STAT Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 651 To amend SAFETEA–LU to improve the Intelligent Transportation System Program Advisory Committee, to require information and resources for the development of local smart communities, to help establish a 21st century transportation workforce, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 9, 2021 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To amend SAFETEA–LU to improve the Intelligent Trans- portation System Program Advisory Committee, to re- quire information and resources for the development of local smart communities, to help establish a 21st century transportation workforce, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Smart Transportation 4 Advancement and Transition Act’’ or the ‘‘STAT Act’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •S 651 IS SEC. 2. INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM PRO- 1 GRAM ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 2 Section 5305 of SAFETEA–LU (23 U.S.C. 512 note; 3 Public Law 109–59) is amended by striking subsection (h) 4 and inserting the following: 5 ‘‘(h) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab- 7 lish an advisory committee (referred to in this sub- 8 section as the ‘Committee’) to advise the Secretary 9 in carrying out this subtitle. 10 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Committee 12 shall— 13 ‘‘(i) be composed of not more than 25 14 members; 15 ‘‘(ii) be balanced between metropoli- 16 tan and rural interests; and 17 ‘‘(iii) include, at a minimum— 18 ‘‘(I) a representative of a State 19 department of transportation; 20 ‘‘(II) a representative of a local 21 department of transportation (other 22 than a metropolitan planning organi- 23 zation); 24 ‘‘(III) a representative of a State, 25 local, or regional transit agency; 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •S 651 IS ‘‘(IV) a representative of a met- 1 ropolitan planning organization; 2 ‘‘(V) a representative of a na- 3 tional transit association; 4 ‘‘(VI) a representative of a na- 5 tional, State, or local transportation 6 agency or association; 7 ‘‘(VII) a private sector user of in- 8 telligent transportation system tech- 9 nologies, including emerging vehicle 10 technologies; 11 ‘‘(VIII) a private sector developer 12 of intelligent transportation system 13 technologies, including emerging vehi- 14 cle technologies; 15 ‘‘(IX) an academic researcher— 16 ‘‘(aa) with expertise in com- 17 puter science or another informa- 18 tion science field related to intel- 19 ligent transportation systems; 20 and 21 ‘‘(bb) who is not an expert 22 on transportation issues; 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •S 651 IS ‘‘(X) an academic researcher in 1 civil engineering or a civil engineering 2 practitioner; 3 ‘‘(XI) an academic researcher 4 who is a social scientist with expertise 5 in transportation issues; 6 ‘‘(XII) an academic researcher 7 with expertise in labor issues, includ- 8 ing— 9 ‘‘(aa) disruptions due to 10 technology; and 11 ‘‘(bb) opportunities and bar- 12 riers related to transportation 13 and the incorporation of emerg- 14 ing technology; 15 ‘‘(XIII) a representative of a 16 nonprofit group representing the intel- 17 ligent transportation system industry; 18 ‘‘(XIV) a representative of a pub- 19 lic interest group concerned with safe- 20 ty, including bicycle and pedestrian 21 interests; 22 ‘‘(XV) a representative of a labor 23 organization; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •S 651 IS ‘‘(XVI) a representative of a mo- 1 bility-providing entity, including for 2 seniors and people with disabilities; 3 ‘‘(XVII) an expert in traffic man- 4 agement; 5 ‘‘(XVIII) a representative of a 6 public interest group concerned with 7 the impact of the transportation sys- 8 tem on land use and residential pat- 9 terns, including housing availability; 10 ‘‘(XIX) members with expertise 11 in planning, safety, and operations; 12 ‘‘(XX) a member with expertise 13 in law enforcement; and 14 ‘‘(XXI) a member with expertise 15 in cybersecurity. 16 ‘‘(B) TERM.— 17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro- 18 vided in clause (ii), the term of a member 19 of the Committee shall be 3 years. 20 ‘‘(ii) STAGGERED TERMS.— 21 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—Of the mem- 22 bers first appointed to the Com- 23 mittee— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •S 651 IS ‘‘(aa) 1⁄3 shall be appointed 1 for a term of 1 year; 2 ‘‘(bb) 1⁄3 shall be appointed 3 for a term of 2 years; and 4 ‘‘(cc) 1⁄3 shall be appointed 5 for a term of 3 years. 6 ‘‘(II) TIMING.—The terms de- 7 scribed in subclause (I) shall not 8 begin until the last member of the 9 members referred to in that subclause 10 is appointed. 11 ‘‘(iii) RENEWAL.—On expiration of 12 the term of a member of the Committee, 13 the member— 14 ‘‘(I) may be reappointed; and 15 ‘‘(II) if the member is not re- 16 appointed under subclause (I), may 17 serve until a new member is ap- 18 pointed. 19 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—The Committee shall, at a min- 20 imum— 21 ‘‘(A) provide input into the development of 22 the intelligent transportation system aspects of 23 the 5-year strategic plan under section 6503 of 24 title 49, United States Code; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •S 651 IS ‘‘(B) annually review areas of intelligent 1 transportation systems programs and research 2 being considered for funding by the Depart- 3 ment, to determine— 4 ‘‘(i) whether those areas of research 5 are likely to advance the state of the prac- 6 tice or state of the art in intelligent trans- 7 portation systems; 8 ‘‘(ii) whether intelligent transportation 9 system technologies are likely to be de- 10 ployed by users, and if not, to determine 11 the barriers to deployment; 12 ‘‘(iii) the appropriate roles for govern- 13 ment and the private sector in investing in 14 the research and technologies being consid- 15 ered; 16 ‘‘(iv) how Federal resources, especially 17 resources provided by the Department, are 18 being utilized to advance intelligent trans- 19 portation systems; and 20 ‘‘(v) how the Department is engaging 21 and supporting local communities in the 22 adoption and integration of intelligent 23 transportation systems across all modes; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •S 651 IS ‘‘(C) help develop and revise the resource 1 guide described in section 4(b) of the Smart 2 Transportation Advancement and Transition 3 Act; and 4 ‘‘(D) through the appropriate office of the 5 Department, help respond to requests for as- 6 sistance, advice, or consultation from States 7 and local communities as a result of the re- 8 source guide described in section 4(b) of the 9 Smart Transportation Advancement and Tran- 10 sition Act. 11 ‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Committee— 12 ‘‘(A) shall convene not less frequently than 13 twice each year; and 14 ‘‘(B) may convene with the use of remote 15 video conference technology. 16 ‘‘(5) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide 17 to the Committee personnel or expertise from the 18 Department to assist the Committee in carrying out 19 the duties of the Committee. 20 ‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than February 1 of 21 each year beginning after the date of enactment of 22 the Smart Transportation Advancement and Transi- 23 tion Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Commit- 24 tees on Appropriations, Commerce, Science, and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •S 651 IS Transportation, and Environment and Public Works 1 of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations 2 and Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 3 of Representatives a report that includes— 4 ‘‘(A) the recommendations made by the 5 Committee during the preceding calendar year; 6 ‘‘(B) an explanation of how the Secretary 7 has implemented those recommendations; and 8 ‘‘(C) for any recommendation not imple- 9 mented, an explanation of the reasons for not 10 implementing the recommendation. 11 ‘‘(7) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY 12 COMMITTEE ACT.—The Committee shall be subject 13 to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 14 App.).’’. 15 SEC. 3. REPORT ON LOCAL ENGAGEMENT. 16 Not later than 150 days after the date of enactment 17 of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary of 18 Transportation, in coordination with the advisory com- 19 mittee established under section 5305(h) of SAFETEA– 20 LU (23 U.S.C. 512 note; Public Law 109–59), shall sub- 21 mit to the Committees on Appropriations, Commerce, 22 Science, and Transportation, and Environment and Public 23 Works of the Senate and the Committees on Appropria- 24 tions and Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •S 651 IS of Representatives a report on efforts by the Department 1 of Transportation to engage with local communities, met- 2 ropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation 3 commissions, and multijurisdictional groups, including in 4 rural areas, on advancing data and intelligent transpor- 5 tation systems technologies and other smart cities solu- 6 tions. 7 SEC. 4. SMART COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE. 8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 9 (1) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The term ‘‘advi- 10 sory committee’’ means the advisory committee es- 11 tablished under section 5305(h) of SAFETEA–LU 12 (23 U.S.C. 512 note; Public Law 109–59). 13 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 14 the Secretary of Transportation. 15 (3) SMART COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘smart 16 community’’ means a community that uses innova- 17 tive technologies, data, analytics, and other means to 18 improve the community and address local challenges. 19 (4) SMART COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE.— 20 The term ‘‘smart community resource guide’’ means 21 the resource guide created, published, and main- 22 tained under subsection (b). 23 (b) RESOURCE GUIDE.—The Secretary, in consulta- 24 tion with the advisory committee, shall create, publish, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •S 651 IS and maintain a resource guide that is designed to assist 1 States and local communities in developing and imple- 2 menting intelligent transportation technology or smart 3 community transportation programs. 4 (c) INCLUSIONS.—The smart community resource 5 guide may include— 6 (1) a compilation of existing related Federal 7 and non-Federal programs that are available to 8 States and local communities in developing and im- 9 plementing smart community transportation pro- 10 grams, including technical assistance, education, 11 training, research and development, analysis, and 12 funding; 13 (2) available examples of States and local com- 14 munities engaging private sector entities to carry out 15 smart community transportation solutions, including 16 public-private partnership models that could be used 17 to leverage private sector funding to solve local chal- 18 lenges; 19 (3) available examples of proven methods for 20 States and local communities to facilitate the inte- 21 gration of smart community transportation tech- 22 nologies with, or within, new and existing infrastruc- 23 ture and systems; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •S 651 IS (4) best practices and lessons learned from 1 smart community transportation demonstration 2 projects, including information on return on invest- 3 ment and performance, to help other States and 4 local communities to decide how to begin the inte- 5 gration of smart community transportation tech- 6 nologies; and 7 (5) other topics— 8 (A) as requested by industry entities, 9 States, or local governments; or 10 (B) as determined to be necessary by the 11 Secretary and the advisory committee. 12 (d) USE OF EXISTING GUIDES.—In creating, pub- 13 lishing, and maintaining the smart community resource 14 guide, the Secretary shall consider existing Federal, State, 15 and local community information, guides, and other re- 16 sources that relate to smart community transportation 17 goals, activities, and best practices— 18 (1) to prevent duplication of efforts by the Fed- 19 eral Government; 20 (2) to improve local accessibility to Federal pro- 21 grams; and 22 (3) to leverage existing, complementary efforts. 23 (e) OUTREACH.—The Secretary, with input from the 24 advisory committee at the determination of the Secretary, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:39 Apr 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S651.IS S651 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •S 651 IS shall conduct outreach to States, counties, local commu- 1 nities, and other relevant entities— 2 (1) to provide interested stakeholders with the 3 smart community resource guide, including through 4 publication of the guide on the internet; 5 (2) to promote the consideration of smart com- 6 munity transportation technologies; 7 (3) to encourage States and local governments 8 to contribute smart community transportation pro- 9 gram and activity information to the smart commu- 10 nity resource guide; 11 (4) to identify— 12 (A) barriers to the adoption of smart com- 13 munity transportation technologies; and 14 (B) any research, development, and other 15 assistance that is needed that could be included 16 in the smart community resource guide; and 17 (5) for other purposes, as identified by the Sec- 18 retary or the advisory committee. 19 (f) REVISION.—The Secretary and the advisory com- 20 mittee shall issue a revised smart community resource 21 guide not less frequently than once every 3 years. 22 [Text truncated for display. 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