Commuter Protection Act - Amends the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to expand the requirement that certain bridge tolls be just and reasonable to all bridges or tunnels constructed on a federal-aid highway. (Current law applies the just and reasonable toll requirement only to bridges constructed under the Bridge Act of 1906, the General Bridge Act of 1946, or the International Bridge Act of 1972.)
Requires that tolls for all such bridges and tunnels be subject to review and regulation by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT), upon complaint or the initiative of the Secretary, including with respect to increases in the amount of tolls.
Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to define, determine, and, when appropriate, prescribe just and reasonable toll rates.
Requires that such regulations: (1) establish an administrative complaint process for aggrieved persons to challenge such determinations or toll rate increases on bridges or tunnels, (2) authorize the Secretary or an administrative law judge to conduct investigations and hold formal hearings on such complaints, and (3) permit complainants to seek judicial review of a final administrative determination in a U.S. district court.
Directs the Comptroller General to: (1) evaluate the use of tolls by interstate authorities to maintain and improve surface transportation facilities, and (2) make recommendations to increase transparency and accountability of the funding decisions by those authorities.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3684 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3684
To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance
Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to permit
Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain
surface transportation facilities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 15, 2011
Mr. Grimm (for himself and Mr. Reed) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance
Act of 1987 to authorize the Secretary of Transportation to permit
Federal regulation and review of tolls and toll increases on certain
surface transportation facilities, and for other purposes.
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 ``Commuter Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS.
(a) In General.--Section 135 of the Surface Transportation and
Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (33 U.S.C. 508; Public Law
100-17; 101 Stat. 174) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 135. REVIEW AND REGULATION OF TOLLS.
``(a) In General.--Tolls for passage or transit over any bridge
constructed under the Act of March 23, 1906 (33 U.S.C. 491 et seq.)
(commonly known as the `Bridge Act of 1906'), the General Bridge Act of
1946 (33 U.S.C. 525 et seq.), or the International Bridge Act of 1972
(33 U.S.C. 535 et seq.), and over or through any bridge or tunnel
constructed on a Federal-aid highway (as defined in section 101(a) of
title 23, United States Code) under any other provision of law, shall
be--
``(1) just and reasonable; and
``(2) subject to review and regulation by the Secretary,
upon complaint or the initiative of the Secretary, including
with respect to increases in the amount of tolls.
``(b) Regulations.--The Secretary shall promulgate such regulations
as are necessary to carry out this section, including regulations
that--
``(1)(A) define the term `just and reasonable' for purposes
of this section;
``(B) establish a process to determine whether tolls are
just and reasonable for purposes of this section; and
``(C) prescribe, when appropriate, the just and reasonable
rates of tolls to be charged under this section;
``(2) establish a process for the filing of an
administrative complaint to challenge a determination described
in paragraph (1)(B);
``(3) authorize the Secretary, or a designated
administrative law judge--
``(A) to consider a complaint from any person
aggrieved by a toll increase on any bridge or tunnel
described in subsection (a); and
``(B) to conduct an investigation and, if
appropriate, hold a formal hearing on such a complaint;
and
``(4) authorize a person who submitted a complaint
described in paragraph (3)(A) to challenge the final
administrative determination of the Secretary or administrative
law judge on the complaint, after issuance of that
determination, in the appropriate United States district court
in accordance with subchapter II of chapter 5, and chapter 7,
of title 5, United States Code (commonly known as the
`Administrative Procedure Act').''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--The table of contents for the Surface
Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 (23 U.S.C.
101 note; Public Law 100-17) is amended by striking the item relating
to section 135 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 135. Review and regulation of tolls.''.
SEC. 3. STUDY ON USE OF TOLLS BY INTERSTATE AUTHORITIES.
As soon as practicable after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Comptroller General shall conduct, and submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report on the results of, a study--
(1) to evaluate the use of tolls by interstate authorities
to maintain and improve surface transportation facilities; and
(2) to make recommendations to increase transparency and
accountability of the funding decisions by those authorities.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
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