ENGROSSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR. Senate Bill No (By Senator Plymale)

Transcription

1 ENGROSSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR Senate Bill No. 407 (By Senator Plymale) [Originating in the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure; reported February 18, 2015.] A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding thereto a new article, designated 17-16E-1, 17-16E-2 and 17-16E-3, all relating to implementation of a state safety oversight program pursuant to a mandate per 49 U. S. C. 5329; designating the Division of Public Transit as the State Safety Oversight Agency; specifying powers and duties of the State Safety Oversight Agency; and requiring rulemaking. Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia: That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be 1

2 amended by adding thereto a new article, designated as 17-16E-1, 17-16E-2 and 17-16E-3, all to read as follows: ARTICLE 16E. STATE SAFETY OVERSIGHT PROGRAM E-1. Purpose. 1 The purpose of this article is to establish authority for a 2 State Safety Oversight Agency to oversee the safety for fixed 3 guideway public transportation systems in West Virginia not 4 regulated by the Federal Railroad Administration and to accomplish 5 compliance with 49 U. S. C E-2. Designated oversight agency; prohibitions. 7 (a) The Division of Public Transit created by article sixteen- 8 c of this chapter is hereby designated the State Safety Oversight 9 Agency. The Division of Public Transit shall have the powers and 10 duties assigned to the State Safety Oversight Agency. 11 (b) The State Safety Oversight Agency shall be financially 12 and legally independent from any public transportation entity that 13 the agency oversees. Any public transportation agency is 14 prohibited from providing funds to the State Safety Oversight 15 Agency. The agency may not employ any individual who is also 2

3 1 responsible for the administration of rail fixed guideway public 2 transportation programs E-3. Powers and duties; rules. 4 (a) The State Safety Oversight Agency has the following 5 powers and duties: 6 (1) Oversee all safety aspects of the rail fixed guideway 7 public transportation system pursuant to 49 U. S. C. 5329, 8 including: 9 (A) The development, implementation and application of 10 the public transportation system safety plan; 11 (B) Inspection, investigations or hearings involving all 12 aspects of the facility and its operations including infrastructure, 13 documentation, including electronic data, and personnel and may 14 conduct or cause to be conducted such inspections, investigations 15 or hearings; and 16 (C) Respond to information obtained through inspection, 17 investigations, hearings, other incidents or occurrences of 18 significance to the State Safety Oversight Agency by the issuance 19 of directives, appropriate suspension of service, withholding of 3

4 1 funding or the imposition of civil or criminal penalties. 2 (2) Enforce federal and state laws on rail fixed guideway 3 public transportation safety; 4 (3) Determine, in consultation with the Federal Transit 5 Administration, an appropriate staffing level for the State Safety 6 Oversight Agency that is commensurate with the number, size and 7 complexity of the rail fixed guideway transit systems in the state; 8 (4) Require that its employees and other designated 9 personnel who are responsible for rail fixed guideway public 10 transportation safety oversight are qualified to perform such 11 functions through appropriate training, including successful 12 completion of the public transportation safety certification training 13 program established under 49 U. S. C. 5329(c); 14 (5) Coordinate all enforcement responsibilities with other 15 governmental authorities as needed; 16 (6) Review, revise, approve, oversee and enforce the public 17 transportation agency safety plan required under 49 U. S. C (d), including the implementation by the rail fixed guideway 19 public transportation agency of such plan; 4

5 1 (7) Investigate and enforce the safety of rail fixed guideway 2 public transportation systems; 3 (8) Audit, at least once every three years, the compliance of 4 the rail fixed guideway public transportation systems in the state 5 with the public transportation agency safety plan required under 49 6 U. S. C. 5329(d); 7 (9) Provide an annual status report on the safety of the 8 state s rail fixed guideway public transportation systems to the 9 Federal Transit Administration, the Governor, the Legislature and 10 the governing body of the rail fixed guideway public transportation 11 system; 12 (10) Prepare and provide to the Governor and Legislature 13 drafts of proposed legislation that may be necessary for the state to 14 remain compliant with the requirements of 49 U. S. C (b) The State Safety Oversight Agency shall propose rules 16 for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of article 17 three, chapter twenty-nine of this code to accomplish the purpose 18 of this article, including rules concerning the implementation of the 19 duties set forth in subsection (a) of this section and the inspection 5

6 1 and enforcement powers that are reasonably necessary to ensure 2 compliance with 49 U. S. C