I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8579 

To establish a program to provide grants to eligible entities to deploy, install, 

and operate advanced transportation technologies, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 13, 2020 

Mr. BALDERSON (for himself, Mr. GIBBS, and Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To establish a program to provide grants to eligible entities 

to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation 

technologies, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening Methods 

5 to Advance Research and Technology in Transportation 

6 Act’’ or the ‘‘SMART Transportation Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION TECHNOLOGIES 

2 PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 of title 23, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 520. Advanced transportation technologies pro7 gram 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 

9 shall establish a program to provide grants to eligible enti10 ties to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation 

11 technologies to improve safety, efficiency, system perform12 ance, mobility, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure 

13 return on investment. 

14 ‘‘(b) CRITERIA.—In carrying out the program under 

15 subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop criteria for se16 lection of an eligible entity to receive a grant, including 

17 how the proposed deployment of technology— 

18 ‘‘(1) reduces costs and improves return on in19 vestments, including through the optimization of ex20 isting transportation capacity; 

21 ‘‘(2) delivers environmental benefits by alle22 viating congestion and streamlining traffic flow; 

23 ‘‘(3) measures and improves the operational 

24 performance of the applicable transportation net25 work; 


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1 ‘‘(4) reduces the number and severity of traffic 

2 accidents and increases driver, passenger, and pedes3 trian safety; 

4 ‘‘(5) collects, disseminates, and uses informa5 tion on real-time traffic, work zone, weather, transit, 

6 paratransit, parking, and other transportation-re7 lated information to improve mobility, reduce con8 gestion, and provide for more efficient, accessible, 

9 and integrated transportation and transportation 

10 services; 

11 ‘‘(6) monitors transportation assets to improve 

12 infrastructure management, reduce maintenance 

13 costs, prioritize investment decisions, and ensure a 

14 state of good repair; 

15 ‘‘(7) delivers economic benefits by reducing 

16 delays, improving system performance, and providing 

17 for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and 

18 services; or 

19 ‘‘(8) accelerates the deployment of vehicle-to-ve20 hicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure, autonomous vehicles, 

21 and other technologies. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—An application submitted for a 

23 project to be carried out by a grant under this program 

24 shall include the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) A plan to deploy and provide for the long2 term operation and maintenance of advanced trans3 portation technologies to improve safety, efficiency, 

4 system performance, and return on investment. 

5 ‘‘(2) Objectives for quantifiable system perform6 ance improvements, such as— 

7 ‘‘(A) reducing traffic-related accidents, 

8 congestion, and costs; 

9 ‘‘(B) optimizing system efficiency; and 

10 ‘‘(C) improving access to transportation 

11 services. 

12 ‘‘(3) Quantifiable safety, mobility, and environ13 mental benefit projections such as data-driven esti14 mates of how the project proposes to improve the 

15 applicable transportation system efficiency and how 

16 such project proposes to reduce traffic congestion. 

17 ‘‘(4) A plan for any partnerships with private 

18 sector entities or public agencies, including 

19 multimodal and multijurisdictional entities, research 

20 institutions, organizations representing transpor21 tation and technology leaders, or other transpor22 tation stakeholders. 

23 ‘‘(5) A plan to leverage and optimize existing 

24 local and regional advanced transportation tech25 nology investments. 


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1 ‘‘(d) GRANT SELECTION.— 

2 ‘‘(1) GRANT AWARDS.—Each fiscal year for 

3 which funding is made available under this section, 

4 the Secretary shall award grants to not less than 5 

5 and not more than 10 eligible entities. 

6 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara8 graph (B), in awarding a grant under this sec9 tion, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent 

10 practicable, that grant recipients represent di11 verse geographic areas of the United States, in12 cluding urban areas and rural areas. 

13 ‘‘(B) RURAL SET-ASIDE.—Not less than 20 

14 percent of the amounts made available to carry 

15 out this section shall be reserved for projects 

16 serving rural areas, to the extent there are suf17 ficient eligible applications. 

18 ‘‘(3) TECHNOLOGY DIVERSITY.—In awarding a 

19 grant under this section, the Secretary shall ensure, 

20 to the extent practicable, that grant recipients rep21 resent a variety of technology solutions. 

22 ‘‘(e) USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—A grant recipient may 

23 use funds awarded under this section to deploy advanced 

24 transportation technologies, including— 

25 ‘‘(1) advanced traveler information systems; 


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1 ‘‘(2) advanced transportation management tech2 nologies; 

3 ‘‘(3) advanced transportation technologies to 

4 improve emergency evacuation and response by Fed5 eral, State, and local authorities; 

6 ‘‘(4) infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, 

7 and condition assessment; 

8 ‘‘(5) advanced public transportation systems; 

9 ‘‘(6) transportation system performance data 

10 collection, analysis, and dissemination systems; 

11 ‘‘(7) advanced safety systems, including vehicle12 to-vehicle, vehicle-to-pedestrian, and vehicle-to-infra13 structure communications, technologies associated 

14 with autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoid15 ance technologies, including systems using cellular 

16 technology; 

17 ‘‘(8) integration of intelligent transportation 

18 systems with the Smart Grid and other energy dis19 tribution and charging systems; 

20 ‘‘(9) integrated corridor management systems; 

21 ‘‘(10) advanced parking reservation or variable 

22 pricing systems; 

23 ‘‘(11) electronic pricing, toll collection, and pay24 ment systems; 


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1 ‘‘(12) technology that enhances high occupancy 

2 vehicle toll lanes, cordon pricing, or congestion pric3 ing; 

4 ‘‘(13) advanced mobility and access tech5 nologies, such as dynamic ridesharing and informa6 tion systems to support human services for elderly 

7 and disabled individuals; 

8 ‘‘(14) technology that collects and maintains 

9 automated driving system safety data and data anal10 ysis tools; 

11 ‘‘(15) cybersecurity protection measures and ac12 tivities to protect against cybersecurity threats; or 

13 ‘‘(16) advanced vulnerable road user safety in14 formation systems. 

15 ‘‘(f) REPORT TO SECRETARY.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 

17 that a recipient of a grant under this section sub18 mits, not later than 1 year after the recipient re19 ceives a grant and annually thereafter, a report to 

20 the Secretary that describes— 

21 ‘‘(A) deployment and operational costs of 

22 the project compared to the benefits and sav23 ings the project provides; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) how the project has met the original 

2 expectations projected in the deployment plan 

3 submitted with the application, such as— 

4 ‘‘(i) data on how the project has 

5 helped reduce traffic accidents, congestion, 

6 costs, and other benefits of the deployed 

7 systems; 

8 ‘‘(ii) data on the effect of measuring 

9 and improving transportation system per10 formance through the deployment of ad11 vanced transportation technologies; 

12 ‘‘(iii) the effectiveness of providing 

13 real-time integrated traffic, transit, and 

14 multimodal transportation information to 

15 the public to make informed travel deci16 sions; and 

17 ‘‘(iv) lessons learned and rec18 ommendations for future deployment strat19 egies to optimize transportation mobility, 

20 efficiency, and multimodal system perform21 ance. 

22 ‘‘(2) REPORT CONSISTENCY.— 

23 ‘‘(A) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary 

24 shall provide grant recipients with methods and 

25 techniques to support consistent data collection 


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1 across grant recipients and may update such 

2 methods and techniques as appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(B) UPDATE.—The Secretary shall pro4 vide grant recipients notice of an update de5 scribed in subparagraph (A) not less than 90 

6 days before carrying out such update. 

7 ‘‘(g) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

8 of enactment of this section, and once every 2 years there9 after, the Secretary shall make available to the public on 

10 the website of the Department of Transportation an up11 dated report that describes the effectiveness of grant re12 cipients in meeting projected deployment plans including 

13 data described in subsection (f) on how the program has— 

14 ‘‘(1) reduced traffic-related fatalities and inju15 ries; 

16 ‘‘(2) reduced traffic congestion and improved 

17 travel time reliability; 

18 ‘‘(3) reduced transportation-related emissions; 

19 ‘‘(4) optimized multimodal system performance; 

20 ‘‘(5) improved access to transportation alter21 natives; 

22 ‘‘(6) provided the public with access to real-time 

23 integrated traffic, transit, and multimodal transpor24 tation information to make informed travel deci25 sions; 


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1 ‘‘(7) provided cost savings to transportation 

2 agencies, businesses, and the traveling public; or 

3 ‘‘(8) provided other benefits to transportation 

4 users and the general public. 

5 ‘‘(h) PENALTY.—The Secretary may terminate a 

6 grant provided under this section and deobligate funds 

7 provided by such grant if— 

8 ‘‘(1) the Secretary determines from a report 

9 submitted pursuant to subsection (f) that a recipient 

10 of such grant is not carrying out the requirements 

11 of the grant; and 

12 ‘‘(2) the Secretary provides written notice to 

13 the Committees on Transportation and Infrastruc14 ture and Science, Space, and Technology of the 

15 House of Representatives and the Committees on 

16 Environment and Public Works and Commerce, 

17 Science, and Transportation of the Senate 60 days 

18 prior to deobligating funds under this subsection. 

19 ‘‘(i) FUNDING.—Of the amounts provided to carry 

20 out this section, the Secretary may set aside $2,000,000 

21 each fiscal year for program reporting, evaluation, and ad22 ministrative costs related to this section. 

23 ‘‘(j) FEDERAL SHARE.—The Federal share of the 

24 cost of a project for which a grant is awarded under this 


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1 subsection shall not exceed 50 percent of the cost of the 

2 project. 

3 ‘‘(k) GRANT LIMITATION.—The Secretary may not 

4 award more than 15 percent of the amount described 

5 under subsection (i). 

6 ‘‘(l) EXPENSES FOR GRANT RECIPIENTS.—A grant 

7 recipient under this section may use not more than 5 per8 cent of the funds awarded each fiscal year to carry out 

9 planning and reporting requirements. 

10 ‘‘(m) GRANT FLEXIBILITY.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If, by August 1 of each fis12 cal year, the Secretary determines that there are not 

13 enough grant applications that meet the require14 ments described in subsection (c) to carry out this 

15 section for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall transfer 

16 to the programs specified in paragraph (2)— 

17 ‘‘(A) any of the funds reserved for the fis18 cal year under subsection (i) that the Secretary 

19 has not yet awarded under this section; and 

20 ‘‘(B) an amount of obligation limitation 

21 equal to the amount of funds that the Secretary 

22 transfers under subparagraph (A). 

23 ‘‘(2) PROGRAMS.—The programs referred to in 

24 paragraph (1) are— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the programs under sections 503(b) 

2 and 503(c); and 

3 ‘‘(B) the programs under sections 512 

4 through 518. 

5 ‘‘(3) DISTRIBUTION.—Any transfer of funds 

6 and obligation limitation under paragraph (1) shall 

7 be divided among the programs referred to in that 

8 paragraph in the same proportions as the Secretary 

9 originally reserved funding from the programs for 

10 the fiscal year under subsection (i). 

11 ‘‘(n) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following 

12 definitions apply: 

13 ‘‘(1) ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION TECH14 NOLOGIES.—The term ‘advanced transportation 

15 technologies’ means technologies that improve the ef16 ficiency, safety, or state of good repair of surface 

17 transportation systems, including intelligent trans18 portation systems. 

19 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en20 tity’ means a State or local government, a transit 

21 agency, metropolitan planning organization, or a po22 litical subdivision of a State or local government, a 

23 multijurisdictional group, a public academic institu24 tion, public research institution, or a consortia of re25 search institutions or academic institutions. 


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1 ‘‘(3) MULTIJURISDICTIONAL GROUP.—The term 

2 ‘multijurisdictional group’ means any combination of 

3 State governments, local governments, metropolitan 

4 planning organizations, transit agencies, or other po5 litical subdivisions of a State for which each member 

6 of the group— 

7 ‘‘(A) has signed a written agreement to 

8 implement a project carried out under this sec9 tion across jurisdictional boundaries; and 

10 ‘‘(B) is an eligible entity under this sec11 tion. 

12 ‘‘(4) SMART GRID.—The term ‘Smart Grid’ 

13 means a system that provides for any of the smart 

14 grid functions set forth in section 1306(d) of the 

15 Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 

16 U.S.C. 17386(d)).’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap18 ter 5 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by add19 ing at the end the following new item: 

‘‘520. Advanced transportation technologies program.’’. 

20 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Chapter 5 of title 

21 23, United States Code, is amended by striking section 

22 503(c)(4). 


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1 SEC. 3. CONNECTED VEHICLE DEPLOYMENT PILOT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 of title 23, United 

4 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘§ 521. Connected vehicle deployment pilot program 

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor9 tation shall establish a connected vehicle deployment 

10 pilot program to make grants, on a competitive 

11 basis, to spur operational deployments to meet the 

12 transportation needs of eligible entities through the 

13 use of the best available and emerging intelligent 

14 transportation systems. 

15 ‘‘(2) GOALS.—The goals of the program shall 

16 be to— 

17 ‘‘(A) spur connected vehicle technology de18 ployment through wirelessly connected vehicles 

19 that interact with a connected environment, in20 cluding mobile devices, infrastructure, and 

21 other elements; 

22 ‘‘(B) realize safety, mobility, and environ23 mental impacts through operational deploy24 ments; 

25 ‘‘(C) capture and use new forms of con26 nected vehicle and mobile device data to support 


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1 improved surface transportation system per2 formance and enhanced performance-based 

3 management; 

4 ‘‘(D) encourage partnerships of multiple 

5 stakeholders (including private companies, 

6 State and local agencies, transit agencies, com7 mercial vehicle operators, freight shippers, and 

8 transportation network companies); 

9 ‘‘(E) deploy applications using data cap10 tured from multiple sources (including vehicles, 

11 mobile devices, and infrastructure) across all 

12 elements of the surface transportation system 

13 (including transit, highway, arterial highways, 

14 parking facilities, and toll highways); and 

15 ‘‘(F) support deployment sites that create 

16 foundations for future expanded and enhanced 

17 deployments. 

18 ‘‘(b) GRANT AMOUNT.—Each grant made under this 

19 section shall be in an amount that is at least $10,000,000. 

20 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may make 

21 a grant under this section to any of the following entities: 

22 ‘‘(1) A State or a group of States. 

23 ‘‘(2) A transit agency. 


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1 ‘‘(3) A metropolitan planning organization that 

2 serves an urbanized area with a population of more 

3 than 200,000 individuals. 

4 ‘‘(4) A unit of local government or a group of 

5 local governments. 

6 ‘‘(5) A political subdivision of a State or local 

7 government. 

8 ‘‘(6) A special purpose district or public author9 ity with a transportation function, including a port 

10 authority. 

11 ‘‘(7) A multijurisdictional group (as defined 

12 under section 520) or a consortia of research institu13 tions or academic institutions. 

14 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—A grant recipient may 

15 use funds awarded under this section for a project that 

16 deploys connected vehicle applications and technologies, 

17 including— 

18 ‘‘(1) advanced safety systems, including vehicle19 to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communica20 tions, technologies associated with autonomous vehi21 cles, and other collision avoidance technologies, in22 cluding systems using cellular technology; 

23 ‘‘(2) integration of intelligent transportation 

24 systems with the Smart Grid and other energy dis25 tribution and charging systems; 


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1 ‘‘(3) electronic pricing and payment systems; 

2 ‘‘(4) advanced mobility and access technologies, 

3 such as dynamic ridesharing and information sys4 tems to support human services for elderly and dis5 abled individuals; and 

6 ‘‘(5) any deployment concept eligible, before the 

7 date of enactment of this section, under the con8 nected vehicle pilot deployment program carried out 

9 by the Department of Transportation. 

10 ‘‘(e) USE OF FUNDS.—Grant amounts received for 

11 a project under this section may be used for— 

12 ‘‘(1) activities in the development phase, includ13 ing planning, feasibility analysis, revenue fore14 casting, environmental review process (as defined 

15 under section 139), preliminary engineering and de16 sign work, and other preconstruction activities; 

17 ‘‘(2) construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, 

18 acquisition of real property (including land related 

19 to the project and improvements to the land), envi20 ronmental mitigation, construction contingencies, ac21 quisition of equipment, and operational improvement 

22 directly related to improving system performance; 

23 ‘‘(3) providing incentives to attract driver par24 ticipation; and 


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1 ‘‘(4) purchasing and installing any connected 

2 vehicle equipment (including vehicle applications, 

3 roadside units, and back-office equipment). 

4 ‘‘(f) APPLICATIONS.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 

6 under this section, an entity described under sub7 section (c) shall submit to the Secretary an applica8 tion in such form, at such time, and containing such 

9 information as the Secretary determines is appro10 priate, including— 

11 ‘‘(A) a plan to deploy and provide for the 

12 long-term operation and maintenance of con13 nected vehicle technologies to improve safety, 

14 efficiency, and system performance; 

15 ‘‘(B) objectives to improve and measure 

16 system performance in 1 or more of— 

17 ‘‘(i) system productivity; 

18 ‘‘(ii) mobility, including impact on 

19 freight movements; 

20 ‘‘(iii) livability and accessibility of 

21 goods, services, and activities; 

22 ‘‘(iv) environment and fuel use; and 

23 ‘‘(v) traveler and system safety, in24 cluding advising individuals of potentially 

25 unsafe conditions and mitigating the imVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:27 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8579.IH H8579

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1 pact of events that may cause vehicle acci2 dents; and 

3 ‘‘(C) a plan for partnering with private 

4 sector entities or public agencies, including 

5 multimodal and multijurisdictional entities, re6 search institutions, organizations representing 

7 transportation and technology leaders, or other 

8 transportation stakeholders. 

9 ‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—When evaluating applications 

10 under this section, the Secretary may not require 

11 that a pilot deployment under the program be based 

12 on research carried out or funded by the Depart13 ment of Transportation. 

14 ‘‘(g) GRANT SELECTION.— 

15 ‘‘(1) GRANT AWARDS.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of enactment of this section, and each 

17 fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall award 

18 grants to not less than 3 and not more than 5 eligi19 ble entities described in subsection (c). 

20 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—In awarding a 

21 grant under this section, the Secretary shall ensure, 

22 to the extent practicable, that grant recipients rep23 resent diverse geographic areas of the United States, 

24 including urban areas and rural areas. 


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1 ‘‘(h) GRANT MANAGEMENT.—In carrying out the 

2 grant program under this section, the Secretary shall— 

3 ‘‘(1) emphasize project sustainability and long4 term funding goals; 

5 ‘‘(2) create a noncompetitive environment and 

6 encourage collaboration among project sites; 

7 ‘‘(3) balance the privacy of users and secure op8 erations of pilot projects, while maintaining the abil9 ity to measure performance factors; and 

10 ‘‘(4) be wary of technological maturity of con11 nected vehicle applications and impact of long-term 

12 viability of non-deployment ready applications. 

13 ‘‘(i) SMART GRID DEFINED.—In this section, the 

14 term ‘Smart Grid’ means a system that provides for any 

15 of the smart grid functions set forth in section 1306(d) 

16 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 

17 U.S.C. 17386(d)).’’. 

18 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap19 ter 5 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by add20 ing at the end the following new item: 

‘‘521. Connected vehicle deployment pilot program.’’. 

21 SEC. 4. AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEM DEMONSTRATION 

22 PROGRAM. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 5 of title 23, United 

24 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol25 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘§ 522. Automated driving system demonstration pro2 gram 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor5 tation shall establish an automated driving system 

6 demonstration program to make grants, on a com7 petitive basis, to eligible entities to— 

8 ‘‘(A) test the safe integration of automated 

9 driving system technologies into the on-road 

10 transportation system of the United States and 

11 demonstrate how challenges to the safe integra12 tion of such technologies can be addressed; 

13 ‘‘(B) ensure significant data gathering and 

14 sharing of project data to identify— 

15 ‘‘(i) a baseline of safety metrics need16 ed to characterize the safety risk of inte17 grating automated driving system tech18 nologies into the transportation system; 

19 ‘‘(ii) a baseline for the safety of auto20 mated driving system technology integra21 tion; and 

22 ‘‘(iii) a baseline of roadway character23 istics needed for the safe and efficient op24 eration of automated driving system tech25 nologies; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) encourage collaboration and partner2 ships of multiple stakeholders to carry out sub3 paragraphs (A) and (B). 

4 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may make 

5 a grant under this section to the following: 

6 ‘‘(1) A State or a group of States. 

7 ‘‘(2) A transit agency. 

8 ‘‘(3) A metropolitan planning organization that 

9 serves an urbanized area with a population of more 

10 than 200,000 individuals. 

11 ‘‘(4) A unit of local government or a group of 

12 local governments. 

13 ‘‘(5) A political subdivision of a State or local 

14 government. 

15 ‘‘(6) A special purpose district or public author16 ity with a transportation function, including a port 

17 authority. 

18 ‘‘(7) A public academic institution, public re19 search institution, a multijurisdictional group (as 

20 such term is defined in section 520), or a consortia 

21 of research institutions or academic institutions. 

22 ‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 

23 this section, an entity described under subsection (b) shall 

24 submit to the Secretary an application in such form, at 


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1 such time, and containing such information as the Sec2 retary determines is appropriate. 

3 ‘‘(d) ELIGIBLE USES.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant recipient may use 

5 funds awarded under this section to demonstrate 

6 automated driving system technologies, including— 

7 ‘‘(A) advanced safety systems, including 

8 vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure 

9 communications, technologies associated with 

10 autonomous vehicles, and other collision avoid11 ance technologies, including systems using cel12 lular technology; 

13 ‘‘(B) innovative mobility solutions that in14 volve deployment of automated vehicles; 

15 ‘‘(C) automated driving systems that en16 hance safety and mobility for elderly and dis17 abled individuals; 

18 ‘‘(D) demonstration of shared interoper19 able fleet of automated vehicles; 

20 ‘‘(E) demonstration and validation of ex21 changes of data that can support the safe, effi22 cient, and secure interoperable integration of 

23 automated driving systems; 

24 ‘‘(F) any technology associated with auto25 mated driving systems; and 


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1 ‘‘(G) any deployment concept eligible under 

2 the automated driving system demonstration 

3 grant program carried out by the Department 

4 of Transportation before the date of enactment 

5 of this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) ADDITIONAL USES.—A grant recipient 

7 may use funds awarded under this section for infra8 structure needs, including capital expenses and 

9 maintenance activities, necessary to the proper and 

10 safe operation of the automated driving system tech11 nology. 

12 ‘‘(e) GRANT SELECTION.— 

13 ‘‘(1) GRANT AWARDS.—The Secretary may 

14 award grants to not less than 8 and not more than 

15 10 eligible entities described under subsection (b) in 

16 a fiscal year. 

17 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In awarding a grant 

19 under this section, the Secretary shall ensure, 

20 to the maximum extent practicable, that grant 

21 recipients represent diverse geographic areas of 

22 the United States, including urban areas and 

23 rural areas. 

24 ‘‘(B) RURAL SET-ASIDE.—Not less than 20 

25 percent of the amounts made available to carry 


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1 out this section shall be reserved for projects 

2 serving rural areas, to the extent there are suf3 ficient eligible applications for such projects. 

4 ‘‘(f) DEMONSTRATION REQUIREMENTS.—The Sec5 retary shall ensure that any project carried out with funds 

6 provided under this section shall— 

7 ‘‘(1) carry out research and development of 

8 automated driving system technologies of Level 3 or 

9 greater, as such term is defined pursuant to sub10 section (h); 

11 ‘‘(2) include physical and fully operational dem12 onstrations; 

13 ‘‘(3) include gathering and sharing of all rel14 evant data with the Department of Transportation 

15 and the relevant State transportation agencies; and 

16 ‘‘(4) address scalability to be applicable across 

17 the United States to similar road environments. 

18 ‘‘(g) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

19 on which a grant recipient receives a grant under this sec20 tion, and annually thereafter until such grant is expended, 

21 the recipient shall submit to the Secretary and to the 

22 transportation agency of the State in which the project 

23 takes place, a report that describes— 

24 ‘‘(1) lessons learned and how the demonstration 

25 has met project objectives; 


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1 ‘‘(2) a summary of any complications experi2 enced with the project, including complications re3 lated to pedestrians, infrastructure, and other vehi4 cles; 

5 ‘‘(3) how to use the results of the project to 

6 help the public interact and better understand the 

7 operations of automated driving system technologies; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(4) recommendations for improving roadway 

10 characteristics needed for the safe and efficient oper11 ation of automated driving system technologies with12 in the State or jurisdiction in which the project took 

13 place. 

14 ‘‘(h) GUIDANCE REQUIRED.—Not later than 120 

15 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec16 retary shall issue guidance defining the term Level 3 or 

17 greater by considering industry best practices and stand18 ards, including the definition found within ‘Taxonomy and 

19 Definitions for Terms Related to Driving Automation Sys20 tems for On-Road Motor Vehicles’ published by SAE 

21 International on June 15, 2018 (J3016l201806), or sub22 sequent versions. 

23 ‘‘(i) AUTOMATED DRIVING SYSTEM TECHNOLOGIES

24 DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘automated driving 

25 system technologies’ means the hardware and software 


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1 that are collectively capable of performing the entire dy2 namic driving task on a sustained basis, regardless of 

3 whether such capability is limited to a specific operational 

4 design domain.’’. 

5 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap6 ter 5 of title 23, United States Code, is amended by add7 ing at the end the following new item: 

‘‘522. Automated driving system demonstration program.’’. 

8 (c) PREPARING ROADWAYS FOR AUTOMATED VEHI9 CLES.—Section 133(b) of title 23, United States Code, is 

10 amended by adding at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘(16) Capital and maintenance expenses for in12 frastructure improvements to ensure the proper and 

13 safe operation of automated driving system tech14 nologies for which a demonstration project was car15 ried out under section 522.’’. 

16 SEC. 5. ACCELERATED IMPLEMENTATION AND DEPLOY17 MENT OF ADVANCED DIGITAL CONSTRUC18 TION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 503(c) of title 23, United 

20 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(4) ACCELERATED IMPLEMENTATION AND DE23 PLOYMENT OF ADVANCED DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

24 MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 

2 months after the date of enactment of this 

3 paragraph, the Secretary of Transportation 

4 shall establish and implement an advanced dig5 ital construction management system program 

6 under the technology and innovation deploy7 ment program established under paragraph (1) 

8 and implemented pursuant to paragraph (2) 

9 to— 

10 ‘‘(i) deploy advanced digital construc11 tion management systems that enable the 

12 use of digital technologies on construction 

13 sites by contractors and leverage the use of 

14 such technologies, including state-of-the15 art automated and connected machinery 

16 and optimized routing software that allows 

17 individuals to perform tasks faster, safer, 

18 more accurately, and with minimal super19 vision; 

20 ‘‘(ii) accelerate State adoption of ad21 vanced digital construction management 

22 systems applied throughout the design, en23 gineering, construction, and operations 

24 phases of a construction project that— 


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1 ‘‘(I) maximize interoperability 

2 with other systems, products, tools, or 

3 applications; 

4 ‘‘(II) increase productivity; 

5 ‘‘(III) manage complexity of a 

6 construction project; 

7 ‘‘(IV) reduce project delays and 

8 cost overruns; and 

9 ‘‘(V) enhance safety of individ10 uals involved and quality of a con11 struction project; 

12 ‘‘(iii) share information among stake13 holders through reduced reliance on paper 

14 to manage construction processes and 

15 deliverables, including blueprints, design 

16 drawings, procurement and supply-chain 

17 orders, equipment logs, daily progress re18 ports, and punch lists; 

19 ‘‘(iv) develop and deploy best practices 

20 for use in advanced digital construction 

21 management systems; 

22 ‘‘(v) increase the adoption and deploy23 ment of technology by States and units of 

24 local government that enables entities car25 rying out construction projects to— 


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1 ‘‘(I) integrate the adoption of ad2 vanced digital construction manage3 ment systems and technologies in con4 tracts; and 

5 ‘‘(II) weigh the cost of 

6 digitization and technology in setting 

7 project budgets; 

8 ‘‘(vi) implement technology training 

9 and workforce development to build the ca10 pabilities of entities carrying out construc11 tion projects that enables States and units 

12 of local government to— 

13 ‘‘(I) better manage projects using 

14 advanced digital construction manage15 ment technologies; and 

16 ‘‘(II) properly measure and re17 ward technology adoption across con18 struction projects carried out by the 

19 State or unit of local government; 

20 ‘‘(vii) develop guidance to assist 

21 States in updating regulations of such 

22 States to allow entities carrying out con23 struction projects to— 

24 ‘‘(I) report data relating to the 

25 project in digital formats; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) fully capture the efficiencies 

2 and benefits of advanced digital con3 struction management systems and 

4 related technologies; 

5 ‘‘(viii) reduce the environmental foot6 print of construction projects by using ad7 vanced digital construction management 

8 systems to eliminate traffic congestion 

9 through more efficient projects; and 

10 ‘‘(ix) enhance worker and roadway 

11 user safety. 

12 ‘‘(B) FUNDING.—The Secretary shall obli13 gate for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025 

14 from funds made available to carry out this 

15 subsection such funds as may be necessary to 

16 carry out this paragraph. 

17 ‘‘(C) PUBLICATION.— 

18 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—At least once 

19 every 2 years, the Secretary shall issue and 

20 make available to the public on the website 

21 of the Department of Transportation a re22 port on— 

23 ‘‘(I) progress made in the imple24 mentation of advanced digital conVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:27 Nov 01, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8579.IH H8579

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1 struction management systems by 

2 States; and 

3 ‘‘(II) the costs and benefits of 

4 the deployment of technology and in5 novations resulting from the program 

6 established under this paragraph. 

7 ‘‘(ii) INCLUSIONS.—The report re8 quired under clause (i) may include an 

9 analysis of— 

10 ‘‘(I) Federal, State, and local 

11 cost savings; 

12 ‘‘(II) project delivery time im13 provements; 

14 ‘‘(III) traffic congestion impacts; 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(IV) safety improvements for 

17 roadway users and construction work18 ers. 

19 ‘‘(D) ADVANCED DIGITAL CONSTRUCTION

20 MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS DEFINED.—In this 

21 paragraph, the term ‘advanced digital construc22 tion management systems’ means commercially 

23 proven digital technologies and processes for 

24 the management of construction and engineer25 ing activities, including— 


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1 ‘‘(i) systems for infrastructure plan2 ning, coordination, construction, mainte3 nance, modernization and management; 

4 and 

5 ‘‘(ii) asset management systems for 

6 machines, site equipment, and personnel.’’. 

7 (b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 

8 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

9 submit to the Committee on Environment and Public 

10 Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transpor11 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

12 a report that includes— 

13 (1) a description of— 

14 (A) the status of the program carried out 

15 under section 503(c)(4) of title 23, United 

16 States Code, and any other use of advanced 

17 digital construction management systems in 

18 each State; and 

19 (B) the progress of each State toward ac20 celerating the adoption of advanced digital con21 struction management systems; and 

22 (2) an analysis of the savings in project delivery 

23 time and project costs that can be achieved through 

24 the use of advanced digital construction manage25 ment systems. 


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1 SEC. 6. INNOVATIVE PROJECT DELIVERY METHODS. 

2 Section 120(c)(3) of title 23, United States Code, is 

3 amended— 

4 (1) in subparagraph (B)— 

5 (A) in clause (v) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

6 end; 

7 (B) in clause (vi) by striking the period 

8 and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

9 (C) by inserting at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(vii) advanced digital construction 

11 management systems as defined in section 

12 503(c)(4).’’; and 

13 (2) in subparagraph (C)(i) by striking ‘‘10 per14 cent’’ and inserting ‘‘25 percent’’. 

Æ 


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