{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s808-114/featured_surface-transportation-board-reauthorization-act-of-2015-1454548805.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.causes.com/bill/photo/s808-114/featured_large_surface-transportation-board-reauthorization-act-of-2015-1454548805.jpg","shareable":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/bills/s808-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-03-19","title_override":"Should the Surface Transportation Board be an Independent Agency?","summary_override":"

This bill would reauthorize the Surface Transportation Board (STB) and make it an independent agency outside of the Department of Transportation (DOT).

Railroads are where the STB holds most of it's regulatory authority — overseeing ticket rates, service, construction projects, new and abandoned rail lines, and carrier mergers. The STB also oversees pipeline carriers, intercity bus carriers, moving van companies, some trucking companies and water carriers engaged in cross-border domestic trade.

If passed, this bill would allow STB to draft its own budget estimates and budget requests. Comments on legislation could also be sent to the President or to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the transportation committees in the House and Senate.

The size of the STB would be expanded from three to five members. At least three members would have to have professional expertise in the transportation field and/or its regulation. The other two members would have to have experience in the private sector.

The STB would be subject to federal open-meetings and disclosure laws — meaning that closed STB discussions must be disclosed to the public after the fact with a summary and a list of the individuals in attendance. Appropriations for the STB would be set at $33 million for the 2016 fiscal year, gradually rising to $36 million in the 2020 fiscal year.

","official_title":"A bill to establish the Surface Transportation Board as an independent establishment, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Surface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)\n\nSurface Transportation Board Reauthorization Act of 2015\n\n (Sec. 3) Removes the Surface Transportation Board from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish it as an independent U.S. agency.\n\nRepeals the requirement that DOT provide administrative support for the Board.\n\n(Sec. 4) Increases Board membership from three to five members.\n\nIncreases from two to three the minimum number of Board members who must have professional standing and demonstrated knowledge in the fields of transportation, transportation regulation, or economic regulation.\n\nIncreases from one to two the minimum number of Board members who must have professional or business experience (including agriculture) in the private sector.\n\n(Sec. 5) Authorizes a majority of Board members to hold a meeting not open to the public to discuss official business if:\n\n no formal or informal vote ...","summarized":true,"cost":198000000,"cost_commentary":"The CBO found that over the 2016-2020 period, this bill would cost $198 million to implement.","impact":"Anyone who uses or is impacted by railroad operations, rail shippers, freight operators, and the businesses that rely on them; the employees and members of the Surface Transportation Board; the DOT Inspector General.","argument_for":"Becoming an independent agency from the Dept. of Transportation will help the Surface Transportation Board more efficiently oversee the economics of the U.S. railroad freight system. 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We nees to go that direction ourselves!","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.causes.com/positions/a471df11-65e6-4100-9309-b47ea442fb4c"},"body":"Germany just put in a zero emissions high speed electric rail system. We nees to go that direction ourselves!","stance":"yea","created_at":"2017-01-12T17:11:43.747Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.causes.com/share-images/positions/a471df11-65e6-4100-9309-b47ea442fb4c.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"s808-114","user_id":"gZA4JkEW","endorser_ids":[]}}

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Should the Surface Transportation Board be an Independent Agency?