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### §326. Education and training program

(a) Authority.—The Secretary is authorized to carry out a transportation assistance program that will provide highway and transportation agencies in (1) urbanized areas of 50,000 to 1,000,000 population, and (2) rural areas, access to modern highway technology.

(b) Grants and Contracts.—The Secretary may make grants and enter into contracts for education and training, technical assistance, and related support service that will—

(1) assist rural local transportation agencies to develop and expand their expertise in road and transportation areas (including pavement, bridge and safety management systems), to improve roads and bridges, to enhance programs for the movement of passengers and freight, to deal effectively with special road related problems by preparing and providing training packages, manuals, guidelines, and technical resource materials, and developing a tourism and recreational travel technical assistance program;

(2) identify, package, and deliver usable highway technology to local jurisdictions to assist urban transportation agencies in developing and expanding their ability to deal effectively with road related problems; and

(3) establish, in cooperation with State transportation or highway departments and universities (A) urban technical assistance program centers in States with 2 or more urbanized areas of 50,000 to 1,000,000 population, and (B) rural technical assistance program centers.

Not less than 2 centers under paragraph (3) shall be designated to provide transportation assistance that may include, but is not necessarily limited to, a “circuit-rider” program, providing training on intergovernmental transportation planning and project selection, and tourism recreational travel to American Indian tribal governments.

(c) Funds.—The funds required to carry out the provisions of this section shall be taken out of administrative funds deducted under section 104(a). The sum of $6,000,000 per fiscal year for each of the fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 1997 shall be set aside from such administrative funds for the purpose of providing technical and financial support for these centers, including up to 100 percent for services provided to American Indian tribal governments. There shall be available from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this section $3,000,000 for the period of October 1, 1997, through March 31, 1998, and such funds shall be subject to any limitation on obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs.

(Added Pub. L. 102–240, title VI, §6004(a), Dec. 18, 1991, 105 Stat. 2169; amended Pub. L. 105–130, §5(e)(4), Dec. 1, 1997, 111 Stat. 2558.)

#### Amendments

1997—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 105–130 inserted at end “There shall be available from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this section $3,000,000 for the period of October 1, 1997, through March 31, 1998, and such funds shall be subject to any limitation on obligations for Federal-aid highways and highway safety construction programs.”

#### Section Referred to in Other Sections

This section is referred to in section 204 of this title.