I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5156 
To promote the use of smart technologies and systems in communities, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 
Ms. CLARKE of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To promote the use of smart technologies and systems in 
communities, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Smart Technologies for Accessible and Resilient Trans-
portation Act’’ or the ‘‘START Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Purpose. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Smart community resource center. 
Sec. 5. Smart Cities Challenge grant extension program. 
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Sec. 6. GAO study. 
Sec. 7. Reports to Secretary of Transportation and Congress. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 
The purpose of this Act is to promote the adoption 
of smart technologies and systems to reduce transpor-
tation costs, traffic congestion, air pollution, energy use, 
and carbon emissions, and enhance transportation access, 
equity, efficiency, resilience, safety, security, and sustain-
ability for communities of all sizes by— 
(1) providing assistance to local governments 
interested in implementing smart city or community 
transportation technologies; 
(2) creating a smart community resource cen-
ter; and 
(3) promoting the quality and performance of 
smart city technologies while protecting— 
(A) the physical and cyber security of data 
and smart city technology systems; and 
(B) privacy. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
APPROPRIATE
COMMITTEES
OF
CON-
GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation of the Senate; and 
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(6) RURAL
AREA.—The term ‘‘rural area’’ 
means a beneficiary jurisdiction with a population 
between 10,000 and 75,000 people, not located with-
in an urbanized area or cluster, according to the 
most recent annual estimates of resident population 
by the Bureau of the Census. 
(7) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 
means the Secretary, acting in coordination with— 
(A) the Secretary of Energy; 
(B) the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development; and 
(C) the Director of the National Science 
Foundation. 
(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
(9) SECURITY SOLUTIONS.—The term ‘‘security 
solutions’’ means video camera equipment, emer-
gency light and panic alarms, information technology 
and information systems. 
(10) SMALL
CITY.—The term ‘‘small city’’ 
means a beneficiary city with a population between 
75,000 and 200,000, according to the most recent 
annual estimates of resident population by the Bu-
reau of the Census. 
(11) SMART CITY OR COMMUNITY.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘smart city 
or community’’ means a community in which 
innovative, advanced, secure, and reliable infor-
mation and communication technologies and re-
lated mechanisms are applied— 
(i) to improve the quality of life for 
residents; 
(ii) to reduce resource consumption by 
increasing the efficiency and cost effective-
ness of civic operations and services; 
(iii) to promote economic growth; and 
(iv) to create a community that is 
safer and more secure, sustainable, resil-
ient, livable, and workable. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘smart city 
or community’’ includes a local jurisdiction that 
installs smart city technology that— 
(i) gathers and incorporates data from 
systems, devices, and sensors embedded in 
civic systems and infrastructure to improve 
the effectiveness and efficiency of civic op-
erations and services; 
(ii) aggregates and analyzes gathered 
data; 
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(iii) communicates the analysis and 
data in a variety of formats; 
(iv) makes corresponding improve-
ments to civic systems and services based 
on gathered data; and 
(v) integrates measures— 
(I) to ensure the resilience of 
civic systems against cybersecurity 
threats 
and 
physical 
and 
social 
vulnerabilities and breaches; 
(II) to protect the private data of 
residents; and 
(III) to measure the impact of 
smart city or community technologies 
on the effectiveness and efficiency 
civic operations and services. 
(12) SMART
CITY
TECHNOLOGY.—The term 
‘‘smart city technology’’ means technology and sys-
tems that gather and incorporate data from systems, 
devices, and sensors embedded in civic systems, se-
curity systems, transportation and traffic manage-
ment systems, and infrastructure to improve the ef-
fectiveness and efficiency of civic operations by— 
(A) aggregating and analyzing collected 
data; 
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(B) communicating the analysis and data 
in a variety of forms; 
(C) corresponding improvements to civic 
systems and services based on gathered data; 
(D) providing innovative services in mul-
tiple modes of transport and traffic manage-
ment to enable users to be safer, better coordi-
nated and connected, and better informed; and 
(E) integrating measures— 
(i) to protect private data of residents; 
and 
(ii) to measure the impact of smart 
city or community technologies on the ef-
fectiveness and efficiency of civic oper-
ations and services, including digital inclu-
sion and broadband adoption. 
(13) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 
(A) a State; 
(B) the District of Columbia; 
(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 
and 
(D) any other territory or possession of the 
United States. 
(14) URBAN
AREA.—The term ‘‘urban area’’ 
means a area designated as an urbanized area by 
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the Bureau of the Census with a population of 
50,000 residents or more. 
SEC. 4. SMART COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretaries, in coordina-
tion with the heads of any other applicable Federal agen-
cies, shall create, publish, and make available to the public 
online a resource center, to be known as the ‘‘Smart Com-
munity Resource Center’’, that includes a compilation of 
resources or links to resources for States and local com-
munities to use in developing and implementing— 
(1) intelligent transportation system programs; 
or 
(2) smart city or community transportation 
programs. 
(b) INCLUSIONS.—Information provided by the re-
source center shall include— 
(1) available examples of Federal guides, pro-
grams, and resources for intelligent transportation 
systems or smart city or community transportation 
programs, including technical assistance, education, 
training, funding, and examples of intelligent trans-
portation systems or smart city or community trans-
portation programs implemented by States and local 
communities, available from— 
(A) the Department of Transportation; 
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(B) other Federal agencies; and 
(C) non-Federal sources; 
(2) reports or databases with the results of in-
telligent transportation system or smart city or com-
munity transportation programs; 
(3) examples of local governments engaging pri-
vate sector entities in order to implement smart city 
or community solutions including private-public 
partnership models, that could be used to leverage 
private sector funding, reduce transportation costs, 
and enhance security resiliency; 
(4) any best practices developed or lessons 
learned from intelligent transportation system or 
smart city or community transportation programs; 
and 
(5) such other resources as the Secretary deter-
mines to be appropriate. 
(c) DEADLINE.—The Secretary shall establish the re-
source center by the date that is 1 year after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(d) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall ensure that the 
resource center is updated on a regular basis. 
(e) EXISTING GUIDES.—In creating, publishing, and 
maintaining the guide under subsection (a), the Secre-
taries shall consider Federal guides published before, on, 
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or after the date of enactment of this Act relating to smart 
city or community goals, activities, and best practices— 
(1) to prevent duplication of efforts by the Fed-
eral Government; and 
(2) to leverage complementary efforts in effect 
at the time such guide is created. 
SEC. 5. SMART CITIES CHALLENGE GRANT EXTENSION 
PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans-
portation shall develop and implement an annual competi-
tion for the Smart Cities Challenge under which the Sec-
retary shall provide grants on a competitive basis to com-
munities of all sizes to implement smart transportation 
proposals and demonstrate how advanced technologies can 
be integrated into city planning and utilized to mitigate 
transportation challenges related to safety, mobility, and 
climate change. 
(b) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this section, an entity shall be— 
(1) a State or local government; 
(2) a tribal government; 
(3) a transit agency or authority; 
(4) a public toll authority; 
(5) a metropolitan planning organization; 
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(6) any other subdivision of a State or local 
government; 
(7) a nonprofit organization; 
(8) a multijurisdictional group applying through 
a single lead applicant; or 
(9) a consortia of academic institutions apply-
ing through a single lead applicant. 
(c) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity seeking a 
grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary an 
application at the time, in such manner, and containing 
such information as the Secretary may require. An eligible 
entity may only submit 1 application. 
(d) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 
grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize ap-
plicants that— 
(1) identify transportation challenges and de-
scribe how smart city technologies and systems can 
address such challenges; 
(2) determine what technologies have the most 
potential to address the challenges identified; 
(3) identify what data may be collected and 
analyzed using these technologies and how such data 
would be used to continue to address identified 
transportation challenges; 
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(4) incorporate relevant security solutions based 
on the scope and necessity for such smart city 
project; 
(5) represent diverse geographic areas of the 
United States; 
(6) represent communities of all sizes; 
(7) address communities that have significant 
underserved and disadvantaged populations; and 
(8) comply with any other requirements that 
the Secretary may identify. 
(e) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 
of the cost of a project for which a grant is awarded under 
this section shall be a minimum of 20 percent of the total 
cost. 
(f) AMOUNT OF GRANTS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this paragraph, and for 
every fiscal year through fiscal year 2025, the Secretary 
shall award grants to not less than 6 eligible entities. The 
amount of a grant awarded under this section shall be a 
minimum of $5,000,000 and a maximum of $40,000,000. 
The total amount of funds awarded under this section 
shall not exceed $250,000,000 for one calendar year. 
(g) PLANNING GRANTS.—The Secretary may award 
planning grants ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 to as-
sist eligible entities in conducting research into the bene-
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fits, challenges, and feasibility of smart city technologies 
for communities within their jurisdiction. 
(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025. 
Additionally, the Secretary may reallocate unobligated 
funds to carry out this section. 
(i) COORDINATION.—The Secretary may coordinate 
with non-profit foundations and other Federal agencies 
funding relevant smart city efforts, including the National 
Science Foundation, National Institutions of Standards 
and Technology, Department of Defense, Department of 
Energy, and other entities that the Secretary deems ap-
propriate. 
SEC. 6. GAO STUDY. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall conduct a study to identify— 
(1) financial and procurement mechanisms cur-
rently available to public and private entities to fund 
smart city or community activities and associated 
demonstration projects, including ‘‘pay for perform-
ance’’ financing that could deliver measurable and 
verifiable market and non-market values to smart 
cities or communities; 
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(2) new, innovative financial and procurement 
mechanisms under development or used experi-
mentally that may be available, in the near term, to 
public and private entities to fund smart city or 
community activities and associated demonstration 
projects; 
(3) barriers to creative financing solutions for 
those activities and projects, including procurement 
barriers faced by State and local governments; and 
(4) ways to leverage private sector investments 
in smart cities and communities. 
SEC. 7. REPORTS TO SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 
AND CONGRESS. 
(a) QUARTERLY
REPORT.—Each recipient of a 
Smart Cities Challenge grant under section 5 shall submit 
a quarterly report to the Secretary regarding the develop-
ment, implementation, and operation of the project. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and each year 
thereafter through 2026, the Secretary shall submit to the 
appropriate committees of Congress a report that in-
cludes— 
(1) pertinent updates regarding the develop-
ment, list of recipients, implementation, and oper-
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ation of projects funded under Smart Cities Chal-
lenge; 
(2) the impact of such projects on the transpor-
tation systems within the area served by the project 
and review of appropriate security protocols inte-
grated into the project; 
(3) the impact of such projects on frontline 
communities, 
including 
communities 
of 
color, 
women, veterans, and the elderly; 
(4) the extent to which the goals of the grant 
program have been met; and 
(5) any recommendations for revisions or im-
provements to the Smart Cities Challenge to guide 
future deployment activities. 
Æ 
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