SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘FAA Research, Engi-
neering, and Development Authorization Act of 1997’’.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, is
amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph
(2)(J);
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (3)(J) and inserting in lieu thereof a semi-
colon; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(4) for fiscal year 1998, $217,406,000, includ-
ing—
‘‘(A) $75,550,000 for system development
and infrastructure projects and activities;
‘‘(B) $19,614,000 for capacity and air
traffic management technology projects and ac-
tivities;
‘‘(C) $15,132,000 for communications,
navigation, and surveillance projects and activi-
ties;
‘‘(D) $9,982,000 for weather projects and
activities;
‘‘(E) $5,458,000 for airport technology
projects and activities;
‘‘(F) $26,625,000 for aircraft safety tech-
nology projects and activities;
‘‘(G) $49,895,000 for system security tech-
nology projects and activities;
‘‘(H) $10,737,000 for human factors and
aviation medicine projects and activities;
‘‘(I) $3,291,000 for environment and en-
ergy projects and activities; and
‘‘(J) $1,122,000 for innovative/cooperative
research projects and activities;
‘‘(5) for fiscal year 1999, $224,000,000; and
‘‘(6) for fiscal year 2000, $231,000,000.’’.
SEC. 3. BUDGET DESIGNATION FOR RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT ACTIVITIES.
Section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, is
amended by adding at the end the following new sub-
section:
‘‘(g) 
DESIGNATION
OF
ACTIVITIES.—(1) 
The
amounts appropriated under subsection (a) are for the
support of all research and development activities carried
out by the Federal Aviation Administration that fall with-
in the categories of basic research, applied research, and
development, including the design and development of pro-
totypes, in accordance with the classifications of the Office
of Management and Budget Circular A–11 (Budget For-
mulation/Submission Process).
‘‘(2) The President’s annual budget request for the
Federal Aviation Administration shall include all research
and development activities within a single budget category.
All of the activities carried out by the Administration with-
in the categories of basic research, applied research, and
development, as classified by the Office of Management
and Budget Circular A–11, shall be placed in this single
budget category.’’.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL AVIATION RESEARCH PLAN.
Section 44501(c)(2)(B) of title 49, United States
Code, is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause (iii);
(2) by striking the period at the end of clause
(iv) and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘; and’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new
clause:
‘‘(v) highlight the research and development
technology transfer activities that promote tech-
nology sharing among government, industry, and
academia through the Stevenson-Wydler Technology
Innovation Act of 1980.’’.
SEC. 5. RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM INVOLVING UNDER-
GRADUATE STUDENTS.
(a) PROGRAM.—Section 48102 of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the follow-
ing new subsection:
‘‘(h) RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM INVOLVING UN-
DERGRADUATE STUDENTS.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of
the Federal Aviation Administration shall establish a
program for awarding grants to researchers at pri-
marily undergraduate institutions, including pri-
marily undergraduate Historically Black Colleges
and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions,
who involve undergraduate students in their research
on subjects of relevance to the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration. Grants may be awarded under this
subsection for—
‘‘(A) research projects to be carried out at
primarily undergraduate institutions; or
‘‘(B) research projects that combine re-
search at primarily undergraduate institutions
with other research supported by the Federal
Aviation Administration.
‘‘(2) NOTICE OF CRITERIA.—Within 6 months
after the date of the enactment of the FAA Re-
search, Engineering, and Development Authorization
Act of 1997, the Administrator of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration shall establish and publish in
the Federal Register criteria for the submittal of
proposals for a grant under this subsection, and for
the awarding of such grants.
‘‘(3) PRINCIPAL CRITERIA.—The principal cri-
teria for the awarding of grants under this sub-
section shall be—
‘‘(A) the relevance of the proposed re-
search to technical research needs identified by
the Federal Aviation Administration;
‘‘(B) the scientific and technical merit of
the proposed research; and
‘‘(C) the potential for participation by un-
dergraduate students in the proposed research.
‘‘(4) COMPETITIVE, 
MERIT-BASED
EVALUA-
TION.—Grants shall be awarded under this sub-
section on the basis of evaluation of proposals
through a competitive, merit-based process.’’.
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section
48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, as amended by
this Act, is further amended—
(1) by inserting ‘‘, of which $500,000 shall be
for carrying out the grant program established
under subsection (h)’’ after ‘‘projects and activities’’
in paragraph (4)(J);
(2) by inserting ‘‘, of which $500,000 shall be
for carrying out the grant program established
under subsection (h)’’ after ‘‘$224,000,000’’ in para-
graph (5); and
(3) by inserting ‘‘, of which $500,000 shall be
for carrying out the grant program established
under subsection (h)’’ after ‘‘$231,000,000’’ in para-
graph (6).
SEC. 6. LIMITATIONS.
(a) PROHIBITION OF LOBBYING ACTIVITIES.—None
of the funds authorized by the amendments made by this
Act shall be available for any activity whose purpose is
to influence legislation pending before the Congress, ex-
cept that this subsection shall not prevent officers or em-
ployees of the United States or of its departments or agen-
cies from communicating to Members of Congress on the
request of any Member or to Congress, through the proper
channels, requests for legislation or appropriations which
they deem necessary for the efficient conduct of the public
business.
(b) LIMITATION ON APPROPRIATIONS.—No sums are
authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration for fiscal years 1998,
1999, and 2000 for the Federal Aviation Administration
Research, Engineering, and Development account, unless
such sums are specifically authorized to be appropriated
by the amendments made by this Act.
(c) ELIGIBILITY FOR AWARDS.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator of the
Federal Aviation Administration shall exclude from
consideration for grant agreements made by that
Administration from the Research, Engineering, and
Development account after fiscal year 1997 any per-
son who received funds, other than those described
in paragraph (2), appropriated for a fiscal year after
fiscal year 1997, under a grant agreement from any
Federal funding source for a project that was not
subjected to a competitive, merit-based award proc-
ess. Any exclusion from consideration pursuant to
this subsection shall be effective for a period of 5
years after the person receives such Federal funds.
(2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not
apply to the receipt of Federal funds by a person
due to the membership of that person in a class
specified by law for which assistance is awarded to
members of the class according to a formula pro-
vided by law.
(b) NOTICE
OF REORGANIZATION.—The Adminis-
trator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall provide
notice to the Committees on Science, Transportation and
Infrastructure, and Appropriations of the House of Rep-
resentatives, and the Committees on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation and Appropriations of the Senate, not
later than 15 days before any major reorganization of any
program, project, or activity of the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration for which funds are authorized by this Act.
SEC. 8. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM.
With the year 2000 fast approaching, it is the sense
of Congress that the Federal Aviation Administration
should—
(1) give high priority to correcting all 2-digit
date-related problems in its computer systems to en-
sure that those systems continue to operate effec-
tively in the year 2000 and beyond;
(2) assess immediately the extent of the risk to
the operations of the Federal Aviation Administra-
tion posed by the problems referred to in paragraph
(1), and plan and budget for achieving Year 2000
compliance for all of its mission-critical systems; and
(3) develop contingency plans for those systems
that the Federal Aviation Administration is unable
to correct in time.
SEC. 9. BUY AMERICAN.
(a) COMPLIANCE WITH BUY AMERICAN ACT.—No
funds appropriated pursuant to the amendments made by
this Act may be expended by an entity unless the entity
agrees that in expending the assistance the entity will
comply with sections 2 through 4 of the Act of March 3,
1933 (41 U.S.C. 10a–10c, popularly known as the ‘‘Buy
American Act’’).
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—In the case of any equip-
ment or products that may be authorized to be purchased
with financial assistance provided under the amendments
made by this Act, it is the sense of Congress that entities
receiving such assistance should, in expending the assist-
ance, purchase only American-made equipment and prod-
ucts.
(c) NOTICE
TO RECIPIENTS
OF ASSISTANCE.—In
providing financial assistance under the amendments
made by this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration shall provide to each recipient of the
assistance a notice describing the statement made in sub-
section (a) by the Congress.
Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 1997.
Attest:
Clerk.