvement direct loans and loan guarantees.

Extends the railroad safety technology grants program for FY2016-FY2020.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
RESPONSE Act of 2015

 Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council.

Directs the Subcommittee to evaluate the following topics and develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation for hazardous materials incidents involving railroads:

 the quality and application of training for local emergency first responders related to rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities near railroads; the effectiveness of funding levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities; a strategy for integration of commodity flow studies, mapping, and access platforms for local emergency responders and how to increase the rate of access to the individual responder in existing or emerging communications technology; the need for emergency response plans for rail, similar to existing law related to maritime and stationary facility emergency response plans for hazardous materials; the need for a rail hazardous materials incident database; increasing access to relevant, useful, and timely information for the local emergency responder for training purposes and in the event of a rail hazardous materials incident; and determining the most appropriate agencies and offices for the implementation of the recommendations. Terminates the Subcommittee not later than four years after this Act's enactment, subject to one year extensions.

Date: 2015-02-24
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Emergency management
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to make appropriate arrangements with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council to study the cost and impact of rerouting freight rail traffic of hazardous material to avoid its transportation through urban areas.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety Act of 2015 

This bill authorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2019 for the highway safety improvement program, with $50 million set aside for each fiscal year for the Railway-Highway Crossings Program.

The limitation to three states per year is eliminated, so all states now become eligible for the award of Highway-Rail Grade Crossing Safety improvement grants to develop or continue enhanced public education and awareness activities, in combination with targeted law enforcement, to reduce traffic law violations at highway-rail grade crossings, as well as to prevent and reduce injuries and fatalities along railroad rights-of-way. The limitation on grant amounts awarded to a state is increased from $250,000 to $2.5 million.

Eligibility requirements are revised for the award of capital grants to states under the rail line relocation and improvement program.

Increased appropriations under the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 are authorized for FY2016-FY2019 for the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to make grants to the Operation Lifesaver program.

The FRA shall hire:

 16 full-time grade crossing safety managers to work with state and local officials to identify safety improvements to highway-rail grade crossings; and 8 trespass prevention managers to work with local governments, schools, businesses, and railroads to develop site-specific mitigation plans. The Secretary of Transportation shall study the feasibility of requiring railroad carriers to provide additional means for the public to report problems at highway-rail grade crossings, including via the Internet and text messaging.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Transportation (Railroad Travel)
Subject: Transportation and public works