On May 12, 2011 Senators Rockefeller (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, and Lautenberg (D-NJ), Chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, introduced legislation entitled the American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act of 2011. Among other things, the bill would establish within the Department of Transportation (DOT) the American Infrastructure Investment Fund. The financing mechanism created by this bill would be designed to leverage Federal dollars to incentivize private investment in transportation projects of regional or national significance. The Fund would be authorized at $5 billion for fiscal year (FY) 2012 and FY 2013. The fund is intended to provide financial assistance to State, regional, and local government and private entities to make improvements to existing transportation systems or to build new projects. Eligible types of projects include rail lines, marine ports, pipelines, airports, highways, bridges, public transportation systems, and other transportation-related projects.