,i  #aafth ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #aeae  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #e1 #bjai,mr4 
,la,malfa introduced the following bill2
 which was referred to the ,committee on
 ,transportation and ,infrastructure  ,a
 ,,bill  ,to direct the ,secretary of   
,transportation to require that any     
discretionary grant funds provided by   
the ,department of ,transportation for  
high-speed rail development in          
,california be reimbursed to the        
,federal ,government and to authorize   
additional funds for nationally         
significant freight and highway         
projects4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,high-,speed ,refund
 ,act4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3  7#a7 ,when presented to 
voters in #bjjh1 ,california's          
high-speed rail system was projected to 
cost #cc4f billion for a line from ,san 
,francisco to ,anaheim1 increasing #dj  
billion to add lines to ,sacramento and 
,san ,diego4  7#b7 ,the expanded        

project's cost swelled to more than #ajj
 billion1 with the ,san ,francisco to   
,anaheim line costing more than #gg     
billion1 and now the ,state of          
,california's high-speed rail plan no   
longer includes any stops in            
,sacramento1 ,san ,francisco1 ,los      
,angeles1 ,anaheim1 or ,san ,diego4     
7#c7 ,when presented to voters in #bjjh1
 ,california claimed the ,federal       
,government would pay between a quarter 
and a third of the cost of the rail     
system4  7#d7 ,the ,federal ,government 
had no such grant program at the time1  
and the #d billion invested in the      
project represents less than #e percent 
of the updated cost projections4  7#e7  
,at the current level of project        
employment it would take nearly #djj    
years to accomplish the #a1jjj1jjj      
job-years promised by the ,california   
,high-,speed ,rail ,authority4  7#f7 ,no
 significant private companies have     
invested in the ,california high-speed  
rail project4  7#g7 ,the grant creation 

and award process for the ,california   
high-speed rail project did not         
incorporate the best practices of       
,government funding4  7#h7 ,the grant   
agreement between the ,federal          
,government and ,california did not     
require a feasible funding package to be
 prepared before awarding funds1 which  
similar mass transit programs require4  
7#i7 ,the grant agreement between the   
,federal ,government and ,california did
 not require a minimum operable segment 
before awarding funds1 which similar    
mass transit programs require4  7#aj7   
,the grant agreement between the        
,federal ,government and ,california did
 not require new high-speed trains to   
run on the new high-speed rail system4  
7#aa7 ,the ,department of               
,transportation inappropriately allowed 
the ,state of ,california to spend      
,federal money without a required ,state
 funding match4  7#ab7 ,the ,california 
,high-,speed ,rail ,authority repeatedly
 failed to meet deadlines and           

underestimated costs4  7#ac7 ,on ,march 
#e1 #bjai1 the ,federal ,rail           
,administration1 having recognized the  
failure of ,california to build even a  
small fraction of the originally        
approved high-speed rail system1        
deobligated nearly #a billion in        
,federal funding4  7#ad7 ,no passenger  
rail system in the world has ever been  
fully self-sufficient4  7#ae7 ,there are
 dozens of worthy infrastructure        
projects that would improve the quality 
of life for every day ,americans and    
could easily have been designed1        
approved1 built1 and have benefitted    
local economies in the time it took for 
,california's high-speed rail proposal  
to fail4  #c4 ,sense of ,congress ,it is
 the ,sense of ,congress that any future
 high-speed rail grant programs that are
 awarded funds by the ,federal          
,government should have similar or      
higher requirements than existing mass  
transit programs4  #d4 ,treatment of    
funds provided for high-speed rail      

development in ,california  7a7         
,reimbursement of funds ,the ,secretary 
of ,transportation shall take such      
action as is necessary to require that  
any discretionary grant funds provided  
to the ,state of ,california by the     
,department of ,transportation for      
high-speed rail corridor development be 
reimbursed to the general fund of the   
,treasury4  7b7 ,authorization of       
appropriations for nationally           
significant freight and highway projects
 ,section #aaja7;a77#e77;,e7 of the     
,,fast ,act 7#bc ,u4,s4,c4 #aja note7 is
 amended by striking #a1jjj1jjj1jjj for 
fiscal year #bjbj and inserting         
#d1ejj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbj4