Private Investment in Commuter Vanpooling Act of 2009

Private Investment in Commuter Vanpooling Act of 2009 - Allows the local matching share provided by a public transportation capital project assistance recipient to include expenditures by a private commuter vanpooling service provider to acquire rolling stock (vans).

Authorizes such a private provider to use vanpool revenues exceeding operating costs to acquire such vans, if there is a binding agreement requiring the vans to be used in the state or local government's service area.

[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 1571 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1571

 To amend title 49, United States Code, to permit certain revenues of 
  private providers of public transportation by vanpool received from 
providing public transportation to be used for the purpose of acquiring 
 rolling stock, and to permit certain expenditures of private vanpool 
contractors to be credited toward the local matching share of the costs 
                   of public transportation projects.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2009

 Mrs. Tauscher (for herself and Mr. Rogers of Michigan) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 49, United States Code, to permit certain revenues of 
  private providers of public transportation by vanpool received from 
providing public transportation to be used for the purpose of acquiring 
 rolling stock, and to permit certain expenditures of private vanpool 
contractors to be credited toward the local matching share of the costs 
                   of public transportation projects.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Private Investment in Commuter 
Vanpooling Act of 2009''.

SECTION 2. GOVERNMENT'S SHARE OF COSTS FOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION 
              PROJECTS.

    Section 5323(i) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Costs incurred by private providers of public 
        transportation by vanpool.--
                    ``(A) Local matching share.--The local matching 
                share provided by a recipient of assistance for a 
                capital project under this chapter may include any 
                amounts expended by a private provider of public 
                transportation by vanpool for the acquisition of 
                rolling stock to be used by such private provider in 
                the recipient's service area, excluding any amounts the 
                provider may have received in Federal, State, or local 
                government assistance for such acquisition.
                    ``(B) Use of revenues.--A private provider of 
                public transportation by vanpool may use revenues it 
                receives in the provision of public transportation 
                service in the service area of a recipient of 
                assistance under this chapter that are in excess of the 
                private provider's operating costs for the purpose of 
                acquiring rolling stock, if the private provider enters 
                into a legally binding agreement with the recipient 
                that requires the private provider to use the rolling 
                stock in the recipient's service area.
                    ``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph, the 
                following definitions apply:
                            ``(i) Private provider of public 
                        transportation by vanpool.--The term `private 
                        provider of public transportation by vanpool' 
                        means a private entity providing vanpool 
                        services in the service area of a recipient of 
                        assistance under this chapter using a commuter 
                        highway vehicle or vanpool vehicle.
                            ``(ii) Commuter highway vehicle; vanpool 
                        vehicle.--The term `commuter highway vehicle' 
                        or `vanpool vehicle' means any vehicle--
                                    ``(I) the seating capacity of which 
                                is at least 6 adults (not including the 
                                driver); and
                                    ``(II) at least 80 percent of the 
                                mileage use of which can be reasonably 
                                expected to be for the purposes of 
                                transporting commuters in connection 
                                with travel between their residences 
                                and their place of employment.''.
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