Senator Markey Applauds Commerce Committee Passage of His Rail and Safety Provisions in Surface Transportation Bill

Washington (June 16, 2021) – Senator Edward J. Markey
(D-Mass.) commended the inclusion of key provisions to update our rail
infrastructure and traffic safety programs in the Surface Transportation
Investment Act (STIA), which passed out of the Commerce, Science, and
Transportation Committee earlier today. This bipartisan legislation provides
$78 billion over 5 years, which includes $36 billion for rail infrastructure,
$28 billion for freight transportation, $13 billion for safety initiatives, and
$1 billion for transportation-related research and development programs. These
figures do not include additional funding that will be provided by other Senate
committees working on their own legislation to fund roads, bridges, transit,
and other surface transportation programs.

“Today’s legislation makes a significant down payment on
the rail and safety investments we need in this country,” said Senator
Markey. “I am proud that my provisions on passenger rail, grade crossing
safety, and automotive safety were included in this package. Through these
programs, we can begin to solve long-unaddressed road safety challenges and
promote more climate positive transportation options. However, significant work
remains to be done before this bill becomes law – we must not only improve what
we’ve already secured, but also increase overall funding levels and add in the
policies required to achieve a true transportation transformation. I look
forward to continuing the fight to make sure this legislation – and a broader
infrastructure package – match the scope and scale of the crises facing our
nation.”

Senator Markey’s provisions incorporated into the STIA
include:

• BRAIN TRAIN Act – The legislation
  establishes a new Corridor Identification and Development Program aligned
  with Senator Markey’s BRAIN TRAIN Act, which will advance intercity
  passenger rail projects that create new service, enhance service, or
  restore former service in unserved and underserved communities like those
  in Western Massachusetts. Through this program, the Department of Transportation
  (DOT) will create a pipeline of identified rail projects eligible for
  federal funding. The STIA then provides $7.5 billion over five
  years for such projects, while giving funding preference to proposals
  included in the new development pipeline and that serve historically
  unconnected or under-connected areas, such as East-West Rail in
  Massachusetts.

• Warren Cowles Grade Crossing
  Safety Act
  – The surface transportation bill includes a new $500 million per year
  Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, which mirrors the goals of and
  incorporates language from Senator Markey’s Warren Cowles Grade
  Crossing Safety Act. This significant new funding will reduce
  rail-related fatalities nationwide – like the tragic death of Warren
  Cowles in Longmeadow, Massachusetts – by supporting critical improvements
  to highway-rail crossings, such as eliminating grade crossings, adding
  protective gates and signals, relocating track, or installing bridges.
  

• Promoting Auto Recalls Toward
  Safety (PARTS) Act – The STIA includes Senator Markey’s PARTS
  Act, which enhances the effectiveness of automotive recalls by
  authorizing the DOT to provide grants to states for use in notifying
  registered car owners about manufacturer-issued safety recalls. The
  legislation also requires automakers to complete extended reporting on
  their recall campaigns, as well as instructs the National Highway Traffic
  Safety Administration (NHTSA) to publish an annual list detailing recall
  completion rates and effectiveness.
  

• Modernizing Seat Back Safety
  Act
  – The surface transportation bill includes a modified version of Senator
  Markey’s Modernizing Seat Back Safety Act, which requires NHTSA to
  issue an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) to update seat
  back safety standards, in order to prevent repeated tragedies caused by
  seat back collapse during car crashes. If NHTSA determines that a final
  rule is appropriate based on its ANPRM, the agency shall then issue
  updated seat back safety standards for new cars.
  

• Stay Aware for Everyone (SAFE)
  Act
  – The legislation includes a modified version of Senator Markey’s SAFE
  Act, which requires the DOT to study how driver-monitoring systems can
  prevent driver distraction, driver disengagement, automation complacency,
  and the foreseeable misuse of advanced driver-assist systems. If warranted
  based on the results of this study, the STIA then requires a
  rulemaking to require the installation of driver-monitoring systems in new
  cars, which shall incorporate appropriate privacy and data security
  safeguards.

• Early Warning Reporting System
  Improvement Act – The surface transportation bill includes Senator
  Markey’s Early Warning Reporting System Improvement Act, which
  strengthens compliance requirements for automakers to report on potential
  defects and incidents involving fatalities and serious injuries to NHTSA.
  The legislation also directs NHTSA to make the information it receives
  through its vehicle safety databases publicly available in a more
  user-friendly format, so that consumers and independent safety experts can
  evaluate potential safety defects themselves.
  

• Ensuring
  Transparency and Accountability – The STIA includes language that Senator
  Markey requested to ensure that the Federal Railroad Administration will
  provide public notice and an opportunity to comment before it can waive or
  suspend critical track safety standards, which will ensure stakeholders
  and the public can weigh in on these important safety issues before the
  agency makes any decisions.