Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2003

Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2003 - Title I: Department of Transportation - Makes appropriations for FY 2003 (with transfers of funds, limitations on obligations and administrative expenses, and liquidations of contract authorizations) for: (1) the Office of the Secretary of Transportation; (2) the Transportation Security Administration (TSA); (3) the Coast Guard; (4) the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (5) the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), earmarking specified amounts for various Intelligent Transportation System projects; (6) the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration; (7) the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; (8) the Federal Railroad Administration, earmarking specified funds for the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (AMTRAK); (9) the Federal Transit Administration, earmarking specified amounts for new fixed guideway systems; (10) the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation; (11) the Research and Special Programs Administration; (12) the Office of Inspector General, earmarking amounts to investigate unfair or deceptive practices and unfair methods of competition by domestic and foreign air carriers and ticket agents; and (13) the Surface Transportation Board.

Title II: Related Agencies - Makes appropriations for FY 2003 for: (1) the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board; and (2) the National Transportation Safety Board.

Title III: General Provisions - Sets forth specified prohibitions, limitations, permissions, and mandates with respect to the use of appropriations under this Act identical or similar to those enacted in the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (P.L. 106-69).

(Sec. 304) Bars the use of funds in this Act for salaries and expenses of more than 100 political and Presidential appointees in the Department of Transportation (DOT). Prohibits such personnel, or such personnel from an independent agency funded in this Act, from being assigned on temporary detail outside DOT or such independent agency.

(Sec. 308) Bars the use of funds provided in this Act for the National Highway Safety Advisory Commission.

(Sec. 310) Sets forth certain requirements for distribution (including in certain cases denial of distribution) of the obligation limitation for Federal-aid Highways amounts for specified Federal highway programs. Sets forth specified Federal highway projects to which the obligation limitation for Federal-aid Highways shall not apply. Provides for the redistribution of any unused obligation limitation on Federal-aid Highways amounts to the States.

(Sec. 311) Prohibits a recipient of funds made available under this Act from disseminating (except as authorized) personal information obtained by a State department of motor vehicles in connection with a motor vehicle record. Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from withholding such funds from a grantee if a State is in noncompliance with such requirement.

(Sec. 312) Bars the use of funds under this Act to establish a vessel traffic safety fairway less than five miles wide between the Santa Barbara Traffic Separation Scheme and the San Francisco Traffic Separation Scheme.

(Sec. 313) Authorizes airports to transfer to the FAA, without consideration, instrument landing systems (along with associated approach lighting equipment and runway visual range equipment) which conform to FAA design and performance specifications and which were purchased with airport development grant funds.

(Sec. 316) Provides funding of administrative expenses for projects carried out by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the FHA.

(Sec. 318) Authorizes certain funds for Alaska or Hawaii ferry boats or ferry terminal facilities to be used to construct new vessels and facilities or to improve existing vessels and facilities, including both the passenger and vehicle-related elements of such vessels and facilities, and for repair facilities. Earmarks specified funds: (1) to be used by the State of Hawaii to initiate and operate a passenger ferryboat services demonstration project to test the viability of different intra-island and inter-island ferry routes; and (2) made available for Alaska or Hawaii ferry boats for use to acquire passenger ferry boats and to provide passenger ferry transportation services within areas of the State of Hawaii under the control or use of the National Park Service.

(Sec. 320) Exempts a general aviation airport with more than 300,000 annual operations from having to accept scheduled passenger air service provided that the airport meets specified conditions.

(Sec. 321) Bars the use of funds, unless authorized by Congress, to pay for specified lobbying activities with respect to a Member of Congress or a State legislature. Permits DOT or related agency employees to communicate to Members of Congress or to a State legislature with respect to requests for legislation or appropriations which they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of business.

(Sec. 322) Permits certain funds to be made available for Wilmington, Delaware, commuter rail improvements.

(Sec. 323) Prohibits expenditure of funds made available under this Act by any entity that does not agree to comply with the Buy American Act.

Expresses the sense of Congress that entities receiving assistance under this Act should purchase only U.S.-made equipment and products to the greatest extent practicable.

Prohibits the use of funds for contracts with persons falsely labeling products as made in America.

(Sec. 324) Directs Walnut Ridge Regional Airport, Arkansas, to transfer its localizer instrument landing system, and Williams Gateway Airport, Arizona, to transfer air traffic control tower equipment, to the FAA.

(Sec. 327) Amends Federal transportation law to extend the exemption from obligation limitations of the 100 percent Federal share of funds for the Alaska Highway and the Alaska Marine Highway System.

(Sec. 328) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to allow issuers of any preferred stock sold to DOT to redeem or repurchase it.

(Sec. 329) Amends the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century to redefine the Alameda Corridor East and Southwest Passage, California, high priority corridor project on the National Highway System.

(Sec. 330) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for surface transportation projects.

(Sec. 331) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to approve the use of certain Federal aid highway funds for the construction of Type II noise barriers on the West Side of I-285 between Paces Ferry Road and the Chattahoochee River, Georgia, and on the West Side of GA 400 from the Glenridge Connector to Northland Drive, Georgia.

(Sec. 332) Bars the use of funds in this Act to make a grant unless the Secretary of Transportation notifies the Committees on Appropriations not less than three full business days before any discretionary grant award, letter of intent, or full funding grant agreement totaling $500,000 or more is announced by the department or its modal administrations from any discretionary grant program within DOT.

(Sec. 333) Declares that buildings 315, 318, and 319 located at the William J. Hughes Technical Center of the FAA in Atlantic City, New Jersey, shall be known as the Frank R. Lautenberg Aviation Security Complex.

(Sec. 334) Requires the Secretary to enter an agreement for the National Academy of Sciences to study and report to the appropriate congressional committees on the shipment of spent nuclear fuel from research nuclear reactors.

(Sec. 335) Bars the use of funds in this Act to adopt guidelines or regulations requiring airport sponsors to provide to the FAA and the TSA without cost building construction, maintenance, utilities and expenses, or space in airport sponsor-owned buildings for services relating to air traffic control, air navigation, aviation security or weather reporting. Provides that such prohibition does not apply to negotiations between the agency and airport sponsors to achieve agreement on "below-market" rates for such items or to grant assurances that require airport sponsors to provide land without cost to the FAA for air traffic control facilities and the TSA for necessary security checkpoints.

(Sec. 336) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to use up to $300,000 of the amount appropriated for FY 2002 for the DOT for the Coast Guard for acquisition, construction, and improvements to reimburse, by grant, the City of Escanaba, Michigan, for the costs incurred by the City for the repair of the North wall of the municipal dock, Escanaba, Michigan, a facility used by the Coast Guard.

(Sec. 337) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make urbanized area formula grants (with limits) to finance the operating of cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000 if: (1) such urbanized area had a population of less than 200,000; (2) a portion of the urbanized area was a separate urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000; or (3) the area was not designated as an urbanized area.

(Sec. 338) Authorizes the FAA Administrator to accept funds from an airport sponsor (including entitlement funds under the Grants-in-Aid for Airports program) in order to hire additional staff or obtain the services of consultants with respect to airport projects that will add critical airport capacity to the national air transportation system. Limits the use of such funds to facilitating the timely processing, review, and completion of environmental activities associated with such projects.

(Sec. 339) Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to provide grants for the construction of an air traffic control tower and the acquisition or installation of equipment to be used in the tower at Double Eagle II Airport, New Mexico.

(Sec. 340) Authorizes States to use allocated highway safety program funds to produce and place highway safety public service messages in television, radio, cinema, print media, and on the Internet in accordance with guidance issued by the Secretary of Transportation. Earmarks the use of certain innovative seat belt project and anti-drunk driving funds to purchase advertising in broadcast media to support the national mobilizations in all 50 States aimed at increasing seat belt use and reducing impaired driving.

(Sec. 342) Prohibits the obligation of funds in this Act for the Office of the Secretary of Transportation to approve assessments or reimbursable agreements pertaining to funds appropriated to the modal administrations in this Act, unless such assessments or agreements have completed the normal reprogramming process for congressional notification.

(Sec. 343) Amends Federal transportation law to make the Federal share for funds for a State-owned railroad in Alaska between 80 and 95 percent, according to specified formulae.

(Sec. 344) Directs the Secretary of Transportation to enter into an agreement with the State of Nevada, the State of Arizona, or both, to provide certain methods of funding for the construction of a Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge.

(Sec. 345) Prohibits funds appropriated in this Act from being made available to any person or entity convicted of violating the Buy American Act.

(Sec. 346) Allows discretionary bridge funding to be used for historic covered bridges.

(Sec. 347) Bars the availability of funds provided under this Act or prior appropriations Acts for Coast Guard acquisition, construction, and improvement after the 15th day of any quarter of any fiscal year, unless the Commandant of the Coast Guard reports quarterly to the Committees on Appropriations on the agency's mission hour emphasis and on all major Coast Guard acquisition projects, including projects executed for them by the U.S. Navy and vessel traffic service projects.

(Sec. 348) Makes certain transportation infrastructure funds available for national corridor planning and development and coordinated border infrastructure programs and for the transportation and community and system preservation pilot program.

(Sec. 349) Reduces funds provided in this Act for the Transportation Administrative Service Center (TASC), limiting for FY 2003 TASC obligational authority to no more than a specified amount.

(Sec. 350) Subjects any funds appropriated or limited in this Act to the requirements of the Department of Transportation and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2002 regarding safety examinations for any Mexican motor carrier operating beyond U.S. municipalities and commercial zones on the U.S.-Mexico border.

(Sec. 351) Transfers a specified amount of capital funds to FAA, Facilities and Equipment.

(Sec. 352) Amends the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 to exempt from certain maximum axle weight limitations, for a specified period, any over-the-road bus that is used regularly and exclusively as an intrastate public agency transit passenger bus on the Dwight D. Eisenhower System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

(Sec. 353) Makes certain highway project funds available for certain projects in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

(Sec. 354) Amends the 2002 Supplemental Appropriations Act for Further Recovery From and Response To Terrorist Attacks on the United States to reduce from $320 million to $120 million the amount rescinded from funds apportioned to each State under specified Federal-Aid Highway programs.