I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3458 
To authorize appropriations to the Department of Transportation for surface 
transportation research, development, and deployment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Ms. EDWARDS, Ms. 
BONAMICI, Mr. SWALWELL of California, Mr. GRAYSON, Ms. ESTY, Mr. 
VEASEY, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Mr. BEYER, Mr. PERLMUTTER, 
and Mr. TONKO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations to the Department of Transpor-
tation for surface transportation research, development, 
and deployment, 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 
‘‘Connected Transportation Research and Innovation Act 
of 2015’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH 
Sec. 101. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 102. Research, technology, and education. 
Sec. 103. Research and technology development and deployment. 
Sec. 104. Training and education. 
Sec. 105. Transportation research and development strategic planning. 
Sec. 106. 5.9 GHz spectrum use testing. 
Sec. 107. ITS general authorities and requirements. 
Sec. 108. Researching surface transportation system funding alternatives. 
TITLE II—MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH 
Sec. 201. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 202. University transportation centers program. 
Sec. 203. International collaboration for innovation. 
Sec. 204. Title 49 amendments. 
Sec. 205. Advanced Transportation Research and Innovation Program. 
Sec. 206. Transit research, development, demonstration, and deployment 
projects. 
Sec. 207. Transit human resources and training. 
Sec. 208. Rail research, development, testing, and training. 
Sec. 209. Rail cooperative research program. 
Sec. 210. Hazardous materials research and development. 
Sec. 211. Web-based training for emergency responders. 
Sec. 212. National cooperative freight transportation research program. 
Sec. 213. Smart cities transportation planning study. 
TITLE I—HIGHWAY 
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH 
SEC. 101. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The following amounts are au-
thorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust 
Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account): 
(1) HIGHWAY SAFETY RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT.—To carry out section 403 of title 23, 
United States Code— 
(A) $152,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
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(B) $158,840,000 for fiscal year 2017; 
(C) $166,146,640 for fiscal year 2018; 
(D) $173,457,092 for fiscal year 2019; 
(E) $181,783,033 for fiscal year 2020; and 
(F) $190,145,052 for fiscal year 2021. 
(2) HIGHWAY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM.—To carry out section 503(b) of title 23, 
United States Code— 
(A) $130,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
(B) $132,594,234 for fiscal year 2017; 
(C) $135,188,470 for fiscal year 2018; 
(D) $138,070,953 for fiscal year 2019; 
(E) $140,832,372 for fiscal year 2020; and 
(F) $143,649,100 for fiscal year 2021. 
(3) TECHNOLOGY
AND
INNOVATION
DEPLOY-
MENT PROGRAM.—To carry out section 503(c) of 
title 23, United States Code— 
(A) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
(B) $71,396,896 for fiscal year 2017; 
(C) $72,793,792 for fiscal year 2018; 
(D) $74,345,898 for fiscal year 2019; 
(E) $75,832,816 for fiscal year 2020; and 
(F) $77,349,552 for fiscal year 2021. 
(4) TRAINING AND EDUCATION.—To carry out 
section 504 of title 23, United States Code— 
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(A) $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
(B) $27,538,803 for fiscal year 2017; 
(C) $28,077,605 for fiscal year 2018; 
(D) $28,676,275 for fiscal year 2019; 
(E) $29,249,801 for fiscal year 2020; and 
(F) $29,834,876 for fiscal year 2021. 
(5) INTELLIGENT
TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS 
PROGRAM.—To carry out sections 512 through 518 
of title 23, United States Code— 
(A) $158,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; 
(B) $179,254,989 for fiscal year 2017; 
(C) $173,509,978 for fiscal year 2018; 
(D) $137,015,521 for fiscal year 2019; 
(E) $142,415,831 for fiscal year 2020; and 
(F) $144,864,148 for fiscal year 2021. 
(b) APPLICABILITY OF TITLE 23, UNITED STATES 
CODE.—Funds authorized to be appropriated by sub-
section (a) shall— 
(1) be available for obligation in the same man-
ner as if those funds were appropriated under chap-
ter 1 of title 23, United States Code, except that the 
Federal share of the cost of a project or activity car-
ried out using those funds shall be 80 percent, un-
less otherwise expressly provided by this Act (includ-
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ing the amendments by this Act) or otherwise deter-
mined by the Secretary; and 
(2) remain available until expended and not be 
transferable. 
SEC. 102. RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY, AND EDUCATION. 
Section 501 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(10) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 
The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1001(a)).’’. 
SEC. 103. RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT 
AND DEPLOYMENT. 
Section 503 of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(6) by inserting ‘‘the Ad-
vanced Transportation Research program described 
in section 5508 of title 49, United States Code, as 
it relates to highway research, and’’ after ‘‘shall 
carry out’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(2)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as 
subparagraph (D); and 
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(B) by inserting after subparagraph (B) 
the following: 
‘‘(C) RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out 
the program established under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(I) conduct research, develop-
ment, technology transfer, and deploy-
ment activities at the Department’s 
research facilities, including the Tur-
ner Fairbank Highway Research Cen-
ter; and 
‘‘(II) make grants to, and enter 
into cooperative agreements and con-
tracts with, States, other Federal 
agencies, institutions of higher edu-
cation, private sector entities, and 
nonprofit organizations for research, 
development, technology transfer, in-
cluding proof of concept activities, and 
deployment activities. 
‘‘(ii) APPLICATIONS.—To receive a 
grant under this subsection, States, Fed-
eral agencies, institutions of higher edu-
cation, private sector entities, and non-
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profit organizations shall submit an appli-
cation to the Secretary. The application 
shall be in such form and contain such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. 
The Secretary shall select and award, on a 
competitive basis, an application based on 
the ability of the project to meet the goals 
of the program described in paragraph 
(1).’’. 
SEC. 104. TRAINING AND EDUCATION. 
Section 504(a) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)(B), after ‘‘maintenance’’ 
by inserting ‘‘green transportation infrastructure’’; 
and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(9) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection, the 
term ‘green transportation infrastructure’ includes 
infrastructure that— 
‘‘(A) reserves and restores natural proc-
esses, landforms (such as floodplains), natural 
vegetated stream side buffers, wetlands, or 
other topographical features that can slow, fil-
ter, and naturally store stormwater runoff and 
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floodwaters for future water supply and re-
charge of natural aquifers; 
‘‘(B) utilizes natural design techniques 
that infiltrate, filter, store, evaporate, and de-
tain water close to its source; 
‘‘(C) minimizes the use of impervious sur-
faces in order to slow or infiltrate precipitation; 
‘‘(D) minimizes lifecycle energy consump-
tion, including during construction, mainte-
nance, use by vehicles, and destruction and re-
cycling; and 
‘‘(E) minimizes lifecycle air pollution.’’. 
SEC. 105. TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT STRATEGIC PLANNING. 
Section 508(a)(1) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, and shall be updated every 5 
years after its initial development’’ after ‘‘Department of 
Transportation’’. 
SEC. 106. 5.9 GHZ SPECTRUM USE TESTING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after re-
ceiving a 5.9 GHz Unlicensed National Information Infra-
structure device, the Secretary of Transportation, in co-
operation with the Secretary of Commerce, National Tele-
communications and Information Administration, the 
Federal Communications Commission, other appropriate 
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Federal agencies, the automotive industry, the intelligent 
transportation industry, and the communications industry, 
shall conduct testing on the unlicensed device within the 
5.9 GHz band to examine the possibility of interference 
with safety-related vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infra-
structure applications. 
(b) CONTENTS OF THE TEST.—In conducting the 
test, the Secretary of Transportation shall— 
(1) define interference of connected vehicle safe-
ty applications; 
(2) identify the technology and operating pa-
rameters that must be in place to allow vehicle safe-
ty communications signals to share the 5.9 GHz 
band with signals from unlicensed devices without 
interference; 
(3) test the unlicensed device to determine 
whether it interferes with dedicated short-range 
communications or any other communications sys-
tems the Department of Commerce is testing for 
connected vehicle safety applications; 
(4) identify possible challenges of allowing unli-
censed devices to operate in the 5.9 GHz band con-
cerning automated vehicle systems development; and 
(5) evaluate any other information the Sec-
retary determines appropriate. 
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(c) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after receipt 
of such an unlicensed 5.9 GHz device, the Secretary shall 
submit a report of the testing of such device to the Com-
mittee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate 
and the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology 
and Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary for the purpose of carrying out this section. 
SEC. 107. ITS GENERAL AUTHORITIES AND REQUIREMENTS. 
Section 515(a)(1) of title 23, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, including automated vehicle sys-
tems’’ after ‘‘intelligent transportation systems’’. 
SEC. 108. RESEARCHING SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SYS-
TEM FUNDING ALTERNATIVES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 
shall promote the research, development, and demonstra-
tion of user-based alternative revenue mechanisms that 
preserve a user fee structure to maintain the long-term 
solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. 
(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the research, de-
velopment, and demonstration described in subsection (a) 
shall be— 
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(1) to study uncertainties relating to the design, 
acceptance, and implementation of 2 or more future 
user-based alternative revenue mechanisms; 
(2) to define the functionality of those user- 
based alternative revenue mechanisms; 
(3) to conduct or promote research activities to 
demonstrate and test those user-based alternative 
revenue mechanisms, including by conducting field 
trials, by partnering with individual States, groups 
of States, or other appropriate entities to conduct 
the research activities; 
(4) to conduct outreach to increase public 
awareness regarding the need for alternative funding 
sources for surface transportation programs and 
provide information on possible approaches; 
(5) to provide recommendations regarding 
adoption and implementation of those user-based al-
ternative revenue mechanisms, and to assess the 
technical feasibility of value pricing; and 
(6) to minimize the administrative cost of any 
potential user-based alternative revenue mechanisms. 
(c) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall provide grants to 
individual States, groups of States, or other appropriate 
entities to conduct research, development, and demonstra-
tion that addresses— 
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(1) the implementation, interoperability, and 
public acceptance of, and other potential hurdles to, 
the adoption of a user-based alternative revenue 
mechanism; 
(2) the protection of personal privacy; 
(3) the use of independent and private third- 
party vendors to collect fees and operate the user- 
based alternative revenue mechanism; 
(4) equity concerns, including the impacts of 
the user-based alternative revenue mechanism on 
differing income groups, various geographic areas, 
and the relative burdens on rural and urban drivers; 
(5) ease of compliance for different users of the 
transportation system; 
(6) the reliability and security of technology 
used to implement the user-based alternative rev-
enue mechanism; 
(7) the flexibility and choices of user-based al-
ternative revenue mechanisms, including the ability 
of users to select from various technology and pay-
ment options; 
(8) the cost of administering the user-based al-
ternative revenue mechanism; and 
(9) the ability of the administering entity to 
audit and enforce user compliance. 
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(d) ADVISORY COUNCIL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of 
the Treasury, shall establish and lead a Surface 
Transportation Revenue Alternatives Advisory Coun-
cil (referred to in this subsection as the ‘‘Council’’) 
to inform the selection and evaluation of user-based 
alternative revenue mechanisms. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The members of the 
Council shall— 
(i) be appointed by the Secretary; and 
(ii) include, at a minimum— 
(I) representatives with experi-
ence in user-based alternative revenue 
mechanisms, of which— 
(aa) not fewer than 1 shall 
be from the Department of 
Transportation; 
(bb) not fewer than 1 shall 
be from the Department of the 
Treasury; and 
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(cc) not fewer than 2 shall 
be from State departments of 
transportation; 
(II) representatives from applica-
ble users of the surface transportation 
system; and 
(III) appropriate technology and 
public privacy experts. 
(B) GEOGRAPHIC CONSIDERATIONS.—The 
Secretary shall consider geographic diversity 
when selecting members under this paragraph. 
(3) FUNCTIONS.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date on which the Council is established, the 
Council shall, at a minimum— 
(A) define the functionality of 2 or more 
user-based alternative revenue mechanisms; 
(B) identify technological, administrative, 
institutional, privacy, and other issues that— 
(i) are associated with the user-based 
alternative revenue mechanisms; and 
(ii) may be researched through re-
search, development, and demonstration 
activities; 
(C) conduct public outreach to identify and 
assess questions and concerns about the user- 
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based alternative revenue mechanisms for fu-
ture evaluation through research activities; and 
(D) provide recommendations to the Sec-
retary on the process and criteria used for se-
lecting research activities under subsection (c). 
(4) EVALUATIONS.—The Council shall conduct 
periodic evaluations of the research, development, 
and demonstration activities that have received as-
sistance from the Secretary under this section. 
(5) APPLICABILITY
OF
FEDERAL
ADVISORY 
COMMITTEE ACT.—The Council shall not be subject 
to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App.). 
(e) BIENNIAL REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years 
thereafter until the completion of the research, develop-
ment, and demonstration activities under this section, the 
Secretary of Transportation shall submit to the Secretary 
of the Treasury, the Committee on Finance and the Com-
mittee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate, 
and the Committee on Ways and Means, the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the Committee 
on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Rep-
resentatives a report describing the progress of the re-
search, development, and demonstration activities. 
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(f) FINAL REPORT.—On the completion of the re-
search, development, and demonstration activities under 
this section, the Secretary of Transportation and the Sec-
retary of the Treasury, acting jointly, shall submit to the 
Committee on Finance and the Committee on Environ-
ment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee 
on Ways and Means, the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, and the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 
describing the results of the research, development, and 
demonstration activities and any recommendations. 
(g) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2016 and $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 
through 2021. 
TITLE II—MULTIMODAL 
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH 
SEC. 201. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS PRO-
GRAM.—The following amounts are authorized to be ap-
propriated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than 
the Mass Transit Account) to carry out section 5505 of 
title 49, United States Code: 
(1) $82,000,000 for fiscal year 2016. 
(2) $83,636,364 for fiscal year 2017. 
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(3) $85,272,727 for fiscal year 2018. 
(4) $87,090,909 for fiscal year 2019. 
(5) $88,832,727 for fiscal year 2020. 
(6) $90,609,462 for fiscal year 2021. 
(b) BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS.—The 
following amounts are authorized to be appropriated out 
of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit 
Account) to carry out chapter 63 of title 49, United States 
Code: 
(1) $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2016. 
(2) $29,578,714 for fiscal year 2017. 
(3) $30,157,428 for fiscal year 2018. 
(4) $30,800,444 for fiscal year 2019. 
(5) $31,416,453 for fiscal year 2020. 
(6) $32,044,862 for fiscal year 2021. 
(c) TRANSIT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—Sec-
tion 5338(b) through (e) of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, DEMONSTRATION, 
AND DEPLOYMENT PROJECTS.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out section 5312, $26,000,000 
for fiscal year 2016, $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2017, 
$29,000,000 for fiscal year 2018, $31,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2019, $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2020, and 
$34,000,000 for fiscal year 2021. 
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‘‘(c) TRANSIT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out sec-
tion 5313, $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2021. 
‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND STANDARDS DE-
VELOPMENT.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 5314, $7,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2018 and $9,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2021. 
‘‘(e) HUMAN RESOURCES AND TRAINING.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 5322, 
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021.’’. 
(d) NATIONAL COOPERATIVE RAIL RESEARCH PRO-
GRAM.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out section 24910 of title 49, United States Code, 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021. 
(e) HAZARDOUS MATERIALS RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 5118(c) of title 49, United States Code, 
$1,000,000 
from 
the 
Highway 
Trust 
Fund 
and 
$1,000,000 from the General Fund for each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2021. 
(f) ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH AND IN-
NOVATION PROGRAM.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out section 5508 of title 49, United States 
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Code, $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2021, of which $10,000,000 is authorized to be appro-
priated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the 
Mass Transit Account). 
(g) NATIONAL COOPERATIVE FREIGHT TRANSPOR-
TATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out section 5509 of title 49, 
United States Code, $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2021. 
SEC. 202. UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 5505 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or mem-
ber of a consortium’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘identical’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘sequential’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘The Secretary shall first conduct 
a competition for national transportation 
centers and regional transportation cen-
ters, then Tier 1 university transportation 
centers. The Secretary shall strive to main-
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tain four month intervals between each 
competition.’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A) by adding at 
the end the following: ‘‘For Centers not 
specializing in highways, the priorities 
identified in section 503 can be applied to 
any mode, including transit and rail.’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘and’’ after ‘‘Fed-
eral Highway Administration’’ and in-
serting a comma; 
(II) by inserting ‘‘, or other 
modal administrations’’ after ‘‘Federal 
Transit Administration’’; 
(III) by redesignating clauses (ii) 
through (ix) as clauses (iii) through 
(x), respectively; 
(IV) by inserting after clause (i) 
the following: 
‘‘(ii) the demonstrated ability of the 
recipient to address one or more of the De-
partment’s Research, Development, and 
Technology Strategic Plan priority areas;’’; 
and 
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(V) in clause (vi)(II), as so redes-
ignated by subclause (III) of this 
clause, by inserting ‘‘, including 
women and underrepresented minori-
ties’’ after ‘‘field’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(7) BROADENING PARTICIPATION.—In award-
ing grants under this section, consideration shall be 
given to minority institutions, as defined by section 
365 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1067k), or consortia that include such insti-
tutions that have demonstrated an ability in trans-
portation-related research.’’; 
(2) by amending subsection (c) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(c) GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 
2017, the Secretary, in consultation as appropriate 
with the Administrators of the Federal Highway Ad-
ministration, the Federal Transit Administration, or 
other modal administrations, shall initiate a competi-
tion among institutions of higher education for 
grants to establish and operate university transpor-
tation centers. Any university transportation center 
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established prior to the competition required under 
this paragraph shall be eligible to compete in the 
competition required under this paragraph. 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION CENTERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Secretary shall provide grants to 
5 recipients that the Secretary determines best 
meet the criteria described in subsection (b)(4). 
‘‘(B) RESTRICTIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—For each fiscal 
year, a grant made available under this 
paragraph shall be in the amount of 
$3,200,000 per recipient. 
‘‘(ii) FOCUSED RESEARCH.—Grant re-
cipients under this paragraph shall focus 
research on national transportation issues, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of 
receiving a grant under this paragraph, a 
grant recipient shall match 100 percent of 
the amounts made available under the 
grant. 
‘‘(ii) 
SOURCES.—The 
matching 
amounts referred to in clause (i) may in-
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clude amounts made available to the recipi-
ent under section 504(b) or 505 of title 23 
and amounts made available to the recipi-
ent by other Federal agencies with inter-
ests in transportation. 
‘‘(3) REGIONAL UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION 
CENTERS.— 
‘‘(A) LOCATION OF REGIONAL CENTERS.— 
One regional university transportation center 
shall be located in each of the 10 Federal re-
gions that comprise the Standard Federal Re-
gions established by the Office of Management 
and Budget in the document entitled ‘Standard 
Federal Regions’ and dated April, 1974 (cir-
cular A–105). 
‘‘(B) 
SELECTION
CRITERIA.—In 
con-
ducting a competition under this paragraph, the 
Secretary shall provide grants to 10 recipients 
on the basis of— 
‘‘(i) the criteria described in sub-
section (b)(4); 
‘‘(ii) the location of the center within 
the Federal region to be served; and 
‘‘(iii) whether the institution (or, in 
the case of a consortium of institutions, 
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the lead institution) demonstrates that the 
institution has a well-established, nation-
ally recognized program in transportation 
research and education, as evidenced by— 
‘‘(I) recent expenditures by the 
institution in highway or public trans-
portation research; 
‘‘(II) a historical track record of 
awarding graduate degrees in profes-
sional fields closely related to high-
ways and public transportation; and 
‘‘(III) an experienced faculty who 
specialize in professional fields closely 
related to highways and public trans-
portation. 
‘‘(C) 
RESTRICTIONS.—For 
each 
fiscal 
year, a grant made available under this para-
graph shall be in the amount of $3,000,000 for 
each recipient. 
‘‘(D) MATCHING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of 
receiving a grant under this paragraph, a 
grant recipient shall match 100 percent of 
the amounts made available under the 
grant. 
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‘‘(ii) 
SOURCES.—The 
matching 
amounts referred to in the clause (i) may 
include amounts made available to the re-
cipient under section 504(b) or 505 of title 
23 and amounts made available to the re-
cipient by other Federal agencies with in-
terests in transportation. 
‘‘(E) FOCUSED RESEARCH.—The Secretary 
shall make a grant to 1 of the 10 regional uni-
versity transportation centers established under 
this paragraph for the purpose of furthering the 
objectives described in subsection (a)(2) in the 
field of comprehensive transportation safety. 
‘‘(4) TIER
UNIVERSITY
TRANSPORTATION 
CENTERS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
provide grants of $1,800,000 each to not more 
than 20 recipients to carry out this paragraph. 
‘‘(B) RESTRICTION.—A lead institution of 
a consortium that receives a grant under para-
graph (2) or (3) shall not be eligible to receive 
a grant under this paragraph. 
‘‘(C) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(iii), as a condition of receiving a grant 
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under this paragraph, a grant recipient 
shall match 50 percent of the amounts 
made available under the grant. 
‘‘(ii) 
SOURCES.—The 
matching 
amounts referred to in clause (i) may in-
clude amounts made available to the recipi-
ent under section 504(b) or 505 of title 23 
and amounts made available to the recipi-
ent by other Federal agencies with inter-
ests in transportation. 
‘‘(iii) 
EXEMPTION.—This 
subpara-
graph shall not apply on a demonstration 
of financial hardship by the applicant insti-
tution. In determining whether an appli-
cant demonstrates financial hardship, the 
Secretary may consider— 
‘‘(I) whether the institution, or a 
collaborating partner, has provided a 
match for any Federal research fund-
ing it has received in the past 5 years; 
‘‘(II) whether the institution has 
received any research funds from its 
State Department of Transportation 
during the past 5 years; 
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‘‘(III) whether the institution 
houses a federally funded Local Tech-
nical Assistance Program Center; 
‘‘(IV) whether the size of the in-
stitution’s 
endowment 
exceeds 
$50,000,000; and 
‘‘(V) any other factor that the 
Secretary determines to be appro-
priate.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d)(3) by striking ‘‘2013 and 
2014’’ and inserting ‘‘2016 through 2021’’. 
SEC. 203. INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR INNOVA-
TION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter I of chapter 55 of title 
49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘§ 5507. International collaboration for innovation 
‘‘In consultation with the American Association of 
State Highway and Transportation Officials, other public 
surface transportation associations, private sector stake-
holders, and the National Academy of Sciences, the Sec-
retary of Transportation shall examine opportunities to le-
verage Federal and State participation and investment in 
international transportation research collaborations, rec-
ommend to States best practices for collaborating with for-
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eign countries and international entities on transportation 
research, clarify States’ use of Federal funds for collabo-
rating with foreign countries and international entities, 
and identify research topic areas suitable for international 
transportation research collaboration by States.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of sec-
tions for such subchapter is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘5507. International collaboration for innovation.’’. 
SEC. 204. TITLE 49 AMENDMENTS. 
Title 49, United States Code, is amended as follows: 
(1) Amend section 102(e)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘5’’ and inserting ‘‘6’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
paragraph (C); 
(C) by striking the period at the end of 
subparagraph (D) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(D) by inserting at the end the following 
new subparagraph: 
‘‘(E) an Assistant Secretary for Research 
and Technology who shall be appointed by the 
President, by and with the advice and consent 
of the Senate, and shall report directly to the 
Secretary.’’. 
(2) Amend section 102(g)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘Department’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Office of the Assistant Secretary 
for Research and Technology’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘climate change; and’’ and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘climate 
change, 
including 
multimodal activities focused on— 
‘‘(i) reducing vehicle miles traveled; 
‘‘(ii) reducing congestion; and 
‘‘(iii) reducing construction and main-
tenance-related carbon emissions and en-
ergy consumption; and’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
the period and inserting the following: ‘‘, 
including multimodal activities focused 
on— 
‘‘(i) adaptation and systems resilience 
and recovery; and 
‘‘(ii) efforts to improve regional scale 
modeling of future climate change impacts 
on transportation infrastructure.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end 
the following: ‘‘The Office shall conduct out-
reach to other Federal agencies, State and local 
transportation agencies, and the transportation 
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industry to promote the solutions and provide 
best practices for implementation.’’. 
(3) Amend section 102 by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(i) CHIEF SCIENTIST.—There shall be in the Office 
of the Secretary a Chief Scientist who shall be appointed 
by the Secretary and shall be the principal science and 
technology advisor to the Secretary and shall perform 
other duties as the Secretary may direct. The Chief Sci-
entist shall be an individual who is, by reason of scientific 
education and experience, knowledgeable in the principles 
of engineering, computer science, physics, human factors, 
or other scientific disciplines important to the work of the 
Department.’’. 
(4) Amend section 112 to read as follows: 
‘‘§ 112. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research 
and Technology of the Department of 
Transportation 
‘‘(a) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—The Assist-
ant Secretary for Research and Technology shall have a 
Deputy Assistant Secretary who shall be appointed by the 
Secretary of Transportation. The Deputy Assistant Sec-
retary shall carry out duties and powers prescribed by the 
Assistant Secretary. 
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‘‘(b) POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE ASSISTANT SEC-
RETARY.—The Assistant Secretary shall carry out— 
‘‘(1) powers and duties prescribed by the Sec-
retary for— 
‘‘(A) coordination, facilitation, and review 
of the Department’s research and development 
programs and activities; 
‘‘(B) coordination with other Federal agen-
cies of research efforts that affect the national 
transportation system; 
‘‘(C) dissemination of findings that have 
transportation applications to stakeholder com-
munities; 
‘‘(D) advancement, and research and devel-
opment, of innovative technologies, including in-
telligent transportation systems; 
‘‘(E) comprehensive transportation statis-
tics research, analysis, and reporting; 
‘‘(F) education and training in transpor-
tation and transportation-related fields; and 
‘‘(G) activities of the Volpe National 
Transportation Center; and 
‘‘(2) other powers and duties prescribed by the 
Secretary. 
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‘‘(c) AUTHORITIES.—The Assistant Secretary may 
enter into grants and cooperative agreements with Federal 
agencies, State and local government agencies, other pub-
lic entities, private organizations, and other persons— 
‘‘(1) to conduct research into transportation 
service and infrastructure assurance; and 
‘‘(2) to carry out other research activities of the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and 
Technology. 
‘‘(d) PROGRAM EVALUATION AND OVERSIGHT.—For 
each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021, the Assistant Sec-
retary is authorized to expend not more than 11⁄2 percent 
of the amounts authorized to be appropriated for nec-
essary expenses for administration and operations of the 
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Tech-
nology for the coordination, evaluation, and oversight of 
the programs administered by the Office. 
‘‘(e) COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH
AND DEVELOP-
MENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—To encourage innovative 
solutions to multimodal transportation problems and 
stimulate the deployment of new technology, the As-
sistant Secretary may carry out, on a cost-shared 
basis, collaborative research and development with— 
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‘‘(A) non-Federal entities, including State 
and local governments, foreign governments, in-
stitutions of higher education, corporations, in-
stitutions, partnerships, sole proprietorships, 
and trade associations that are incorporated or 
established under the laws of any State; 
‘‘(B) Federal laboratories; and 
‘‘(C) other Federal agencies. 
‘‘(2) COOPERATION, GRANTS, CONTRACTS, AND 
AGREEMENTS.—Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the Assistant Secretary may directly initiate 
contracts, grants, cooperative research and develop-
ment agreements (as defined in section 12 of the 
Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a)), and other agreements to 
fund, and accept funds from, the Transportation Re-
search Board of the National Research Council of 
the National Academies, State departments of trans-
portation, cities, counties, institutions of higher edu-
cation, associations, and the agents of those entities 
to carry out joint transportation research and tech-
nology efforts. 
‘‘(3) FEDERAL SHARE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Federal share of the cost of an 
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