S. 3380: Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008

110th Congress · introduced 2008-07-31 · Transportation and Public Works · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2008-07-31 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008

Plain summary

Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2009 for public transportation formula grants. Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make such grants for: (1) operating costs of equipment and facilities being used to provide the public transportation the grant recipient is no longer able to pay as a result of reducing fares; (2) operating and capital costs of equipment and facilities being used to provide transportation services that the recipient incurs as a result of expanding such services; (3) the avoidance of increased fares or decreased services; (4) the costs of acquiring clean or alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities; and (5) administrative costs in establishing or expanding services to provide commuters with information about alternatives to single occupancy vehicle use. Requires a grant that involves acquiring clean or alternative fuel vehicle-related equipment or facilities for complying with the Clean Air Act to be for 100% of the net project cost unless the grant recipient requests a lower percentage. Amends the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users to require federal employees in urbanized areas served by fixed route public transportation to be offered transit pass transportation fringe benefits. Requires: (1) the Secretary to issue guidance on nationwide implementation of a transportation fringe benefit program; and (2) agencies to report on program implementation. Requires the Secretary to establish a pilot program to carry out vanpool demonstration projects in not more than three urbanized areas and two other areas. Requires a grant for a capital project during FY2008-FY2009 that involves additional parking facilities at an end-of-line fixed guideway station or at a park-and-ride lot that serves a fixed route commuter bus route that is more than 20 miles in length to be for 100% of the net capital cost of the project unless the grant recipient requests a lower percentage. Requires the Secretary of Transportation to carry out a national consumer awareness program on the environmental, energy, and economic benefits of public transportation alternatives to the use of single occupancy vehicles. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to allow a federal agency to enter into a contract to purchase a generally available fuel that is not an alternative or synthetic fuel or a fuel predominantly produced from a nonconventional petroleum source if: (1) the contract does not specifically require the contractor to provide such an alternative, synthetic, or nonconventional fuel; (2) the purpose of the contract is not to obtain such a fuel; and (3) the contract does not provide incentives for a refinery upgrade or expansion to allow a refinery to use or increase its use of fuel from a nonconventional petroleum source.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Saving Energy Through Public Transportation Act of 2008

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY] · 8 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL), Jack Reed (D-RI)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110s3380.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/s>

Record fed-us-cong110-s3380 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110