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for the development and establishment of one-call notifica-
tion systems and shall be derived from amounts previously
collected under 49 U.S.C. 60301, and that an additional
$500,000 in amounts previously collected under 49 U.S.C.
60301 is available to conduct general functions of the pipe-
line safety program.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GRANTS
(EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FUND)
For necessary expenses to carry out 49 U.S.C. 5127(c),
$200,000, to be derived from the Emergency Preparedness
Fund, to remain available until September 30, 2000: Pro-
vided, That none of the funds made available by 49 U.S.C.
5116(i) and 5127(d) shall be made available for obligation
by individuals other than the Secretary of Transportation,
or his designee.
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
For necessary expenses of the Office of Inspector Gen-
eral to carry out the provisions of the Inspector General
Act of 1978, as amended, $38,900,000: Provided, That none
of the funds under this heading shall be for the conduct of
contract audits.
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SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
For necessary expenses of the Surface Transportation
Board, including services authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109,
$12,300,000: Provided, That $3,100,000 in fees collected in
fiscal year 1998 by the Surface Transportation Board pur-
suant to 31 U.S.C. 9701 shall be made available to this
appropriation in fiscal year 1998: Provided further, That
any fees received in excess of $3,100,000 in fiscal year 1998
shall remain available until expended, but shall not be
available for obligation until October 1, 1998.
TITLE II
RELATED AGENCIES
ARCHITECTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION
BARRIERS COMPLIANCE BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
For expenses necessary for the Architectural and
Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, as authorized
by section 502 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amend-
ed, $3,640,000: Provided, That, notwithstanding any other
provision of law, there may be credited to this appropria-
tion funds received for publications and training expenses.
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NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD
SALARIES AND EXPENSES
For necessary expenses of the National Transportation
Safety Board, including hire of passenger motor vehicles
and aircraft; services as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but
at rates for individuals not to exceed the per diem rate
equivalent to the rate for a GS–18; uniforms, or allowances
therefor, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901–5902)
$49,700,000, of which not to exceed $2,000 may be used for
official reception and representation expenses.
EMERGENCY FUND
For necessary expenses of the National Transportation
Safety Board for accident investigations, including hire of
passenger motor vehicles and aircraft; services as authorized
by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but at rates for individuals not to exceed
the per diem rate equivalent to the rate for a GS–18; uni-
forms, or allowances therefor, as authorized by law (5
U.S.C. 5901–5902), $1,000,000 to remain available until
expended.
TITLE III
GENERAL PROVISIONS
(INCLUDING TRANSFERS OF FUNDS)
SEC. 301. During the current fiscal year applicable
appropriations to the Department of Transportation shall
be available for maintenance and operation of aircraft; hire
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of passenger motor vehicles and aircraft; purchase of liabil-
ity insurance for motor vehicles operating in foreign coun-
tries on official department business; and uniforms, or al-
lowances therefor, as authorized by law (5 U.S.C. 5901–
5902).
SEC. 302. Such sums as may be necessary for fiscal
year 1998 pay raises for programs funded in this Act shall
be absorbed within the levels appropriated in this Act or
previous appropriations Acts.
SEC. 303. Funds appropriated under this Act for ex-
penditures by the Federal Aviation Administration shall be
available (1) except as otherwise authorized by title VIII
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965,
20 U.S.C. 7701, et seq., for expenses of primary and second-
ary schooling for dependents of Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration personnel stationed outside the continental United
States at costs for any given area not in excess of those
of the Department of Defense for the same area, when it
is determined by the Secretary that the schools, if any,
available in the locality are unable to provide adequately
for the education of such dependents, and (2) for transpor-
tation of said dependents between schools serving the area
that they attend and their places of residence when the Sec-
retary, under such regulations as may be prescribed, deter-
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mines that such schools are not accessible by public means
of transportation on a regular basis.
SEC. 304. Appropriations contained in this Act for the
Department of Transportation shall be available for services
as authorized by 5 U.S.C. 3109, but at rates for individuals
not to exceed the per diem rate equivalent to the rate for
an Executive Level IV.
SEC. 305. None of the funds in this Act shall be avail-
able for salaries and expenses of more than one hundred
seven political and Presidential appointees in the Depart-
ment of Transportation: Provided, That none of the person-
nel covered by this provision may be assigned on temporary
detail outside the Department of Transportation.
SEC. 306. None of the funds in this Act shall be used
for the planning or execution of any program to pay the
expenses of, or otherwise compensate, non-Federal parties
intervening in regulatory or adjudicatory proceedings fund-
ed in this Act.
SEC. 307. None of the funds appropriated in this Act
shall remain available for obligation beyond the current fis-
cal year, nor may any be transferred to other appropria-
tions, unless expressly so provided herein.
SEC. 308. The Secretary of Transportation may enter
into grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions
with any person, agency, or instrumentality of the United
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States, any unit of State or local government, any edu-
cational institution, and any other entity in execution of
the Technology Reinvestment Project authorized under the
Defense Conversion, Reinvestment and Transition Assist-
ance Act of 1992 and related legislation: Provided, That
the authority provided in this section may be exercised
without regard to section 3324 of title 31, United States
Code.
SEC. 309. The expenditure of any appropriation under
this Act for any consulting service through procurement
contract pursuant to section 3109 of title 5, United States
Code, shall be limited to those contracts where such expendi-
tures are a matter of public record and available for public
inspection, except where otherwise provided under existing
law, or under existing Executive Order issued pursuant to
existing law.
SEC. 310. (a) For fiscal year 1998 the Secretary of
Transportation shall distribute the obligation limitation for
Federal-aid highways by allocation in the ratio which sums
authorized to be appropriated for Federal-aid highways
that are apportioned or allocated to each State for such fis-
cal year bear to the total of the sums authorized to be appro-
priated for Federal-aid highways that are apportioned or
allocated to all the States for such fiscal year.
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(b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary
shall—
(1) provide all States with authority sufficient to
prevent lapses of sums authorized to be appropriated
for Federal-aid highways that have been apportioned
to a State;
(2) after August 1, 1998, revise a distribution of
the funds made available under subsection (a) if a
State will not obligate the amount distributed during
that fiscal year and redistribute sufficient amounts to
those States able to obligate amounts in addition to
those previously distributed during that fiscal year
giving priority to those States having large unobli-
gated balances of funds apportioned under sections
103(e)(4), 104, and 144 of title 23, United States
Code, and under sections 1013(c) and 1015 of Public
Law 102–240; and
(3) not distribute amounts authorized for admin-
istrative expenses and funded from the administrative
takedown authorized by section 104(a) of title 23,
United States Code, the Federal lands highway pro-
gram, the intelligent transportation systems program,
and amounts made available under sections 1040,
1047, 1064, 6001, 6005, 6006, 6023, and 6024 of
Public Law 102–240, and 49 U.S.C. 5316, 5317, and
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viously made available for obligation under the discre-
tionary grants program.
SEC. 312. None of the funds in this Act shall be used
to implement section 404 of title 23, United States Code.
SEC. 313. None of the funds in this Act shall be avail-
able to plan, finalize, or implement regulations that would
establish a vessel traffic safety fairway less than five miles
wide between the Santa Barbara Traffic Separation
Scheme and the San Francisco Traffic Separation Scheme.
SEC. 314. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
airports may transfer, without consideration, to the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) instrument landing sys-
tems (along with associated approach lighting equipment
and runway visual range equipment) which conform to
FAA design and performance specifications, the purchase
of which was assisted by a Federal airport-aid program,
airport development aid program or airport improvement
program grant. The FAA shall accept such equipment,
which shall thereafter be operated and maintained by the
FAA in accordance with agency criteria.
SEC. 315. None of the funds in this Act shall be avail-
able to award a multiyear contract for production end
items that (1) includes economic order quantity or long lead
time material procurement in excess of $10,000,000 in any
one year of the contract or (2) includes a cancellation
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charge greater than $10,000,000 which at the time of obliga-
tion has not been appropriated to the limits of the Govern-
ment’s liability or (3) includes a requirement that permits
performance under the contract during the second and sub-
sequent years of the contract without conditioning such per-
formance upon the appropriation of funds: Provided, That
this limitation does not apply to a contract in which the
Federal Government incurs no financial liability from not
buying additional systems, subsystems, or components be-
yond the basic contract requirements.
SEC. 316. For the purposes of funds made available
under the heading, Formula Grants, the term ‘‘Capital
Project’’ includes a project for—
(A)(i) acquisition, construction, supervision, or
inspection of a facility or equipment, including in-
spection thereof, for use in mass transportation; and
(ii) expenses incidental to the acquisition or con-
struction (including designing, engineering, location
survey, mapping, acquiring rights of way, associated
pre-revenue startup costs, and environmental mitiga-
tion), payments for rail trackage rights, Intelligent
Transportation Systems, relocation assistance, acquir-
ing replacement housing sites, and acquiring, con-
structing, relocating, and rehabilitating replacement
housing;
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(B) rehabilitating a bus;
(C) remanufacturing a bus;
(D) overhauling rail rolling stock;
(E) preventive maintenance; and
(F) financing the operating costs of equipment
and facilities used in mass transportation in urban-
ized areas with a population of less than 200,000.
SEC. 317. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
and except for fixed guideway modernization projects, funds
made available by this Act under ‘‘Federal Transit Admin-
istration, Discretionary grants’’ for projects specified in
this Act or identified in reports accompanying this Act not
obligated by September 30, 2000, shall be made available
for other projects under 49 U.S.C. 5309.
SEC. 318. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
any funds appropriated before October 1, 1993, under any
section of chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code, that
remain available for expenditure may be transferred to and
administered under the most recent appropriation heading
for any such section.
SEC. 319. Funds received by the Federal Highway Ad-
ministration, Federal Transit Administration, and Federal
Railroad Administration from States, counties, municipali-
ties, other public authorities, and private sources for ex-
penses incurred for training may be credited respectively
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to the Federal Highway Administration’s ‘‘Limitation on
General Operating Expenses’’ account, the Federal Transit
Administration’s ‘‘Transit Planning and Research’’ ac-
count, and to the Federal Railroad Administration’s ‘‘Rail-
road Safety’’ account, except for State rail safety inspectors
participating in training pursuant to 49 U.S.C. 20105.
SEC. 320. Notwithstanding 31 U.S.C. 3302, funds re-
ceived by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics from the
sale of data products, for necessary expenses incurred pur-
suant to 49 U.S.C. 111 may be credited to the Federal-aid
highways account for the purpose of reimbursing the Bu-
reau for such expenses: Provided, That such funds shall not
be subject to the obligation limitation for Federal-aid high-
ways and highway safety construction.
SEC. 321. The Secretary of Transportation is author-
ized to transfer funds appropriated in this Act to make
rental payments to the General Services Administration in
excess of the amounts provided in this Act: Provided, That
prior to any such transfer, notification shall be provided
to the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations.
SEC. 322. None of the funds in this Act shall, in the
absence of express authorization by Congress, be used di-
rectly or indirectly to pay for any personal service, adver-
tisement, telegram, telephone, letter, printed or written mat-
ter, or other device, intended or designed to influence in
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any manner a Member of Congress, to favor or oppose, by
vote or otherwise, any legislation or appropriation by Con-
gress, whether before or after the introduction of any bill
or resolution proposing such legislation or appropriation:
Provided, That this shall not prevent officers or employees
of the Department of Transportation or related agencies
funded in this Act from communicating to Members of Con-
gress on the request of any Member or to Congress, through
the proper official channels, requests for legislation or ap-
propriations which they deem necessary for the efficient
conduct of the public business.
SEC. 323. Not to exceed $1,000,000 of the funds pro-
vided in this Act for the Department of Transportation
shall be available for the necessary expenses of advisory
committees.
SEC. 324. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Secretary may use funds appropriated under this Act,
or any subsequent Act, to administer and implement the
exemption provisions of 49 CFR 580.6 and to adopt or
amend exemptions from the disclosure requirements of 49
CFR part 580 for any class or category of vehicles that the
Secretary deems appropriate.
SEC. 325. No funds other than those appropriated to
the Surface Transportation Board or fees collected by the
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Board shall be used for conducting the activities of the
Board.
SEC. 326. (a) COMPLIANCE WITH BUY AMERICAN
ACT.—None of the funds made available in this Act may
be expended by an entity unless the entity agrees that in
expending the funds the entity will comply with the Buy
American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a–10c).
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS; REQUIREMENT REGARDING
NOTICE.—
(1) PURCHASE OF AMERICAN-MADE EQUIPMENT
AND PRODUCTS.—In the case of any equipment or
product that may be authorized to be purchased with
financial assistance provided using funds made avail-
able in this Act, it is the sense of the Congress that
entities receiving the assistance should, in expending
the assistance, purchase only American-made equip-
ment and products to the greatest extent practicable.
(2) NOTICE TO RECIPIENTS OF ASSISTANCE.—In
providing financial assistance using funds made
available in this Act, the head of each Federal agency
shall provide to each recipient of the assistance a no-
tice describing the statement made in paragraph (1)
by the Congress.
(c) PROHIBITION
OF CONTRACTS WITH PERSONS
FALSELY LABELING PRODUCTS AS MADE IN AMERICA.—
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If it has been finally determined by a court or Federal agen-
cy that any person intentionally affixed a label bearing a
‘‘Made in America’’ inscription, or any inscription with
the same meaning, to any product sold in or shipped to
the United States that is not made in the United States,
the person shall be ineligible to receive any contract or sub-
contract made with funds made available in this Act, pur-
suant to the debarment, suspension, and ineligibility proce-
dures described in sections 9.400 through 9.409 of title 48,
Code of Federal Regulations.
SEC. 327. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
receipts, in amounts determined by the Secretary, collected
from users of fitness centers operated by or for the Depart-
ment of Transportation shall be available to support the
operation and maintenance of those facilities.
SEC. 328. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
of amounts made available under Federal Aviation Admin-
istration ‘‘Operations’’, the FAA shall provide personnel at
Dutch Harbor, Alaska to provide real-time weather and
runway observation and other such functions to help ensure
the safety of aviation operations.
SEC. 329. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
an amount not to exceed 5 per centum of any discretionary
appropriation (pursuant to the Balanced Budget and
Emergency Deficit Control Act, as amended) which is avail-
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able in this Act for the current fiscal year for the Depart-
ment of Transportation may be transferred between such
appropriations: Provided, That no such appropriation, ex-
cept as otherwise specifically provided, shall be increased
by more than 10 per centum by any such transfers: Pro-
vided further, That any transfer pursuant to this section
shall be treated as a reprogramming of funds.
SEC. 330. In addition to funds provided in this or any
other Act, the Department of Transportation is authorized
to receive and use funds resulting from fees charged to pro-
viders of telecommunications services for using Federal
property for the siting of mobile service antennas: Provided,
That, in fiscal year 1998 and thereafter, all such payments
received by the Department shall be credited to appropriate
accounts contained in this Act for operations, salaries and
other expenses.
SEC. 331. Notwithstanding 49 U.S.C. 41742, no essen-
tial air service shall be provided to communities in the
forty-eight contiguous States that are located fewer than
seventy highway miles from the nearest large and medium
hub airport, or that require a rate of subsidy per passenger
in excess of $200 unless such point is greater than two hun-
dred and ten miles from the nearest large or medium hub
airport.
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SEC. 332. (a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of the ex-
ception set forth in section 29(a)(2) of the International Air
Transportation Competition Act of 1979 (Public Law 96–
192; 94 Stat. 35) and subsection (b) of this section, the term
‘‘passenger capacity of 56 passengers or less’’, includes any
aircraft, except aircraft exceeding gross aircraft weight of
300,000 pounds, reconfigured to accommodate 56 or fewer
passengers if the total number of passenger seats installed
on the aircraft does not exceed 56.
(b) CITY
OF
DALLAS
MAY
PROHIBIT
CERTAIN
FLIGHTS USING RECONFIGURED AIRCRAFT.—If the city of
Dallas, Texas, by a majority vote of all city council mem-
bers, as owner of Love Field, approves within 60 days after
the date of enactment of this Act a prohibition on any oper-
ator from reconfiguring an aircraft, originally designed to
contain more than 56 seats, to contain seats for 56 or fewer
passengers in order to meet the passenger capacity require-
ment for the exception provided by section 29(a)(2) of the
International Air Transportation Competition Act of 1979
(Public Law 96–192; 94 Stat. 35), then no such operator
operating such an aircraft may conduct commercial pas-
senger aircraft operations from Love Field, Texas, to a des-
tination in a State that is not contiguous to the State of
Texas. In no event shall the total number of passenger seats
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installed on the aircraft exceed 56. In no event shall this
section affect any other provision of law.
SEC. 333. Rebates, refunds, incentive payments, minor
fees and other funds received by the Department from travel
management centers, charge card programs, the subleasing
of building space, and miscellaneous sources are to be cred-
ited to appropriations of the Department and allocated to
elements of the Department using fair and equitable criteria
and such funds shall be available until December 31 of the
next fiscal year.
SEC. 334. Notwithstanding any other provision of law,
the Department of the Navy is directed to transfer the
USNS EDENTON (ATS–1), currently in Inactive Ship
status, to the United States Coast Guard.
SEC. 335. (a) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds that—
(1) Congress has the authority under article I,
section 8 of the Constitution to regulate the air com-
merce of the United States;
(2) section 47107 of title 49, United States Code,
prohibits the diversion of certain revenue generated by
a public airport as a condition of receiving a project
grant;
(3) a grant recipient that uses airport revenues
for purposes that are not airport related in a manner
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inconsistent with chapter 471 of title 49, United
States Code, illegally diverts airport revenues;
(4) illegal diversion of airport revenues under-
mines the interest of the United States in promoting
a strong national air transportation system;
(5) the policy of the United States that airports
should be as self-sustaining as possible and that reve-
nues generated at airports should not be diverted from
airport purposes was stated by Congress in 1982 and
reaffirmed and strengthened in 1987, 1994, and 1996;
(6) certain airports are constructed on lands
that may have belonged, at one time, to native Ameri-
cans, native Hawaiians, or Alaskan natives;
(7) contrary to the prohibition against diverting
airport revenues from airport purposes under section
47107 of title 49, United States Code, certain pay-
ments from airport revenues may have been made for
the betterment of native Americans, native Hawai-
ians, or Alaskan natives based upon the claims relat-
ed to lands ceded to the United States;
(8) Federal law prohibits diversions of airport
revenues obtained from any source whatsoever to
occur in the future whether related to claims for peri-
ods of time prior to or after the date of enactment of
this Act; and
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(9) because of the special circumstances sur-
rounding such past diversions of airport revenues for
the betterment of native Americans, native Hawai-
ians, or Alaskan natives, it is in the national interest
that amounts from airport revenues previously re-
ceived by any entity for the betterment of native
Americans, native Hawaiians, or Alaskan natives, as
specified in subsection (b) of this section, should not
be subject to repayment.
(b) TERMINATION OF REPAYMENT RESPONSIBILITY.—
Notwithstanding the provisions of 47107 of title 49, United
States Code, or any other provision of law, monies paid
for claims related to ceded lands and diverted from airport
revenues and received prior to April 1, 1996, by any entity
for the betterment of native Americans, native Hawaiians,
or Alaskan natives, shall not be subject to repayment.
(c) PROHIBITION
ON FURTHER DIVERSION.—There
shall be no further payment of airport revenues for claims
related to ceded lands, whether characterized as operating
expenses, rent, or otherwise, and whether related to claims
for periods of time prior to or after the date of enactment
of this Act.
(d) CLARIFICATION.—Nothing in this Act shall be con-
strued to affect any existing statutes of the several States
that define the obligations of such States to native Hawai-
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ians, native Americans, or Alaskan natives in connection
with ceded lands, except to make clear that airport revenues
may not be used to satisfy any such obligations.
SEC. 336. LIMITATION ON FUNDS USED TO ENFORCE
REGULATIONS REGARDING ANIMAL FATS AND VEGETABLE
OILS.—None of the funds made available in this Act may
be used by the Coast Guard to issue, implement, or enforce
a regulation or to establish an interpretation or guideline
under the Edible Oil Regulatory Reform Act (Public Law
104–55) or the amendments made by that Act that does not
recognize and provide for, with respect to fats, oils, and
greases (as described in that Act, or the amendments made
by that Act) differences in—
(1) physical, chemical, biological, and other rel-
evant properties; and
(2) environmental effects.
SEC. 337. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other
law, rule or regulation, the Secretary of Transportation is
authorized to allow the issuer of any preferred stock here-
tofore sold to the Department to redeem or repurchase such
stock upon the payment to the Department of an amount
determined by the Secretary.
SEC. 338. Notwithstanding any provision of current
law, requirement or agreement, for purposes of the redevel-
opment for non-aeronautical use of the Richards-Gebaur
101
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Memorial Airport located in Kansas City, Missouri, and
Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the Federal Avia-
tion Administration may grant the requests of Kansas City
to close Richards-Gebaur and Atlantic City to close Bader
Field as public airports; and may release those cities from
the terms, conditions, reservations, or restrictions in sur-
plus property conveyance/transfer documents and from con-
ditions or assurances contained in FAA grant agreements
or orders applicable to the airports that would otherwise
prevent the closure of those airports and redevelopment of
the facilities to non-aeronautical uses, unless the FAA deter-
mines that the closure would adversely affect safety in air
commerce, and is subject to the FAA and Kansas City and
Atlantic City reaching satisfactory resolution of issues re-
garding the Federal investments in the Richards-Gebaur
Memorial Airport and Bader Field, respectively, and the
treatment of the proceeds related to the disposition of the
airport property.
SEC. 339. Out of the funds made available under this
Act to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority
through the Federal Transit Administration, the New York
Metropolitan Transportation Authority shall perform a
study to ascertain the costs and benefits of instituting an
integrated fare system for commuters who use both the
Metro North Railroad or the Long Island Rail Road and
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New York City subway or bus systems. This study shall ex-
amine creative proposals for improving the flow of pas-
sengers between city transit systems and commuter rail sys-
tems, including free transfers, discounts, congestion-pricing
and other positive inducements. The study also must in-
clude estimates of potential benefits to the environment, to
energy conservation and to revenue enhancement through
increased commuter rail and transit ridership, as well as
other tangible benefits. A report describing the results of this
study shall be submitted to the Senate Appropriations Com-
mittee within 45 days of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 340. Subsection (d)(4) of 49 U.S.C. 31112 is
amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 1997’’ and inserting
‘‘February 28, 1998’’.
SEC. 341. Of funds made available under this Act for
discretionary grants for replacement, rehabilitation, and
purchase of buses and related equipment and the construc-
tion of bus-related facilities, up to $20,000,000 may be pro-
vided to the State of Michigan and $12,000,000 to the State
of Illinois.
SEC. 342. PILOT RECORD SHARING. The Adminis-
trator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall—
(1) work with air carriers conducting non-sched-
uled operations under part 135 of the Federal Avia-
tion Administration’s regulations (14 C.F.R. 135.1 et
103
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seq.) to implement the requirements of section
44936(f) of title 49, United States Code, effectively
and expeditiously; and
(2) implement those requirements with respect to
such air carriers not later than February 1, 1998, or
sooner if, in working with such air carriers, the Ad-
ministrator determines that the provisions of that sec-
tion can be effectively implemented for such air car-
riers.
SEC. 343. EXEMPTION AUTHORITY FOR AIR SERVICE
TO SLOT-CONTROLLED AIRPORTS. Section 41714 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended by adding at the end there-
of the following:
‘‘(i) EXPEDITIOUS CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN EX-
EMPTION REQUESTS.—Within 120 days after receiving an
application for an exemption under subsection (a)(2) to im-
prove air service between a nonhub airport (as defined in
section 41731(a)(4)) and a high density airport subject to
the exemption authority under subsection (a), the Secretary
shall grant or deny the exemption. The Secretary shall no-
tify the United States Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation and the United States House
of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure of the grant or denial within 14 calendar days
104
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after the determination and state the reasons for the deter-
mination.’’.
SEC. 344. SENSE OF THE SENATE CONCERNING REAU-
THORIZATION
OF HIGHWAY
AND MASS TRANSIT PRO-
GRAMS. (a) FINDINGS.—The Senate finds that—
(1) on October 1, 1997, authorization for most of
the programs authorized by the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (Public Law
102–240), including mass transit programs, will ex-
pire;
(2) States, local governments, and the national
economy depend on Federal investment in the trans-
portation infrastructure of the United States;
(3) it is the duty of Congress to reauthorize the
programs to ensure that the investment continues to
flow and that there is no interruption of critical
transportation services or construction; and
(4) the public and Congress should have a sub-
stantial opportunity to review, comment on, and com-
prehensively debate committee-reported proposals to
reauthorize the programs well in advance of their ex-
piration to ensure that the programs adequately re-
flect the needs of the United States and the contribu-
tions of the States.