SECOND REGULAR SESSION
95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVES BROWN (50) (Sponsor), CORCORAN, McDONALD, VOGT, LAMPE, MEINERS, NORR, FRAME, CALLOWAY, PACE, WALTON GRAY, OXFORD, JONES (63), CASEY, WHITEHEAD, MORRIS, ATKINS, WALLACE, McNEIL, KOMO, KRATKY, DIEHL, ZERR AND FLOOK (Co-sponsors).
5404L.01I D. ADAM CRUMBLISS, Chief Clerk
AN ACT
To amend chapter 226, RSMo, by adding thereto eight new sections relating to the Missouri and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Chapter 226, RSMo, is amended by adding thereto eight new sections, to be known as sections 226.1250, 226.1252, 226.1254, 226.1256, 226.1258, 226.1260, 226.1262, and 226.1264, to read as follows:
226.1250. The provisions of sections 226.1250 to 226.1264 shall be known as the Missouri and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission Act.
226.1252. As used in sections 226.1250 to 226.1264, the following terms mean:
(1) "Commission", the Missouri and Midwest High-Speed Rail Commission;
(2) "Department", the Missouri department of transportation;
(3) "High-speed rail", a system of new electrified tracks designed primarily for trains capable of traveling at speeds in excess of one-hundred-fifty miles per hour.
226.1254. 1. The commission shall be composed of fifteen members as follows:
(1) Twelve public members appointed by the governor; and
(2) Three ex officio members as follows:
(a) The director of the state department of transportation;
(b) The director of the state department of economic development; and
(c) The chairperson of the state highways and transportation commission.
2. A person appointed as a public member of the commission shall be a resident of the state. Public members of the commission shall include the following:
(1) Local elected officials who have expressed interest in high-speed rail;
(2) Former elected officials with transportation policy expertise;
(3) Individuals with professional expertise in long-term financing of infrastructure; and
(4) Individuals with expertise in transportation or railroad infrastructure projects.
The appointed members shall reflect the geographic diversity of the state and shall include representation from all regions of the state.
3. Commission members shall be appointed within forty-five days after the effective date of sections 226.1250 to 226.1264.
4. The governor shall designate one public member of the commission to serve as the chair of the commission and one public member to serve as the vice chair of the commission.
226.1256. 1. An ex officio member of the commission vacates the person's position on the commission if the person ceases to hold the position that qualifies the person for service on the commission.
2. An ex officio member may designate a representative to serve on the commission in the member's absence. A representative designated under this subsection shall be an officer or employee of the state agency that employs the ex officio member.
226.1258. 1. A public member of the commission is not entitled to compensation but is entitled to reimbursement for the travel expenses incurred by the member while transacting commission business.
2. An ex officio member's service on the commission is an additional duty of the underlying position that qualifies the member for service on the commission. The entitlement of an ex officio member to compensation or to reimbursement for travel expenses incurred while transacting commission business is governed by the law that applies to the member's service in that underlying position, and any payment to the member for either purpose must be made from an appropriation that may be used for the purpose and is available to the state agency that the member serves in that underlying position.
226.1260. 1. The commission shall meet at least monthly at the times and places in this state that the chair designates until April 2011 and at least quarterly thereafter.
2. Members of the commission may participate in commission meetings by teleconference or video conference.
3. A majority of the members of the commission constitute a quorum for transacting commission business.
226.1262. 1. The Commission shall:
(1) Prepare and issue a report to the governor, the general assembly, and the public recommending the best governmental structure for a public-private partnership to design, build, operate, maintain, and finance a high-speed rail system for Missouri and the midwest. The report shall include specific recommendations for legislation, if statutory change is required, or specific administrative regulations, if regulatory change is required, to implement the recommended high-speed rail system. The report shall include recommended sources for the funding of a high-speed rail system including private sources of capital and revenue bonds. The report shall contain recommendations for integrating the high-speed rail system into existing and planned Amtrak expansions, airports, and public transportation systems. The report shall include recommendations for federal, state, and local actions for the development and implementation of a high-speed rail system. The report must be issued by March 20, 2011;
(2) Prepare a follow-up report that details the status of recommendations issued by the commission and any revised and updated recommendations based on further public and stakeholder input. The follow-up report shall be issued by February 1, 2012;
(3) Develop a process to receive public and stakeholder input on opinions and proposals for building, designing, maintaining, operating, and financing a high-speed rail system for Missouri and the midwest. The process must include the solicitation and receipt of formal expressions of interest and other testimony from global high-speed rail operators including, without limitation, Amtrak;
(4) Solicit and receive formal testimony, both written and oral, from representatives of the other states in the midwest including without limitation representatives from units of local government;
(5) Work collaboratively with the department on any planning projects for high-speed rail administered by the department to comply with federal high-speed rail requirements including, without limitation, the solicitation of public input and comments.
2. In implementing subsection 1 of this section, the commission shall consult with and receive testimony from global high-speed rail operators including, without limitation, Amtrak.
3. Nothing in sections 226.1250 to 226.1264 shall preclude the department from planning for high-speed rail.
226.1264. The department may provide staff and other support to the commission from money available to the department that may be used for this purpose. The general assembly may also specifically appropriate money to the department to provide staff and other support to the commission. The commission may accept monetary gifts and grants from any public or private source. The commission may also accept in-kind gifts.
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