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Bill· SS. 1743 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to: promulgate regulations establishing categories of early warning motor vehicle safety information, especially about fatal incidents, that must be made available to the public; and take specified steps to improve public accessibility to information on vehicle safety databases of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The DOT Inspector General shall report biennially on the pre-investigation processes of the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation to collect and analyze vehicle safety data and determine potential safety issues. DOT shall report on the operations of the Council for Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Software, and Emerging Technologies. The bill increases civil money penalties for motor vehicle safety violations, and establishes both civil and criminal penalties for knowing failure of a business entity or responsible corporate officer to inform an appropriate federal agency of a serious danger associated with covered products, services, or business practices. In conducting motor vehicle safety research programs, DOT shall, in coordination with Department of State, enter into cooperative and collaborative research and development agreements with foreign governments. DOT must immediately notify and order motor vehicle or replacement equipment manufacturers of defects or noncompliance presenting an imminent hazard. No dealer may sell or lease a used passenger motor vehicle until any defect or noncompliance presenting an imminent hazard has been remedied. DOT shall: complete research into development of an unattended children warning system, initiate a rulemaking to require crash avoidance and mitigation systems for certain motor vehicles, and issue a final rule establishing hood and bumper standards for certain other motor vehicles to reduce the pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The bill reauthorizes motor vehicle safety regulation through FY2021. A manufacturer's recall obligations shall be enforceable against the manufacturer or successors-in-interest whether accomplished by merger, acquisition of the manufacturer's stock, acquisition of its assets, or confirmation of a reorganization plan under federal bankruptcy law. Dealers must check for and remedy defective or noncomplying motor vehicles. DOT shall initiate a rulemaking, establish grants to states, and conduct a pilot program relating to safety recalls.
Bill· SS. 1741 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Tire Efficiency, Safety, and Registration Act of 2015 or the TESR Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards, tire registration requirements, and a tire recall database. DOT must establish: tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards for passenger car tires that meet specified requirements, and tire wet traction minimum performance standards to ensure that passenger tire wet traction capability is not reduced to achieve improved tire fuel efficiency. DOT must require tire distributors or dealers that are not owned or controlled by a tire manufacturer to maintain records that include the names and addresses of customers and the tires that are leased or purchased. The distributors or dealers must electronically transmit the records to the tire manufacturers at no cost to the customers. DOT must also establish a publicly available and searchable electronic database of tire recall information that is reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The database must be searchable by Tire Identification Number and any other criteria that assist consumers in determining whether a tire is subject to a recall.
Bill· SS. 1739 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Truck Safety Act This bill increases from $750,000 to $1.5 million (adjusted annually for inflation) the minimum level of financial responsibility required to satisfy liability covering public liability, property damage, and environmental restoration for the transportation of property by a commercial motor carrier in the United States or to a place outside the United States. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must increase, by regulation, the minimum level of financial responsibility for transporting property or passengers if the current amount is insufficient to satisfy liability claims. DOT shall initiate a rulemaking to establish a federal motor vehicle safety standard requiring a motor vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 26,000 pounds to be equipped with crash avoidance and mitigation systems. DOT shall finalize regulations to require such a motor vehicle also to be equipped with an electronic control module requiring the speed to be set by the manufacturer at a maximum 70 m.p.h. DOT must ensure that a review is completed on each motor carrier that demonstrates through performance data that it poses the highest safety risk, especially whenever it is among the highest risk carriers for two consecutive months. DOT shall require, with respect to driver compensation, that a motor carrier: track the on-duty (not driving) time of an employee whose base compensation is calculated in a manner other than an hourly wage and who is required to keep a record of duty status under the hours of service regulations; and separately compensate the employee for any on-duty (not driving) time period at an hourly rate not less than the federal minimum wage rate under the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. This compensation requirement, however, shall not apply where employment is governed by a collective bargaining agreement, negotiated by bona fide employee representatives, if the agreement governs, and compensates the employee for, all hours of on-duty (not driving) time. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shall study the effects of excessive commuting on safety and commercial motor vehicle driver fatigue.
Bill· SS. 1734 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015
Expedite Transit Act of 2015 This bill amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century with respect to the good repair certification requirement for recipients of funding under the pilot program to demonstrate whether innovative project development and delivery methods or innovative financing arrangements can expedite project delivery for certain meritorious new fixed guideway capital projects and core capacity improvement projects. The Department of Transportation (DOT) may waive the requirement that a recipient desiring to participate in the program certify that its existing public transportation system is in a state of good repair if the recipient seeks to carry out a core capacity improvement project which will allow the recipient to make substantial progress in achieving a state of good repair.
Bill· SS. 1717 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Amends federal shipping law to extend through October 31, 2028, the exemption of certain vessels from the requirement that U.S. passenger vessels having berth or stateroom accommodations for at least 50 passengers be constructed of fire-retardant materials in order to be granted a certificate of inspection. Continues to apply this exemption only to vessels in operation before January 1, 1968, which operate only within the Boundary Line (the dividing point between inland waters and high seas). Requires the owner or managing operator of an exempt vessel to: notify crew members that the vessel does not comply with applicable fire safety standards due primarily to the wooden construction of passenger berthing areas, and make annual structural alterations to at least 10% of vessel areas that are not constructed of fire-retardant materials. Requires any noncombustible material requirements prescribed by the Coast Guard (with which an exempt vessel is still required to comply) to be consistent with the preservation of a vessel's historic integrity in areas carrying or accessible to passengers or generally visible to the public.
Bill· HRH.R. 2983 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015
Drought Recovery and Resilience Act of 2015 TITLE I--EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE APPROPRIATIONS FROM RECLAMATION FUND This bill provides emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2015 from the Reclamation Fund to the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Army Corps of Engineers for water projects, programs, grants, or loans in states impacted by drought. Interior is provided additional amounts for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), including amounts for water reclamation and reuse projects, the WaterSMART program under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, and water acquisition, water conveyance, and facilities construction under the Refuge Water Supply Program. The EPA is provided additional amounts for cleanup of polluted groundwater supplies, capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds and for drinking water treatment revolving loan funds, and loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014. USDA is provided additional amounts for: (1) the Rural Utilities Service for direct and guaranteed loans and grants for rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal programs; and (2) emergency grants, upon declaration of a natural disaster, to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers to address impacts of drought. Additional amounts are also provided to: DOJ for the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist state or local law enforcement agencies in the suppression of cannabis operations; the Army Corps to carry out the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007; and projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 in drought-affected states that reduce fire risk, improve water quality or downstream water quantity, or expand ground water recharge capacity. TITLE II--NEW WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS National Water Recycling and Reclamation Act of 2015 The EPA must establish a National Water Recycling and Reclamation Program to provide private or governmental entities with grants for up to 80% of the costs for water recycling and reclamation projects for which eligible costs are anticipated to exceed $1 million. Selection criteria for such grants include the extent to which projects address water demand and supply, environmental protection, and federal return on investment through renewable water supplies. Reclamation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or RIFIA Interior may provide financial assistance, such as secured loans or loan guarantees, to private entities, state or local governments, irrigation districts, water users' associations, or other entities that contract with the United States under federal reclamation law to carry out water projects within the 17 western states served by Reclamation, other states where Reclamation is authorized to provide project assistance, Alaska, and Hawaii. Projects eligible for assistance include: reclamation and reuse of municipal, industrial, domestic, and agricultural wastewater and naturally impaired ground; water infrastructure projects that would contribute to a safe, adequate water supply for domestic, agricultural, environmental, or municipal and industrial use; new water conduits, pipelines, canals, pumping or power facilities; energy efficiency projects; accelerated repair and replacement of aging water distribution facilities; brackish or sea water desalination; or acquisition of real property or an interest therein for water storage, reclaimed or recycled water, or wastewater that is integral to an authorized project. Priority must be given to projects that promote wastewater recycling, agricultural or urban water conservation and efficiency, stormwater capture, or other innovations that reduce reliance on surface and groundwater supplies. To be eligible for assistance, eligible project costs of a project and other projects in a watershed must be reasonably anticipated to be at least $10 million. The interest of a secured loan may not be more than the yield on Treasury securities of a similar maturity. Interior may sell or reoffer into the capital markets a secured loan after the substantial completion of the project. The final maturity date of a secured loan may not be later than 35 years after the expected date of substantial completion of the underlying project. Interior may also enter into cost-shared financial assistance agreements with nonfederal entities in the 17 Reclamation-served western states or Hawaii to carry out the planning, design, and construction of any permanent water storage and conveyance facility used solely to regulate and maximize the water supply arising from a project that is eligible for assistance, including recycled water projects not congressionally authorized, to: (1) recycle wastewater or ground water, or (2) use integrated and coordinated water management on a watershed or regional scale. The federal share of the cost of such a project shall be: (1) nonreimbursable, and (2) the lesser of 50% of the total cost or $15 million (adjusted for inflation). Reclamation Title Transfer Act of 2015 Reclamation may establish a program that: (1) identifies and analyzes the potential for public benefits from the transfer of eligible facilities out of federal ownership, and (2) facilitates the transfer of such facilities to qualifying entities to promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities. "Eligible facilities" is defined as reclamation projects or facilities (including dams and appurtenant works, infrastructure, recreational facilities, buildings, distribution and drainage works, and associated land or interests in land or water) for which the United States holds title and that meet the criteria for potential transfer. A "qualifying entity" is a state, local government, Indian tribe, municipal or quasi-municipal corporation, or other entity (such as a water district) that has the capacity to continue to manage the conveyed property for the same purposes that the property has been managed under the reclamation laws. Reclamation may convey an eligible facility to a qualifying entity if Congress is notified before the conveyance and does not disapprove. A right of first refusal is granted to a qualifying entity that is operating an eligible facility at the time conveyance is being considered. The bill terminates Reclamation's authority to carry out such conveyances 15 years after this Act's enactment. Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2015 The EPA must provide grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure. One of the centers must be the national electronic clearinghouse center and must operate a website and a public database on the infrastructure. The EPA must provide grants for innovative stormwater control infrastructure projects and must give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged, or (2) an eligible entity that will use at least 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. The EPA must ensure that: (1) EPA offices promote the use of the infrastructure in, and coordinate its integration into, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) the EPA's Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of the infrastructure. The EPA must: (1) direct EPA regional offices to promote and integrate the use of the infrastructure, and (2) promote sharing information about the infrastructure approaches. The EPA must establish an innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard consisting of voluntary, measurable goals to increase the percentage of annual water managed by entities that use the infrastructure. TITLE III--IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT Restoring America's Watersheds Act of 2015 The Forest Service must establish a Water Source Protection Program within the region of the National Forest System west of the 100th Meridian. USDA is authorized to enter into water source investment partnerships with specified end water users to protect and restore the condition of National Forest watersheds that provide water to nonfederal partners. The Forest Service must establish a Watershed Condition Framework within such region to: (1) identify for restoration up to five priority watersheds in each National Forest and up to two priority watersheds in each national grassland, and (2) develop and implement a watershed restoration action plan for each priority watershed. The Forest Service must also establish a Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program within such region to: carry out critical maintenance and urgent repairs and improvements on National Forest System roads, trails, and bridges; restore fish and other aquatic organism passage by removing or replacing unnatural barriers to the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms; and decommission unneeded roads and trails. The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund is reauthorized through FY2024. Five Demonstrations of Advancing Yields by Fixing Operations of Reservoirs to Encompass Climatic and Atmospheric Science Trends Act The Department of the Army must establish up to five pilot projects to implement forecast-based reservoir operations in states with drought emergencies during water year 2015. Interior must establish a wind and solar energy leasing pilot program to conduct lease sales of certain sites located on Reclamation land for purposes of carrying out wind and solar energy projects. The bill sets forth procedures for qualified developers to bid on sites that Interior offers for lease. Interior, within five years after enactment of this Act, must determine whether to expand the pilot program to apply to all authorized Reclamation lands. The general term for issued leases is: (1) an initial term of 25 years, and (2) any additional period after the initial 25-year term during which electricity is being produced annually in commercial quantities from the lease. However, a lease term may not be more than 5 years for the placement and operation of a meteorological or data collection facility or for the development or demonstration of a new wind or solar energy technology. Interior must establish and require payment of a royalty as a condition of issued leases. The royalty must be a percentage of the gross proceeds from the sale of electricity produced on land that is the subject of the lease. Lease royalties and authorized bonuses collected by Interior must be distributed in a manner such that: 25% is paid to the states and 25% is paid to the counties within the boundaries of which the royalties or bonuses are derived; 25% is deposited into a Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund for Interior to use or make payments to states, federal agencies, or others for protecting fish and wildlife in regions impacted by the development of hydropower by federal agencies and the development of wind or solar energy on Reclamation land; 15% is paid to state Reclamation offices during the first 15 years after enactment of this Act for purposes of reducing the number of renewable energy permits that have not been processed before the enactment of this Act; and the remainder is deposited into the general fund of the Treasury for purposes of reducing the annual federal budget deficit. The Safe Drinking Water Act is amended to require a state to operate an EPA-prescribed injection control program for underground wells if the EPA finds that the state improperly issued permits under the state's underground injection control program. DOJ must maintain a registry of incidents of cultivation of marijuana on government property or while intentionally trespassing on another's property. DOJ is authorized to use amounts from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs incurred by state, local, or tribal governments in connection with the remediation of an area formerly used for the production or cultivation of marijuana in which such a government assisted in a federal prosecution related to marijuana. The bill requires court sentences for certain marijuana offenses to include an order requiring the defendant to reimburse federal, state, or local governments for costs incurred for cleanup associated with the cultivation of marijuana by the defendant or on premises or in property that the defendant owns, resides in, or does business in. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is amended to: (1) include "planning for or addressing the impact of drought" among the activities for which Reclamation may make grants and enter cooperative agreements for water management improvement, (2) include Hawaii among the states in which eligible grant and agreement applicants may be located, (3) reauthorize such grants and agreements for FY2015-FY2023, and (4) reauthorize the authority of the U.S. Geological Survey to provide grants to state water resource agencies under the national water availability and use assessment program for FY2014-FY2023. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to establish a refundable tax credit for the purchase and installation of a qualified water-harvesting system. The Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 is amended to authorize Interior, subject to feasibility studies and other specified conditions, to develop additional project benefits (such as additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works on a project in conjunction with its authority to modify Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety. Interior may expend available appropriated funds for construction of a project that meets certain environmental standards, but the bill prohibits the federal cost-share from exceeding 25% of the project costs. TITLE IV--PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Water Innovation and Prize Competition Act of 2015 The Department of Energy must establish a program to award prizes for development of water desalination technologies. The Natural Resources Conservation Service must collaborate with Reclamation to provide assistance, upon request, to water or power delivery authorities for purposes of increasing water use efficiency and providing on-farm assistance to address water quantity and water quality conservation practices. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must prepare a California salmon drought plan. The President must update the National Response Plan and the National Disaster Recovery Framework to include a plan for catastrophic drought.
Bill· HRH.R. 2958 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015
Dine College Act of 2015 Authorizes Dine College to receive federal funding and resources for its operation, improvement, and growth, including to: provide higher education programs and vocational and technical education for citizens of the Navajo Nation and others; preserve and protect the Navajo language, philosophy, and culture for citizens of the Navajo Nation and others; provide Navajo communities and people with employment and training opportunities; provide economic development and community outreach for Navajo communities and people; and provide a safe learning, working, and living environment for students, employees, and the public. Authorizes appropriations to Dine College to pay for its operation and maintenance. Allows such funds to be treated as non-federal, private funds for purposes of any provision of federal law that requires that non-federal or private funds of the College be used in a project for a specific purpose. Directs the Department of the Interior to fund the operation and maintenance of the College separately from tribal colleges and universities recognized and funded by the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978. Directs: (1) an inventory prepared by the College identifying repairs, alterations, and renovations to facilities required to meet health and safety standards and other factors to be submitted to Interior by January 31, 2016; (2) Interior to conduct a detailed survey of all capital projects and facility needs of the College and to report to specified congressional committees by October 31, 2016; and (3) Interior to use the College's inventory as baseline data to inform the survey. Authorizes the College to use funds provided under this Act to undertake any renovations and repairs to the infrastructure of the College identified in the survey.
Bill· HRH.R. 2886 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Future Transportation Research and Innovation for Prosperity Act or the Future TRIP Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish: an Automated and Connected Vehicle Research Initiative for the broad scale adoption of automated vehicle technology, and a competitively selected Intelligent Transportation Systems Science & Technology Center. The bill revises requirements for the university transportation centers program. Each nonprofit institution of higher education (other than the lead nonprofit institution of higher education of a consortium of such institutions) may only submit to DOT one grant application per fiscal year to establish and operate a national, regional, or tier one university transportation center. The Office of Science and Technology Policy of the Executive Office of the President shall convene an interagency working group to assist DOT in implementing a strategic research and development plan for DOT transportation research programs. The bill reauthorizes, and revises requirements for, the technology and accelerated innovation deployment program. In carrying out such program, DOT shall: establish workshops to promote innovations in highway transportation; and provide assistance in establishing regional, state, and local technology needs, such as through frameworks developed in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 750. Certain amounts of a state's apportionment of federal-aid highway funds for state transportation planning and research shall be available for: travel for research and technology, and activities and training related to developing a culture of innovation and adoption of innovative technologies with respect to highway programs. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics shall establish: a Travel Data Initiative, and a pilot program to evaluate freight data collection and reporting measures. DOT shall establish a national cooperative freight transportation research program. The bill reauthorizes, and revises requirements for, the program for commercial remote sensing products and spatial information technologies.
Bill· HRH.R. 2909 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Protecting Firefighters and Promoting Innovation Act This bill directs the President to establish an interagency working group to study the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting. The working group shall: develop standards and best practices for the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting to assist in fire suppression, to provide real-time updates for firefighters, and to reduce the risk of firefighter fatalities due to wildland firefighting and related aircraft accidents; identify opportunities to use existing federal unmanned aircraft systems to lower the costs of the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting; with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems for wildland firefighting, assess opportunities to improve interagency coordination, the efficacy of current technology, and the potential efficacy of emerging technology; assess the implications for the Fourth Amendment of any standards, best practices, or recommendations under this Act with respect to the use of unmanned aircraft systems; and report to Congress and to the National Wildfire Coordinating Group on the results of its work.
Bill· HRH.R. 2933 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
At-Grade Crossing Enhancement Act of 2015 This bill directs the Federal Railroad Administration to establish a local rail facilities and safety program to mitigate the impacts of railroad operations in local communities through improvements to highway-rail grade crossings, rail line relocation and improvement projects, and training and technical assistance to local governments. In carrying out the program, the Administration may award grants to eligible entities for freight capacity projects. The bill defines "eligible entity" to mean one or more states, an Interstate Compact, a local government, a tribal government, or one or more metropolitan planning organizations. A grant awarded under the program may be used for: a capital project to mitigate the impacts of rail infrastructure and operations on a local community; a capital project to improve short-line railroad infrastructure; training and technical assistance to help local governments better understand how to coordinate with railroad carriers on operations and safety issues and on the integration of railroad issues into land use and transportation planning processes; and payment of all or a portion of the subsidy and administrative costs of projects eligible for federal credit assistance under the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 for a capital project to improve short-line railroad infrastructure.
Bill· HRH.R. 2904 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
This bill revises federal vehicle length limitations to prohibit states from prescribing or enforcing a regulation that imposes an overall length limitation of less than 82 feet on a towaway trailer transporter combination operating on any segment of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways and qualifying federal-aid primary system highways. The bill defines "trailer transporter towing unit" as a power unit not used to carry property when operating in a towaway trailer transporter combination. The bill defines "towaway trailer transporter combination" as a combination of vehicles consisting of a trailer transporter towing unit and two trailers or semitrailers: with a total weight not exceeding 26,000 pounds; and which carry no property and constitute inventory property of a manufacturer, distributor or dealer of such trailers or semitrailers.
Bill· HRH.R. 2892 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Autocycle Safety Act This bill defines "autocycle" as a motor vehicle with three wheels, a fully enclosed occupant compartment, and a steering wheel, which is subject to applicable federal motor vehicle safety standards. Specified interim automotive and motorcycle safety standards apply to autocycles until at most three years after enactment of this Act, by which time the Department of Transportation shall issue appropriate final rules, interpretations, and test procedures. Automotive fuel standards also apply to autocyles.
Bill· SS. 1703 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Research of Alcohol Detection Systems for Stopping Alcohol-Related Fatalities Everywhere Act of 2015 or the ROADS SAFE Act of 2015 This bill directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to: (1) carry out a collaborative research effort to continue to explore the feasibility and the potential benefits of, and public policy challenges associated with, more widespread deployment of in-vehicle technology to prevent alcohol-impaired driving; and (2) report annually to Congress.
Bill· SS. 1701 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
Infrastructure Rehabilitation Act of 2015 This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to forgo providing notice or opportunity for public hearings when issuing permits for the discharge of dredged or fill material into the navigable waters at specified disposal sites in the event of a natural disaster that has damaged transportation infrastructure, if immediate construction is required to restore the infrastructure to working order.
Bill· SS. 1692 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
This bill revises federal vehicle length limitations to prohibit states from prescribing or enforcing a regulation that imposes an overall length limitation of less than 82 feet on a towaway trailer transporter combination operating on any segment of the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways and qualifying federal-aid primary system highways. The bill defines "trailer transporter towing unit" as a power unit not used to carry property when operating in a towaway trailer transporter combination. The bill defines "towaway trailer transporter combination" as a combination of vehicles consisting of a trailer transporter towing unit and two trailers or semitrailers: with a total combined weight not exceeding 26,000 pounds; and which carry no property and constitute inventory property of a manufacturer, distributor or dealer of such trailers or semitrailers.
Bill· SS. 1689 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
This bill requires the amounts apportioned to a state under the national highway performance program and the surface transportation program to be reduced by 5% for: (1) each fiscal year beginning after enactment of this Act in which the state issues a license plate that contains an image of a flag of the Confederate States of America; and (2) each fiscal year beginning with the second fiscal year after enactment of this Act in which the state allows such a license plate issued before the fiscal year beginning after enactment of this Act to be displayed on a motor vehicle registered in the state.
Bill· SS. 1680 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015
National Multimodal Freight Policy and Investment Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to: establish a national multimodal freight network, a national multimodal freight advisory committee, and a freight investment grant program; and develop a national multimodal freight strategic plan. Each state receiving a freight investment grant shall also develop a freight investment plan and establish a state freight advisory committee. The bill establishes in DOT an Office of Freight Planning, Permitting, and Development. DOT shall establish a competitive capital grant program to provide financial assistance to states, metropolitan planning organizations, regional or local transportation authorities, tribal governments, and other entities for: shortline or regional railroad infrastructure improvement projects, and highway-rail vertical grade separation projects.
Bill· SS. 1673 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Cruise Passenger Protection Act - Amends federal shipping law to direct the Department of Transportation (DOT) to develop standards for passenger vessel owners to provide passengers with a summary of key terms of passage contracts before they are binding. Requires such standards to include recommendations that ensure that the summary is conspicuous and unambiguous. Requires vessel owners, no later than 180 days after the standards are developed, to: provide each passenger vessel with a summary meeting those standards, include a link to each website the owner maintains for passengers to purchase or book passage on a passenger vessel, and include the summary in promotional literature or advertising. Applies this Act to passenger vessels that: carry at least 250 passengers, have sleeping facilities for each passenger, are on a voyage that embarks or disembarks passengers in the United States, are not engaged in coastwise trade, and are not federal- or state-owned. Directs DOT to establish a toll-free hotline and website for passenger complaints. Prescribes both civil and criminal penalties for persons who violate the requirements of this Act. Directs DOT to determine whether any of the enumerated rights in the international cruise line passenger bill of rights (adopted by the members of the Cruise Lines International Association) is enforceable under federal law. Directs DOT to establish an advisory committee for passenger vessel consumer protection. Revises passenger vessel security and safety requirements concerning: log book entries and reporting of deaths, missing individuals, thefts, and other crimes; and placement, access to records, and notice of video surveillance equipment to monitor crime. Requires vessel owners to ensure that a vessel is staffed at all times with the appropriate number of sea marshals, as well as appropriate medical staff to treat passengers on board. Directs DOT to: designate a director of victim support services to act as primary point of contact within the federal government for vessel passengers who are victims of crime, establish a 24-hour toll-free telephone number for crime victims to obtain support services, and develop a summary of rights for victims of crime. Directs DOT to maintain on a website a statistical compilation of reported incidents of missing persons, crimes, and other information for vessel passengers. Directs DOT, in coordination with the Coast Guard, the Department of Justice, and heads of other relevant federal agencies, to study the feasibility of having an individual on board each passenger vessel to provide victim support and related safety and security services. Requires the Maritime Administration (which, currently, is merely authorized) to certify organizations in the United States and abroad that offer the curriculum for training and certification of passenger vessel security personnel, crewmembers, and law enforcement officials on the appropriate methods for prevention, detection, evidence preservation, and reporting of crimes in international waters. Revises vessel design, equipment, construction, and retrofitting requirements. Requires the peep hole or other means of visual identification in the entry door of a passenger stateroom or crew cabin to provide an unobstructed view of the area outside the stateroom or crew cabin. Authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to withhold or revoke the clearance of, and the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to deny entry into the United States to, any vessel owner that: commits an act or omission for which a penalty is imposed under this Act, or fails to pay the penalty.
Bill· HRH.R. 2876 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Ships to be Recycled in the States Act or the STORIS Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with the Department of the Navy, to report to Congress on the program for disposal of government-owned merchant vessels as well as on any other disposal of obsolete government-owned vessels. The Government Accountability Office shall audit all excess federal government vessel sales contracts, including resulting receivables and expenditures, entered into by the Maritime Administration during a specified period. The bill repeals authority to scrap any vessel sold from the National Defense Reserve Fleet in an approved foreign market without obtaining additional separate DOT approval to transfer the vessel to a person not a U.S. citizen. The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 is amended to revise requirements for the selection of qualified scrapping facilities. The Toxic Substances Control Act is amended to declare that nothing in the mandate for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) shall be construed to prohibit the dismantling of a vessel or marine structure in order to recycle recovered materials. If PCBs are found or suspected, the person dismantling the vessel or marine structure must comply with specified requirements for informing the EPA and disposing of the PCBs. The bill repeals authorization for any foreign country to apply for an obsolete vessel to be used for an artificial reef. The Maritime Administration shall make public on its website the full text of each memorandum of agreement and similar agreement between the Maritime Administration and any other agency, department, or person.
Bill· SS. 1672 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Commercial Driver Act This bill directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish a test program to allow states to enter into interstate compacts with contiguous states, approved by the governor of each state, to standardize the requirements for drivers operating commercial motor vehicles in interstate commerce. A commercial driver's license issued by one state participating in a compact shall be recognized as valid in every state participating in the compact. Nothing in this Act may be construed to limit or change the authority to operate in interstate commerce for drivers over age 21, including by setting the minimum age requirement to receive a Class A commercial driver's license at age 18.
Bill· SS. 1669 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015
Trucking Rules Updated by Comprehensive and Key Safety Reform Act or the TRUCK Safety Reform Act This bill requires the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA): (1) at least every five years, to conduct a comprehensive review of its rules, regulations, regulatory guidance, and enforcement policies; and (2) within 24 months after completion of each review, to amend its regulations and enforcement policies to ensure that they are consistent and uniform. If the FMCSA determines that guidance it has issued has not been incorporated into a regulation, such guidance shall cease to be effective 24 months after the conclusion of such review unless FMCSA reissues it. The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall publish in the Federal Register on the date of issuance all newly issued or reissued regulatory guidance and interpretations regarding commercial motor vehicle safety regulations. The FMCSA shall conduct a formal notice and comment process when issuing medical guidance but may use informal rulemaking when issuing medical guidance that is directly related to a public health emergency. The FMCSA: (1) when analyzing the impact of regulations and enforcement policies, shall specify how it will evaluate future rules and shall allow stakeholders to comment on why performance-based targets would be preferable to a proposed regulation; and (2) before promulgating any new regulation, shall include within its cost-benefit analysis a wider selection and scope of motor carriers. The FMCSA, before promulgating a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that is reasonably likely to lead to the promulgation of a major rule, shall: issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that identifies the compelling public concern for a potential regulatory action and requests public comment on alternatives; determine whether a negotiated rulemaking is necessary; or otherwise publish a request for comment in the Federal Register. The FMCSA shall: respond to all statutory requirements for rulemaking; prioritize stakeholder petitions based on the likelihood of safety improvements; formally respond to a petition within six months after it is submitted; and post and maintain an inventory of all petitions received, including information about their disposition, on a publicly accessible website.
Bill· SS. 1647 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or the DRIVE Act Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) for FY2016-FY2021 for: certain core federal-aid highway programs, and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) administrative expenses. Prescribes obligation ceilings for certain federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs. Requires states to obligate a specified portion of their surface transportation program apportionments for projects for the replacement or rehabilitation of off-National Highway System bridges. Reduces the amount of FHWA administrative funds the Department of Transportation (DOT) must deduct each fiscal year for highway use tax evasion projects. Prescribes requirements for the bundling of two or more similar projects for the replacement or repair of structurally deficient bridge projects. Revises formulae for certain allocations of funds to states for construction of ferry boats and ferry terminal facilities. Makes certain funds available for the National Ferry Database. Revises congestion mitigation and air quality improvement (CMAQ) program requirements. Requires states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to use PM2.5 priority funding on the most cost-effective CMAQ projects and programs proven to reduce directly emitted fine particulate matter. Revises national freight program requirements. Requires the FHWA to establish a competitive grant program for major surface transportation infrastructure projects. Revises and makes permanent the reservation of a specified amount of transportation enhancements program funds apportioned to a state for surface transportation alternatives, recreational trails program, and safe routes to school program projects. Amends the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) to extend through FY2021 the availability of a specified amount of FHWA administrative funds for: certain safety-related activities, and operation of certain safety-related clearinghouses. Directs DOT to issue guidance on working with state departments of transportation that request assistance from Federal Highway Administration division offices to: review principal arterials within a state that were added to the National Highway System as of October 1, 2012, and identify any necessary functional classification changes to rural and urban principal arterials. Revises the toll roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferries program. Requires private motorcoaches that serve the public to have access to toll facilities equal to that of public transportation buses. Revises certain exceptions to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility requirements. Authorizes a state agency that levies a toll on vehicles for use of HOV facilities to: designate classes of vehicles exempt from the toll, and charge different toll rates for different classes of vehicles. Permits state agencies to allow alternative fuel vehicles and new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles to use HOV facilities provided certain requirements are met. Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to revise Interstate System (IS) reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program eligibility requirements. Directs DOT to designate national electric vehicle charging and natural gas fueling corridors that identify the need for electric vehicle infrastructure and natural gas fueling infrastructure at strategic locations along major national highways. Directs DOT to establish a nationally significant federal lands and tribal projects program to fund construction, reconstruction, or rehabilitation of nationally significant federal lands and tribal transportation projects. Prescribes procedures for accelerating the project delivery decisionmaking process with respect to environmental review of projects. Revises requirements for application of categorical exclusions for multimodal projects. (A "categorical exclusion" under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.) Permits an increase in the federal share of costs for federal-aid highway projects of up to 5% of what a state has contributed in qualified revenues for such project costs, if the state has contributed at least 5% of total project costs. Defines "qualified revenues" to mean any amounts: collected by a state for the registration of a passenger vehicle operating solely on fuels not subject to federal tax; and that do not exceed, for such vehicle, an annual amount paid for federal motor fuels taxes on fuel used by an average car fueled solely by gasoline. Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to revise specifications for certain high priority corridors. Makes eligible for funding under the National Highway Performance Program and the Surface Transportation Program projects for the installation of vehicle-to-infrastructure communication equipment. Directs DOT, after establishment of a nationwide toll credit monitoring and tracking system, to establish a toll credit marketplace pilot program in which eligible states may use proceeds from the transfer or sale of credits to fund surface transportation projects. Directs DOT to establish a regional infrastructure demonstration program to assist entities in developing improved infrastructure priorities and financing strategies for accelerated development of projects funded under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program. Directs DOT to establish a competitive grant program to accelerate the deployment of the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) program and ITS-enabled operational strategies to enhance mobility of people and goods on the surface transportation system. Directs DOT to enter into an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies to study actions needed to upgrade and restore the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Directs DOT to: promote the research of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that preserve a user fee structure to maintain the long-term solvency of the HTF, and establish a Surface Transportation Revenue Alternatives Advisory Council. Directs the FHWA to develop data sets and analysis tools to assist MPOs, states, and the FHWA in carrying out performance management analyses of federal-aid highways. Directs the FHWA to continue the Every Day Counts initiative to work with states, local transportation agencies, and industry stakeholders to identify and deploy proven innovative best practices and products that accelerate transportation innovation deployment and project delivery as well as improve the environment and roadway safety. Directs DOT establish a competitive grant program to reward states, local governments, tribal organizations, and MPOs for implementation of policies and procedures that support performance-based management or use innovative technologies and best practices that improve the performance of the surface transportation system. Directs DOT to compile and make available on the DOT website data on the amounts of federal-aid highway program funds made available under this Act for each fiscal year. Directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on FHWA administrative expenses funded from the HTF during the three most recent fiscal years. Revises and makes permanent the state infrastructure bank program. Requires that the federal share, through FY2050, of the cost of constructing highways and access roads on the Appalachian development highway system shall be up to 100% (under current law shall be 100%). Revises and extends through FY2021 the Appalachian Regional Development Program. Authorizes the Appalachian Regional Commission to provide technical assistance, make grants, and enter into contracts in the Appalachian region for projects to increase affordable access to broadband networks throughout the region and for related projects and activities. Amends the Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2014 continue from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015, and authorizes appropriations through that period for, specified federal-aid highway programs. Subjects funding for such programs generally to the same manner of distribution, administration, limitation, and availability for obligation, but at a specified pro rata of the total amount, as funds authorized for appropriation out of the HTF for such programs and activities for FY2014. Revises and prescribes an increased obligation ceiling of $40.256 billion for federal-aid highway and highway safety construction programs for the same period. Increases the authorization of appropriations for the Tribal High Priority Projects program for the same period. Increases the authorization of appropriations from the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) for administrative expenses of the federal-aid highway program for the same period.
Bill· HRH.R. 2859 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Sonoran Corridor Interstate Development Act of 2015 This bill amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to designate the State Route 410, the Sonoran Corridor connecting Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of the Tucson International Airport in Arizona, as a high priority corridor on the National Highway System and a future part of the Interstate System.
Bill· SS. 1649 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Sonoran Corridor Interstate Development Act of 2015 This bill amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to designate the State Route 410, the Sonoran Corridor connecting Interstate 19 to Interstate 10 south of the Tucson International Airport in Arizona, as a high priority corridor on the National Highway System and a future part of the Interstate System.
Bill· SS. 1648 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015
Rural Emergency Acute Care Hospital Act This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to designate as a rural emergency hospital any facility that as of December 31, 2014, was: a critical access hospital (CAH) or a hospital with at most 50 beds located in a county in a rural area or treated as located in a rural area, or one of such hospitals that ceased operations during the period beginning five years before enactment of this Act and ending on December 30, 2014. A rural emergency hospital: must provide 24-hour emergency medical care and observation care not exceeding an annual per patient average of 24 hours or more than 1 midnight, does not provide any acute care inpatient beds and has protocols in place for the timely transfer of patients who require acute care inpatient services or other inpatient services, has elected to be designated as a rural emergency hospital, has received approval to operate as one from the state, and is certified by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Medicare part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) shall cover rural emergency hospital emergency services as well as ambulance services provided by a rural emergency hospital or other provider to transport patients who require acute care inpatient services or other inpatient services from the rural emergency hospital to a hospital or a CAH. Payment for rural emergency hospital outpatient services of a rural emergency hospital, including telehealth and ambulance services, shall be 110% percent of their reasonable costs. Rural emergency hospitals must be approved by the state and certified by HHS. States shall have the option of waiving a specified distance requirement between a CAH certified as a rural emergency hospital and another facility located in the state that is seeking designation as a CAH. Primary health services which the National Health Service Corps may provide under the Public Health Service Act shall include emergency medicine provided by physicians in a rural emergency hospital. Hospitals with approved residency programs in emergency medicine shall include time spent by interns and residents in the emergency department of a rural hospital in the full-time equivalent count with respect to reimbursement for the indirect (stipend, fringe benefit) and direct (all or substantially all training) costs of medical education in subsection (d) hospitals. (Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
Bill· HRH.R. 2843 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 19 June 2015
TSA PreCheck Expansion Act This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to: establish PreCheck application enrollment standards to add multiple private sector application capabilities for the TSA PreCheck program to increase the public's enrollment access to such program; coordinate with interested parties to deploy TSA-approved ready-to-market private sector solutions that meet such standards, make available additional PreCheck enrollment capabilities, and offer secure online and mobile enrollment opportunities; partner with the private sector to collect biographic and biometric identification information via secure mobile enrollment platforms to reduce the need to travel to enrollment centers; and ensure that any biometric and biographic information is collected in a manner which ensures privacy and data security protections. The TSA must: develop and implement a process for approving private sector marketing of the program and a strategy for partnering with the private sector to encourage enrollment; report on any PreCheck fees collected in excess of the costs of administering such program; coordinate with the heads of appropriate Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components to leverage DHS-held data and technologies to verify the citizenship of individuals who want to enroll; partner with the private sector to use advanced biometrics and NIST 800-63-2 identity proofing standards to facilitate enrollment; ensure that TSA PreCheck screening lanes are available during peak and high-volume travel times at airports to enrolled individuals; provide for expedited screening at standard screening lanes during times when PreCheck screening lanes are closed; and ensure that enrolled individuals are vetted through the TSA's terrorist screening databases and develop effective recurrent vetting capabilities for disqualifying criminal offenses.
Bill· SS. 1626 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Railroad Reform, Enhancement, and Efficiency Act This bill reauthorizes FY2016-FY2019 grants to the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) for: a Northeast Corridor investment account, a state-supported account, a long-distance account, an other national network activities account, and national infrastructure and safety investments. Appropriations are also authorized for the same period for: National Transportation Safety Board rail investigations, and Amtrak's Office of the Inspector General. The bill revises requirements for the rail cooperative research program. Allocation of a specified amount is made for each fiscal year to the Department of Transportation (DOT) for railroad research and development programs. Amtrak shall establish internal controls to ensure its costs, revenues, and other compensation are allocated to its Northeast Corridor train services or infrastructure, Amtrak-operated state-supported routes and long-distance routes, and other Amtrak national network activities. DOT shall establish substantive and procedural requirements for Northeast Corridor, Amtrak routes, and national network investment capital grant requests. DOT shall establish: a Northeast Corridor investment account, a state-supported account, a long-distance account, and an other national network activities account. Amtrak shall prepare: final five-year business line plans for Northeast Corridor train services, Amtrak-operated state-supported routes and long-distance routes, and Amtrak ancillary services; and five-year asset plans for Amtrack infrastructure and equipment. DOT shall establish the State-Supported Route Committee. The bill revises alternate passenger rail service pilot program requirements. DOT shall develop a program for issuing three-year competitive operating assistance grants to eligible public and private entities to initiate, restore, or enhance intercity rail passenger service. DOT shall develop a federal-state partnership program for issuing competitive grants to the aforementioned entities for capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, or repair major infrastructure assets for providing intercity passenger rail service. The bill requires the Northeast Corridor Commission to: develop a capital investment plan for the Northeast Corridor main line between Boston, Massachusetts, and the Virginia Avenue interlocking in the District of Columbia, and the Northeast Corridor branch lines connecting to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Springfield, Massachusetts, and Spuyten Duyvil, New York; and update, once every 10 years, a Northeast Corridor service development plan. DOT shall develop and distribute to each state a state-specific highway-rail grade crossing action plan to improve safety. DOT may make grants to eligible public and private entities to assist in financing the cost of rail projects to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of passenger and freight rail transportation systems. Track, Railroad, and Infrastructure Network Act The bill exempts improvements to, maintenance, rehabilitation, or operation of railroad or rail transit lines (but not stations) that are in use or were historically used for the transportation of goods or passengers from federal policies and requirements for the preservation of public park and recreation lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites. Railroad Infrastructure Financing Improvement Act The bill amends the Railroad Revitalization and Regulatory Reform Act of 1976 to revise Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing program requirements.
Bill· SS. 1611 (114th)open
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2015 This bill authorizes appropriations for the Coast Guard for FY2016-FY2017. Specified senior officers of the Coast Guard shall be upgraded, and a plan shall be developed for biennial multirater assessments of Coast Guard officers. The Coast Guard may contract for the acquisition of Polar Icebreakers and associated equipment using incremental funding. The Department in which the Coast Guard is operating (Department in this Act, unless otherwise noted) shall: complete a materiel condition assessment with respect to the USCGC (U.S. Coast Guard Cutter) Polar Sea, and determine whether it is cost effective to reactivate the USCGC Polar Sea when compared with other options to provide icebreaking services as part of a strategy to maintain polar icebreaking services. The Coast Guard may contract on a sole source basis with a tax-exempt nonprofit organization that the Coast Guard Academy Alumni Association may establish in order to apply for and administer federal, state, or other educational research grants on behalf of the Coast Guard Academy. The bill repeals the prohibition against expending appropriated federal funds for the engineering, design, or construction of a National Coast Guard Museum. The Coast Guard shall consult with the Department of Defense anytime a report of allegations of misconduct are made against senior officials (flag officers and Senior Executive Service). Whistleblower protections for seamen reporting possible violations of a maritime safety or environmental protection law or regulation shall extend to those reporting to a vessel owner, a vessel operator, or the seaman's employer. The bill prescribes criminal penalties for destruction of evidence during maritime counter-drug operations and maritime bulk cash smuggling. Requirements and prohibitions for the carriage of liquid bulk dangerous cargoes shall apply to fishing or fish tender vessels of 500 gross tons or less if they carry flammable or combustible liquid cargoes in bulk. The Department and the Department of Transportation shall establish policies and practices to ensure that the authorities, including those for civil and criminal penalties, relating to maritime transportation of hazardous materials are enforced in the same manner and to the same extent. The Department may develop and propose a model for a national recreational vessel training curriculum and education standards for operators of recreational vessels equipped with propulsion machinery of any kind. Freedom of Information requirements for federal agencies shall not apply to a question from any examination for a merchant seamen license, certificate, or document, let alone the answer. The Department shall develop a sample merchant mariner exam and outline of merchant mariner exam topics on an annual basis. The Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2010 is revised with regard to the application to Cape Flattery, Washington, of certain requirements for tank vessel response plans. The Department may treat as one of its own any assessment of the effectiveness of a foreign port's antiterrorism measures conducted by a foreign government or by an international organization if certain requirements are met. In establishing a model year for recreational vessels and associated equipment, the Department shall begin the model year on June 1 of one year and end it on July 31 of the following year, which shall also be the year designated. The Department shall amend regulations relating to weights of outboard motor and related equipment for various boat horsepower ratings to reflect Standard 30-Outboard Engine and Related Equipment Weights published by the American Boat and Yacht Council. The Department shall make a minimum of $59 million of direct loan obligations available each fiscal year for repairs or replacements of fishing vessels according to historic uses. The prohibition against federal direct loans or loan guarantees for the construction or rebuilding of fishing vessels exceeding specified dimensions shall not apply to vessels in specified fisheries. Certain fishing or fish tender vessels of between 50 and 190 feet in length, which are built after January 1, 2016, and which meet other specified criteria shall be exempted from American Bureau of Shipping certification requirements. The Federal Maritime Commission is reauthorized for FY2016-FY2017. Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act The Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act is amended to: revise a formula for the amount of unexpended or unobligated funds available for a project; increase percentages in the division of appropriations for coastal wetlands, boating safety, and boating infrastructure, among other things; and require a special set-aside to the Department in charge of the Coast Guard for recreational boating safety. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to extend through FY2023 the exception to the limit on transfers to the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund for payment of certain contracts. The bill repeals specified limitations of the use of funds for certain boating safety activities. The National Boating Safety Advisory Council is reauthorized through FY2023. The Department of the Interior shall convey the surface and subsurface estates of certain tracts on the "Point Spencer Land Retention and Conveyance Map," to the Bering Straits Native Corporation and the estates of another specified tract to Alaska. The Port Coordination Advisory Council for the Port of Point Spencer is established. The Coast Guard shall convey certain federal land in: Point Reyes Station to Marin County, California, for affordable housing or another public benefit, and Tok, Alaska, upon payment to the United States of the property's fair market value. The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 is amended to revise the membership of the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research. The Department may issue a certificate of documentation with a coastwise endorsement for the F/V RONDYS. The Coast Guard shall report to Congress on current operations to perform the International Ice Patrol mission as well as alternatives for carrying out that mission, including satellite surveillance technology.
Bill· SS. 1612 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Safe Skies Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Transportation (DOT), not later than 30 days after enactment of this Act, to modify a specified DOT final rule relating to flightcrew member duty and rest requirements so that the requirements under that rule apply to all-cargo flightcrew members to the same extent they apply to air passenger flightcrew members.
Bill· SS. 1608 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015
Consumer Drone Safety Act This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to publish a final rule containing safety requirements for the operation of consumer drones. The final rule shall apply to consumer drones that are: flown for hobby or recreational use, and not operated in accordance with a community-based set of safety guidelines and within the programming of a nationwide community-based organization. The final rule shall also contain requirements that include: a maximum altitude for flight of consumer drones, circumstances or areas where flights are restricted because of risk of unsafe interactions with manned aircraft and to persons or property on the ground, and conditions that may require limitations on flight (such as weather or time of day). The FAA must also publish a final rule applicable to the manufacturing of consumer drones. This rule shall require modification, at the manufacturer's expense, of existing consumer drones so that they meet the rule's requirements. The FAA may exempt from the rule applicable to manufacturers certain types of consumer drones if certain conditions concerning feasibility, cost, and safety are met. No person may operate a consumer drone in the national airspace system without specific authority from the FAA. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection may use existing authority to enforce restrictions on the importation of consumer drones into the United States.
Bill· SS. 1594 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2015
Arm All Pilots Act of 2015 This bill revises requirements for the federal flight deck officer program. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall designate additional training facilities for: firearms training and recurrent training for federal flight deck officers, and initial firearm training and certification of pilots seeking to be deputized as federal flight deck officers. DHS (formerly, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Department of Transportation) shall: require officers, but no less than once every six months, to requalify to carry firearms on domestic flights; and permit officers to requalify at certified private or government-owned gun ranges. DHS may require certain limitations on initial and recurrent training for such officers. The bill revises the authority of federal flight deck officers to carry firearms on domestic and foreign flights. DHS may not establish medical or physical standards for a pilot to become a federal flight deck officer inconsistent with or more stringent than Federal Aviation Administration requirements for issuance of a first- or second-class airman medical certificate. A pilot deputized as a federal flight deck officer may move from inactive to active status after completing one recurrent training program. DHS shall allow officers to be screened through the Transportation Security Administration's Known Crew Member program when entering an airport sterile area. Each air carrier certifying to DHS that it has a pilot deputized as a federal flight deck officer on all its flights shall receive a refund of up to 10% of security service fees collected from passengers on flights operated by that air carrier. DHS shall revise certain federal regulations to classify information about deputized pilots as sensitive security information.
Law· SS. 1579 (114th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2015
Native American Tourism and Improving Visitor Experience Act or the NATIVE Act Directs the Departments of Commerce and the Interior and each federal agency that has recreational travel or tourism functions or complementary programs to update their management plans and tourism strategies to include Indian tribes and organizations. Requires the plans to outline policy proposals to: identify agency programs that could be used to support tourism capacity building and help sustain tourism infrastructure in Native American communities; develop innovative visitor portals for parks, landmarks, heritage and cultural sites, and assets that showcase the diversity of the indigenous peoples of the United States; share local Native American heritage through the development of interpretive and directional signage that could include local Native American languages; and improve access to transportation programs related to Native American community capacity building for tourism and trade. Directs each agency to consult with Indian tribes and the Native American community to identify appropriate levels of their inclusion in federal tourism activities. Requires Interior to enter into an agreement with an entity with a record in tribal communities of developing and sustaining tourism in a manner that respects and honors native traditions and values to serve as a facilitator between Interior, Commerce, and the Indian tribes and organizations to identify and deliver assistance needed to empower such tribes and organizations to participate fully in the tourism industry. Requires each agency to: (1) help empower Indian tribes and organizations to showcase their heritage, foods, traditions, history, and continuing vitality; (2) support the efforts of Indian tribes and organizations to provide visitor experiences that are authentic and respectful; and (3) enhance efforts to promote understanding and respect for diverse cultures and subcultures in the United States. Authorizes the use of federal grants for which Indian tribes or organizations are eligible to: (1) support efforts to tell their story as the First Peoples of the United States; and (2) use the arts and humanities to help revitalize Native communities, promote economic development, increase livability, and present the uniqueness of the United States to visitors in a way that celebrates its diversity. Directs the Smithsonian Institution to work with Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit organizations to establish long-term partnerships with other museums and educational and cultural organizations to: (1) share collections, exhibitions, interpretive materials, and educational strategies; and (2) conduct joint research and collaborative projects that would support tourism efforts for Indian tribes and organizations.
Bill· SS. 1589 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2015
Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act or the BRIDGE Act Establishes the Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and managed by a Board of Directors, which shall provide direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $50 million ($10 million for rural infrastructure projects). Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Establishes an Office of Technical and Rural Assistance to: provide technical assistance to state and local governments and parties in public-private partnerships in the development and financing of eligible, including rural, infrastructure projects; and establish a regional infrastructure accelerator demonstration program. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the business activities of IFA. Prohibits IFA financing of a project if: it is private or does not create a public benefit, or the loan applicant is unable to demonstrate a sufficient revenue stream. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for eligible infrastructure projects and for the repayment of such loans. Requires an annual independent audit of IFA finances. Requires the President, immediately after IFA approves financing for a proposed project, to convene a meeting of representatives of all permitting agencies to: establish a permitting timetable for the environmental review of a project, and coordinate with relevant state agencies and regional infrastructure development agencies in the review of such projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of IFA to: establish fees with respect to loans and loan guarantees that are sufficient to cover IFA's administrative costs; and take actions to make IFA a self-sustaining entity, with administrative and federal credit subsidy costs fully funded by fees and risk premiums on loans and loan guarantees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $15 billion to $16 billion the aggregate amount of proceeds from tax-exempt facility bonds the Department of Transportation shall allocate among qualified highway or surface freight transfer facilities.
Bill· SS. 1581 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2015
Clean Vehicle Corridors Act Requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to: designate at least five Clean Vehicle Corridors along federal highways, interstates, or other contiguous highways after consulting with specified agencies; and encourage the addition of cleaner alternative fuel options and other supporting infrastructure along the corridors and the inclusion of existing and private facilities in the corridor. Defines "cleaner alternative fuels" to include: compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (also known as propane), plug-in electric, advanced biofuels, and hydrogen. Authorizes DOT to provide waivers of statutory restrictions for cleaner alternative fuel projects and vehicles along Clean Vehicle Corridors. Requires DOT to: maintain a publicly accessible website containing information and resources for corridors; identify best practices and case studies of communities and complementary programs that have successfully promoted cleaner alternative fuel use in consultation with federal agencies, tribes, states, and Clean Cities; identify existing technical and financial mechanisms available to promote the development of cleaner alternative fuel infrastructure; and collaborate with the Department of Energy (DOE) and all relevant Clean Vehicle Corridor stakeholders to collect data on cleaner alternative fueling station usage patterns. Authorizes: two or more contiguous states to enter into an interstate compact to establish Clean Vehicle Corridor partnerships to facilitate planning for and siting of necessary facilities within those states; and DOT, in consultation with DOE, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide technical assistance to interstate compact partnerships.
Bill· HRH.R. 2786 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Cross-Border Rail Security Act of 2015 This bill directs the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to report to Congress: the number of high-risk rail shipments annually entering the United States; the status of radiation detection units at each rail crossing on the northern and southern land borders of the United States; an assessment of whether additional radiation detection equipment is necessary to ensure that all high-risk cross-border rail shipments are examined with appropriate equipment; and a plan for ensuring that all relevant CBP personnel receive adequate training and guidance on the proper use of CBP's Automated Targeting System for such shipments, the use of appropriate radiation detection equipment for shipment examination, and requirements for recording examination results. The General Accountability Office shall periodically audit CBP operations at rail crossings on such borders to ensure rail shipments are targeted, examined, and the examination results are properly documented.
Bill· HRH.R. 2770 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Keeping our Travelers Safe and Secure Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Transportation Security Administration of the Department of Homeland Security to develop and implement a preventive maintenance validation process for security-related technology deployed to airports. The maintenance contracts for security-related technology deployed to airports shall include penalties for noncompliance whenever preventive or corrective maintenance has not been completed according to contractual requirements and manufacturers' specifications.
Bill· HRH.R. 2767 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Airport Security Act of 2015 Directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to establish a program to prohibit all but specified authorized individuals from possessing a firearm at a covered airport, including any individual who enters the airport, or exits public transportation at it, for air travel, meeting another individual, picking up cargo, or employment. Directs TSA to require airport operators to: display conspicuous notices summarizing the program at each airport entrance, and require law enforcement personnel to monitor the airport to prevent violations and escort air travelers who are authorized to carry a firearm. Prescribes criminal penalties for nonauthorized individuals who knowingly possess a firearm at a covered airport.
Bill· HRH.R. 2776 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2015
Carry-On Freedom Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation to issue regulations to prohibit a air carrier charging passengers a fee for checked baggage from using a size standard for carry-on baggage that reduces the size standard used by the carrier on June 8, 2015.
Bill· HRH.R. 2750 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 12 June 2015
Improved Security Vetting for Aviation Workers Act of 2015 This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to coordinate with DHS and the Interagency Policy Committee of the Office of the President to determine whether TSA should receive additional Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment data or other terrorism related category codes to assist in its credential vetting program for individuals with access to sensitive areas of airports. The TSA shall: issue guidance for Transportation Security Inspectors to review annually airport badging office procedures for applicants seeking access to sensitive airport areas, including a comprehensive review of applicants' Criminal History Records Check and work authorization documentation during the course of an inspection; coordinate with DHS to conduct a Rap Back Service pilot program to determine the feasibility of its implementation across eligible TSA-regulated populations; issue guidance to airports requiring that all federalized airport badging authorities place an expiration date on airport credentials commensurate to the time which an individual is lawfully authorized to work in the United States; and review the denial of credentials due to an applicants's lawful status in order to identify airports with specific weaknesses and coordinate with them to address such weaknesses. The TSA shall coordinate with DHS and consult with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to conduct a pilot program of the Rap Back Service to determine the feasibility of its full implementation across eligible TSA-regulated populations. (The FBI Rap Back Service provides authorized agencies with notification of criminal, and, in limited cases, civil activity of individuals that occurs after the initial processing and retention of criminal or civil transactions.)
Bill· HRH.R. 2742 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
This bill requires that a military working dog be retired in the United States, except when a U.S. citizen living abroad adopts the dog at the time of retirement. Amounts available to the military department concerned shall be available for such dog's transport to the United States for retirement.
Bill· HRH.R. 2738 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2015
Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Pollinator Protection Act This bill authorizes as an eligible project cost for the construction of a federal-aid highway the cost of improving habitat and forage for pollinators (i.e., bees, birds, bats, Monarch and other butterflies) on rights-of-way adjacent to such highways. The Department of Transportation, in conjunction with willing states, shall carry out programs that encourage: integrated vegetation management practices on roadsides and other transportation rights-of-way, including reduced mowing; the development of habitat and forage for pollinators through planting of native forbs and grasses, including noninvasive, native milkweed species; research and demonstration projects on economic and environmental benefits and best practices for integrated vegetation management, reduced mowing, and planting of native forbs and grasses for pollinator habitat, forage, and migratory way stations for Monarch butterflies and other migrating pollinators; and participation in such activities by representatives of transportation landscape management, pollinator health, agriculture, horticulture, and other affected communities. Federal funds may be used for the provision of habitat, forage, and migratory way stations for Monarch butterflies, other native pollinators, and honey bees that is related to a federally-funded highway project.
Bill· HRH.R. 2716 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Transportation Empowerment Act This bill prescribes a limitation on funding of transportation programs and projects for FY2016-FY2020. Appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020, subject to a certain limitation, for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: emergency relief for highways and roads, the federal lands transportation program, and Federal Highway Administration administrative expenses. A state may transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Certain limits are placed on federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Beginning with FY2015, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of the project, solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2022. The Department of the Treasury shall pay from the HTF into the Treasury general fund amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2022, as well as into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund amounts equivalent to certain aviation fuel taxes received before October 1, 2022. A motor fuel tax rate schedule is prescribed for the financing of core highway programs. Treasury authority to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account shall be terminated at the end of FY2016, at which time Treasury shall transfer all amounts from the Mass Transit Account to the Highway Account. The national highway performance program is revised to repeal program requirements for specified National Highway System transportation improvement projects, including environmental mitigation projects. The surface transportation program is revised to eliminate from eligibility for program assistance: carpool projects, fringe and corridor parking facilities and programs, including electric vehicle and natural gas vehicle infrastructure, and bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways projects; transportation alternatives; and environmental mitigation projects, including environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects. Also repealed are: the obligation of a state to use a portion of program funds for replacement or rehabilitation of off-system bridges, metropolitan transportation planning requirements for federal-aid highways, and the authorization of federal assistance to states for historic bridges. Certain requirements of the highway safety improvement program are revised or repealed, eliminating eligibility for projects for pedestrian or bicyclist safety or safety of persons with disabilities. The congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program and the transportation alternatives program are repealed. Appropriations out of the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020 for the highway research and development program. Treasury shall allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2016-FY2019. Excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene, and diesel-water fuel emulsion are reduced. Credits or refunds are required for certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2020. This Act shall become effective only if the Office of Management and Budget certifies that it is deficit neutral.
Bill· SS. 1541 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Transportation Empowerment Act This bill prescribes a limitation on funding of transportation programs and projects for FY2016-FY2020. Appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020, subject to a certain limitation, for specified core programs under the federal-aid highway program, including: emergency relief for highways and roads, the federal lands transportation program, and Federal Highway Administration administrative expenses. A state may transfer and use excess federal-aid highway funds for any surface transportation project (including mass transit and rail). Certain limits are placed on federal assistance to states for highway bridge replacement and rehabilitation to bridges on the federal-aid highway system. Beginning with FY2015, a highway construction or improvement project shall not be considered a federal project: unless and until a state expends federal funds for the construction portion of the project, solely by reason of the state expenditure of federal funds before the construction phase of the project (including for any environmental document or design work), or upon state reimbursement to the federal government of the federal costs of such projects. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to make amounts in the HTF available for expenditure for core highway programs through FY2022. The Department of the Treasury shall pay from the HTF into the Treasury general fund amounts equivalent to the floor stocks refunds made before July 1, 2022, as well as into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund amounts equivalent to certain aviation fuel taxes received before October 1, 2022. A motor fuel tax rate schedule is prescribed for the financing of core highway programs. Treasury authority to make certain transfers to the Mass Transit Account shall be terminated at the end of FY2016, at which time Treasury shall transfer all amounts from the Mass Transit Account to the Highway Account. The national highway performance program is revised to repeal program requirements for specified National Highway System transportation improvement projects, including environmental mitigation projects. The surface transportation program is revised to eliminate from eligibility for program assistance: carpool projects, fringe and corridor parking facilities and programs, including electric vehicle and natural gas vehicle infrastructure, and bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways projects; transportation alternatives; and environmental mitigation projects, including environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects. Also repealed are: the obligation of a state to use a portion of program funds for replacement or rehabilitation of off-system bridges, metropolitan transportation planning requirements for federal-aid highways, and the authorization of federal assistance to states for historic bridges. Certain requirements of the highway safety improvement program are revised or repealed, eliminating eligibility for projects for pedestrian or bicyclist safety or safety of persons with disabilities. The congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program and the transportation alternatives program are repealed. Appropriations out of the HTF (other than the Mass Transit Account) are authorized for FY2016-FY2020 for the highway research and development program. Treasury shall allocate to the states for surface transportation projects (including mass transit and rail) any excess highway tax receipts appropriated to the HTF in FY2016-FY2019. Excise taxes on gasoline, diesel fuel or kerosene, and diesel-water fuel emulsion are reduced. Credits or refunds are required for certain floor stocks taxes on liquids imposed before October 1, 2020. This Act shall become effective only if the Office of Management and Budget certifies that it is deficit neutral.
Bill· SS. 1535 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 10 June 2015
Safety Through Informed Consumers Act of 2015 Revises passenger motor vehicle information program requirements. Directs the Department of Transportation to ensure that passenger motor vehicle crash avoidance information is provided next to, and in the same format as, crashworthiness information at each place that the latter is made available to the public.
Bill· HRH.R. 2700 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Boating Occupancy and Teaching Safety Act or the BOATS Act Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to: establish maximum passenger capacity and maximum weight capacity standards for recreational vessels; and require manufacturers and operators of passenger vessels to permanently display in a legible manner that is clearly visible, including on each flying bridge of the vessel, to vessel passengers such maximum capacity requirements and a notice of the need to balance vessel weight to avoid capsizing. Defines "flying bridge" to mean an open deck above the main navigating bridge of a recreational vessel. Amends federal shipping law to revise state recreational boating safety program requirements. Allows a state to contract with a local government or private entity to provide boating safety education services under a state recreational boating safety program. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund available for expenditures to carry out the purposes of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (as in effect upon enactment of this Act).
Bill· HRH.R. 2702 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Safety Through Informed Consumers Act of 2015 Revises passenger motor vehicle information program requirements. Directs the Department of Transportation to ensure that passenger motor vehicle crash avoidance information is provided next to, and in the same format as, crashworthiness information at each place that the latter is made available to the public.
Bill· HRH.R. 2689 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Defines "water resources project" and "water resources development project" to include water supply and environmental infrastructure projects, including projects designed to reclaim or reuse municipal wastewater or impaired surface or groundwater, for purposes of specified provisions of: (1) the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 concerning feasibility studies and feasibility reports for water resources projects, and (2) the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014 concerning the annual Report to Congress on Future Water Resources Development.
Bill· SS. 1528 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2015 This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to increase combat vehicle fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption. DOD shall: establish an online, centralized repository for all DOD operational energy-related research and development efforts; conduct a program to develop and support projects designed to foster secure and reliable energy sources for military installations, including incorporation of advanced energy metering, renewable energy, energy storage, and redundant power systems; and develop associated cost and benefit metrics. The DOD Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Fund is established in the Treasury to support installing and operating alternative fuel dispensing stations for DOD's alternative fueled vehicles and other related infrastructure. DOD shall: report on the costs and benefits associated with requiring 25% of National Guard and Reserve facilities to have at least a 21-day on-site power storage capacity to assist civil authorities in case of man-made or natural disasters; and submit a plan for integrating energy storage, micro-grid technologies, and on-site power generation systems at military installations at risk of power interruptions due to geographic location, dependence on connections to the electric grid, or other factors.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 196 (114th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2015
Designates July 10, 2015, as Collector Car Appreciation Day. Recognizes that the collection and restoration of historic and classic cars is an important part of preserving the technological achievements and cultural heritage of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 2675 (114th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2015
Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to exempt from certain federal motor vehicle safety and labeling standards up to 500 replica motor vehicles per year manufactured or imported by a low volume manufacturer. The term "low volume manufacturer" means a motor vehicle manufacturer (other than a person registered as an importer meeting certain requirements) that annually produces no more than 5,000 motor vehicles worldwide. Manufacturers shall register with DOT to qualify for an exemption. DOT shall require a manufacturer to affix a permanent label to an exempt replica motor vehicle that identifies the motor vehicle safety and labeling standards from which that vehicle is exempt and the model year the vehicle replicates. The Clean Air Act is amended to allow a low volume motor vehicle manufacturer to install in an exempted specifically produced replica motor vehicle a motor vehicle engine (including engine emission controls) from a motor vehicle granted a certificate of conformity with Environmental Protection Agency emission control standards, or another kind of engine granted an executive order for the model year in which the motor vehicle is assembled, if certain requirements are met.