,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dahg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,july #b1 #bjbj,mr4 ,blumenthal 7for himself and ,mr4 ,udall7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works ,july #bg1 #bjbj;,committee discharged2 referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund to ensure a safe1 sustainable1 convenient transportation option for the people of the ,united ,states1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,an effective transportation system for the ,nation requires dedicated1 predictable ,federal funding for various capital and operating expenses1 as demonstrated by the ,highway ,trust ,fund1 which supports all ,federal highway programs1 most public transit programs1 and many ,federal transportation safety programs4 7#b7 ,intercity passenger rail is the only surface transportation mode in the ,united ,states that-- 7,a7 does not receive any ,federal funding through a trust fund for capital investment2 and 7,b7 is completely dependent on annual discretionary appropriations for both its capital expenses and its operating costs4 7#c7 ,in fiscal year #bjai1 ,amtrak experienced record ridership1 a historic low operating loss1 and a record capital spend rate4 7#d7 ,in markets with sufficient infrastructure and train frequency1 ,amtrak has proven to be an effective mode of transportation compared to commercial air and bus service and private automobile use4 7#e7 ,intercity passenger rail offers substantial safety1 energy1 and environmental advantages compared to most other transportation modes1 but decades of insufficient capital funding has drastically limited the role that intercity passenger rail can play in the ,nation's overall transportation network4 7#f7 ,there are critical capital needs for the ,northeast ,corridor and the ,national ,network1 including infrastructure1 fleet1 stations1 and facilities4 7#g7 ,adding to the urgency of these capital investment needs1 due to changing demographics1 population growth1 urbanization1 and changing travel trends1 intercity passenger rail will be needed to help move our ,nation into the future4 7#h7 ,for these reasons1 an ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund is needed now1 more than ever1 to ensure a safe1 sustainable1 convenient transportation option for the people of the ,united ,states4 #c4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund 7a7 ,in general ,subchapter ,a of chapter #ih of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following3 #ieab4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,treasury of the ,united ,states a trust fund1 which shall be known as the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund1 consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated or credited to the ,intercity ,passenger ,railroad ,trust ,fund as provided in this section and section #ifjb7;b74 7b7 ,transfer to ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund 7#a7 ,in general ,there is hereby appropriated to the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund for fiscal year #bjba1 and for each fiscal year thereafter1 an amount equal to #ej percent of the average annual amounts appropriated to the ,highway ,trust ,fund under section #iejc for fiscal years #bjjh through #bjbj4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriation of additional sums ,there are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund such additional sums as may be required to make the expenditures referred to in subsection 7c74 7c7 ,expenditures from the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund ,amounts in the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund shall be available for obligation without further appropriations action for making expenditures to carry out section #bdcad of title #di4 4 7b7 ,clerical amendment ,the table of sections for subchapter ,a of chapter #ih of such ,code is amended by adding at the end the following new item3 ,sec4 #ieab4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund4 4 #d4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund expenditures 7a7 ,in general ,chapter #bdc of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after section #bdcac the following3 #bdcad4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund expenditures 7a7 ,expenditures from the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund ,amounts deposited into the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund each fiscal year pursuant to section #ieab7;b7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf shall be available for obligation1 without further appropriation1 in accordance with the ratios set forth in subsection 7b74 ,amounts made available under this section shall remain available until expended4 7b7 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund expenditure ratios ,the ,secretary may use amounts deposited into the ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund each fiscal year to award grants to ,amtrak1 in accordance with the process described in section #bdcai4 ,of the grant funds awarded pursuant to this subsection-- 7#a7 #dj percent shall be used for activities associated with the ,northeast ,corridor2 and 7#b7 #fj percent shall be used for activities associated with the ,national ,network4 7c7 ,savings provision ,nothing in this section may be construed as prohibiting discretionary funding from being provided to ,amtrak4 4 7b7 ,conforming amendment ,the analysis for chapter #bdc of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section #bdcac the following3 #bdcad4 ,intercity ,passenger ,rail ,trust ,fund expenditures4 4