To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to Congress a report on reducing the time to travel between locations in the United States and locations in Ontario and Quebec by intercity passenger rail.

SA 1454. Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Schumer, Mrs.
Gillibrand, and Mrs. Shaheen) submitted an amendment intended to be
proposed to amendment SA 1373 proposed by Mr. Reid (for Mr. Byrd (for
himself, Mr. Inouye, and Mrs. Murray)) to the bill H.R. 2892, making
appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal
year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:
Sec. __. (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland
Security shall, in consultation with the entities specified
in subsection (c), submit to Congress a report on improving
cross-border inspection processes in an effort to reduce the
time to travel between locations in the United States and
locations in Ontario and Quebec by intercity passenger rail.
(b) Contents.--The report required by subsection (a) shall
include--
(1) an evaluation of potential cross-border inspection
processes and methods that comply with Department of Homeland
Security requirements that would--
(A) reduce the time to travel on routes between locations
in the United States and locations in Ontario and Quebec by
intercity passenger rail; and
(B) increase the frequency of on-time arrivals by intercity
passenger trains traveling on those routes;
(2) an assessment of the extent to which improving or
expanding infrastructure and increasing staffing could
increase the efficiency with which intercity rail passengers
are screened at border crossings without decreasing security;
(3) an updated evaluation of the potential for pre-
clearance by the Department of Homeland Security of intercity
rail passengers at locations along routes between locations
in the United States and locations in Ontario and Quebec,
including through the joint use of inspection facilities with
the Canada Border Services Agency, based on the report
required by section 1523 of the Implementing Recommendations
of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 121
Stat. 450);
(4) an estimate of the timeline for implementing the
methods for reducing the time to travel between locations in
the United States and locations in Ontario and Quebec by
intercity passenger rail based on the evaluations and
assessments described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3); and
(5) a description of how such evaluations and assessments
would apply with respect to--
(A) all existing intercity passenger rail routes between
locations in the United States and locations in Ontario and
Quebec, including designated high-speed rail corridors;
(B) any intercity passenger rail routes between such
locations that have been used over the past 20 years and on
which cross-border passenger rail service does not exist as
of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(C) any potential future rail routes between such
locations.
(c) Entities Specified.--The entities to be consulted in
the development of the report required by subsection (a)
are--
(1) the Government of Canada, including the Canada Border
Services Agency and Transport Canada and other agencies of
the Government of Canada with responsibility for providing
border services;
(2) the Provinces of Ontario and Quebec;
(3) the States of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
York, and Vermont;
(4) the National Railroad Passenger Corporation; and
(5) the Federal Railroad Administration.
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