Union Calendar No. 318

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 860

[Report No. 105–503, Part I]

A BILL

To authorize appropriations to the Department of

search and development, and for other purposes.Transportation for surface transportation reJUNE 3, 1998

The Committees on Commerce and Transportation and

on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printedInfrastructure discharged; committed to the Committee
IB

Union Calendar No. 318

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. R. 860

[Report No. 105–503, Part I]

To authorize appropriations to the Department of Transportation for surface

transportation research and development, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 27, 1997

Mrs. MORELLA (for herself and Mr. BROWN of California) introduced the

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science

APRIL 29, 1998

Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committees on Commerce

and Transportation and Infrastructure for a period ending not later than

June 2, 1998 for consideration of such provisions of the bill and amendment reported from the Committee on Science as fall within their jurisdiction pursuant to clause 1(e) and (q) of rule X, respectively

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]

JUNE 2, 1998

Referral to the Committees on Commerce and Transportation and

Infrastructure extended for a period ending not later than June 3, 1998

JUNE 3, 1998

Additional sponsors: Mr. FORBES, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas,

and Ms. STABENOW

JUNE 3, 1998

The Committees on Commerce and Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State

of the Union and ordered to be printed
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[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on February 27, 1997]

A BILL

To authorize appropriations to the Department of Transportation for surface transportation research and development, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the

5 ‘‘Surface Transportation Research and Development Act of

6 1997’’.

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.

Sec. 2. Purposes.

Sec. 3. Limitations.

Sec. 4. Notice.

Sec. 5. Sense of Congress on the year 2000 problem.

TITLE VI—RESEARCH

Subtitle A—Programs and Activities

Sec. 6001. Transportation research and technology development.

Sec. 6002. Surface transportation research and technology development program.

Sec. 6003. Statistics research.

Sec. 6004. Applied research and technology utilization program.

Sec. 6005. Technology transfer and technology partnerships.

Sec. 6006. Long-term pavement performance and advanced research.

Sec. 6007. State research.

Sec. 6008. Minimum expenditures on long-term research projects.

Sec. 6009. Authorization of appropriations.

Subtitle B—Intelligent Transportation Systems

Sec. 6021. Short title amendment.

Sec. 6022. Establishment and scope of program.

Sec. 6023. General authorities and requirements.

Sec. 6024. Strategic plan, implementation, and report to Congress.

Sec. 6025. Technical, planning, and operational testing project assistance.
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Sec. 6026. Applications of technology.

Sec. 6027. Funding.

Sec. 6028. Definitions.

1 SEC. 2. PURPOSES.

2 The purposes of this Act are—

3 (1) to promote an inclusive approach to surface

4 transportation research and development by requiring

5 a multimodal focus, facilitating cooperation among

6 industry, institutions of higher education, and gov7 ernment, and increasing coordination between Fed8 eral and State research organizations;

9 (2) to promote high standards in research, devel10 opment, and technology utilization through merit re11 view, competitive awards, enhanced technology trans12 fer, accelerated standards development, and better un13 derstanding of and increased use of life cycle costing

14 of projects;

15 (3) to strengthen basic and longer term transpor16 tation research efforts and strengthen the role of insti17 tutions of higher education in those programs;

18 (4) to strengthen the efforts of the Department of

19 Transportation at strategic and long-range planning,

20 and to streamline data collection, measurement of re21 search results, and utilization of research results by

22 others; and

23 (5) to enhance the impact of transportation re24 search and development by ensuring the consideration
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1 of safety, the efficient movement of people and goods,

2 the environment, and life cycle cost savings of trans3 portation decisions.

4 SEC. 3. LIMITATIONS.

5 (a) PROHIBITION OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.—No

6 funds appropriated to the Secretary of Transportation shall

7 be available for any activity whose purpose is to influence

8 any pending Federal, State, or local legislation, except that

9 this subsection shall not prevent officers or employees of the

10 United States or of its departments or agencies from com11 municating to Members of Congress on the request of any

12 Member or to Congress, through the proper channels, re13 quests for legislation or appropriations which they deem

14 necessary for the efficient conduct of the public business.

15 Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit officers or employ16 ees of the United States or its departments or agencies from

17 testifying before any Federal, State, or local legislative body

18 upon the invitation of such legislative body.

19 (b) LIMITATION ON APPROPRIATIONS.—No sums are

20 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Transpor21 tation for fiscal years 1998, 1999, and 2000 for the purposes

22 for which sums are authorized by this Act and the amend23 ments made by this Act, unless such sums are specifically

24 authorized to be appropriated by this Act or the amend25 ments made by this Act.
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1 (c) ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARDS.—

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transpor3 tation shall exclude from consideration for grant

4 agreements made by the Department of Transpor5 tation after fiscal year 1997 any person who received

6 funds, other than those described in paragraph (2),

7 appropriated for a fiscal year after fiscal year 1997,

8 under a grant agreement from any Federal funding

9 source for a project that was not subjected to a com10 petitive, merit-based award process. Any exclusion

11 from consideration pursuant to this subsection shall

12 be effective for a period of 5 years after the person

13 receives such Federal funds.

14 (2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply

15 to the receipt of Federal funds by a person due to the

16 membership of that person in a class specified by law

17 for which assistance is awarded to members of the

18 class according to a formula provided by law.

19 (3) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub20 section, the term ‘‘grant agreement’’ means a legal in21 strument whose principal purpose is to transfer a

22 thing of value to the recipient to carry out a public

23 purpose of support or stimulation authorized by a

24 law of the United States, and does not include the ac25 quisition (by purchase, lease, or barter) of property or
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1 services for the direct benefit or use of the United

2 States Government. Such term does not include a co3 operative agreement (as such term is used in section

4 6305 of title 31, United States Code) or a cooperative

5 research and development agreement (as such term is

6 defined in section 12(d)(1) of the Stevenson-Wydler

7 Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C.

8 3710a(d)(1))).

9 SEC. 4. NOTICE.

10 (a) NOTICE OF REPROGRAMMING.—If any funds au11 thorized by this Act or the amendments made by this Act

12 are subject to a reprogramming action that requires notice

13 to be provided to the Appropriations Committees of the

14 House of Representatives and the Senate, notice of such ac15 tion shall concurrently be provided to the Committees on

16 Science and Transportation and Infrastructure of the

17 House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,

18 Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

19 (b) NOTICE OF REORGANIZATION.—The Secretary of

20 Transportation shall provide notice to the Committees on

21 Science, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Appro22 priations of the House of Representatives, and the Commit23 tees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Appro24 priations of the Senate, not later than 15 days before any

25 major reorganization of any program, project, or activity
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1 of the Department of Transportation for which funds are

2 authorized by this Act or the amendments made by this Act.

3 SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM.

4 With the year 2000 fast approaching, it is the sense

5 of Congress that the Department of Transportation

6 should—

7 (1) give high priority to correcting all 2-digit

8 date-related problems in its computer systems to en9 sure that those systems continue to operate effectively

10 in the year 2000 and beyond;

11 (2) assess immediately the extent of the risk to

12 the operations of the Department of Transportation

13 posed by the problems referred to in paragraph (1),

14 and plan and budget for achieving Year 2000 compli15 ance for all of its mission-critical systems; and

16 (3) develop contingency plans for those systems

17 that the Department of Transportation is unable to

18 correct in time.
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1 TITLE VI—RESEARCH

2 Subtitle A—Programs and

3 Activities

4 SEC. 6001. TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY

5 DEVELOPMENT.

6 (a) RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT.—

7 Subtitle III of title 49, United States Code, is amended by

8 adding at the end the following new chapter:

9 ‘‘CHAPTER 61—RESEARCH AND

10 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE

‘‘Sec.

‘‘6101. Authority for research and technology development program.

‘‘6102. Transactional authority.

‘‘6103. Definitions.

‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—PLANNING

‘‘6121. Planning.

‘‘6122. Implementation.

‘‘6123. Surface transportation research and technology development plan.

‘‘6124. Merit review and performance measurement.

‘‘6125. Governmental procedures.

‘‘6126. Role of Deputy Secretary.

‘‘6127. Funding.

‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—UNIVERSITY RESEARCH

‘‘6131. University research in general.

‘‘6132. National university transportation centers.

‘‘6133. Research grants program involving undergraduate students.

‘‘6134. Authorization of appropriations.

‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV—COMMUNITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

RESEARCH

‘‘6141. Community and Environmental Impact Research Program.

‘‘6142. Transportation-Environment Cooperative Research Program.
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1 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER I—GENERAL AND

2 ADMINISTRATIVE

3 ‘‘§ 6101. Authority for research and technology devel4 opment program

5 ‘‘The Secretary of Transportation is authorized to

6 carry out a program of research and technology develop7 ment activities in support of the Department’s mission.

8 Such activities shall be carried out in accordance with the

9 plan developed under section 6123, and shall include—

10 ‘‘(1) strategic planning and policy analysis, in11 cluding State planning and research;

12 ‘‘(2) research and technology development;

13 ‘‘(3) collection, analysis, and dissemination of

14 research data and results;

15 ‘‘(4) systems engineering and systems assess16 ments;

17 ‘‘(5) technology demonstrations and operational

18 tests; and

19 ‘‘(6) technology transfer and skills development.

20 ‘‘§ 6102. Transactional authority

21 ‘‘To carry out the activities described in section 6101,

22 the Secretary of Transportation may enter into contracts,

23 grants, and cooperative agreements with any public or pri24 vate sector entity.
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1 ‘‘§ 6103. Definitions

2 ‘‘For purposes of this chapter—

3 ‘‘(1) the term ‘institution of higher education’

4 has the meaning given that term in section 1201 of

5 the Higher Education Act of 1965; and

6 ‘‘(2) the term ‘operating administrations’ means

7 the Administrations that are components of the De8 partment of Transportation, and the Bureau of

9 Transportation Statistics.

10 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER II—PLANNING

11 ‘‘§ 6121. Planning

12 ‘‘The Secretary of Transportation shall—

13 ‘‘(1) establish a strategic planning process, con14 sistent with section 306 of title 5, United States Code,

15 for the Department of Transportation to determine

16 national transportation research and technology de17 velopment priorities;

18 ‘‘(2) coordinate Federal transportation research

19 and technology development activities; and

20 ‘‘(3) measure the results of those activities and

21 how they impact the performance of the national

22 transportation system.

23 ‘‘§ 6122. Implementation

24 ‘‘In implementing section 6121, the Secretary of

25 Transportation shall—
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1 ‘‘(1) provide for the integrated planning, coordi2 nation, and consultation among the operating admin3 istrations, all other Federal agencies with responsibil4 ity for transportation research and technology devel5 opment, State and local governments, institutions of

6 higher education, industry, and other private and

7 public sector organizations engaged in transportation8 related research and development activities;

9 ‘‘(2) ensure that the Department’s research and

10 technology development programs do not duplicate

11 other Federal, State, or private sector research and

12 development programs;

13 ‘‘(3) develop and implement methods for evaluat14 ing the comparative utility, life cycle costs, and envi15 ronmental and social impacts of various transpor16 tation alternatives; and

17 ‘‘(4) provide for independent validation of the

18 scientific and technical assumptions underlying the

19 Department’s research and technology development

20 plans.

21 ‘‘§ 6123. Surface transportation research and tech22 nology development plan

23 ‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT.—In implementing section 6121,

24 the Secretary of Transportation shall develop an integrated
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1 surface transportation research and technology development

2 plan (in this section referred to as the ‘plan’).

3 ‘‘(b) CONTENTS.—The plan shall include—

4 ‘‘(1) an identification of the general goals and

5 objectives of the Department of Transportation for

6 surface transportation, including—

7 ‘‘(A) enhancement of advanced and long8 term research and technology development;

9 ‘‘(B) development of a seamless transpor10 tation system by integrating transportation

11 modes; and

12 ‘‘(C) enhancement of the role of universities

13 in surface transportation research and tech14 nology development and technology transfer;

15 ‘‘(2) a description of the roles of the Department

16 of Transportation and other Federal agencies in

17 achieving the goals identified under paragraph (1), in

18 order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort;

19 ‘‘(3) a description of the roles of each Federal

20 agency in—

21 ‘‘(A) collecting, assessing, and disseminat22 ing research and technology development results

23 from other countries that are relevant to surface

24 transportation; and
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1 ‘‘(B) analyzing and applying research and

2 technology development from other fields and in3 dustries that may have applications for the sur4 face transportation sector;

5 ‘‘(4) a description of the Department’s overall

6 strategy, and the role of each of the operating admin7 istrations in carrying out the plan over the next 5

8 years including a description of procedures for coordi9 nation of its efforts with the other operating adminis10 trations and with other Federal agencies;

11 ‘‘(5) an assessment of how State and local re12 search and technology development activities are con13 tributing to the achievement of the goals identified

14 under paragraph (1);

15 ‘‘(6) details of the Department’s surface trans16 portation research and technology development pro17 grams, including performance goals, resources needed

18 to achieve those goals, and performance indicators as

19 described in section 1115(a) of title 31, United States

20 Code, for the next 5 years for each area of research

21 and technology development;

22 ‘‘(7) significant comments on the plan and its

23 contents obtained from outside sources; and

24 ‘‘(8) responses to significant comments obtained

25 from the National Research Council and other advi-
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1 sory bodies, and a description of any corrective ac2 tions taken pursuant thereto.

3 ‘‘(c) COOPERATION WITH INDUSTRY.—A primary

4 component of the plan shall be cooperation with industry

5 in carrying out this chapter and strengthening the manu6 facturing capabilities of United States firms in order to

7 produce products for transportation systems.

8 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL REVIEW.—The

9 Secretary shall enter into an agreement for the review by

10 the National Research Council of the details of each—

11 ‘‘(1) strategic plan or revision required under

12 section 306 of title 5, United States Code;

13 ‘‘(2) performance plan required under section

14 1115 of title 31, United States Code; and

15 ‘‘(3) program performance report required under

16 section 1116 of title 31, United States Code,

17 with respect to surface transportation research and tech18 nology development.

19 ‘‘(e) STRATEGIC PLAN.—

20 ‘‘(1) INITIAL TRANSMITTAL.—Within 1 year after

21 the date of the enactment of the Surface Transpor22 tation Research and Development Act of 1997, the

23 Secretary shall transmit to the Director of the Office

24 of Management and Budget and to the Congress a

25 strategic plan as described in section 306(a) of title
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1 5, United States Code, which shall include the plan

2 developed under this section.

3 ‘‘(2) UPDATE AND REVISION.—The strategic plan

4 transmitted under paragraph (1) shall be updated

5 and revised, as required by section 306(b) of title 5,

6 United States Code, in coordination with other up7 dating and revision by the Department under such

8 section 306(b).

9 ‘‘(f) PERFORMANCE PLANS AND REPORTS.—In com10 plying with sections 1115 and 1116 of title 31, United

11 States Code, the Secretary shall include—

12 ‘‘(1) a summary of the results for the previous

13 fiscal year of surface transportation research and

14 technology development programs to which the De15 partment of Transportation contributes, along with—

16 ‘‘(A) an analysis of the relationship between

17 those results and the goals identified under sub18 section (b)(1); and

19 ‘‘(B) a description of the methodology used

20 for assessing the results;

21 ‘‘(2) a description of significant surface trans22 portation research and technology development initia23 tives, if any, undertaken during the previous fiscal

24 year which were not in the plan developed under sub-
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1 section (a), and any significant changes in the plan

2 from the previous year’s plan; and

3 ‘‘(3) a list of all surface transportation research

4 and technology development grants, contracts, and co5 operative agreements entered into by the Department

6 of Transportation that were not competitively award7 ed on the basis of merit review.

8 ‘‘§ 6124. Merit review and performance measurement

9 ‘‘The Secretary of Transportation shall, within one

10 year after the date of the enactment of the Surface Trans11 portation Research and Development Act of 1997, transmit

12 to the Congress a report describing competitive merit review

13 procedures for research and technology development, and

14 performance measurement procedures for research and tech15 nology development and demonstrations, developed in con16 sultation with the National Science Foundation and the

17 National Institute of Standards and Technology.

18 ‘‘§ 6125. Governmental procedures

19 ‘‘In implementing section 6121, the Secretary of

20 Transportation shall—

21 ‘‘(1) develop model procurement procedures that

22 encourage the use of advanced technologies; and

23 ‘‘(2) develop model transactions for carrying out

24 and coordinating Federal and State surface transpor25 tation research and technology development activities.
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1 ‘‘§ 6126. Role of Deputy Secretary

2 ‘‘The implementation of this subchapter shall be co3 ordinated through the Deputy Secretary of Transportation.

4 ‘‘§ 6127. Funding

5 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATIONS.—There is available from the

6 Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account,

7 for the Secretary of Transportation—

8 ‘‘(1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

9 ‘‘(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

10 ‘‘(3) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

11 to carry out this subchapter.

12 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds authorized for

13 carrying out this subchapter shall be available for obliga14 tion in the same manner as if such funds were apportioned

15 under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, and such

16 funds shall remain available for obligation for a period of

17 two years after the last day of the fiscal year for which

18 such funds are made available under subsection (a).

19 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER III—UNIVERSITY RESEARCH

20 ‘‘§ 6131. University research in general

21 ‘‘(a) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Transpor22 tation, acting through the Deputy Secretary of Transpor23 tation, shall coordinate the efforts of the Department to en24 hance the role of institutions of higher education in trans25 portation research and technology development and tech26 nology transfer.
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1 ‘‘(b) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may make grants to

2 and enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with

3 institutions of higher education to provide assistance as the

4 Secretary considers necessary to carry out the Department’s

5 research and technology development and technology trans6 fer responsibilities and programs.

7 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM COORDINATION.—The Secretary

8 shall—

9 ‘‘(1) provide for coordination of research and

10 technology development and technology transfer ac11 tivities that institutions of higher education carry out

12 with funds provided directly or indirectly by the De13 partment of Transportation;

14 ‘‘(2) provide for the dissemination of the results

15 of activities described in paragraph (1), including, to

16 the maximum extent practicable, dissemination

17 through the National Technical Information Service;

18 and

19 ‘‘(3) at least annually, consistent with the plan

20 developed under section 6123, review and evaluate the

21 priorities of such activities and their effectiveness in

22 carrying out this section.

23 ‘‘§ 6132. National university transportation centers

24 ‘‘(a) REGIONALLY BASED CENTERS.—The Secretary of

25 Transportation shall make grants to institutions of higher
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1 education to establish and operate 1 university transpor2 tation center in each of the 10 regions that comprise the

3 Standard Federal Regional Boundary System.

4 ‘‘(b) OTHER CENTERS.—The Secretary may make

5 grants to institutions of higher education to establish and

6 operate up to 10 other university transportation centers to

7 address transportation research, development, training,

8 technology transfer, and policy issues designated by the Sec9 retary, consistent with section 6101 and the plan developed

10 under section 6123.

11 ‘‘(c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—An institution interested

12 in receiving a grant under subsection (a) or (b) shall submit

13 an application to the Secretary in the manner and contain14 ing the information the Secretary prescribes. The Secretary

15 shall select recipients through a competitive, independent,

16 peer-reviewed process on the basis of—

17 ‘‘(1) the research and technology development re18 sources available to the recipient to carry out this sec19 tion;

20 ‘‘(2) the capability of the recipient to provide

21 leadership in making national and regional contribu22 tions to the solution of immediate and long-range

23 transportation problems;

24 ‘‘(3) the recipient’s demonstrated ability to dis25 seminate results of transportation research through a
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1 statewide or regionwide technology transfer program;

2 and

3 ‘‘(4) the strategic plan the recipient proposes to

4 carry out under the grant.

5 ‘‘(d) OBJECTIVES.—Each university transportation

6 center established and operated under this section shall con7 duct—

8 ‘‘(1) competitively awarded, peer reviewed trans9 portation research;

10 ‘‘(2) an education program that includes multi11 disciplinary course work and participation in re12 search; and

13 ‘‘(3) an ongoing program of transportation tech14 nology transfer.

15 ‘‘(e) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—As a condition of re16 ceiving a grant under subsection (a) or (b), the Secretary

17 shall require the recipient to agree to maintain total ex18 penditures from all sources, other than under this section,

19 for the university transportation center and related research

20 activities at a level at least equal to the average level of

21 expenditures for such activities in the 2 fiscal years prior

22 to award of the grant.

23 ‘‘(f) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—A grant under sub24 section (a) or (b) shall not exceed 50 percent of the cost

25 of establishing and operating the university transportation
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1 center and related research activities the recipient carries

2 out for the fiscal year or years for which the grant is made.

3 ‘‘§ 6133. Research grants program involving under4 graduate students

5 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor6 tation may establish a program for awarding grants to re7 searchers at primarily undergraduate institutions who in8 volve undergraduate students in research on subjects of rel9 evance to transportation. Grants may be awarded under

10 this section for—

11 ‘‘(1) research projects to be carried out at pri12 marily undergraduate institutions; or

13 ‘‘(2) research projects that combine research at

14 primarily undergraduate institutions with other re15 search supported by the Department of Transpor16 tation.

17 ‘‘(b) NOTICE OF CRITERIA.—Within 6 months after the

18 date of the enactment of the Surface Transportation Re19 search and Development Act of 1997, the Secretary shall

20 establish and publish in the Federal Register criteria for

21 the submittal of proposals for a grant under this section,

22 and for the awarding of such grants.

23 ‘‘(c) PRINCIPAL CRITERIA.—The principal criteria for

24 the awarding of grants under this section shall be—
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1 ‘‘(1) the relevance of the proposed research to the

2 plan developed under section 6123;

3 ‘‘(2) the scientific and technical merit of the pro4 posed research; and

5 ‘‘(3) the potential for participation by under6 graduate students in the proposed research.

7 ‘‘(d) COMPETITIVE, MERIT-BASED EVALUATION.—

8 Grants shall be awarded under this section on the basis of

9 evaluation of proposals through a competitive, merit-based

10 process.

11 ‘‘§ 6134. Authorization of appropriations

12 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be ap13 propriated, out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the

14 Mass Transit Account), to the Secretary of Transpor15 tation—

16 ‘‘(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

17 ‘‘(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

18 ‘‘(3) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

19 for carrying out sections 6132 and 6133.

20 ‘‘(b) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Funds authorized for

21 carrying out sections 6132 and 6133 shall be available for

22 obligation in the same manner as if such funds were appor23 tioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, and

24 such funds shall remain available for obligation for a period
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1 of two years after the last day of the fiscal year for which

2 such funds are made available under subsection (a).

3 ‘‘SUBCHAPTER IV—COMMUNITY AND

4 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT RESEARCH

5 ‘‘§ 6141. Community and Environmental Impact Re6 search Program

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Transpor8 tation shall establish a Community and Environmental Im9 pact Research Program to assess the relationships between

10 transportation modes, programs, and projects and their en11 vironmental and community impacts. As appropriate, in

12 carrying out the program, the Secretary shall consult with

13 the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency,

14 the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Housing and

15 Urban Development, the Secretary of Health and Human

16 Services, and the heads of other appropriate Federal depart17 ments and agencies and shall maximize the involvement of

18 State and local governments and metropolitan planning or19 ganizations, United States colleges and universities, non20 profit organizations and research institutes, and the private

21 sector.

22 ‘‘(b) RESEARCH.—The program to be carried out

23 under this section shall include research designed to—

24 ‘‘(1) develop transportation alternatives which

25 improve mobility and access, and reduce negative im-
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1 pacts on communities and the environment of trans2 portation systems;

3 ‘‘(2) reduce emissions;

4 ‘‘(3) develop more accurate models for evaluating

5 alternative transportation control measures and alter6 native transportation system designs, including pe7 destrian and bicycle-related measures and system de8 signs which may reduce emissions, and are appro9 priate for use by metropolitan planning organizations

10 and State and local governments in designing imple11 mentation plans to meet air quality standards under

12 the Clean Air Act;

13 ‘‘(4) improve understanding of the factors that

14 contribute to the demand for transportation, includ15 ing transportation system design, demographic

16 change, and land use planning;

17 ‘‘(5) develop indicators of economic, social, and

18 environmental performance of transportation systems

19 to facilitate analysis of potential alternatives, with

20 respect to energy efficiency, crash-related deaths and

21 injuries, emission of pollutants, and transportation

22 delays;

23 ‘‘(6) develop more comprehensive information re24 garding the role of trails designed for pedestrians, bi25 cycles, and other nonmotorized transportation in fa-
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1 cilitating accessibility, and mobility within commu2 nities; and

3 ‘‘(7) examine the effects on transportation de4 mand of the use of communications and other infor5 mation technologies.

6 ‘‘(c) GRANTS, COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS, AND CON7 TRACTS.—The Secretary may make grants and enter into

8 cooperative agreements and contracts to carry out this sec9 tion. Awards shall be made on the basis of a competitive,

10 merit-based process.

11 ‘‘(d) INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE.—The Secretary

12 shall establish and maintain a repository for summary

13 data and results of federally sponsored projects carried out

14 pursuant to this section and shall make, upon request, such

15 information readily available to all users of the repository

16 at an appropriate cost.

17 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.—(1) There are authorized to be appro18 priated, out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the

19 Mass Transit Account), $6,000,000 for each of fiscal years

20 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out this section.

21 ‘‘(2) Funds authorized for carrying out this section

22 shall be available for obligation in the same manner as if

23 such funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23,

24 United States Code, and such funds shall remain available

25 for obligation for a period of two years after the last day
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1 of the fiscal year for which such funds are made available

2 under paragraph (1).

3 ‘‘§ 6142. Transportation-Environment Cooperative Re4 search Program

5 ‘‘(a) INDEPENDENT GOVERNING BOARD.—

6 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Trans7 portation, after consultation with the Secretary of

8 Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Pro9 tection Agency, the Secretary of the Interior, the Sec10 retary of Housing and Urban Development, and the

11 Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall estab12 lish and maintain an independent governing board to

13 recommend environmental and energy conservation,

14 technology, and technology transfer research projects

15 related to transportation.

16 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The board shall include—

17 ‘‘(A) at least 15 persons who are not Fed18 eral employees who collectively comprise an ap19 propriate balance of representatives of State

20 transportation and environmental agencies, envi21 ronmental scientists and engineers, representa22 tives of environmental organizations, and rep23 resentatives of metropolitan planning organiza24 tions and transit operating agencies; and

25 ‘‘(B) 1 representative each from—
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1 ‘‘(i) the Department of Transportation;

2 ‘‘(ii) the Department of Energy;

3 ‘‘(iii) the Environmental Protection

4 Agency;

5 ‘‘(iv) the Department of the Interior;

6 and

7 ‘‘(v) the Department of Health and

8 Human Services.

9 Members appointed under subparagraph (A) shall be

10 selected so as to maintain an appropriate geographic

11 balance among the members.

12 ‘‘(3) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member of the

13 board shall receive travel expenses, including per

14 diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sec15 tions 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

16 ‘‘(4) NONAPPLICABILITY.—Section 14 of the Fed17 eral Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the

18 board.

19 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES.—The Sec20 retary of Transportation shall enter into an agreement with

21 the National Academy of Sciences under which the National

22 Academy of Sciences will award grants, through a competi23 tive, merit-based, peer-reviewed process, for carrying out re24 search recommended by the independent governing board es25 tablished under subsection (a).
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1 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—(1) There are authorized to be appro2 priated, out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the

3 Mass Transit Account), $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years

4 1998, 1999, and 2000 to carry out this section.

5 ‘‘(2) Funds authorized for carrying out this section

6 shall be available for obligation in the same manner as if

7 such funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23,

8 United States Code, and such funds shall remain available

9 for obligation for a period of two years after the last day

10 of the fiscal year for which such funds are made available

11 under paragraph (1).’’.

12 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The table of chapters

13 of subtitle III of title 49, United States Code, is amended

14 by adding at the end the following new item:

‘‘61. RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT ...................... 6101’’.

15 SEC. 6002. SURFACE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND

16 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

17 Section 307 of title 23, United States Code, is amend18 ed—

19 (1) in subsection (a)—

20 (A) by striking paragraph (1)(C);

21 (B) by adding at the end of paragraph (1)

22 the following new subparagraphs:

23 ‘‘(C) TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION.—The

24 programs and activities carried out under this
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1 section shall be consistent with the plan devel2 oped under section 6123 of title 49.

3 ‘‘(D) FUNDS.—Of the amounts authorized

4 to be appropriated under section 6009(a) of the

5 Surface Transportation Research and Develop6 ment Act of 1997, not more than—

7 ‘‘(i) $116,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

8 ‘‘(ii) $116,000,000 for fiscal year 1999;

9 and

10 ‘‘(iii) $116,000,000 for fiscal year

11 2000,

12 and such funds as may be deposited by any co13 operating organization or person in a special ac14 count of the Treasury of the United States estab15 lished for such purposes, shall be available for

16 carrying out this subsection and subsection (b).

17 Such funds shall be available for obligation in

18 the same manner as if such funds were appor19 tioned under chapter 1 of this title, and such

20 funds shall remain available for obligation for a

21 period of three years after the last day of the fis22 cal year for which the funds are made avail23 able.’’;
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1 (C) by striking ‘‘highway’’ in paragraph

2 (2)(A) and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘surface

3 transportation’’;

4 (D) by striking paragraph (3); and

5 (E) by redesignating paragraph (4) as

6 paragraph (3);

7 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol8 lows:

9 ‘‘(b) MANDATORY CONTENTS OF PROGRAM.—The sur10 face transportation research and technology development

11 programs of the Department of Transportation shall be con12 sistent with the plan developed under section 6123 of title

13 49, and shall include—

14 ‘‘(1) a coordinated long-term program of re15 search for the development, use, and dissemination of

16 performance indicators to measure the performance of

17 the surface transportation system of the United

18 States, including indicators for productivity, effi19 ciency, energy use, air quality, congestion, safety,

20 maintenance, and other factors which reflect the over21 all performance of such system; and

22 ‘‘(2) a program to strengthen and expand surface

23 transportation infrastructure research and technology

24 development, including—
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1 ‘‘(A) methods, materials, and testing to im2 prove the durability of surface transportation in3 frastructure facilities and extend the life of

4 bridge structures, including new and innovative

5 technologies to reduce corrosion and tests simu6 lating seismic activity, vibration, and weather;

7 ‘‘(B) a research and development program

8 directed toward the reduction of costs associated

9 with the construction of highways and mass

10 transit systems;

11 ‘‘(C) research on the use of recycled mate12 rials such as paper and plastic fiber reinforce13 ment systems;

14 ‘‘(D) research and development on the im15 plementation of new and innovative fuel tech16 nologies, including biodiesel fuel, that enable re17 cycled and renewable resources to be used as

18 transportation fuels;

19 ‘‘(E) a surface transportation research pro20 gram to develop evaluation equipment for infra21 structure facilities, including facilities that uti22 lize advanced materials;

23 ‘‘(F) information technology including—

24 ‘‘(i) appropriate computer programs to

25 collect and analyze data on the status of the
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1 existing infrastructure facilities for enhanc2 ing management, growth, and capacity; and

3 ‘‘(ii) models of surface transportation

4 systems for—

5 ‘‘(I) predicting capacity, safety,

6 and infrastructure durability problems;

7 ‘‘(II) evaluating planned research

8 projects; and

9 ‘‘(III) testing the strengths and

10 weaknesses of proposed revisions in

11 surface transportation operations pro12 grams;

13 ‘‘(G) new innovative technologies to enhance

14 and facilitate field construction and rehabilita15 tion techniques for minimizing disruption dur16 ing repair and maintenance of structures; and

17 ‘‘(H) an increased understanding of the ex18 tent to which traditional contracting and speci19 fication practices impede innovation, and of the

20 role of alternative practices and incentives to

21 overcoming barriers to the utilization of ad22 vanced technologies and research results.’’;

23 (3) by amending subsection (d) to read as fol24 lows:
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1 ‘‘(d) STUDY OF FUTURE STRATEGIC HIGHWAY RE2 SEARCH PROGRAM.—

3 ‘‘(1) STUDY.—

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120

5 days after the date of enactment of this section,

6 the Secretary shall make a grant to, or enter into

7 a cooperative agreement or contract with, the

8 Transportation Research Board of the National

9 Academy of Sciences (referred to in this section

10 as the ‘Board’) to conduct a study to determine

11 the goals, purposes, research agenda and projects,

12 administrative structure, and fiscal needs for a

13 new strategic highway research program to re14 place the program established under section

15 307(d) (as in effect on the day before the date of

16 enactment of this section), or a similar effort.

17 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the

18 study, the Board shall consult with the American

19 Association of State Highway and Transpor20 tation Officials and such other entities as the

21 Board determines to be necessary to the conduct

22 of the study.

23 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after

24 making a grant or entering into a cooperative agree25 ment or contract under subsection (a), the Board shall
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1 submit a final report on the results of the study to the

2 Secretary, the Committee on Environment and Public

3 Works of the Senate, and the Committee on Science

4 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc5 ture of the House of Representatives.’’;

6 (4) by striking subsection (e);

7 (5) by redesignating subsections (f), (g), and (h)

8 as subsections (e), (f), and (g), respectively;

9 (6) in subsection (e), as so redesignated by para10 graph (5) of this section—

11 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as

12 follows:

13 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es14 tablish a program to study the vulnerability of the

15 Federal-aid highway system and other surface trans16 portation systems to seismic activity and to develop

17 and implement cost-effective methods to reduce such

18 vulnerability.’’;

19 (B) by striking paragraphs (2), (4), and

20 (5);

21 (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as

22 paragraph (2); and

23 (D) by adding at the end the following new

24 paragraph:
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1 ‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—(A)

2 Of the amounts authorized to be appropriated under

3 section 6009(a) of the Surface Transportation Re4 search and Development Act of 1997, not more

5 than—

6 ‘‘(i) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

7 ‘‘(ii) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

8 ‘‘(iii) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

9 shall be available for carrying out this subsection.

10 ‘‘(B) Funds authorized for carrying out this sub11 section shall be available for obligation in the same

12 manner as if such funds were apportioned under

13 chapter 1 of this title, and such funds shall remain

14 available for obligation for a period of three years

15 after the last day of the fiscal year for which such

16 funds are made available under subparagraph (A).’’;

17 (7) in subsection (f), as so redesignated by para18 graph (5) of this section, by inserting ‘‘DEFINITION.—

19 ’’ before ‘‘As used in’’; and

20 (8) in subsection (g), as so redesignated by para21 graph (5) of this section—

22 (A) by inserting ‘‘REPORTS.—’’ before ‘‘The

23 Secretary shall’’;
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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘and the Committee on

2 Science’’ after ‘‘Transportation and Infrastruc3 ture’’; and

4 (C) by striking ‘‘1983’’ and inserting in

5 lieu thereof ‘‘1999’’.

6 SEC. 6003. STATISTICS RESEARCH.

7 Section 111 of title 49, United States Code, is amended

8 by adding at the end the following new subsection:

9 ‘‘(h) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.—The

10 Secretary may make grants to, or enter into cooperative

11 agreements or contracts with, public and nonprofit private

12 entities for—

13 ‘‘(1) the investigation of subjects listed in sub14 section (c)(1), and for research and development of

15 new methods of data collection, management, integra16 tion, dissemination, interpretation, and analysis;

17 ‘‘(2) development of electronic clearinghouses of

18 transportation data and related information; and

19 ‘‘(3) development and improvement of methods

20 for sharing geographic data.

21 There are authorized to be appropriated, out of the High22 way Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account),

23 to the Secretary $500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1998,

24 1999, and 2000 for carrying out this subsection. Such funds

25 shall be available for obligation in the same manner as if
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1 such funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23,

2 United States Code, and such funds shall remain available

3 for obligation for a period of two years after the last day

4 of the fiscal year for which the funds are made available.’’.

5 SEC. 6004. APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY UTILIZA6 TION PROGRAM.

7 (a) AMENDMENT.—Section 326 of title 23, United

8 States Code, is amended to read as follows:

9 ‘‘§ 326. Applied research and technology utilization

10 program

11 ‘‘(a) IDENTIFICATION OF GOALS AND IMPLEMENTA12 TION.—The Secretary shall, beginning 30 days after the

13 transmittal of the plan developed under section 6123 of title

14 49, identify the 3 highest priority applied research and

15 technology utilization goals of the Department, consistent

16 with that plan, and shall implement a program to achieve

17 those goals. The Secretary shall give preference to projects

18 that leverage Federal funds against significant resources

19 from other sources, public or private.

20 ‘‘(b) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying out

21 this section shall be available for obligation in the same

22 manner as if such funds were apportioned under chapter

23 1 of this title, except that the Federal share of the cost of

24 any activity under this section shall not exceed 50 percent,

25 and such funds shall remain available for obligation for a
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1 period of 3 years after the last day of the fiscal year for

2 which the funds are appropriated.’’.

3 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The item relating to

4 section 326 in the table of sections of chapter 3 of title 23,

5 United States Code, is amended to read as follows:

‘‘326. Applied research and technology utilization program.’’.

6 SEC. 6005. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TECHNOLOGY

7 PARTNERSHIPS.

8 (a) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TECHNOLOGY PART9 NERSHIPS.—Chapter 3 of title 23, United States Code, is

10 further amended by adding at the end the following new

11 section:

12 ‘‘§ 327. Technology transfer and technology partner13 ships

14 ‘‘(a) LOCAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—

15 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall carry out

16 a transportation technology transfer program, which

17 is consistent with the plan developed under section

18 6123 of title 49, to provide access to modern highway

19 technology to public authorities and the private sec20 tor.

21 ‘‘(2) ASSISTANCE.—In carrying out paragraph

22 (1), the Secretary may make grants and enter into

23 contracts and cooperative agreements for technology

24 transfer activities, technology assistance, and related

25 support services that will—
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1 ‘‘(A) make research results and technology

2 available to assist public authorities and the pri3 vate sector to—

4 ‘‘(i) develop and expand their expertise

5 in highway technology (including pavement,

6 concrete, bridge, and safety management

7 systems) and in contracting practices which

8 favor the use, when cost effective on a life

9 cycle basis, of advanced products and tech10 nologies of innovative designs and construc11 tion techniques;

12 ‘‘(ii) improve highway and safety tech13 nology;

14 ‘‘(iii) enhance programs for the move15 ment of passengers and freight;

16 ‘‘(iv) promote intergovernmental trans17 portation planning, life cycle costing, and

18 project selection in a manner that incor19 porates state-of-the-art knowledge related to

20 land use planning, environmental protec21 tion, and preventive maintenance;

22 ‘‘(v) expand knowledge of implement23 ing life cycle cost assessment, including es24 tablishing the appropriate analysis period

25 and discount rates, learning how to value
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1 and properly consider user costs, determin2 ing tradeoffs between reconstruction and re3 habilitation, and establishing methodologies

4 for balancing higher initial costs of new

5 technologies and improved or advanced ma6 terials against lower maintenance costs;

7 ‘‘(vi) in conjunction with the National

8 Institute of Standards and Technology and

9 other appropriate organizations, develop

10 standardized estimates of useful life under

11 various conditions for advanced materials

12 of use in surface transportation; and

13 ‘‘(vii) deal effectively with road-related

14 problems by preparing and providing train15 ing packages, manuals, guidelines, and

16 technical resource materials;

17 ‘‘(B) identify, package, promote, and deliver

18 usable highway technology to local jurisdictions

19 to assist transportation agencies in developing

20 and expanding their ability to deal effectively

21 with road-related problems; and

22 ‘‘(C) operate, in cooperation with public au23 thorities and institutions of higher education,

24 technology transfer centers.
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1 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.—Funds appropriated for

2 carrying out this subsection shall not exceed 50 per3 cent of the cost of establishing and maintaining a

4 technology transfer center described in paragraph

5 (2)(C), except that in the case of a technology transfer

6 center operated by or through an American Indian

7 tribal government up to 100 percent of the costs may

8 be provided pursuant to this subsection.

9 ‘‘(4) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying

10 out this subsection shall be available for obligation in

11 the same manner as if such funds were apportioned

12 under chapter 1 of this title, and such funds shall re13 main available for obligation for a period of 3 years

14 after the last day of the fiscal year for which the

15 funds are appropriated.

16 ‘‘(b) DWIGHT DAVID EISENHOWER TRANSPORTATION

17 FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.—

18 ‘‘(1) GENERAL AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may,

19 acting either independently or in cooperation with

20 other Federal departments, agencies, and instrumen21 talities, make grants for fellowships for any purpose

22 for which research, technology development, or tech23 nology transfer is authorized by this section.

24 ‘‘(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Secretary shall im25 plement a transportation fellowship program for the
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1 purpose of attracting qualified students to the field of

2 transportation research. Such program shall be

3 known as the ‘Dwight David Eisenhower Transpor4 tation Fellowship Program’. The program shall offer

5 fellowships to students at institutions of higher edu6 cation. The recipients of the fellowships must be

7 United States citizens.

8 ‘‘(3) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying

9 out this subsection shall be available for obligation in

10 the same manner as if such funds were apportioned

11 under chapter 1 of this title, and such funds shall re12 main available for obligation for a period of one year

13 after the last day of the fiscal year for which such

14 funds are appropriated.

15 ‘‘(c) TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS.—

16 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—In a manner consistent with

17 the plan developed under section 6123 of title 49, the

18 Secretary may make competitive grants, contracts,

19 and cooperative agreements to or with States and,

20 after peer review, to or with institutions of higher

21 education, for the purpose of—

22 ‘‘(A) technology transfer and the further de23 velopment and validation of the results of ap24 plied research programs such as the Strategic

25 Highway Research Program, including the
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1 Superpave system, to establish a complete pro2 gram that is well validated and implements per3 formance prediction algorithms;

4 ‘‘(B) providing Federal leadership and sup5 port in areas like initiation of regional tech6 nology excellence centers, user-producer groups,

7 Long-Term Pavement Performance product im8 plementation, and technology access and ex9 change programs; and

10 ‘‘(C) dissemination of information to States,

11 academia, and industry.

12 ‘‘(2) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying

13 out this subsection shall be available for obligation in

14 the same manner as if such funds were apportioned

15 under chapter 1 of this title, and such funds shall re16 main available for obligation for a period of 3 years

17 after the last day of the fiscal year for which such

18 funds are appropriated.’’.

19 (b) NATIONAL HIGHWAY INSTITUTE.—Section 321 of

20 title 23, United States Code, is amended—

21 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘training

22 programs of instruction for Federal Highway Admin23 istration’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘education

24 and training programs focusing on new and rapidly
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1 changing surface transportation technologies for Fed2 eral’’;

3 (2) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘highway’’

4 and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘surface transportation’’;

5 (3) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘highway de6 partment’’ both places it appears and inserting in

7 lieu thereof ‘‘transportation agency’’;

8 (4) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘highway em9 ployees’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘transportation

10 employees’’;

11 (5) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘, or any other

12 person’’; and

13 (6) in subsection (e)(4), by inserting at the end

14 the following new sentence: ‘‘All fees collected under

15 this subsection shall be used to defray costs associated

16 with the development or administration of education

17 and training programs authorized by this section.’’.

18 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—(1) The table of sec19 tions of chapter 3 of title 23, United States Code, is amend20 ed by adding at the end the following new item:

‘‘327. Technology transfer and technology partnerships.’’.

21 (2) Section 101(a) of title 23, United States Code, is

22 amended by inserting after the undesignated paragraph re23 lating to ‘‘Indian reservation roads’’ the following new

24 paragraph:
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1 ‘‘The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the

2 meaning given that term in section 1201 of the Higher Edu3 cation Act of 1965.’’.

4 (3) Section 204(b) of title 23, United States Code, is

5 amended by striking ‘‘section 326’’ and inserting in lieu

6 thereof ‘‘section 327(a)’’.

7 SEC. 6006. LONG-TERM PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE AND AD8 VANCED RESEARCH.

9 (a) AMENDMENT.—Chapter 3 of title 23, United States

10 Code, is further amended by adding at the end the following

11 new section:

12 ‘‘§ 328. Long-term pavement performance and ad13 vanced research

14 ‘‘(a) LONG-TERM PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE.—

15 ‘‘(1) CONTINUATION OF PROGRAM.—The Sec16 retary of Transportation may make grants and enter

17 into contracts and cooperative agreements for the con18 tinuation of activities under the Long-Term Pave19 ment Performance research program begun under the

20 Strategic Highway Research Program.

21 ‘‘(2) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying

22 out this subsection shall remain available for obliga23 tion for a period of three years after the last day of

24 the fiscal year for which such funds are appropriated.

25 ‘‘(b) ADVANCED RESEARCH.—
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1 ‘‘(1) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary shall establish

2 an advanced research program, which is consistent

3 with the plan developed under section 6123 of title 49,

4 to address longer-term, higher-risk research that shows

5 potential benefits for improving the durability, lon6 gevity, mobility, efficiency, environmental impact,

7 productivity, and safety of surface transportation sys8 tems. In carrying out such program, the Secretary

9 shall seek to develop partnerships with the public and

10 private sectors.

11 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out paragraph

12 (1), the Secretary may make grants, and enter into

13 contracts and cooperative agreements, for—

14 ‘‘(A) characterization of the composition

15 and performance characteristics of basic con16 struction materials used in the infrastructure;

17 ‘‘(B) diagnostics for evaluation of the condi18 tion of surface transportation structures to en19 able the assessment of risks of failure from seis20 mic activity, vibration, and weather;

21 ‘‘(C) design and construction details for

22 composite structures;

23 ‘‘(D) safety research and technology develop24 ment;

25 ‘‘(E) environmental research;
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1 ‘‘(F) data acquisition and analysis tech2 niques for system condition and performance

3 monitoring; and

4 ‘‘(G) human factors research.

5 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Funds authorized for carrying out

6 this section shall be available for obligation in the same

7 manner as if such funds were apportioned under chapter

8 1 of this title.’’.

9 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

10 of chapter 3 of title 23, United States Code, is amended

11 by adding at the end the following new item:

‘‘328. Long-term pavement performance and advanced research.’’.

12 SEC. 6007. STATE RESEARCH.

13 Section 307(c) of title 23, United States Code, is

14 amended—

15 (1) by inserting ‘‘and the evaluation and utiliza16 tion of advanced materials, innovative construction

17 techniques, and advanced technology’’ after ‘‘135 of

18 this title’’ in paragraph (1)(B);

19 (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol20 lows:

21 ‘‘(2) MINIMUM EXPENDITURES ON RESEARCH,

22 DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ACTIVI23 TIES.—Not less than 25 percent of the funds that are

24 apportioned to a State for a fiscal year and are sub25 ject to subsection (a) shall be expended by the State
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1 transportation agency for research, development, and

2 technology transfer activities described in subsection

3 (a) relating to surface transportation systems, in a

4 manner that is consistent with the plan developed

5 under section 6123 of title 49.’’; and

6 (3) by adding at the end the following new para7 graph:

8 ‘‘(5) ANNUAL REPORT.—Each State shall report

9 annually to the Secretary on the level of its funding

10 for activities described in paragraph (1)(E).’’.

11 SEC. 6008. MINIMUM EXPENDITURES ON LONG-TERM RE12 SEARCH PROJECTS.

13 (a) AMENDMENT.—Chapter 3 of title 23, United States

14 Code, is further amended by adding at the end the following

15 new section:

16 ‘‘§ 329. Minimum expenditures on long-term research

17 projects

18 ‘‘Not less than 15 percent of the funds made available

19 to the Secretary of Transportation under this title for re20 search and development, not including amounts appor21 tioned to States, shall be expended on basic research and

22 on long-term applied research projects which are expected

23 to have a duration of 10 years or more. Such expenditures

24 may include expenditures made under section 328.’’.
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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sections

2 of chapter 3 of title 23, United States Code, is amended

3 by adding at the end the following new item:

‘‘329. Minimum expenditures on long-term research projects.’’.

4 SEC. 6009. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

5 (a) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND

6 TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—There are au7 thorized to be appropriated, out of the Highway Trust Fund

8 (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

9 (1) $118,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

10 (2) $118,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

11 (3) $118,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

12 to carry out section 307 of title 23, United States Code.

13 (b) APPLIED RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PRO14 GRAM.—There are authorized to be appropriated, out of the

15 Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Ac16 count)—

17 (1) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

18 (2) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

19 (3) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

20 to carry out section 326 of title 23, United States Code.

21 Where appropriate to achieve the goals established under

22 subsection (a) of that section, the Secretary may allocate

23 such funds to States.
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1 (c) LOCAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—There

2 are authorized to be appropriated, out of the Highway

3 Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

4 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

5 (2) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

6 (3) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

7 to carry out section 327(a) of title 23, United States Code.

8 (d) NATIONAL HIGHWAY INSTITUTE.—There are au9 thorized to be appropriated, out of the Highway Trust Fund

10 (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

11 (1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

12 (2) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

13 (3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

14 to carry out section 321 of title 23, United States Code.

15 (e) TRANSPORTATION FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.—There

16 are authorized to be appropriated, out of the Highway

17 Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

18 (1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

19 (2) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

20 (3) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

21 to carry out section 327(b) of title 23, United States Code.

22 (f) TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS.—There are author23 ized to be appropriated, out of the Highway Trust Fund

24 (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

25 (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;
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1 (2) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

2 (3) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

3 to carry out section 327(c) of title 23, United States Code.

4 (g) LONG-TERM PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE.—There

5 are authorized to be appropriated, out of the Highway

6 Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account)—

7 (1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

8 (2) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

9 (3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

10 to carry out section 328(a) of title 23, United States Code.

11 (h) ADVANCED RESEARCH.—There are authorized to

12 be appropriated, out of the Highway Trust Fund (other

13 than the Mass Transit Account)—

14 (1) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1998;

15 (2) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 1999; and

16 (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2000,

17 to carry out section 328(b) of title 23, United States Code.

18 Subtitle B—Intelligent

19 Transportation Systems

20 SEC. 6021. SHORT TITLE AMENDMENT.

21 Section 6051 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor22 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended by striking ‘‘Vehi23 cle-Highway Systems Act of 1991’’ and inserting in lieu

24 thereof ‘‘Transportation Systems Act of 1997’’.
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1 SEC. 6022. ESTABLISHMENT AND SCOPE OF PROGRAM.

2 Section 6052 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor3 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended to read as follows:

4 ‘‘SEC. 6052. ESTABLISHMENT AND SCOPE OF PROGRAM.

5 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the provisions of

6 this part, and consistent with the plan developed under sec7 tion 6123 of title 49, United States Code, the Secretary shall

8 conduct a program to research, develop, and operationally

9 test intelligent transportation systems and promote imple10 mentation of integrated and interoperable intelligent trans11 portation systems as a component of the Nation’s surface

12 transportation systems.

13 ‘‘(b) GOALS.—The goals of the program to be carried

14 out under this part shall include, but not be limited to—

15 ‘‘(1) the protection and enhancement of the envi16 ronment affected by surface transportation;

17 ‘‘(2) the enhancement of safe and efficient oper18 ation of the Nation’s highway systems with a particu19 lar emphasis on aspects of systems that will increase

20 safety and identification of aspects of the system that

21 may degrade safety;

22 ‘‘(3) the reduction of traffic congestion;

23 ‘‘(4) the development, in advance of Federally

24 supported deployment efforts, of the standards and

25 protocols required to ensure the interoperability of in26 telligent transportation systems;
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1 ‘‘(5) the collection and analysis of data to enable

2 purchasers of such systems to understand how best to

3 apply intelligent transportation systems to their local

4 situations, to understand life cycle costs, and to deter5 mine the benefits of their systems in rural and urban

6 settings;

7 ‘‘(6) the development of a workforce capable of

8 operating intelligent transportation systems;

9 ‘‘(7) the development of new generations of intel10 ligent transportation systems which are cost-efficient

11 and easier to operate; and

12 ‘‘(8) the completion of the Federal financial role

13 in the Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and

14 Networks and transfer of responsibility for its oper15 ations and maintenance to a non-Federal entity by

16 October 1, 2002.’’.

17 SEC. 6023. GENERAL AUTHORITIES AND REQUIREMENTS.

18 Section 6053 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor19 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended—

20 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘colleges and

21 universities, and State’’ and inserting in lieu thereof

22 ‘‘institutions of higher education and State, re23 gional,’’;

24 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol25 lows:
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1 ‘‘(b) STANDARDS.—Consistent with section 12(d) of the

2 National Technology Transfer and Advancement Act of

3 1995, the Secretary shall expedite the development, imple4 mentation, and maintenance of a National Architecture

5 and of the required voluntary consensus standards and pro6 tocols to promote and support the widespread use and eval7 uation of interoperable intelligent transportation systems

8 technology as a component of the Nation’s surface transpor9 tation systems. Not later than 6 months after the date of

10 the enactment of the Surface Transportation Research and

11 Development Act of 1997, the Secretary shall develop a

12 prioritized list of intelligent transportation systems stand13 ards. The Secretary shall annually update such list. To the

14 extent practicable, such standards and protocols shall pro15 mote interoperability among intelligent transportation sys16 tems technologies implemented or likely to be implemented

17 in the future throughout the States. The Secretary may

18 enter into agreements with private sector standards develop19 ment organizations, with national laboratories, and with

20 the National Institute of Standards and Technology in car21 rying out this subsection.’’;

22 (3) in subsection (c)—

23 (A) by inserting ‘‘independent’’ after ‘‘re24 quirements for the’’; and
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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘, including provisions to

2 ensure the objectivity and independence of the

3 evaluator needed to avoid any real or apparent

4 conflict of interest or potential influence on the

5 outcome by parties to such tests or to any other

6 formal evaluation conducted under this part’’

7 after ‘‘section 6055’’; and

8 (4) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘vehicle-high9 way’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘transportation’’.

10 SEC. 6024. STRATEGIC PLAN, IMPLEMENTATION, AND RE11 PORT TO CONGRESS.

12 Section 6054 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor13 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended—

14 (1) by amending subsection (a)(2)(E) to read as

15 follows:

16 ‘‘(E) promote interoperability and integra17 tion of intelligent transportation systems and re18 quire that systems using Federal funds conform

19 to the National Architecture and to interoper20 ability standards.’’;

21 (2) by amending subsection (c)(2)(A) to read as

22 follows:

23 ‘‘(A) describe in detail the extent to which

24 the goals, objectives, and milestones specified

25 under subsection (a)(2)(A) were met in the pre-
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1 vious fiscal year, including standards develop2 ment;’’; and

3 (3) by striking subsection (d).

4 SEC. 6025. TECHNICAL, PLANNING, AND OPERATIONAL

5 TESTING PROJECT ASSISTANCE.

6 Section 6055 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor7 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended—

8 (1) by striking ‘‘vehicle-highway’’ each place it

9 appears;

10 (2) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘for a des11 ignated corridor’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘under

12 a project selected under section 6056’’; and

13 (3) in subsection (d)—

14 (A) by striking ‘‘universities’’ and inserting

15 in lieu thereof ‘‘institutions of higher education’’;

16 (B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of para17 graph (1)(A);

18 (C) by inserting after paragraph (1)(B) the

19 following new subparagraphs:

20 ‘‘(C) validate and accelerate the establish21 ment and widespread conformance with the Na22 tional Architecture and related standards and

23 protocols, including demonstrations and tests re24 lated to integrating and increasing the interoper-
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1 ability of currently installed intelligent transpor2 tation systems;

3 ‘‘(D) demonstrate innovative contracting or

4 financing strategies, or address legal, techno5 logical, or institutional barriers to the wide6 spread utilization of intelligent transportation

7 systems technology;

8 ‘‘(E) validate the effectiveness of integrated

9 intelligent transportation systems and infra10 structure, including multimodal applications, in

11 enhancing the safety and efficiency of surface

12 transportation;

13 ‘‘(F) demonstrate advanced traffic manage14 ment technologies, including the use of fiber optic

15 cables and video, to monitor and control traffic

16 flow and volume; and

17 ‘‘(G) contribute to the development of a

18 workforce capable of operating and maintaining

19 intelligent transportation systems and infra20 structure;’’; and

21 (D) by amending paragraph (3) to read as

22 follows:

23 ‘‘(3) require that operational tests utilizing Fed24 eral funds under this part—
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1 ‘‘(A) are designed for the collection of data

2 to permit objective evaluation of the success of

3 the tests and the derivation of cost-benefit infor4 mation that is useful to others contemplating the

5 purchase of similar systems; and

6 ‘‘(B) have a written evaluation of the intel7 ligent transportation systems technologies inves8 tigated and of the results of the investigation

9 which—

10 ‘‘(i) is consistent with the guidelines

11 developed pursuant to section 6053(c); and

12 ‘‘(ii) includes detailed information on

13 the benefits and costs of the intelligent

14 transportation systems being tested to aid

15 similarly situated localities who are con16 templating intelligent transportation sys17 tems purchases.’’.

18 SEC. 6026. APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY.

19 Section 6056 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor20 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended to read as follows:

21 ‘‘SEC. 6056. APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY.

22 ‘‘(a) TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION.—The Secretary shall

23 conduct a program to promote the utilization of regional

24 integrated, intermodal intelligent transportation systems,

25 including—
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1 ‘‘(1) validating and accelerating the establish2 ment of national intelligent transportation systems

3 standards and protocols; and

4 ‘‘(2) technical assistance and training in ad5 vanced technologies by institutions of higher edu6 cation and others.

7 ‘‘(b) PROJECT SELECTION.—Project selection under

8 this section shall—

9 ‘‘(1) help fulfill the goals and objectives outlined

10 in the plan developed under section 6054(a)(1);

11 ‘‘(2) when applicable, be part of approved plans

12 and programs developed under Statewide and metro13 politan transportation planning processes;

14 ‘‘(3) involve significant non-Federal investment;

15 and

16 ‘‘(4) include an analysis of life cycle costs and

17 a financial plan for operations and maintenance.

18 ‘‘(c) STANDARDIZATION OF INTELLIGENT TRANSPOR19 TATION SYSTEMS.—(1) Funds authorized for carrying out

20 this section may be obligated to deploy intelligent transpor21 tation systems technologies only in accordance with provi22 sional or final voluntary consensus standards and protocols

23 necessary to ensure interoperability. In the absence of re24 quired standards and protocols, available funds obligated

25 under this section shall be used exclusively for the research
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1 and technology development and operational tests of intel2 ligent transportation systems.

3 ‘‘(2) For purposes of this subsection, the term ‘provi4 sional’ means approved by the appropriate subunit of a pri5 vate sector standards development organization and, in the

6 judgment of the Secretary, not likely to change significantly

7 in its final form.

8 ‘‘(d) FUNDING RESTRICTIONS.—Eligibility for fund9 ing under this section for projects in metropolitan areas

10 shall be limited to items necessary to integrate intelligent

11 transportation systems elements. At least 15 percent of

12 funds available for intelligent transportation systems shall

13 be available only for basic research and longer-term applied

14 research, including—

15 ‘‘(1) research on new, unproven intelligent trans16 portation systems which are at least 5 years from uti17 lization, and are designed to reduce congestion, en18 hance safety, and improve cost effectiveness;

19 ‘‘(2) human factors research, including research

20 in the science of the driving process, to improve the

21 operational efficiency and safety of intelligent trans22 portation systems;

23 ‘‘(3) research on environmental, weather, and

24 natural conditions that impact intelligent transpor25 tation systems, including the effects of cold climates;
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1 ‘‘(4) research to increase intelligent transpor2 tation systems and infrastructure durability; and

3 ‘‘(5) materials or magnetics research.’’.

4 SEC. 6027. FUNDING.

5 Section 6058 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor6 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended—

7 (1) by striking ‘‘IVHS CORRIDORS PROGRAM’’

8 in the heading of subsection (a) and inserting in lieu

9 thereof ‘‘APPLICATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY’’;

10 (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘section 6056’’

11 and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘this part’’;

12 (3) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘$71,000,000’’

13 and all that follows through ‘‘authorized under this

14 part’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘$235,000,000 for

15 each of the fiscal years 1998 through 2000’’;

16 (4) by striking subsections (b) and (c);

17 (5) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as

18 subsections (b) and (c), respectively; and

19 (6) in subsection (b), as so redesignated by para20 graph (5) of this section, by striking ‘‘80 percent’’

21 and all that follows through ‘‘funding of such activi22 ties’’ and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘50 percent of the

23 cost of such activities’’.
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1 SEC. 6028. DEFINITIONS.

2 Section 6059 of the Intermodal Surface Transpor3 tation Efficiency Act of 1991 is amended to read as follows:

4 ‘‘SEC. 6059. DEFINITIONS.

5 ‘‘For the purposes of this part—

6 ‘‘(1) the term ‘institution of higher education’

7 has the meaning given that term in section 1201 of

8 the Higher Education Act of 1965;

9 ‘‘(2) the term ‘intelligent transportation systems’

10 means the development or application of electronics,

11 communications, or information processing (includ12 ing advanced traffic management systems, commer13 cial vehicle operations, advanced traveler information

14 systems, commercial and advanced vehicle control sys15 tems, advanced public transportation systems, sat16 ellite vehicle tracking systems, and advanced vehicle

17 communications systems) used singly or in combina18 tion to improve the efficiency and safety of surface

19 transportation systems;

20 ‘‘(3) the term ‘National Architecture’ means the

21 common framework adopted by the Secretary, includ22 ing technical guidelines, details, and standards, to en23 sure the coordinated development of interoperable in24 telligent transportation systems; and

25 ‘‘(4) the term ‘State’ has the meaning given that

26 term in section 101 of title 23, United States Code.’’.