Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “No Frankenrail Act of 2024”.
No Frankenrail Act of 2024
A BILL
To prohibit the use of Federal funds in certain high-speed rail projects until such date as the Secretary of Transportation certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress the completion of at least one mile of rail or electromagnetic guideway of such projects, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Findings
Congress finds the following:
The high-speed rail corridor development project that is the subject of Cooperative Agreement No. FR–HSR–0118–12–01–01 entered into between the California High-Speed Rail Authority and the Federal Railroad Administration (in this section referred to as the “California High Speed Rail project”) first received Federal funds in 2009 in the form of a $2,500,000,000 grant from funds made available under title XII of division A of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5; 123 Stat. 208).
The California High Speed Rail project was originally intended to cost $33,000,000,000 and be completed by 2020.
As of the date of introduction of this Act, the California High Speed Rail project is expected to cost at least $128,000,000,000 and has no expected completion date.
As of the date of introduction of this Act, the California High Speed Rail project has yet to construct a single mile of rail line.
Sec. 3 Prohibition on Federal funds for covered projects
Prohibition— Except as provided in subsection (b), no Federal funds may be provided for use in any covered project.
Termination of prohibition— Subsection (a) shall cease to apply with respect to a covered project on the date on which the Secretary of Transportation certifies to the appropriate committees of Congress that at least 1 mile of rail or electromagnetic guideway has been completed under the covered project.
Definitions— In this section:
Appropriate committees of Congress— The term appropriate committees of Congress means—
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
Covered project— The term covered project means any project—
to construct a high-speed rail or develop a high-speed rail corridor; and
for which Federal funds were first disbursed before the date that is 10 years before the date of enactment of this section.
High-speed rail— The term high-speed rail has the meaning given such term in section 26105 of title 49, United States Code.