Department of Transportation Appropriations Act, FY2000

Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 (with specified rescissions, transfers of funds, limitations on obligations and administrative expenses, and liquidations of contract authorizations) for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Transportation; (2) the Coast Guard; (3) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (4) the Federal Highway Administration (FHA); (5) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; (6) the Federal Railroad Administration; (7) the Federal Transit Administration; (8) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (9) the Research and Special Programs Administration; (10) the Office of Inspector General; and (11) the Surface Transportation Board.

Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 2000 for: (1) the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; and (2) the National Transportation Safety Board.

Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth specified prohibitions, limitations, permissions, and mandates with respect to the use of appropriations under this Act identical or similar to those enacted in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999 (P.L. 105-277).

(Sec. 314) Authorizes airports to transfer to the FAA, without consideration, instrument landing systems (along with associated approach lighting equipment and runway visual range equipment) which conform to FAA design and performance specifications and which were purchased with airport development grant funds.

(Sec. 318) Bars the use of funds under this Act to compensate in excess of 320 technical staff-years under the federally funded research and development center contract between the FAA and the Center for Advanced Aviation Systems Development during FY 2000.

(Sec. 319) Reduces the amount of funds provided in this Act for the Transportation Administrative Service Center (TASC).

(Sec. 322) Makes airport development and noise compatibility program funds available for apportionment in FY 2000 in amounts equal to those apportioned in FY 1999 to airport sponsors of primary airports: (1) whose passenger boardings fell below 10,000; (2) which had at least 10,000 passenger boardings in the calendar year prior to the calendar year used to calculate apportionments to airport sponsors in a fiscal year; and (3) in which the cause of the shortfall in passenger boardings was a temporary but significant interruption in service by an air carrier to that airport due to an employment action, natural disaster, or other event unrelated to the demand for air transportation at the affected airport.

(Sec. 325) Prohibits the use of funds (as in Public Law 105-277) for employee training which: (1) does not meet identified needs for knowledge, skills, and abilities bearing directly upon the performance of official duties; (2) contains elements likely to induce high levels of emotional response or psychological stress in some participants; (3) does not require prior employee notification of the content and methods to be used in the training and written end of course evaluations; (4) contains any methods or content associated with religious or quasi-religious belief systems or "new age" belief systems; (5) is offensive to, or designed to change, participants' personal values or lifestyle outside the workplace; or (6) includes content related to human immunodeficiency virus-acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV-AIDS) other than that necessary to make employees more aware of its medical ramifications and the workplace rights of HIV-positive employees.

(Sec. 326) Bars the use of funds, unless authorized by Congress, to pay for specified lobbying activities with respect to a Member of Congress or a State legislature. Permits DOT or related agency employees to communicate to Members of Congress or to a State legislature with respect to requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of business.

(Sec. 327) Prohibits expenditure of funds made available under this Act by any entity that does not agree to comply with the Buy American Act.

Expresses the sense of Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should purchase only U.S.-made equipment and products to the greatest extent practicable.

Prohibits the use of funds for contracts with persons falsely labeling products as made in America.

(Sec. 329) Makes receipts collected from users of fitness centers operated by or for the Department of Transportation available to support their operation and maintenance.

(Sec. 330) Declares that none of the funds in this Act shall be available to implement or enforce regulations that would result in the withdrawal of a slot from an air carrier at O'Hare International Airport in excess of the total slots withdrawn from that air carrier as of October 31, 1993, if such additional slot is to be allocated to another air carrier or foreign air carrier.

(Sec. 331) Requires the transfer of funds made available under this Act, and any prior year unobligated funds, for the Charleston, South Carolina Monobeam Corridor Project to the Transit Planning and Research Account.

(Sec. 332) Prohibits the provision of essential air service subsidies to communities in the 48 contiguous States that are fewer than 70 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport, or that require a rate of subsidy per passenger in excess of $200, unless such point is greater than 210 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport.

(Sec. 335) Authorizes appropriations for expenses of the Amtrak Reform Council for FY 2001. Includes within the duties of such Council the identification of Amtrak routes which are candidates for closure or realignment based on performance rankings developed by Amtrak which incorporate information on each route's fully allocated costs and ridership on core intercity passenger service, and which assume that Federal subsidies for Amtrak will decline from FY 1999 to FY 2002.

(Sec. 337) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for: (1) activities under the Aircraft Purchase Loan Guarantee Program; and (2) operations of the Office of Motor Carriers within the FHA.

(Sec. 339) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to set at a maximum of 80 percent (currently, 80 percent period) the Government's FY 1999-2000 share of operating expenses in a grant for a capital mass transportation project in which the recipient: (1) is providing transit services in a smaller urbanized area (population between 128,000 and 128,200); and (2) has adopted a five-year transit plan before September 1, 1998. (Thus allows the Government to pay less than an 80 percent share of such expenses.)

(Sec. 342) Limits to 90 percent the FY 2000 Federal share of certain projects for intercity, fixed-route, over-the-road bus service.

(Sec. 343) Earmarks specified amounts made available to the Coast Guard for a multi-mission vessel to replace the Mackinaw icebreaker in the Great Lakes.

(Sec. 345) Prohibits the use of funds in this Act for the planning or development of the California State Route 710 Freeway extension project through South Pasadena, California (as approved in the Record of Decision on State Route 710 Freeway, issued by the United States Department of Transportation, FHA, on April 13, 1998).

(Sec. 346) Prohibits the use of funds to enforce any regulation or law that requires an air carrier that provides intrastate or interstate air transportation to provide a peanut-free buffer zone or any other related peanut-restricted area, or restrict the distribution of peanuts, until 90 days after submission to Congress and the Secretary of Transportation of a peer-reviewed scientific study that determines that there are severe reactions by passengers to peanuts as a result of contact with very small airborne peanut particles of the kind that passengers might encounter in an aircraft.

(Sec. 349) Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to convey, without consideration, all right, title, and interest of the United States (including all easements and rights-of-way) in certain real property located in New Castle, New Hampshire, to the University of New Hampshire. Requires the University to: (1) not interfere with the operation of the Coast Guard Station Portsmouth Harbor, New Hampshire, without the Commandant's permission; and (2) use such property for educational, research, or other public purposes.

(Sec. 350) Prohibits a recipient of funds made available under this Act from disseminating: (1) driver's license personal information or motor vehicle records for any purpose not permitted under specified law; and (2) a person's driver license photograph, social security number, and medical or disability information from a motor vehicle record without the express consent of the person, except as permitted under specified law. Declares that such requirements shall not affect the use of organ donation information on the individual's driver license or affect the administration of organ donation initiatives in the States. Excludes specified States from immediate compliance with such requirements pending the Supreme Court's decision on Reno vs. Condon.

(Sec. 351) Earmarks amounts provided in this Act for completion of the National Advanced Driving Simulator (NADS).

(Sec. 352) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to repeal and replace the authorization of appropriations for construction of a certain replacement bridge in Harford County, Maryland, with an authorization of appropriations for improvements to certain other bridges in the same county.

(Sec. 353) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the U.S. Census Bureau: (1) has wrongfully decided not to include marital status on the 2000 decennial census questionnaire to be distributed to the majority of Americans; and (2) should include marital status on the short form 2000 decennial census.

(Sec. 354) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Secretary of Transportation should amend certain Federal regulations to double the applicable penalties for involuntary denied airline boardings and allow those passengers that are involuntarily denied boarding the option of obtaining a prompt cash refund for the full value of their airline ticket.

(Sec. 355) Amends the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997 to repeal the mandate that Federal agencies refuse to accept, for any identification-related purpose, a State-issued driver's license or other comparable identification document that does not meet specified Federal requirements (including presence of a social security account number).

(Sec. 356) Declares that certain funds made available for the Pittsburgh North Shore central business district transit options MIS project may be used to fund any aspect of preliminary engineering, costs associated with an environmental impact statement, or a major investment study for that project.

(Sec. 360) Authorizes certain funds for Alaska or Hawaii ferry boats or ferry terminal facilities to be used to construct new vessels and facilities or to improve existing vessels and facilities, including both the passenger and vehicle-related elements of such vessels and facilities, and for repair facilities.

(Sec. 361) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to reduce the allocations for specified high priority transportation and highway projects for FY 1998 through 2003. Replaces the current high priority project to construct Highway 425 from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, to the Louisiana State Line with a high priority project to improve Highway 167 from Fordyce, Arkansas, to Saline County line. Allocates funds for construction of and improvements to highway projects in the corridor east of Wilmar and west of Monticello, Arkansas, to Pine Bluff.

(Sec. 362) Makes the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, intermodal facility eligible for funding for FY 1998 through 2003.

(Sec. 363) Authorizes the Dane County Corridor East-West Madison Metropolitan Area for alternatives analysis and preliminary engineering for FY 1998 through 2003.

(Sec. 364) Prohibits funds for construction of the Douglas Branch project. Directs the Federal Transit Administration to use "no build" and "TSM" alternatives when evaluating the project.

(Sec. 365) Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to make a grant for the purpose of conducting a study to: (1) develop methods for calculating reductions in emissions of precursors of ground level ozone that are achieved within a geographic area as a result of reduced vehicle-miles-traveled in the geographic area; (2) for purposes of reducing such emissions and compliance with the Clean Air Act, develop a pilot program whereby employers would authorize and encourage telecommuting by their employees, in exchange for tradable air pollution credits reflecting resulting emissions reductions; and (3) determine whether such program could have positive effects on national, State, and local transportation and infrastructure policies, and on energy conservation and consumption. Requires such program to be carried out in: (1) the greater metropolitan region of the District of Columbia (including areas in Maryland and Virginia); (2) the greater metropolitan region of Los Angeles, California; (3) the greater metropolitan region of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (including areas in the State of New Jersey); and (4) two additional areas to be selected by the grantee. Authorizes appropriations.

(Sec. 366) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to waive (provided such waiver would not result in the closure of an airport) any term or condition contained in the deed of conveyance dated April 3, 1956, in which the United States conveyed lands to the City of Safford, Arizona, for use by the city as an airport.

(Sec. 367) Bars the use of funds in this Act to make a grant unless the Secretary of Transportation notifies the Committees on Appropriations not less than three full business days before any discretionary grant award, letter of intent, or full funding grant agreement totaling $1 million or more is announced by the Department of Transportation or its modal administrations from: (1) any discretionary grant program of the FHA other than the emergency relief program; (2) the FAA airport improvement program; or (3) any FTA program other than the formula grants and fixed guideway modernization programs.

(Sec. 368) Makes funds provided in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Acts for fiscal years 1998 and 1999 for an intermodal facility in Eureka, California, available for the expansion and rehabilitation of a bus maintenance facility in Humboldt County, California.

(Sec. 369) Declares that funds previously expended by Moorhead and Moorhead Township, Minnesota, on studies related to the 34th Street Corridor Project in Moorhead shall be considered as the non-Federal match for obligation of specified funds associated with a study of alternatives to rail relocation.