12 2 STA T .485 2 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 4 3 2 —O CT. 1 6, 2008 ‘ ‘ (2)thedu t i e san d pow e r sre l ated to railroad poli cy and de v elop m ent under su b section ( j )
and ‘‘( 3 ) other duties and powers prescribed by the S ecretary . ‘‘(h) LIM I TA TI ON . —A duty or power speci f ied in subsection ( g )( 1 ) may be transferred to another part of the D epartment of T ranspor - tation or another F ederal G overnment entity only when specifically provided by law. A decision of the Administrator in carrying out the duties or powers of the Administration and involving notice and hearing re q uired by law is administratively final. ‘‘(i) A U T H O R ITI ES .—Subject to the provisions of subtitle I of title 40 and title III of the Federal P roperty and Administrative Services Act of 1 9 49 (41 U .S. C . 2 5 1 et seq.) , the Secretary of Transportation may ma k e, enter into, and perform such contracts, grants, leases, cooperative agreements, and other similar trans- actions with Federal or other public agencies (including State and local governments) and private organi z ations and persons, and make such payments, by way of advance or reimbursement, as the Secretary may determine to be necessary or appropriate to carry out functions at the Administration. The authority of the Secretary granted by this subsection shall be carried out by the Administrator. N otwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no authority to enter into contracts or to make payments under this subsection shall be effective, e x cept as provided for in appro- priations Acts. ’ ’. SEC.102 . RAIL R O A D SA F E TY STRATE G Y. (a) SA F ET Y GOA L S.—In conjunction with existing federally- required and voluntary strategic planning efforts ongoing at the Department and the Federal R ailroad Administration as of the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall develop a long- term strategy for improving railroad safety to cover a period of not less than 5 years. The strategy shall include an annual plan and schedule for achieving, at a minimum, the following goals
(1) Reducing the number and rates of accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities involving railroads including train colli- sions, derailments, and human factors. (2) Improving the consistency and effectiveness of enforce- ment and compliance programs. (3) Improving the identification of high-risk highway-rail grade crossings and strengthening enforcement and other methods to increase grade crossing safety. (4) Improving research efforts to enhance and promote railroad safety and performance. (5) Preventing railroad trespasser accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities. ( 6 ) Improving the safety of railroad bridges, tunnels, and related infrastructure to prevent accidents, incidents, injuries, and fatalities caused by catastrophic failures and other bridge and tunnel failures. (b) RESOUR C E NEE D S.—The strategy and annual plan shall include estimates of the funds and staff resources needed to accom- plish the goals established by subsection (a). Such estimates shall also include the staff skills and training required for timely and effective accomplishment of each such goal. (c) SU B MISSION W ITH THE PRESIDENT’S B UD G ET.—The Secretary shall submit the strategy and annual plan to the Senate Committee Plan.49USC201 01 n ote .
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