,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #dijf ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,november #ah1 #bjbj,mrs4 ,fischer 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,peters1 ,mr4 ,moran1 and ,mr4 ,tester7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to establish a portal and database to receive and maintain information regarding blocked railroad-highway grade crossings and to require the ,secretary of ,transportation to evaluate the requirements of the railway-highway crossings program4 #a4 ,blocked railroad-highway grade crossings portal 7a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator of the ,federal ,railroad ,administration 7referred to in this section as the ,,fra7 shall establish and maintain a portal and corresponding database through which the ,,fra shall receive information on blocked railroad-highway grade crossings as a #c-year pilot program4 7b7 ,contents ,the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall-- 7#a7 provide examples to users regarding common causes of blocked crossings1 such as-- 7,a7 idling or moving trains2 or 7,b7 instances when lights or gates are activated when no train is present2 7#b7 provide the complainant with the contact information for reporting a blocked crossing to the relevant railroad2 and 7#c7 encourage the complainant to report the blocked crossing to the relevant railroad4 7c7 ,complaints ,the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall be programmed to receive complaints from the general public about blocked railroad-highway grade crossings4 ,any complaint reported through the portal shall indicate whether the complainant also reported the blocked crossing to the relevant railroad4 7d7 ,information received ,in reviewing complaints received pursuant to subsection 7c71 the ,,fra1 to the extent practicable1 shall review the information received from the complainant to account for duplicative or erroneous reporting4 7e7 ,use of information ,the information received and maintained in the database established pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall be used by ,,fra-- 7#a7 to assist the ,,fra in identifying the locations and potential impacts of frequent and long-duration blocked railroad-highway grade crossings2 7#b7 as a basis for outreach to communities1 emergency responders1 and railroads2 and 7#c7 to support collaboration in the prevention of incidents at railroad-highway grade crossings4 7f7 ,sharing information received 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,,fra shall implement and make publicly available procedures for sharing any nonaggregated information received through the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a7 with the public4 7#b7 ,rule of construction ,nothing in this section may be construed to authorize the ,,fra to make publically available sensitive security information4 7g7 ,additional information ,if the information submitted to the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a7 is insufficient to determine the locations and potential impacts of frequent and long-duration blocked railroad-highway grade crossings1 the ,,fra may collect1 from the general public and from ,state and local law enforcement personnel1 such additional information as may be necessary to make such determinations4 7h7 ,limitations ,complaints1 data1 and other information received through the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a7 may not be used-- 7#a7 to infer or extrapolate the rate or instances of crossings beyond the data received through the portal2 or 7#b7 for any regulatory or enforcement purposes except those specifically described in this section4 7i7 ,report ,not later than #c years after the establishment of the pilot program under subsection 7a71 the ,administrator of the ,,fra shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives that describes-- 7#a7 where1 when1 for how long1 and what impacts have resulted from frequent and long-duration blocked highway-rail grade crossings based on the information received through the portal established pursuant to subsection 7a72 7#b7 7,a7 whether and how the ,,fra verified the accuracy of the complaints submitted to such portal2 and 7,b7 7i7 if the portal continues to be the most effective manner through which to collect such information2 or 7ii7 if changes to the portal could improve its effectiveness2 7#c7 how the ,,fra used the data compiled by such portal to assess the underlying cause and overall impacts of blocked crossings2 and 7#d7 the engagement of the ,,fra with affected parties in order to identify and facilitate solutions to any trends or problems identified by data received and maintained through the portal and corresponding database4 7j7 ,sunset ,the section shall have no force or effect beginning on the date that is #c years after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #b4 ,railway highway crossing program study 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,transportation shall evaluate the requirements of the railway-highway crossings program authorized under section #acj of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 to determine whether-- 7#a7 the requirements of the program provide ,states sufficient flexibility to adequately address current and emerging grade-crossing safety issues2 7#b7 the structure of the program provides sufficient incentive and resources to ,states and local agencies to make changes at grade crossing that are most effective at reducing deaths and injuries2 7#c7 there are appropriate tools and resources to support ,states in using data-driven programs to determine the most cost-effective use of program funds2 and 7#d7 any statutory changes are necessary to improve the effectiveness of the program4 7b7 ,report ,not later than ,december #ai1 #bjbj1 the ,secretary of ,transportation shall submit a report to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate1 the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate1 and the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure of the ,house of ,representatives that describes the results of the evaluation under subsection 7a71 including any recommended statutory changes referred to in subsection 7a77#d74