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United States · Law · S

S. 808 (114th)

Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015

enactedUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

19 March 2015

Last action

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Status

Became Public Law No: 114-110.

Sponsors

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Subjects

Discovery layer

Source updated

7 April 2025

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Summary

Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015 Removes the Surface Transportation Board from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish it as an independent U.S. agency. Increases Board membership from three to five members. Prescribes requirements for discussions at Board meetings not open to the public. Requires the Board to: establish a database of rail service complaints it has received, and post quarterly reports of such complaints as well as rail service complaints it has received on its website. Reauthorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2020 for the Board. Grants the DOT Inspector General authority to review only the financial management, property management, and business operations of the Board to determine its compliance with federal laws, rules, and regulations. Requires the Board to: maintain one or more simplified and expedited methods for determining the reasonableness of challenged rail rates in cases where a full stand-alone cost presentation is too costly, given the value of the case; and maintain procedures to ensure expeditious handling of challenges to the reasonableness of rail rates. Prescribes time limits for Board review of rail rate reasonableness cases. Repeals certain rail service contract limitations involving the transportation of agricultural commodities. Authorizes the Board to investigate rail carrier and pipeline carrier violations on its own initiative as well as on complaint (as under existing law). Prescribes requirements for investigations commenced on the Board's own initiative. Requires the Board to establish a voluntary binding arbitration process to resolve rail rate and practice disputes. Directs the Government Accountability Office to study rail rate contract proposals containing multiple origin-to-destination movements.

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Documents

14 official files

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