,i  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #eege  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,september #ah1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,crowley 7for himself1 ,mr4       
,rangel1 ,mr4 ,meeks1 and ,mr4 ,nadler7 
introduced the following bill2 which was
 referred to the ,committee on          
,transportation and ,infrastructure  ,a 
,,bill  ,to direct the ,secretary of    
,transportation to establish a program  
to provide grants to carry out projects 
to reduce railway noise levels that     
adversely impact schools located in     
urbanized areas1 and for other purposes4
  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be    
cited as the ,peaceful ,learning ,act of
 #bjad4  #b4 ,definitions  7a7 ,in      
general ,except as otherwise            
specifically provided1 in this ,act the 
definitions in section #ecjb of title   
#di1 ,united ,states ,code1 shall apply4
  7b7 ,additional definitions ,in this  
,act1 the following additional          
definitions apply3  7#a7 ,local         
educational agency ,the term local      

educational agency has the meaning given
 that term in section #iaja of the      
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja74    
7#b7 ,rail operator ,the term rail      
operator means an owner or operator of a
 fixed rail public transportation       
facility4  7#c7 ,railway noise ,the term
 railway noise means noise caused by a  
fixed rail public transportation        
facility4  7#d7 ,school ,the term school
 means an elementary school or a        
secondary school 7as those terms are    
defined in section #iaja of the         
,elementary and ,secondary ,education   
,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ghja774   
#c4 ,railway noise study  7a7 ,in       
,general ,the ,secretary of             
,transportation shall enter into an     
agreement with the ,national ,academy of
 ,sciences to conduct a study on railway
 noise in the ,united ,states4  7b7     
,contents of ,study ,in conducting the  
study1 the ,national ,academy of        
,sciences shall examine--  7#a7 the     

threshold of railway noise at which     
health begins to be affected2  7#b7 the 
effectiveness of noise abatement        
programs for railway noise on the       
property of a school2  7#c7 the impacts 
of railway noise on schools2 and  7#d7  
the noise assessment practices of the   
,department of ,transportation and      
whether such practices fairly and       
accurately reflect the burden of noise  
on communities4  7c7 ,report ,not later 
than #ab months after the date of the   
agreement entered into under subsection 
7a71 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences
 shall transmit to the ,secretary a     
report on the results of the study4     
,upon receipt of the report1 the        
,secretary shall transmit a copy of the 
report to the appropriate committees of 
,congress4  #d4 ,noise measurement and  
exposure systems  ,not later than #ab   
months after the date of submission of  
the report under section #c1 in         
consultation with the ,administrator of 
the ,environmental ,protection ,agency  

and ,government1 ,state1 and interstate 
agencies that the ,secretary of         
,transportation considers appropriate1  
the ,secretary shall by regulation--    
7#a7 establish a single system of       
measuring railway noise that--  7,a7 has
 a highly reliable relationship between 
projected railway noise exposure and    
surveyed reactions of individuals to    
noise2 and  7,b7 is applied uniformly in
 measuring railway noise near urbanized 
areas2  7#b7 establish a single system  
for determining the exposure of         
individuals to railway noise in         
urbanized areas1 including noise        
intensity1 duration1 frequency1 and time
 of occurrence2 and  7#c7 based on the  
findings of the report required under   
section #c1 determine minimum standards 
for railway noise levels on the property
 of a school located in an urbanized    
area4  #e4 ,noise exposure maps  7a7    
,submission and ,preparation ,not later 
than #ab months after the date of       
issuance of regulations under section   

#d1 each rail operator shall submit to  
the ,secretary of ,transportation a     
noise exposure map showing any areas of 
nonconforming railway noise levels      
7based on the standards developed under 
section #d7 that--  7#a7 adversely      
impact a school located in an urbanized 
area2 and  7#b7 are caused by operations
 of the rail operator4  7b7 ,revised    
,maps ,if a change in the rail          
operations of a rail operator described 
in subsection 7a7 establishes a         
substantial new nonconforming noise     
level on the property of a school       
located in an urbanized area1 or        
significantly reduces nonconforming     
noise levels on the property of such a  
school1 that is not reflected in the    
noise exposure map1 the rail operator   
shall submit a revised noise exposure   
map to the ,secretary showing the new   
nonconforming noise levels or noise     
level reduction4  #f4 ,noise            
compatibility programs  7a7 ,program    
submission ,a rail operator that        

submitted a noise exposure map under    
section #e may submit a noise           
compatibility program to the ,secretary 
of ,transportation after--  7#a7        
consulting with public agencies and     
planning authorities in the area covered
 by the map2 and  7#b7 notice and an    
opportunity for a public hearing4  7b7  
,contents of program ,a program         
submitted under subsection 7a7 shall    
state the measures the rail operator has
 taken or proposes to take to reduce    
existing nonconforming noise levels on  
the property of a school and prevent    
creating additional nonconforming noise 
levels in the area covered by the map4  
,the measures may include constructing  
barriers or acoustical shielding and    
soundproofing of schools subject to a   
nonconforming noise level4  7c7         
,approvals ,the ,secretary shall approve
 or disapprove a program submitted under
 subsection 7a7 of this section not     
later than #ahj days after receiving it4
 ,the ,secretary shall approve the      

program if the program--  7#a7 is       
reasonably consistent with achieving the
 goal of reducing nonconforming noise   
levels on the property of a school and  
preventing the introduction of          
additional nonconforming noise levels on
 the property of a school2 and  7#b7    
provides for necessary revisions because
 of a revised map submitted under       
section #e4  7d7 ,grants ,the ,secretary
 may incur obligations to make grants   
from amounts available under section #h 
to carry out a project under a part of a
 noise compatibility program approved   
under subsection 7c74 ,a grant may be   
made to a rail operator submitting the  
program to carry out the program        
directly or in cooperation with--  7#a7 
a local educational agency of a school  
that is subject to nonconforming noise  
levels2 or  7#b7 a unit of local        
government in the area surrounding the  
school that has nonconforming noise     
levels4  7e7 ,federal share ,the        
,federal share of a project for which a 

grant is made under subsection 7d7 is   
#hj percent of the cost of the project4 
#g4 ,nonadmissibility of noise exposure 
map and related information as evidence 
,no part of a noise exposure map or     
related information described in section
 #e that is submitted to1 or prepared   
by1 the ,secretary of ,transportation   
and no part of a list of land uses the  
,secretary identifies as normally       
compatible with various exposures of    
individuals to noise may be admitted    
into evidence or used for any other     
purpose in a civil action asking for    
relief for noise resulting from the     
operation of a fixed rail public        
transportation facility4  #h4           
,authorization of appropriations ,there 
are authorized to be appropriated from  
the ,mass ,transit ,account of the      
,highway ,trust ,fund under section     
#ecch of title #di1 ,united ,states     
,code1 such funds as may be necessary to
 carry out this ,act4