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American Association of Airport Executives &
Airports Council International - North America Legislative Affairs Representing the nation's airports in Washington, D.C. |
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Federal Railroad Administration
office of the administrator
Amendment No. 79: Appropriates $14,018,000 for the Office
of the Administrator as proposed by the Senate instead of
$14,000,000 as proposed by the House. The conference
agreement includes the following reductions to the budget
request:
Technical assistance program..................................-$130,000
Operation respond...............................................-10,000
Nonpay inflation...............................................-500,000
Other services..................................................-91,000
Offset for high unobligated balances.........................-2,621,000
The conference agreement allows the Office of the
administrator to spend down its prior years' unobligated
balance.
railroad safety
Amendment No. 80: Appropriates $49,919,000 for railroad
safety instead of $49,940,660 as proposed by the House and
$49,105,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference
agreement includes the following reductions to the budget
request:
Other services................................................-$105,000
New partnership program........................................-400,000
Nonpay inflation...............................................-230,000
Salaries and expenses..........................................-200,000
Inspector trainee program.......................................-50,000
Automated track inspection program.............................-100,000
Permanent change of station moves..............................-100,000
Federal Railroad Administration offices.--The conferees
generally agree that the Federal Railroad Administration
should limit its railroad safety offices to two per state,
but recognize that large states with significant rail
activities may require an exception. The Federal Railroad
Administration shall submit to the House and Senate
Committees on Appropriations prior to October 1, 1996, a
written justification for any state(s) where it may be
necessary to provide more than two offices due to volume of
rail activity and/or geographic coverage.
New computers for railroad safety inspectors.--The
conferees have provided $800,000 to procure laptop computers
for railroad inspectors in one region, anticipating that
productivity enhancements and reduced program costs will
occur as inspectors compile their work from remote locations.
The conferees direct the Federal Railroad Administration
(FRA) to prepare a study detailing the cost savings resulting
from the investment in laptop computers for railroad safety
inspectors. The study shall be completed prior to FRA
requesting further funding to procure additional laptop
computers for its railroad safety inspectors in other
regions.
Accident reporting.--The conferees direct the Federal
Railroad Administration to complete necessary changes to its
accident report by June 1, 1996.
railroad research and development
Amendment No. 81: Appropriates $24,550,000 for railroad
research and development instead of $21,000,000 as proposed
by the House and $25,775,000 as proposed by the Senate. The
conference agreement includes the following adjustments to
the budget request:
Increase Operation Lifesaver..................................+$150,000
Increase human factors work....................................+400,000
Reduce track, structures, and train control..................-1,000,000
Reduce growth in high speed activities......................-27,922,000
Delete maglev initiative.......................................-825,000
Reduce grade crossing notification system......................-100,000
Postive train separation.....................................+5,000,000
Reduce administration..........................................-100,000
Operation Lifesaver.--The conference agreement provides a
total of $300,000 for Operation Lifesaver, $150,000 more than
the budget request. The conferees agree that the increase
shall be expended to address grade crossing safety.
Human factors.--The conferees have provided $400,000 for
human factors research to implement FRA's five-year human
factors strategic research plan as rapidly as possible and to
address fundamental problems that cause railroad accidents,
such as fatigue and stress.
Positive train separation.--The conferees have provided
$5,000,000 for the state of Oregon for positive train
separation (PTS) activities. As part of this work, funding
can be used for an extension into Union Station and for
additional track and signal work. In addition, the Federal
Railroad Administration (FRA) shall research and develop PTS,
implement a high speed rail mitigation path, evaluate the
compatibility of PTS and corridor passenger service on the
Portland, Oregon to Seattle, Washington corridor, and
purchase necessary wayside sensors and radios so that the PTS
system can verify train locations and switch positions. This
will allow PTS equipped trains to operate on either track in
either direction at full track speed. Finally, FRA shall
assess the communications reliability of this system in a
dense urban area, such as Portland, Oregon. FRA believes that
the Pacific Northwest Corridor is the ideal testbed for such
a system. No matching funds are required for this project.
In connection with this project, the conferees strongly
encourage the Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. Coast
Guard, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to work together
to establish differential global positioning system coverage
for the territory between Portland and Hinkle, Oregon. Such
coverage is vital to test and validate the PTS automatic
location capability in an area where radio propagation may be
limited by the rugged terrain.
National Academy of Sciences study of high speed rail.--The
conferees direct the FRA to contract with the National
Academy of Sciences to assemble a panel of experts to issue
periodic reports on FRA's high speed rail research and
development and next generation high speed rail activities.
The first of these reports should assess the content, inter-
relationship of individual projects, management structure,
and direction of FRA's activities. The intent of this
assessment is to determine whether these activities make up a
coherent, well-managed whole, and whether the proposed fiscal
year 1997 projects are logical extensions of these efforts.
This first assessment should be completed by April 1, 1996,
to meet the deadline established in the House report. The
second report should assess whether specific projects in
FRA's program are likely to yield useful research results,
and the prospect of state and/or private deployment.
Thereafter, the panel should consider and report on, in
sequence, the other elements as stated in the Senate report.
Advanced train control study.--The conferees agree not to
require FRA to submit an advanced train control plan for
evaluation prior to further corridor development work
occurring outside of the Northeast Corridor as proposed by
the House.
northeast corridor improvement program
Amendment No. 82: Appropriates $115,000,000 for the
northeast corridor improvement program instead of
$100,000,000 as proposed by the House and $130,000,000 as
proposed by the Senate. Of this amount, the conferees agree
to distribute $65,000,000 to the southern portion of the
corridor for repair and $50,000,000 to the northern portion
of the corridor for track work, maintenance facilities, and
electrification. The conferees have not provided any
additional funding for high-speed transets because prior year
appropriations remain available for this procurement. This
should be interpreted as a deferral of additional funding and
not Congressional desire to terminate the project. The
conferees direct Amtrak to notify the House and Senate
Committees on Appropriations of its final detailed allocation
of these funds.
Cash flow analysis.--The conferees agree that Amtrak is to
provide a detailed cash flow analysis, which identifies the
funding required to complete the high-speed rail trainset
procurement and options for public and private financing of
the procurement. This cash flow analysis should include
information from Amtrak's ongoing market and ridership survey
that validates the estimates
[[Page H 10508]]
being made for the electrified New Haven to Boston service. A
preliminary report shall be provided to the House and Senate
Committees by December 1, 1995 and a final report shall be
issued no later than March 1, 1996.
Joint transportation plan.--The conferees direct the
Federal Railroad Administration and Amtrak to provide by
March 1, 1996 to the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations a joint and comprehensive transportation plan
for the Washington, DC to New York, N.Y. segment of the
corridor that details (1) the state of the rail line, (2) all
required capital improvements, (3) necessary investments for
recapitalization, and (4) a projected timeline for these
expenditures over the next two decades. This plan should
include information on how the costs for upgrading and
maintaining the railroad will be shared by all users of the
rail line.
next generation high speed rail
Amendment No. 83: Appropriates $19,205,000 for next
generation high speed rail studies, corridor planning,
development, demonstration, and implementation instead of
$10,000,000 as proposed by the House and $20,000,000 as
proposed by the Senate. The House bill provided funding only
for high speed rail technology development and
demonstrations.
The conference agreement provides total funding
(appropriation plus limitation on obligations) of $24,205,000
for the next generation high speed rail program to be
allocated as follows:
Advanced train control:
Detroit to Chicago corridor..............................$3,000,000
Chicago to St. Louis corridor.............................6,000,000
Nonelectric locomotives:
New York nonelectric locomotives demonstration............6,000,000
Transportation technology center..........................3,000,000
Grade crossing hazards:
Complete state grade crossing work........................1,000,000
Innovative techniques.....................................3,500,000
Corridor planning technology..............................1,250,000
Administrative costs........................................455,000
Nonelectric locomotives.--The conferees have provided
$6,000,000 to continue the development, testing, and
demonstration of turbine powered nonelectric locomotives in
the state of New York as proposed by the Senate. This funding
shall be matched on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The House did
not provide funding for this project. Since then, the House
has received significant information on the project and now
believes that a more comprehensive demonstration of this
technology is necessary. Therefore, the conferees have agreed
to fund the retrofit of a second nonelectric trainset so that
additional data can be gathered on the capacity, reliability,
maintainability, and fuel consumption of a turbine powered
nonelectric fleet. Also, this funding should be used to
further develop ways to improve the acceleration capabilities
of nonelectric locomotives so that their performance is more
comparable to that of electric locomotives. FRA, in
conjunction with Amtrak and the State of New York, should
submit information on the retrofitted locomotives as compared
to the Genesis P-40 and other high speed locomotives, to the
House and Senate Committees on Appropriations no later than
August 15, 1996 so that the results can be evaluated prior to
finalization of the fiscal year 1997 Department of
Transportation appropriations bill. While this is ongoing,
FRA, Amtrak, and the State of New York should work to resolve
the liability concerns along the Empire Corridor and close
highway-rail grade crossings so that these trains can operate
at 125 miles per hour.
In addition, the conference agreement raises the
liquidating cash appropriation from the highway trust fund to
$7,118,000, based on updated estimates from FRA. The House
and Senate bills included $5,000,000 for this purpose.
Amendment No. 84: Provides that next generation high speed
rail funds may be made available for grants to states for
high speed rail corridor design, feasibility studies,
environmental analyses, and track and signal improvements as
proposed by the Senate. The House bill included no similar
provision.
alaska railroad rehabilitation
Amendment No. 85: Appropriates $10,000,000 for Alaska
Railroad rehabilitation as proposed by the Senate. The House
contained no similar appropriation.
pennsylvania station redevelopment project
Amendment No. 86: Deletes $25,000,000 for the Pennsylvania
Station Redevelopment project proposed by the Senate. The
House bill contained no similar appropriation. The conferees
have provided funding for related activities under the
National Railroad Passenger Corporation's capital grants
program, rather than new development of the James A. Farley
post office building.
rhode island rail development
Amendment No. 87: Appropriates $1,000,000 for Rhode Island
rail development instead of $2,000,000 as proposed by the
Senate. The House bill contained no similar appropriation. As
proposed by the Senate, the conference agreement specifies
that the federal contribution shall be matched on a dollar-
for-dollar basis. Further, the Providence and Worcester
Railroad shall reimburse Amtrak and/or the Federal Railroad
Administration up to the first $6,000,000 in legal damages if
damages occur resulting from provision of vertical clearances
in excess of those required for present freight operations.
grants to the national railroad passenger corporation
Amendment No. 88: Provides $635,000,000 for the National
Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) instead of
$628,000,000 as proposed by the House and $605,000,000 as
proposed by the Senate. Over the past year, Amtrak has
undergone significant changes to improve its service quality
and productivity and to eliminate its dependence on federal
operating assistance by the year 2001. Amtrak has made
strides in reaching these goals; however, legislative
reforms, including labor reforms, must be enacted if Amtrak
is to reach its operating cost goals. Current authorization
bills contain a number of these legislative reforms. As such,
the significant level of funding provided is predicated on
the belief that vital legislative reforms will occur in the
near term, which will reduce Amtrak's costs.
Amendment No. 89: Provides $305,000,000 for operating
losses and mandatory passenger rail service payments as
proposed by the Senate instead of $336,000,000 as proposed by
the House.
Amendment No. 90: Provides $100,000,000 for Amtrak's
transition costs as proposed by the Senate instead of
$62,000,000 as proposed by the House.
Amendment No. 91: Provides $230,000,000 for capital
improvements to Amtrak as proposed by the House instead of
$200,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference
agreement provides up to $20,000,000 for emergency life
safety repairs to be completed at the existing Pennsylvania
Station, as allowed during fiscal year 1995, as well as for
the reconstruction of the station's service building to
provide the support services necessary for the safe operation
of the station.
Amendment No. 92: Deletes language proposed by the House
which would have made the availability of funds contingent
upon enactment of significant reforms in authorizing
legislation to restructure the National Railroad Passenger
Corporation. The Senate bill contained no similar provision.
In lieu of this language, the conference agreement provides
Amtrak with the ability to transfer not more than $15,000,000
from the capital improvements account to the Northeast
Corridor Improvement Program.
Federal Transit Administration
administrative expenses
Amendment No. 93: Appropriates $42,000,000 for
administrative expenses of the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) as proposed by the Senate instead of $39,260,000 as
proposed by the House. The conference agreement provides two
full-time equivalent staff year positions in the FTA's
Washington, DC offices to conduct management and oversight of
the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
The conference agreement also includes a provision under
amendment numbered 165 that requires the FTA to conduct its
oversight of WMATA from FTA's Washington metropolitan area
offices.
formula grants
Amendment No. 94: Appropriates $942,925,000 from the
general fund for formula grants of the Federal Transit
Administration instead of $890,000,000 as proposed by the
House and $985,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 95: Provides for a total program level of
$2,052,925,000, including appropriations and limitations on
obligations, for transit formula grants, instead of
$2,000,000,000 as proposed by the House and $2,105,850,000 as
proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 96: Limits reductions in transit operating
assistance to urbanized areas of less than 200,000 in
population to no less than seventy-five percent of the amount
of operating assistance such areas are eligible to receive
under Public Law 103-331, instead of eighty percent as
proposed by the Senate. The House bill contained no similar
provision.
Amendment No. 97: Deleted language proposed by the Senate
that would apportion $29,325,031 to areas of 200,000 or
greater in population before apportionment of transit formula
funds. The conference agreement includes language that, in
the distribution of the limitation on transit operating
assistance to urbanized areas that had a population under the
1990 decennial census of 1,000,000 or more, the Secretary
shall direct each area to give priority consideration to the
impact of reductions in operating assistance on smaller
transit authorities operating within the area, and to
consider the needs and resources of such transit authorities
when the limitation is distributed among all transit
authorities operating in the area.
transit planning and research
Amendment No. 98: Appropriates $85,500,000 for transit
planning and research instead of $82,250,000 as proposed by
the House and $90,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. The
conferees agree to specify in the bill that $39,500,000 shall
be provided for the metropolitan planning program (49 U.S.C.
5303); $4,500,000 for the rural transit assistance program
(49 U.S.C. 5311(b)(2)); $8,250,000 for the transit
cooperative research program (49 U.S.C. 5313(b)); $22,000,000
for the national program (49 U.S.C. 5314); $8,250,000 for the
state program (49 U.S.C. 5313(a)); and $3,000,000 for the
National transit institute (49 U.S.C. 5315). The House bill
contained similar funding allocations, but at different
levels than in the conference agreement. The Senate bill
contained no allocations by program in the bill.
[[Page H 10509]]
The conferees direct that within the total funding level
provided for transit planning and research, the Federal
Transit Administration shall make available the following
amounts for the programs and activities listed below:
Team transit program of the Minnesota Metropolitan Commission..$500,000
Project ACTION (Accessible Community Transportation in our Nat2,000,000
Advanced technology transit bus...............................5,000,000
Fuel cell bus technology......................................5,000,000
Research on large circuit breakers and switch gears...........2,500,000
Dulles corridor studies.........................................500,000
Hennepin County, Minnesota, public works program................500,000
Intermodal positioning system (inertial navigational technology)500,000
Advanced lead acid battery consortium...........................500,000
Ridership enhancement strategies................................500,000
The conferees agree that federal transit assistance should
contribute to the improvement of the entire community which
transit systems serve, rather than support just the transit
service itself. This is the goal of the livable communities
initiative. By assisting a broad range of activities,
communities may be improved; and by better linking the
communities to the transit system, transit service may be
made more effective. The conferees, therefore, urge the
Department of Transportation to endeavor in these types of
community initiatives.
Advanced transportation systems program.--Section 6071 of
title V of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency
Act established the advanced transportation systems and
electric vehicle technology program. The conferees are aware
of the significant contributions that participating consortia
have made to this program and direct the FTA to continue its
heavy duty transit buses, the development of energy storage
technologies, flywheel and hybrid vehicle development and
demonstration, and the continued charging infrastructure
programs.
Within available funds, the department is urged to consider
support of monobeam transit system development.
trust fund share of expenses
(liquidation of contract authorization)
(highway trust fund)
Amendment No. 99: Provides $1,120,850,000 in liquidating
cash for the trust fund share of expenses of the formula
grants program as proposed by the Senate instead of
$1,110,000,000 as proposed by the House.
discretionary grants
(limitation on obligations)
(highway trust fund)
Bus and bus-related facilities.--The conference agreement
provides $333,000,000 for the replacement, rehabilitation,
and purchase of buses and related equipment and the
construction of bus-related facilities. The conferees agree
that the recommended funding should be distributed as
follows:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Project location and purpose House Senate Conference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Arkansas:
Little Rock, central Arkansas transit transfer
facility.......................................... $0 $1,000,000 $0
Fayetteville, intermodal transfer facility......... 0 5,400,000 0
State of Arkansas; buses........................... 6,000,000 0 6,200,000
California:
Coachella Valley; SunLine bus facility............. 1,000,000 0 500,000
Long Beach, bus replacement and parts.............. 0 3,000,000 1,500,000
Los Angeles; Gateway intermodal center............. 8,000,000 15,000,000 8,000,000
San Diego, San Ysidro intermodal center............ 0 10,000,000 5,000,000
San Francisco; buses............................... 13,480,000 0 6,740,000
San Francisco, BART ADA compliance/paratransit..... 0 4,460,000 2,230,000
San Gabriel Valley; Foothill bus facilities........ 12,500,000 0 9,750,000
San Joaquin, RTD bus replacement................... 0 10,560,000 5,280,000
Santa Cruz; bus facility........................... 3,000,000 0 1,500,000
Sonoma County; park and ride facilities............ 2,500,000 0 1,250,000
Ventura County; bus facility....................... 1,200,000 0 600,000
Yolo County; buses................................. 3,000,000 0 1,500,000
Colorado: Fort Collins and Greeley; buses.............. 2,500,000 0 1,250,000
Connecticut: Norwich; intermodal center................ 3,000,000 0 1,500,000
Delaware: State of Delaware; buses..................... 2,700,000 0 1,350,000
Florida:
Metropolitan Dade County; buses.................... 4,000,000 16,000,000 10,000,000
Orlando; Lynx buses and bus operating facility..... 8,500,000 0 4,250,000
Palm Beach County; bus facilities.................. 4,000,000 0 2,000,000
Volusia County; buses and park and ride facility... 2,500,000 0 1,250,000
Georgia: Atlanta; buses................................ 7,500,000 0 3,750,000
Hawaii: Honolulu, Oahu; Kuakini medical center parking
facility.............................................. 0 8,000,000 4,000,000
Iowa:
Ames, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Regions 6, 14, 15, 16;
buses and bus facilities.......................... 4,000,000 0 2,350,000
Cedar Rapids; hybrid electric bus consortium....... 0 2,960,000 1,200,000
Ottumwa; global positioning equipment.............. 0 700,000 0
Waterloo; intermodal bus facility.................. 0 1,340,000 670,000
State of Iowa; buses, equipment, and facilities.... 0 8,000,000 4,280,000
Illinois:
Chicago replacement buses/communications system.... 0 13,700,000 0
State of Illinois; buses........................... 20,000,000 0 16,850,000
Indiana:
Gary and Hammond; buses............................ 520,000 0 260,000
South Bend; intermodal facility.................... 5,000,000 0 2,500,000
State of Indiana; buses and bus facilities......... 13,000,000 0 6,500,000
Kentucky: Lexington; buses............................. 2,000,000 0 1,000,000
Louisiana:
New Orleans; bus facility.......................... 6,000,000 0 3,000,000
New Orleans; buses................................. 12,000,000 0 6,000,000
Saint Barnard Parish; intermodal facility.......... 3,000,000 0 1,500,000
Massachusetts: Worcester; intermodal center............ 4,000,000 0 2,000,000
Maryland: Maryland Transit Authority, Maryland; buses.. 10,000,000 16,000,000 13,000,000
Michigan:
Lansing intermodal transportation center........... 0 4,180,000 2,090,000
State of Michigan; ISTEA set-aside requirement..... 10,000,000 10,000,000 10,000,000
Minnesota: Metropolitan Council, Minnesota; articulated
buses................................................. 15,000,000 0 7,500,000
Missouri:
Kansas City; Union Station intermodal.............. 0 13,000,000 6,500,000
St. Louis; Metrolink bus purchase.................. 0 10,000,000 3,500,000
State of Missouri; buses and bus facilities........ 0 11,000,000 7,000,000
North Carolina: State of North Carolina; buses and bus
facilities............................................ 10,000,000 0 5,000,000
New Jersey:
Garden State Parkway; park-n-ride at interchange
165............................................... 0 2,300,000 1,150,000
Hamilton Township; intermodal facility/bus
maintenance....................................... 0 25,000,000 12,500,000
Nevada: Clark County, Nevada; buses and bus facility... 14,000,000 20,000,000 17,000,000
New York:
Albany; buses...................................... 0 10,000,000 5,000,000
Buffalo; Crossroads intermodal station............. 1,000,000 0 500,000
Long Island; buses................................. 0 3,000,000 1,500,000
New Rochelle; intermodal facility.................. 1,500,000 0 750,000
New York City; natural gas buses/fueling station... 0 10,000,000 5,000,000
Rensselaer; intermodal station..................... 7,500,000 7,500,000 7,500,000
Rochester-Genessee; buses.......................... 0 1,400,000 700,000
Syracuse; buses.................................... 2,000,000 0 1,000,000
Syracuse; intermodal station....................... 2,000,000 0 1,000,000
Utica; buses....................................... 0 6,000,000 3,000,000
Westchester, bus facility.......................... 4,500,000 0 2,250,000
Ohio:
Cleveland; Triskett bus facility................... 2,500,000 0 1,250,000
Columbus; buses.................................... 0 10,000,000 0
State of Ohio; buses and bus facilities............ 20,000,000 0 15,000,000
Oregon:
Wilsonville; transit vehicles...................... 0 500,000 250,000
[[Page H 10510]]
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Project location and purpose House Senate Conference
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eugene Lane transit district; radio system......... 0 1,300,000 650,000
Pennsylvania:
Allegheny County; busway system.................... 8,000,000 10,000,000 9,000,000
Altoona; ISTEA set-aside requirement............... 2,000,000 0 1,000,000
Beaver County; bus facility........................ 1,600,000 3,300,000 2,450,000
Erie; intermodal complex........................... 0 8,000,000 4,000,000
North Philadelphia; intermodal center.............. 6,000,000 0 3,000,000
Philadelphia; buses................................ 3,000,000 0 1,500,000
Philadelphia: Chestnut Street/alternative fueled
vehicles.......................................... 0 2,000,000 1,000,000
Philadelphia; lift-equipped buses.................. 15,000,000 0 7,500,000
Tennessee: Nashville, Tennessee; electric buses........ 600,000 0 300,000
Texas:
Corpus Christi; buses, dispatching system, and
facilities........................................ 0 1,600,000 2,450,000
Corpus Christi; bus facilities..................... 2,500,000 0 0
El Paso; buses, equipment and facilities........... 6,000,000 0 5,200,000
El Paso; bus equipment............................. 2,900,000 0 0
El Paso; satellite transit terminal................ 1,500,000 0 0
Robstown/Corpus Christi bus shelters/curb cuts/
transit center.................................... 0 800,000 0
Utah: Utah Transit Authority, Utah; buses.............. 3,500,000 0 1,750,000
Virginia: Richmond; downtown intermodal station........ 0 10,000,000 5,000,000
Vermont:
State of Vermont, buses and bus facilities......... 0 6,000,000 3,000,000
Marble Valley; bus upgrades........................ 0 2,000,000 1,000,000
Washington:
Everett; intermodal center......................... 0 7,000,000 3,500,000
Pierce County; Tacoma Dome station................. 3,000,000 5,000,000 5,000,000
Seattle; Metro/King County multimodal.............. 0 4,000,000 2,000,000
Seattle/King County; Seattle metro bus purchase.... 2,500,000 10,000,000 6,250,000
Wenatchee; Chelan-Douglas multimodal............... 0 2,000,000 0
Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin; buses................... 20,000,000 0 10,000,000
--------------------------------------------------------
Total............................................ 333,000,000 333,000,000 333,000,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Within available balances, the conferees direct the Federal
Transit Administration to support the following applications:
the Santa Barbara Metropolitan Transit District for state-of-
the-art, electric battery-powered buses for initial use at
the 1996 Summer Olympic Games; Taos, New Mexico and Kansas
City, Kansas for buses and bus-related purchases; and the
Pennsylvania consolidated bus purchase.
State of Arkansas.--The conference agreement includes
$6,200,000 for buses and intermodal and bus-related
facilities to be made available to the Arkansas Highway and
Transportation Department to be distributed as follows:
$200,000 for Pine Bluff Transit; $3,200,000 for the
University of Arkansas; $400,000 for Hot Springs Transit;
$300,000 for South Central Arkansas; $800,000 for Central
Arkansas Transit; and $800,000 for Southeast Arkansas
Transit. The remaining balances may be retained by the
Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department for other
state bus and bus-related projects.
Ames, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Regions 6, 14, 15 and 16,
Iowa; bus and bus facilities.--The conference agreement
includes $2,350,000 for buses and bus facilities for Ames,
Marshalltown, Ottumwa, and Regions 6, 14, 15 and 16, Iowa to
be distributed as follows: $1,069,000 for Ames; $704,300 for
Ottumwa; $189,500 for Marshalltown; $17,600 for Region 6;
$121,100 for Region 14; $159,400 for Region 15; and $89,100
for Region 16.
State of Michigan.--The conference agreement includes
$10,000,000 for the State of Michigan to fulfill the
requirements of section 3035(ll) the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. Of the $10,000,000 for
the State of Michigan, the conferees have included:
$3,022,500 for buses and bus facilities for Grand Rapids;
$3,022,500 for buses and bus facilities in Flint; $3,022,500
for the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional
Transportation (SMART); and $932,500 for an intermodal
facility in Lansing. The conference agreement includes a
total of $3,022,500 for the intermodal transportation center
in Lansing. The conferees recognize that $1,200,000 more is
required to complete this project and encourage the project
sponsors to submit a future request for the remaining funds.
State of New York.--The conferees direct those transit
systems in the State of New York receiving section 3 bus
discretionary allocations in areas over 200,000 population
for the express purpose of providing fixed-route transit
services, to purchase alternative fueled buses. Vehicles
purchased for use in urbanized areas under 200,000 population
and for use in rural areas and/or for ADA mandated
paratransit services are exempt.
State of Illinois.--The conference agreement provides
$16,850,000 for the Illinois Department of Transportation for
replacement buses and transit facilities. This amount
includes funds for replacement buses for the following
transit agencies: $1,585,000 for Champaign-Urbana; $528,000
for Decatur; $2,290,000 for Madison County; $528,000 for
Quincy; $528,000 for Rockford; $880,000 for Rock Island;
$1,073,000 for Springfield; and $1,665,000 for Pace. The
amount also includes $720,000 for a transfer facility in
Peoria and $800,000 for bus facilities for the South Central
MTD. In addition, $6,000,000 is provided for a new bus
communications system for the Chicago Transit Authority.
Bus overhauls.--The conferees direct the FTA to study and
report to the appropriate Congressional committees by July
15, 1996 on the data associated with requests for funding
under the periodic bus overhaul funding provision, including,
but not limited to, the number, size, and geographic type of
transit systems that seek to capitalize such expenses, and
the amounts requested under this section.
Amendment No. 100: Includes language that reprograms
$21,631,250 of funds previously made available in Public Law
102-388 and provides $666,000,000 for new fixed guideway
systems. The House bill included $666,000,000 and the Senate
bill included a total of $688,840,000, of which $22,840,000
was proposed to be reprogrammed.
The conferees recommend that $21,631,250 of funds that were
originally provided in the fiscal year 1993 Department of
Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act,
Public Law 102-388, that have not been obligated by October
1, 1995 be reprogrammed. Should additional funds from Public
Law 103-388 remain unobligated, the conferees direct the
Administrator to reprogram these funds 15 days after
notification to the House and Senate Committees on
Appropriations only to those projects that have existing full
funding grant agreements on the date of enactment of this
Act, to the extent that those projects are likely to be
capable of obligating these funds in the course of this
fiscal year.
The conference agreement provides for the following
distribution of the recommended funding for new fixed
guideway systems as follows:
Project Amount
Atlanta-North Springs project...............................$42,410,000
South Boston Piers (MOS-2) project...........................20,060,000
Canton-Akron-Cleveland commuter rail project..................4,250,000
Cincinnati Northeast/Northern Kentucky rail line project......1,000,000
Dallas South Oak Cliff LRT project...........................16,941,000
DART North Central light rail extension project...............3,000,000
Dallas-Fort Worth RAILTRAN project............................6,000,000
Florida Tri-County commuter rail project.....................10,000,000
Houston Regional Bus project.................................22,630,000
Jacksonville ASE extension project............................9,720,625
Los Angeles Metro Rail (MOS-3)...............................85,000,000
Los Angeles-San Diego commuter rail project...................8,500,000
MARC commuter rail project...................................10,000,000
Maryland Central Corridor LRT project........................15,315,000
Miami-North 27th Avenue project...............................2,000,000
Memphis, Tennessee Regional Rail Plan.........................1,250,000
New Jersey Urban Core-Secaucus project.......................80,250,000
New Orleans Canal Street Corridor project.....................5,000,000
New York Queens Connection project..........................126,725,125
Pittsburg Airport Phase 1 project............................22,630,000
Portland-Westside LRT project...............................130,140,000
Sacramento LRT extension project..............................2,000,000
St. Louis Metro/Link LRT project.............................12,500,000
Salt Lake City light rail project.............................9,759,500
San Francisco BART extension project.........................10,000,000
San Juan, Puerto Rico Tren Urbano project.....................7,500,000
Tampa to Lakeland commuter rail project.........................500,000
Whitehall ferry terminal, New York, New York..................2,500,000
[[Page H 10511]]
Wisconsin central commuter project...........................14,400,000
Burlington-Charlotte, Vermont commuter rail project...........5,650,000
South-North corridor project.--The conferees note that the
Oregon legislature and Portland area voters have approved
$850 million in local and state funds for the South-North
corridor project. The conferees support the inclusion of the
South-North corridor in the Portland area program of
interrelated projects and note that a project financing plan,
based on a discretionary (section 3) share of fifty percent
of the total project costs, will be considered should the
Portland region seek funding for this project.
Orange County, California.--The conferees are concerned
with the delay of the Federal Transit Administration in
obligating the funds previously provided in fiscal years 1994
and 1995 for the Orange County Transitway project. The
conferees are concerned that the FTA may fail to recognize
that the Anaheim Intermodal Transportation Center is not an
element of the Transitway project. The conferees, therefore,
direct the FTA to work expeditiously to obligate these funds
once all pending planning and financial issues are addressed
adequately.
Kansas City.--Although no funds have been provided for the
Kansas City, Missouri light rail project, the conferees
believe that based on the results of the recently completed
major investment study, the project may have merit and
therefor encourage project sponsors to continue to seek
federal support in the future.
Seattle-Tacoma.--The conferees agree that sums available
from funds appropriated in fiscal year 1992 for the Seattle-
Tacoma commuter rail project may be used for intermodal
access and facilities in Seattle and/or commuter track and
signal projects in and between Seattle and Tacoma, only to
the extent to which such projects are consistent with
existing federal transportation laws and regulations.
Amendment No. 101: Provides $20,060,000 for the South
Boston Piers (MOS-2) project instead of $17,500,000 as
proposed by the House and $22,620,000 as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 102: Provides $4,250,000 for the Canton-
Akron-Cleveland commuter rail project instead of $6,500,000
as proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate; and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage by the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefor, and only in
amounts provided therein. The conferees have agreed to delete
this language because on September 20, 1995, the House passed
H.R. 2274, the National Highway Systems Designation Act of
1995, which contained the authorization for this and the
several other new start projects that follow below.
Amendment No. 103: Provides $1,000,000 for the Cincinnati
Northeast/Northern Kentucky rail line project instead of
$2,000,000 as proposed by the House and no funding as
proposed by the Senate; and deletes House language that would
have made funding for this project contingent upon passage by
the House of a bill authorizing appropriations therefor, and
only in amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 104: Provides $3,000,000 for the DART North
Central light rail extension project instead of $2,500,000 as
proposed by the House and $3,500,000 as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 105: Deletes House language that would have
made funding for the DART North Central rail extension
project contingent upon passage by the House of a bill
authorizing appropriations therefor, and only in amounts
provided therein.
Amendment No. 106: Provides $6,000,000 for the Dallas-Fort
Worth RAILTRAN project instead of $5,000,000 as proposed by
the House and $7,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 107: Deletes House language that would have
made funding for the Dallas-Fort Worth RAILTRAN project
contingent upon passage by the House of a bill authorizing
appropriations therefor, and only in amounts provided
therein.
Amendment No. 108: Deletes House language that would have
made funding for the Florida Tri-County commuter rail project
contingent upon passage by the House of a bill authorizing
appropriations therefor, and only in amounts provided
therein.
Amendment No. 109: Provides $9,720,625 for the Jacksonville
ASE extension project instead of $12,500,000 as proposed by
the House, The Senate bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 110: Provides $85,000,000 for the Los Angeles
Metro Rail (MOS-3) instead of $125,000,000 as proposed by the
House and $45,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
The conference agreement provides $85,000,000 for the Los
Angeles Metro Rail Line project. The conferees, however,
reiterate the safety concerns and the need for quality
assurances outlined in the Senate report.
The conferees are aware that after the Senate's
consideration of the Act, the Los Angeles Metropolitan
Transportation Authority (MTA) has made significant progress
in the areas of concern as expressed by the Senate. The MTA
has hired a new head of Metro construction to whom quality
assurance and safety personnel now must directly report. In
addition, the MTA has submitted the updated Metro Rail Red
Line Project Management plan, which demonstrates the
commitment to safety and quality assurance, to the Federal
Transit Administration for review, prior to FTA's October 1,
1995 deadline.
While this progress is encouraging, the conferees direct
the Federal Transit Administration to continue diligent
oversight and to ensure that these commitments to greater
safety and quality assurance staffing are finalized before
these or any other federal funds are obligated to the Metro
Red Line Project.
Amendment No. 111: Provides $8,500,000 for the Los Angeles-
San Diego commuter rail project instead of $10,000,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 112: Provides $10,000,000 for the MARC
commuter rail project as proposed by the House instead of
$15,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 113: Provides $15,315,000 for the Maryland
Central Corridor LRT project instead of $3,000,000 as
proposed by the House and $22,630,000 as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 114: Deletes House language that would have
made funding for the Miami-North 27th Avenue project
contingent upon passage by the House of a bill authorizing
appropriations therefor, and only in amounts provided
therein.
Amendment No. 115: Provides $1,250,000 for the Memphis,
Tennessee Regional Rail Plan instead of $2,500,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate; and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage by the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefore, and only in
amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 116: Provides $80,250,000 for the New Jersey
Urban Core-Secaucus project instead of $75,000,000 as
proposed by the House and $85,500,000 as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 117: Provides $5,000,000 for the New Orleans
Canal Street Corridor project instead of $10,000,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate, and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage by the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefore, and only in
amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 118: Provides $126,725,125 for the New York
Queens Connection project instead of $114,989,000 as proposed
by the House and $160,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 119: Deletes funding for the Orange County
Transitway project as proposed by the Senate instead of
$5,000,000 as proposed by the House.
Amendment No. 120: Provides $130,140,000 for the Portland
Westside LRT project as proposed by the Senate instead of
$85,500,000 as proposed by the House.
Amendment No. 121: Provides $2,000,000 for the Sacramento
LRT extension project as proposed by the House instead of no
funding as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 122: Provides $12,500,000 for the St. Louis
Metro Link LRT project instead of $10,000,000 as proposed by
the House and $13,000,000 as proposed by the Senate. Within
the funds provided, the conferees have included up to
$2,000,000 for the St. Claire extension.
Amendment No. 123: Provides $9,759,500 for the Salt Lake
City light rail project instead of $5,000,000 as proposed by
the House and $14,519,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 124: Retains, with modification, House
language which provides that $5,000,000 of the funds made
available for the Salt Lake City light rail project may be
available for related high occupancy vehicle lane and
intermodal corridor design costs.
Amendment No. 125: Provides $10,000,000 for the San
Francisco BART extension project as proposed by the House
instead of $22,620,000 for the San Francisco BART extension
to the airport/Tasman corridor projects as proposed by the
Senate.
The conferees have agreed to provide $10,000,000 to
continue the BART proposed extension to the San Francisco
International Airport. BART and the San Francisco Airport
Commission recently reached an agreement in principle on an
airport station alignment that reduces project costs and that
is compatible with the airport's extension plan. However,
significant unresolved issues must be resolved before a long-
term financial commitment can be made to this project. For
example, despite planned cost reductions, a complete cost
analysis and financial plan are not yet available and there
is no assurance that the federal share of this project will
be reduced. Further, neither supplemental draft nor analyses
have yet been concluded, and four transportation agencies on
the San Francisco peninsula, including one of the project
sponsors (the San Mateo County Transit District), have voted
to study a direct CalTrain link with the airport. Lastly, the
conferees believe that the proposed local share costs to be
borne by the airport and its users should be consistent with
federal transportation policy and regulation. Given these
many concerns, the conferees believe that sufficient time to
complete and review adequately the supplemental draft
environmental impact statement and the subsequent engineering
and financial plans, and final environmental impact
statements is not available in fiscal year 1996. Sixty days
prior to action to execute a full funding grant agreement,
the conferees direct the FTA to report back to both the House
and Senate Committees on Appropriations and certify in
writing that the aforementioned concerns are fully
[[Page H 10512]]
addressed. This action shall not be interpreted as a
Congressional desire to terminate this project.
The conference agreement provides no new funding for the
Tasman corridor project. Measure A, a Santa Clara County
local sales tax proposition which constitutes the Tasman
project's local match, was invalidated by a California
appeals court and later upheld by the California Supreme
Court on September 28, 1995. Therefore under the terms of the
Bay Area's Metropolitan Transportation Commission's new rail
starts program, the conferees expect that the $33,320,000 of
federal funds originally made available in fiscal years 1994
and 1995 shall be allocated by the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission to the San Francisco BART extension
to the airport.
Amendment No. 126: Restores language proposed by the House
which provides funds for the San Francisco BART extension to
the airport only instead of the San Francisco BART extension/
Tasman corridor project as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 127: Provides $7,500,000 for the San Juan,
Puerto Rico Tren Urbano project instead of $15,000,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate; and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage by the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefor, and only in
amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 128: Provides $500,000 for the Tampa to
Lakeland commuter rail project instead of $1,000,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate; and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage of the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefor, and only in
amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 129: Provides $2,500,000 for the Whitefall
ferry terminal, New York, New York instead of $5,000,000 as
proposed by the House and no funding as proposed by the
Senate; and deletes House language that would have made
funding for this project contingent upon passage by the House
of a bill authorizing appropriations therefor, and only in
amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 130: Deletes House language that would have
made funding for the Wisconsin central commuter project to
passage by the House of a bill authorizing appropriations
therefor, and only in amounts provided therein.
Amendment No. 131: Provides $5,650,000 for the Burlington-
Charlotte, Vermont commuter rail project instead of
$11,300,000 as proposed by the Senate. The House bill
contained no similar appropriation.
Amendment No. 132: Deletes $5,000,000 for the Chicago
central area circulator proposed by the Senate. The House
bill contained no similar provision.
Due to the failure of the State of Illinois to appropriate
funding for its share of the Chicago central area circulator
project this year and the uncertainty of the design and
construction of the system, the conferees have not allocated
any new fiscal year 1996 funding for this project. Should the
state appropriate its share of the costs of the project or
should the Federal Transit Administration approve the core
system phasing approach into an amended full funding grant
agreement, the conferees will then make every effort to
provide funding according to a full funding grant agreement
funding schedule.
mass transit capital fund
(Liquidation of Contract Authorization)
(Highway Trust Fund)
Amendment No. 133: Appropriates $2,000,000,000 to liquidate
contract authority obligations for mass transit capital
programs as proposed by the House instead of $1,700,000,000
as proposed by the Senate.
washington metropolitan area transit authority
Amendment No. 134: Appropriates $200,000,000 for
construction of the Washington, DC metrorail system as
proposed by the House instead of $170,000,000 as proposed by
the Senate.
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Amendment No. 135: Deletes language proposed by the Senate
that prohibits expenditure of funds in the Corporation's
financial reserve or from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund
for the design, development, or procurement of a global
positioning system vessel traffic services system during
fiscal year 1996. The House bill contained no similar
provision.
Vessel traffic services system.--The conferees have
expanded the scope of a study on the options for privatizing
procurement and operation of vessel traffic services on the
American portion of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which the
Senate report directed the Corporation to submit by May 1,
1996. The study shall focus on division of responsibility and
cost-sharing issues in the development, procurement,
installation, and operation of a GPS vessel traffic services
system among the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
Corporation, the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority of Canada, the
U.S. Coast Guard, the Canadian Coast Guard, and the carrier
industry.
operations and maintenance
(harbor maintenance trust fund)
Amendment No. 136: Appropriates $10,150,000 for operations
and maintenance of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development
Corporation as proposed by the Senate instead of $10,190,500
as proposed by the House. The conferee agreement includes the
following adjustments to the budget request:
Travel and transportation of things.............................-$6,000
Other miscellaneous services.....................................-5,500
Nonpay inflation................................................-41,000
Unspecified reduction...........................................-40,500
Research and Special Programs Administration
research and special programs
Amendment No. 137: Appropriates $23,937,000 for research
and special programs instead of $26,030,000 as proposed by
the House and $24,281,000 as proposed by the Senate.
The conference agreement distributes the research and
special programs appropriation and 176 full-time equivalent
staff as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
In dollars Positions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hazardous materials safety................... 12,650,000 111
Research and technology...................... 3,288,000 13
Emergency transportation..................... 1,022,000 7
Program support.............................. 7,388,000 45
Accountwide adjustments...................... -411,000 .........
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The conferees have made the following adjustments to the
budget request:
In dollars
Hazardous materials safety:
Information systems.........................................-50,000
Training...................................................+100,000
Registration program.......................................-182,000
Aviation information management............................-2,282,000
Research and technology:
Personnel compensation and benefits.........................-91,000
Technology development...................................-2,951,000
Technology promotion.......................................-874,000
Technology deployment......................................-400,000
Emergency transportation:
Crisis management..........................................-279,000
Program administration:
Operating expenses..........................................-42,000
Policy and program support..................................-50,000
Civil rights and special programs...........................-25,000
Program management and administration.......................-95,000
Contract program............................................-53,000
Working capital fund........................................-40,000
Accountwide adjustments:
Training...................................................-109,000
Equipment..................................................-302,000
________________
Net reduction..............................................-7,725,000
Amendment No. 138: Deletes House language as proposed by
the Senate and transfers $2,200,000 and 22 full-time
equivalent employees from the Research and Special Programs
Administration's aviation information management program to
the Bureau of Transportation Statistics under amendment
numbered 144.
Pipeline Safety
(pipeline safety fund)
Amendment No. 139: Appropriates $31,448,000 for pipeline
safety instead of $29,941,000 as proposed by the House and
$32,973,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 140: Provides $28,750,000 from the Pipeline
Safety Fund instead of $27,243,000 as proposed by the House
and $30,275,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference
agreement includes the following reductions from the budget
request:
In dollars
Personnel compensation and benefits.............................-22,000
Operating expenses.............................................-306,000
Information systems............................................-552,000
Risk assessment and technology studies.........................-500,000
Compliance...................................................-4,146,000
Training and information dissemination..........................-21,000
Research and development.....................................-2,423,000
Grants.......................................................-3,000,000
________________
Net reduction...........................................-10,970,000
Amendment No. 141: Provides that not to exceed $1,000,000
shall be available from the pipeline safety fund for grants
to states for the development and establishment of one-call
notification systems, as proposed by the House instead of
$1,500,000 as proposed by the Senate.
emergency preparedness grants
(emergency preparedness fund)
Amendment No. 142: Limits obligations for emergency
preparedness grants to $8,890,000 as proposed by the House
instead of $9,200,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Office of Inspector General
salaries and expenses
Amendment No. 143: Appropriates $40,238,000 for salaries
and expenses of the Office of inspector general as proposed
by the House instead of $39,891,200 as proposed by the
Senate.
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
Amendment No. 144: Appropriates $2,200,000 for the Bureau
of Transportation Statistics as proposed by the Senate. The
House bill contained no similar provision.
[[Page H 10513]]
TITLE II--RELATED AGENCIES
ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD
salaries and expenses
Amendment No. 145: Appropriates $3,500,000 for salaries and
expenses of the Architectural and Transportation Barriers
Compliance Board as proposed by the Senate instead of
$3,656,000 as proposed by the House. The conferees agree
that, although no funding is provided in fiscal year 1996 for
the acquisition of a new financial accounting system, this
reduction is made without prejudice to the system receiving
funding in future appropriations acts.
National Transportation Safety Board
salaries and expenses
Amendment No. 146: Appropriates $38,774,000 for salaries
and expenses of the National Transportation Safety Board as
proposed by the House instead of $37,500,000 as proposed by
the Senate.
The conference agreement distributes the salaries and
expenses of the National Transportation Safety Board and 350
full-time equivalent staff years as follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Budget Staff
Office authority years
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Policy and direction........................... $5,662,000 45
Aviation safety................................ 13,334,000 122
Surface transportation......................... 10,473,000 94
Research and engineering....................... 5,281,000 48
Administration................................. 2,692,000 31
Administrative law judges...................... 1,332,000 10
------------------------------------------------------------------------
emergency fund
Amendment No. 147: Appropriates $360,802 for the emergency
fund as proposed by the Senate instead of $160,802 as
proposed by the House.
Interstate Commerce Commission
salaries and expenses
Amendment No. 148: Appropriates $13,379,000 for one quarter
year of salaries and expenses as well as severance and
closing costs of the Interstate Commerce Commission as
proposed by the House. The Senate bill provided the same
amount, but only for severance and closing costs. The
conferees agree that collected fees shall be made available
for the time the Commission remains in existence during
fiscal year 1996 and that once the Commission ceases to
exist, any unobligated balances from these collections shall
be used to pay termination and severance costs.
TITLE III--GENERAL PROVISIONS
(including transfers of funds)
Amendment No. 149: Makes technical change in the citation
to the authorization statute regarding primary and secondary
schooling of dependents of FAA personnel stationed outside of
the continental United States, as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 150: Deletes ``pursuant to paragraph (d)'' as
proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 151: Prohibits the use of funds for salaries
and expenses of more than one hundred political and
Presidential appointees in the Department of Transportation
as proposed by the Senate instead of one hundred and ten
appointees as proposed by the House.
Amendment No. 152: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate that prohibits funds to be used to implement section
404 of title 23, United States Code.
Amendment No. 153: Reduces the working capital fund for the
Department of Transportation programs funded in this Act by
$7,500,000 instead of $10,000,000 as proposed by the House
and $5,000,000 as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 154: Limits working capital fund obligational
authority for the Department of Transportation programs
funded in this Act to no more than $95,649,000 instead of
$92,231,000 as proposed by the House and $99,364,000 as
proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 155: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate that prohibits the use of funds to prepare, propose or
promulgate any regulations that prescribe changes in the
corporate average fuel economy standards for automobiles.
Amendment No. 156: Cancels $25,000,000 of the budgetary
resources provided to the Department of Transportation,
excluding the Maritime Administration, as proposed by the
House, instead of canceling $25,000,000 of the budgetary
resources provided to the Department of Transportation,
including the Maritime Administration, as proposed by the
Senate.
Amendment No. 157: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate and includes language proposed by the Senate which
requires the Secretary of Transportation to collocate and
consolidate the Department of Transportation's office
structure.
Amendment No. 158: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate and includes language proposed by the Senate which
requires the Secretary of Transportation to collocate and
consolidate the Department of Transportation's surface
transportation field offices and activities.
Amendment No. 159: Includes Senate language that permits
the Secretary of Transportation to submit a reorganization
plan of the surface transportation activities of the
Department of Transportation and the relationship of the
Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation to the
Department. The House bill included no similar provision.
Amendment No. 160: Permits the Secretary of Transportation
to transfer funds appropriated in this Act to ``Rental
Payments'' as proposed by the Senate. The House bill would
have permitted the Secretary of Transportation to transfer
funds appropriated for any office of the Office of the
Secretary.
Amendment No. 161: Prohibits funds for certain specified
types of employee training activities, as proposed by the
House. The Senate bill required that training be consistent
with current law.
Amendment No. 162: Prohibits funds for enforcing the
existing airport revenue diversion laws, and which require
airports to be as self-sustaining as possible, as they relate
to specified facilities on Hot Springs Memorial Field in Hot
Springs, Arkansas, as proposed by the House. The Senate bill
contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 163: Deletes language in the Senate bill
requiring that time an individual has spent on the workers'
compensation rolls be counted as regular employment time for
the purpose of calculating retirement benefits. In addition,
the conference agreement deletes lines 1 through 13 on page
53 of the House engrossed bill, H.R. 2002. The effect of this
and the preceding disposition is to delete all language in
the House and Senate bills requiring changes in the
eligibility of employees to receive workers' compensation
payments after becoming eligible for regular federal
retirement benefits. Both the House and Senate bills required
a cessation of workers' compensation benefits six months
after retirement eligibility is reached.
The conferees are concerned, however, that for many
individuals, workers' compensation has become a more
lucrative alternative to regular retirement. For example, in
the FAA alone, almost 500 people on the workers' compensation
rolls are at least 70 years of age, and over 1,200 are over
60. The current system allows these people to remain on the
workers' compensation rolls even when disability retirement
is available to them and even when there is little or no
chance they will be returned to work in the agency. These
cases create a drain on the annual discretionary budget of
agencies like the FAA, which are forced to use those scarce
funds to finance what is essentially a retirement program--
and one with excessive and unnecessary costs. To address this
issue on a government-wide basis, the conferees direct the
General Accounting Office to study this issue and report with
recommendations for reform to the House and Senate Committees
on Appropriations no later than May 31, 1996.
The conference agreement also includes a limitation against
using funds in this Act for activities designed to influence
Congress on legislation or appropriations pending before the
Congress except on the request of Members of Congress through
the proper official channels. The effect of this provision is
to restate, for emphasis, existing law codified in 18 U.S.C.
1813 regarding limitations on lobbying activities.
Amendment No. 164: Modifies House language deleted by the
Senate that prohibits the use of funds for technical
training, tours, research fellowships with citizens of the
People's Republic of China to exempt the Federal Aviation
Administration and the joint Federal Aviation Administration,
Department of Defense and Department of Commerce initiative
designed to modernize the air traffic control system of the
People's Republic of China.
Amendment No. 165: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate which prohibits the use of funds in the Act to support
Federal Transit Administration's field operations and
oversight of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority in any location other than from the Washington, DC
metropolitan area.
Amendment No. 166: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate which appropriates $8,421,000 to the successor of the
Interstate Commerce Commission and permits the collection of
fees collected pursuant to 31 U.S.C. 9701. The conferees
expect that the current level of user fees will continue to
be collected throughout the fiscal year unless changed by
authorization.
Amendment No. 167: Deletes language proposed by the Senate
that provides for the redistribution of funds originally
provided for a project in West Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana to
be available for a project in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and
inserts language that limits the use of funds for
improvements to the Miller Highway in New York City, New
York. The House bill addressed this issue in amendment
numbered 191.
Amendment No. 168: Includes language proposed by the Senate
that would require improvements identified by section 1069(t)
of Public Law 102-240 and funded pursuant to section
118(c)(2) of title 23, U.S.C. shall not be treated as an
allocation for interstate maintenance. The House bill
contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 169: Includes Senate language which requires
the Secretary of Transportation to carry out research to
identify successful telecommuting programs. The House bill
contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 170: Includes Senate language which would
exempt Indian Reservation Roads from any reductions required
pursuant to section 1003 of Public Law 102-240. The House
bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 171: Deletes Senate provision that would have
allowed states to trade in unobligated balances of their
federal-aid highway program, except for the congestion
mitigation and air quality improvement program, to mitigate
reductions pursuant to
[[Page H 10514]]
section 1003 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation
Efficiency Act. The House bill contained no similar
provision.
Amendment No. 172: Deletes Senate provision that would have
allowed states to trade in unobligated balances of funds
authorized or appropriated for highway demonstration projects
to mitigate reductions pursuant to section 1003 of the
Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act. The House
bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 173: Deletes Senate provision that would have
established interstate compact infrastructure banks. The
House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 174: Retains, with amendment, language in the
Senate bill requiring development of a new personnel
management system for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The House bill contained no similar provisions. The
conference agreement includes the following changes to the
Senate bill: (a) the official responsible for development and
implementation of the new personnel system is the FAA
administrator, not the Secretary; and (b) the new system
shall not waive current law relating to veterans' preference
and unemployment compensation. The provision takes effect on
April 1, 1996, as proposed by the Senate.
Management-labor relationship.--The conferees believe that
a harmonious management-labor relationship within the FAA is
important to the effectiveness and efficiency of the national
airspace system. The conferees do not intend that the
personnel management reforms included in this bill force the
disestablishment of any existing management-labor agreement
or lead to the dissolution of any union currently
representing FAA employees. Instead, the conference agreement
provides the administrator of the FAA flexibility to redefine
the management-labor relationship to the benefit of the
agency and all of its employees.
Administrator's working group.--The conferees have included
bill language which requires the FAA to develop new personnel
and procurement reform plans, with the goal of accelerating
the modernization of the FAA in the most efficient and cost-
effective manner. The conferees believe the success of this
plan will, in part, depend upon the assistance of the entire
aviation community. The conferees would like to see high
level input from the aviation community. The conferees
therefore strongly recommend that the administrator consult
with the widest array of interested parties in developing the
new personnel and procurement systems. The administrator
should consider establishing a working group to assist his
efforts. The working group could include, but not be limited
to, representatives from the air carriers, general and
business aviation, airports, aircraft manufacturers, airline
and FAA employees, and the Office of the Secretary of
Defense.
Amendment No. 175: Retains, with amendment, language in the
Senate bill requiring development of a new acquisition
management system for the Federal Aviation Administration.
The House bill contained no similar provisions. The
conference agreement changes the official responsibile for
development and implementation of the new acquisition system
to the FAA administrator, not the Secretary. The provision
takes effect on April 1, 1996, as proposed by the Senate.
Amendment No. 176: Reduces bonuses and cash awards for
Department of Transportation employees by $752,852 as
proposed by the Senate. The House bill included no similar
provision.
Amendment No. 177: Limits funds for Department of
Transportation advisory committees to $850,000 as proposed by
the Senate. The House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 178: Includes provision that enables the
Secretary of Transportation to enforce and continue in effect
the exemption provisions of the Motor Vehicle Information and
Cost Savings Act. The House bill contains no similar
provision.
Amendment No. 179: Provides that the FAA Technical Center
in Pomona, New Jersey be designated as the ``William J.
Hughes Technical Center'', as proposed by the Senate. The
House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 180: Provides that no funds may be used to
close Coast Guard small boat stations or subunits, and allows
flexibility for the Secretary to implement system-wide
management efficiencies, as proposed by the Senate. The House
bill contained no similar provision. The conferees support
Coast Guard downsizing and streamlining efforts in general,
but find that in this instance the Coast Guard's methodology
failed to fairly consider distinctions between small boat
stations, such as water temperature and survival time,
leading ultimately to a proposal which lacked critical
justification.
Amendment No. 181: Deletes Senate language that would
redistribute funds made available for obligation authorized
by item 21 of the table in section 1105(f) of Public Law 102-
240 to carry out additional surface transportation projects
in Louisiana. The House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 182: Includes Senate language that provides
for the transfer of certain federal property in Hoboken, New
Jersey. The House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 183: Deletes Senate language which requires a
five percent reduction from fiscal year 1995 levels in the
energy costs of federal facilities used by agencies funded in
this Act. The conferees are aware that this issue will be
addressed government-wide by the Treasury, Postal Service and
General Government Appropriations Act, 1996.
Amendment No. 184: Deletes language proposed by the Senate
requiring the Secretary of Transportation to conduct a study
of competition and air fares in rural aviation markets in the
United States.
Amendment No. 185: Includes Senate language that would
provide $1,000,000 to establish and operate the Railroad
Safety Institute. The House bill contained no similar
provision. The conference agreement also addresses this issue
under amendment numbered 6.
Amendment No. 186: Retains language proposed by the Senate
expressing the sense of the Senate regarding a dispute
between the United States and Japan over implementation of
the current U.S./Japan bilateral aviation agreement. The
House bill contained no similar provision.
Amendment No. 187: Includes Senate language which modifies
provisions of section 339 of the Department of Transportation
and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1993 (Public Law
102-388). The House bill included no similar provision.
Amendment No. 188: Deletes Senate provision that repeals
section 404 of 23 U.S.C. and inserts language that waives the
freight tonnage limit for rail lines benefiting from the
Local Rail Freight Assistance (LRFA) program for a project
near Wahpeton, North Dakota. The funds are proceeds from LRFA
loans that have been repaid to the State. Approximately
$2,300,000 may be used for the partial cost of a privately
owned rail spur, siding, and loading facility.
Amendment No. 189: Includes Senate language that would have
delayed the restriction on the availability of certain
highway funds and designated the National Highway System. The
House bill contained no similar provision.
TITLE IV
Amendment No. 190: Restores House language deleted by the
Senate which provides for mandatory standards and procedures
governing arbitrators and arbitration of labor disputes in
the Washington, DC area.
TITLE V
Amendment No. 191: Deletes title V of the House bill which
restricts the use of funds for improvements to the Miller
Highway in New York City, New York. This prohibition is
included under amendment numbered 167.
conference total--with comparisons
The total new budget (obligational) authority for the
fiscal year 1996 recommended by the Committee of Conference,
with comparisons to the fiscal year 1995 amount, the 1996
budget estimates, and the House and Senate bills for 1996
follow:
New budget (obligational) authority, fiscal year 1995...$14,214,401,000
Budget estimates of new (obligational) authority, fiscal 35,468,964,831
House bill, fiscal year 1996.............................12,810,725,806
Senate bill, fiscal year 1996............................12,613,811,567
Conference agreement, fiscal year 1996...................12,680,532,831
Conference agreement compared with:....................................
New budget (obligational) authority, fiscal year 1995..-1,533,868,169
Budget estimates of new (obligational) authority, fisc-22,788,432,000
House bill, fiscal year 1996.............................-130,192,975
Senate bill, fiscal year 1996.............................+66,721,264
[[Page H 10515]]
[[Page H 10520]]
Frank R. Wolf,
Tom DeLay,
Ralph Regula,
Harold Rogers,
Jim Lightfoot,
Ron Packard,
Sonny Callahan,
Jay Dickey,
Bob Livingston,
Martin Olav Sabo (except amendments 174 and 190),
Richard J. Durbin (except amendments 132, 174, and 190),
Ronald D. Coleman (except amendment 174),
Thomas M. Foglietta (except amendment 174),
David R. Obey (except amendment 174)
Managers on the Part of the House.
Mark O. Hatfield,
Pete V. Domenici,
Arlen Specter,
Christopher S. Bond,
Slade Gorton,
Richard C. Shelby,
Frank R. Lautenberg,
Tom Harkin,
Barbara A. Mikulski,
Managers on the Part of the Senate.
