Authorizes the payment from apportioned funds for the entire cost of construction projects involving the maintenance of protective devices at railway-highway crossings.
Provides for biennial (currently, annual) reports by each State to the Secretary of Transportation on progress being made to implement the railway-highway crossings program.
Requires each State to identify roadway safety improvement needs for hazardous locations, sections, and elements which may constitute a danger to motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Authorizes the Secretary to approve as a project under the hazard elimination program any safety improvement project that reduces the likelihood of crashes involving road departures, intersections, pedestrians, bicycles, older drivers, or construction work zones. Makes funds available for: (1) police assistance for traffic and speed management in construction work zones; (2) installation of barriers between construction work zones and traffic lanes for the safety of motorists and workers; or (3) compilation and analysis of data.
Directs the Secretary to: (1) transmit to specified congressional committees biennial reports on the results of the hazard elimination program; and (2) issue regulations to decrease the likelihood of worker injury and maintain the free flow of vehicular traffic by requiring workers whose duties place them on or in close proximity to a Federal-aid highway to wear high visibility garments. Authorizes such regulations to require other worker-safety measures.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 906 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 906
To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve roadway safety for
motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians and workers in proximity to
vehicle traffic.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 25, 2003
Mr. Quinn (for himself and Mr. Rahall) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 23, United States Code, to improve roadway safety for
motor vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians and workers in proximity to
vehicle traffic.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Surface Transportation Safety Act of
2003''.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATION OF HAZARDS RELATED TO HIGHWAY FACILITIES.
(a) Definition of Safety Improvement Project.--Section 101(a)(30)
of title 23, United States Code, is amended by inserting ``installs or
maintains fluorescent, yellow-green signs at pedestrian or bicycle
crossings or school zones,'' after ``call boxes,''.
(b) Railway-Highway Crossings.--
(1) Eligible projects.--The first sentence of section
130(a) of such title is amended by inserting ``maintenance of
protective devices,'' after ``structures,''.
(2) Funds for protective devices.--Section 130(e) of such
title is amended by striking ``At least \1/2\'' and inserting
``For each fiscal year, at least $150,000,000''.
(3) Biennial reports to congress.--The third sentence of
section 130(g) of such title is amended--
(A) by striking ``Committee on Environment and
Public Works'' and inserting ``Committees on
Environment and Public Works and Commerce, Science, and
Transportation''; and
(B) by striking ``not later than April 1 of each
year'' and inserting ``every other year''.
(4) Expenditure of funds.--Section 130 of such title is
further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(k) Expenditure of Funds.--Funds made available to carry out this
section shall be available for expenditure on compilation and analysis
of data in support of activities carried out under subsection (g).''.
(c) Availability of Surface Transportation Program Funds.--The
second sentence of section 133(d)(1) of such title is amended--
(1) by inserting ``equal'' after ``year an''; and
(2) by striking ``which is'' and all that follows before
the period.
(d) Hazard Elimination Program.--
(1) Purposes.--Section 152(a)(1) of such title is amended
by inserting after ``pedestrians,'' the following: ``identify
roadway safety improvement needs for such locations, sections,
and elements,''.
(2) Approval of projects.--Section 152(b) of such title is
amended by inserting before the period at the end the
following: ``, that reduces the likelihood of crashes involving
road departures, intersections, pedestrians, bicycles, older
drivers, or construction work zones''.
(3) Expenditure of funds.--Section 152(c) of such title is
amended--
(A) in paragraph (2) by striking ``or'' at the end;
(B) in paragraph (3) by striking the period at the
end and inserting a semicolon; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) police assistance for traffic and speed management in
construction work zones;
``(5) installation of barriers between construction work
zones and traffic lanes for the safety of motorists and
workers; or
``(6) compilation and analysis of data under subsections
(f) and (g).''.
(4) Conforming amendment.--Section 152(g) of such title is
amended by striking the third sentence and all that follows
through the period at the end of the section.
(5) Biennial report to congress.--Section 152 of such title
is amended--
(A) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection
(i); and
(B) by inserting after subsection (g) the
following:
``(h) Biennial Reports to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 years thereafter,
the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on the results of
the program under this section. The report shall include, at a minimum,
the following:
``(1) A summary of State projects completed under this
section categorized by the types of hazards described in
subsection (b) and a statement of the cost of such projects.
``(2) An analysis of the effectiveness of such projects in
reducing the number and severity of crashes at high hazard
locations.
``(3) An assessment of the adequacy of authorized funding
for the program and State use of such funding to address the
national need for such projects.
``(4) Recommendations for funding and program improvements
to reduce the number of high hazard locations.''.
SEC. 3. WORKER INJURY PREVENTION AND FREE FLOW OF VEHICULAR TRAFFIC.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Transportation shall issue regulations to decrease the
likelihood of worker injury and maintain the free flow of vehicular
traffic by requiring workers whose duties place them on or in close
proximity to a Federal-aid highway (as defined in section 101 of title
23, United States Code) to wear high visibility garments. Such
regulations may also require such other worker-safety measures for
workers with those duties as the Secretary determines appropriate.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E398-399)
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways, Transit and Pipelines.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line