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Rail Service Improvement Act of 1998
To ensure effective rail competition and maintain reasonable rates in the absence of effective competition.
Summary
This bill establishes new rules for rail transportation regulation to promote competition and reasonable rates. It extends from four months to sixteen months the time period for offering financial assistance to prevent railroad line abandonment or discontinuance. The bill directs the Surface Transportation Board to improve its procedures for deciding rate violation cases to make them faster and less expensive for complainants, and to report to Congress on improvements made and any recommended legislative changes. The bill clarifies that the primary objectives of federal rail policy are to ensure effective competition among rail carriers, maintain reasonable rates where competition is absent, and preserve railroad industry viability. It also allows consideration of a line's potential for future economic viability when reviewing abandonment or discontinuance applications.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
- Rep. Moran, Jerry [R-KS-1] (R-KS)
Actions (4)
- Aug 20, 1998 Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads. · house
- Aug 7, 1998 Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1571-1572)
- Aug 6, 1998 Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. · house
- Aug 6, 1998 Introduced in House
More bills on these subjects (8)
Other bills that carry the most legislative subjects in common with this one (topical discovery — distinct from the procedural related bills above).
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 6, 1998
Mr. Moran of Kansas introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
A BILL
To ensure effective rail competition and maintain reasonable rates in the absence of effective competition.
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 “Rail Service Improvement Act of 1998”.
SEC. 2. OFFERS OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO AVOID ABANDONMENT AND DISCONTINUANCE.
Section 10904 of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
(1) in subsection (c), by striking “4 months” and inserting “16 months”; and
(2) in subsections (d)(1) and (f)(3), by striking “4- month” each place it appears and inserting “16-month”.
SEC. 3. RATE CASE PROCEDURES.
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Surface Transportation Board shall—
(1) identify, and to the extent practicable implement, improvements to its procedures for deciding whether a rate, classification, rule, or order of a rail carrier is in violation of part A of subtitle IV of title 49, United States Code, that will result in a more expeditious resolution of issues and a less expensive process for parties initiating a complaint; and
(2) transmit to the Congress a report including—
(A) a description of actions taken under paragraph
(1);
(B) a description of further actions of the same nature anticipated but not yet taken; and
(C) recommendations for any changes in law required to make further improvements described in paragraph
(1).
SEC. 4. CLARIFICATION OF RAIL TRANSPORTATION POLICY.
Section 10101 of title 49, United States Code, is amended—
(1) by inserting “(a) In General.—” before “In regulating”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(b) Primary Objectives.—The primary objectives of the rail transportation policy of the United States shall be—
“(1) to ensure effective competition among rail carriers at origin and destination;
“(2) to maintain reasonable rates in the absence of effective competition; and
“(3) to ensure the continued health and viability of the railroad industry.”.
SEC. 5. APPROVAL OF ABANDONMENT OR DISCONTINUANCE.
Section 10903(e)(1)(B) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting “or are important to protect the potential for later revival of the railroad line as an economically viable railroad line” after “convenience and necessity”. <all>
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