PLACE Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2542 To direct the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operation of a clearinghouse to collect, conduct, and fund research on the influences of highly automated vehicles on land use, urban design, transportation, real estate, and municipal budgets, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 7, 2019 Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Ms. BONAMICI, and Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania) 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 direct the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operation of a clearinghouse to collect, conduct, and fund research on the influences of highly automated vehicles on land use, urban design, transportation, real estate, and municipal budgets, 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 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 May 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2542.IH H2542 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2542 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Preparing Localities 2 for an Autonomous and Connected Environment Act’’ or 3 the ‘‘PLACE Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR THE OPERATION OF A NATIONAL 5 HIGHLY AUTOMATED VEHICLE CLEARING- 6 HOUSE. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of subtitle VI of title 49, 8 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 9 following new chapter: 10 ‘‘CHAPTER 307—NATIONAL HIGHLY 11 AUTOMATED VEHICLE CLEARINGHOUSE 12 ‘‘SEC. 30701. NATIONAL HIGHLY AUTOMATED VEHICLE 13 CLEARINGHOUSE. 14 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 15 shall make a grant to an institution of higher education 16 engaged in research on the secondary influences of highly 17 automated vehicles to— 18 ‘‘(1) operate a national highly automated vehi- 19 cle clearinghouse; 20 ‘‘(2) collect, conduct, and fund research on the 21 secondary influences of highly automated vehicles; 22 and 23 ‘‘(3) make such research available on a public 24 website. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 May 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2542.IH H2542 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2542 IH ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 1 is authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust 2 Fund $2,000,000 for each fiscal year, beginning with fis- 3 cal year 2019, to carry out this Act. 4 ‘‘(c) APPLICABILITY OF TITLE 23.—Funds author- 5 ized by subsection (b) shall be available for obligation in 6 the same manner as if such funds were apportioned under 7 chapter 1 of title 23 except that the funds shall remain 8 available until expended. 9 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 10 ‘‘(1) HIGHLY AUTOMATED VEHICLE.—The term 11 ‘highly automated vehicle’ means a motor vehicle 12 that is capable of performing the entire task of driv- 13 ing (including steering, accelerating and decel- 14 erating, and reacting to external stimulus) without 15 human intervention. 16 ‘‘(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 17 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 18 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 19 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 20 ‘‘(3) SECONDARY INFLUENCE.—The term ‘sec- 21 ondary influence’ means the influence on land use, 22 urban design, transportation, real estate, municipal 23 budgets, social equity, and the environment.’’. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 May 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2542.IH H2542 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2542 IH (b) DEADLINE FOR CLEARINGHOUSE.—The Sec- 1 retary of Transportation shall ensure that the institution 2 of higher education who receives the grant described in 3 section 30701(a)(1) of title 49, United States Code, as 4 added by subsection (a), shall establish the national highly 5 automated vehicle clearinghouse described in such section 6 not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 7 of this Act. 8 (c) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 9 The table of sections for part A of subtitle VI, of title 10 49, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the 11 item relating to chapter 305 the following new item: 12 ‘‘307. National highly automated vehicle clearinghouse.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:31 May 14, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2542.IH H2542 pamtmann on DSKBFK8HB2PROD with BILLS