HOUSE AMENDMENT
                                                  Bill No. HB 1539
    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)
                            CHAMBER ACTION
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 5                                           ORIGINAL STAMP BELOW
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11  Representative(s) Johnson offered the following:
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13         Amendment (with title amendment) 
14         On page 1, line 31,
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16  insert:  
17         Section 1.  High-Speed Rail Commission created.--
18         (1)  The High-Speed Rail Commission is created within
19  the Legislature. The commission shall consist of 10 members to
20  be appointed as follows:
21         (a)  The Speaker of the House of Representatives shall
22  appoint two members from among the members of the House of
23  Representatives.
24         (b)  The President of the Senate shall appoint two
25  members from among the members of the Senate.
26         (c)  The Governor shall appoint five members in the
27  following manner:  one member shall be a developer; one member
28  shall be an expert in the field of transportation; one member
29  shall be an expert in the field of bond finance; and two
30  members shall represent the business community.
31         (d)  The Secretary of the Department of Transportation
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    File original & 9 copies    05/01/01                          
    hbd0016                     02:15 pm         01539-0041-852775
                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT
                                                  Bill No. HB 1539
    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)
 1  shall serve as an ex officio, nonvoting member of the
 2  commission.
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 4  The commission shall elect a chair and a vice chair from its
 5  membership at its first meeting.
 6         (2)  The commission shall be appointed no later than
 7  June 1, 2001, and its first meeting shall be no later than
 8  June 15, 2001. The commission shall meet periodically at the
 9  request of the chair.
10         (3)  Members of the commission shall serve without
11  compensation, except for per diem and reimbursement for travel
12  expenses as provided by s. 112.061, Florida Statutes.
13         (4)  A vacancy in the commission shall be filled within
14  30 days after its occurrence in the same manner as the
15  original appointment.
16         (5)(a)  The Department of Transportation shall serve as
17  primary staff to the commission, providing technical and
18  administrative assistance and ensuring that commission
19  meetings are electronically recorded. Such recordings shall be
20  preserved pursuant to chapters 119 and 257, Florida Statutes.
21         (b)  The Florida Transportation Commission, the
22  Department of Community Affairs, and the Department of
23  Environmental Protection shall, at the commission's request,
24  provide technical, scientific, or other assistance.
25         (c)  The commission may request that the Office of
26  Legislative Services provide administrative support to assist
27  the commission in its efforts.
28         (6)  The commission shall study and make
29  recommendations on:
30         (a)  The total cost of the high-speed rail project,
31  which includes the costs of rights-of-way and improvements;
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    hbd0016                     02:15 pm         01539-0041-852775
                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT
                                                  Bill No. HB 1539
    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)
 1  the rolling stock and other equipment necessary to build and
 2  operate a high-speed rail system; system design, engineering,
 3  and construction; the use of existing rail; annual operation
 4  and maintenance; and all other associated expenses. Such costs
 5  should be based, where applicable and appropriate, on
 6  demonstrated expenditures for similar projects.
 7         (b)  The feasibility of technology to be used for the
 8  development of the high-speed rail.
 9         (c)  The route to be used for phase 1 of the high-speed
10  rail, including the names of at least two cities between which
11  the route would be constructed.
12         (d)  Funding sources, including federal and local
13  funds, private investment, revenue generated by ridership,
14  cargo, or other users, franchise fees and licenses, lease
15  fees, and other reasonably potential sources of funds.
16         (e)  The format and types of information that must be
17  included in a financial or business plan for the high-speed
18  rail system.
19         (f)  The commission is tasked with providing the
20  documentation necessary to seek and obtain federal funding in
21  order to build a high-speed rail system in Florida.
22         (g)  The possibility and costs of using existing rail.
23         (h)  Any other issues the commission deems relevant to
24  the development of a high-speed rail system.
25         (7)  The commission shall prepare a report of its
26  findings and recommendations and submit the report to the
27  Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the
28  President of the Senate on or before January 1, 2002. The
29  report also may include suggested legislation. The commission
30  is dissolved at the time it submits its report.
31         Section 2.  The Department of Transportation is
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                                                   HOUSE AMENDMENT
                                                  Bill No. HB 1539
    Amendment No. ___ (for drafter's use only)
 1  directed to begin, as soon as possible, collecting and
 2  organizing existing research, studies, and reports on
 3  high-speed rail systems, in preparation for the commission's
 4  first meeting.
 5         Section 3.  There is appropriated from the State
 6  Transportation Trust Fund to the High-Speed Rail Commission
 7  the sum of $4.5 million for the purpose of conducting the
 8  study described in section 1.
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11  ================ T I T L E   A M E N D M E N T ===============
12  And the title is amended as follows:
13         On page 1, line 2, after the semicolon
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15  insert:
16         creating the High-Speed Rail Commission;
17         providing for membership and appointment;
18         providing for staff; providing for duties of
19         the commission; providing for dissolution of
20         the commission upon submission of a required
21         report; directing the Department of
22         Transportation to begin collecting and
23         organizing existing data on high-speed rail
24         systems; providing an appropriation;
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    File original & 9 copies    05/01/01                          
    hbd0016                     02:15 pm         01539-0041-852775