[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2734 Reported in House (RH)]



                                                 Union Calendar No. 231
108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2734

                      [Report No. 108-405, Part I]

    To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation research and 
      development projects and activities of the Federal Aviation 
                Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 15, 2003

 Mr. Forbes (for himself, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Larson of Connecticut, 
 and Mr. Gordon) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
                        the Committee on Science

                            December 8, 2003

                    Additional sponsor: Mr. Boehlert

                            December 8, 2003

      Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committee on 
 Transportation and Infrastructure for a period ending not later than 
December 8, 2003, for consideration of such provisions of the bill and 
amendment as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to 
                          clause 1(q), rule X
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

                            December 8, 2003

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; 
committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
                       and ordered to be printed
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on July 
                               15, 2003]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation research and 
      development projects and activities of the Federal Aviation 
                Administration, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Federal Aviation Administration 
Research and Development Reauthorization Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``to carry out sections 44504'' and 
        inserting ``for conducting civil aviation research and 
        development under sections 44504'';
            (2) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (7);
            (3) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (8) and 
        inserting a semicolon; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(9) for fiscal year 2004, $371,317,000, including--
                    ``(A) $190,000,000 for Research, Engineering, and 
                Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $65,000,000 shall be for Improving 
                        Aviation Safety;
                            ``(ii) $24,000,000 shall be for Weather 
                        Safety Research;
                            ``(iii) $15,000,000 shall be made available 
                        to the Next Generation Air Traffic Management 
                        Research and Development Joint Program Office 
                        established under section 3 of the Federal 
                        Aviation Administration Research and 
                        Development Reauthorization Act for the Next 
                        Generation Air Traffic Management Research and 
                        Development program under such section 3;
                            ``(iv) $27,500,000 shall be for Human 
                        Factors and Aeromedical Research;
                            ``(v) $30,000,000 shall be for 
                        Environmental Research and Development, of 
                        which $20,000,000 shall be for research 
                        activities related to reducing community 
                        exposure to civilian aircraft noise or 
                        emissions;
                            ``(vi) $7,000,000 shall be for Research 
                        Mission Support;
                            ``(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the 
                        Airport Cooperative Research Program; and
                            ``(viii) $1,500,000 shall be for carrying 
                        out subsection (h) of this section;
                    ``(B) $163,900,000 for Facilities and Equipment, of 
                which--
                            ``(i) $42,800,000 shall be for Advanced 
                        Technology Development and Prototyping;
                            ``(ii) $30,300,000 shall be for Safe Flight 
                        21; and
                            ``(iii) $90,800,000 shall be for the Center 
                        for Advanced Aviation System Development; and
                    ``(C) $17,417,000 for Airport Improvement Program 
                Research and Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $9,667,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Safety; and
                            ``(ii) $7,750,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Efficiency;
            ``(10) for fiscal year 2005, $396,192,000, including--
                    ``(A) $206,600,000 for Research, Engineering, and 
                Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $65,705,000 shall be for Improving 
                        Aviation Safety;
                            ``(ii) $24,260,000 shall be for Weather 
                        Safety Research;
                            ``(iii) $30,000,000 shall be made available 
                        to the Next Generation Air Traffic Management 
                        Research and Development Joint Program Office 
                        established under section 3 of the Federal 
                        Aviation Administration Research and 
                        Development Reauthorization Act for the Next 
                        Generation Air Traffic Management Research and 
                        Development program under such section 3;
                            ``(iv) $27,800,000 shall be for Human 
                        Factors and Aeromedical Research;
                            ``(v) $30,109,000 shall be for 
                        Environmental Research and Development, of 
                        which $20,000,000 shall be for research 
                        activities related to reducing community 
                        exposure to civilian aircraft noise or 
                        emissions;
                            ``(vi) $7,076,000 shall be for Research 
                        Mission Support;
                            ``(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the 
                        Airport Cooperative Research Program; and
                            ``(viii) $1,650,000 shall be for carrying 
                        out subsection (h) of this section;
                    ``(B) $172,000,000 for Facilities and Equipment, of 
                which--
                            ``(i) $43,300,000 shall be for Advanced 
                        Technology Development and Prototyping;
                            ``(ii) $31,100,000 shall be for Safe Flight 
                        21;
                            ``(iii) $95,400,000 shall be for the Center 
                        for Advanced Aviation System Development; and
                            ``(iv) $2,200,000 shall be for Free Flight 
                        Phase 2; and
                    ``(C) $17,592,000 for Airport Improvement Program 
                Research and Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $9,764,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Safety; and
                            ``(ii) $7,828,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Efficiency; and
            ``(11) for fiscal year 2006, $412,157,000, including--
                    ``(A) $228,289,000 for Research, Engineering, and 
                Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $66,447,000 shall be for Improving 
                        Aviation Safety;
                            ``(ii) $24,534,000 shall be for Weather 
                        Safety Research;
                            ``(iii) $50,000,000 shall be made available 
                        to the Next Generation Air Traffic Management 
                        Research and Development Joint Program Office 
                        established under section 3 of the Federal 
                        Aviation Administration Research and 
                        Development Reauthorization Act for the Next 
                        Generation Air Traffic Management Research and 
                        Development program under such section 3;
                            ``(iv) $28,114,000 shall be for Human 
                        Factors and Aeromedical Research;
                            ``(v) $30,223,000 shall be for 
                        Environmental Research and Development, of 
                        which $20,000,000 shall be for research 
                        activities related to reducing community 
                        exposure to civilian aircraft noise or 
                        emissions;
                            ``(vi) $7,156,000 shall be for Research 
                        Mission Support;
                            ``(vii) $20,000,000 shall be for the 
                        Airport Cooperation Research Program; and
                            ``(viii) $1,815,000 shall be for carrying 
                        out subsection (h) of this section;
                    ``(B) $166,100,000 for Facilities and Equipment, of 
                which--
                            ``(i) $42,200,000 shall be for Advanced 
                        Technology Development and Prototyping;
                            ``(ii) $23,900,000 shall be for Safe Flight 
                        21; and
                            ``(iii) $100,000,000 shall be for the 
                        Center for Advanced Aviation System 
                        Development; and
                    ``(C) $17,768,000 for Airport Improvement Program 
                Research and Development, of which--
                            ``(i) $9,862,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Safety; and
                            ``(ii) $7,906,000 shall be for Airports 
                        Technology-Efficiency.''.

SEC. 3. NEXT GENERATION AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
              JOINT PROGRAM OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a Next Generation Air 
Traffic Management Research and Development Joint Program Office 
(referred to in this section as the ``Office''). The Office shall be 
jointly managed by the Federal Aviation Administration and the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. The objective of the Office shall 
be to carry out research and development of an air traffic management 
system designed to meet national long-term aviation security, safety, 
and capacity needs.
    (b) Director and Deputy Director.--The Office shall be headed by a 
Director who shall be a senior executive of the Federal Aviation 
Administration. The Deputy Director shall be a senior executive of the 
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Not later than 120 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrators of the 
Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration shall jointly appoint the Director and Deputy Director 
of the Office.
    (c) Functions of the Office.--The Office shall manage air traffic 
management research and development programs and initiatives within the 
Federal Aviation Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration. The responsibilities of the Office shall include--
            (1) establishing and managing a research and development 
        program for a next generation air traffic management system 
        capable of tripling capacity by the year 2025;
            (2) entering into grants, cooperative agreements or 
        contracts, or otherwise awarding or using funds appropriated 
        for air traffic management research and development to carry 
        out paragraph (1);
            (3) utilizing the facilities, capabilities, expertise, and 
        experience of Federal agencies, national laboratories, 
        universities, nonprofit organizations, industrial entities, and 
        other non-Federal entities to carry out paragraph (1);
            (4) coordinating with the Department of Defense, the 
        Department of Commerce, the Under Secretary for Science and 
        Technology at the Department of Homeland Security, the National 
        Security Council, the Department of Transportation, and other 
        Federal agencies; and
            (5) consulting with the private sector (including 
        representatives of general aviation, commercial aviation, and 
        the space industry), members of the public, and other 
        interested parties on the program.
    (d) Next Generation Air Traffic Management Research and Development 
Plan.--
            (1) Requirement.--The Office shall develop a research and 
        development plan to carry out this section.
            (2) Goal.--The goal of the plan shall be to enable the 
        creation of a National Airspace System architecture that 
        would--
                    (A) be based on emerging ground-based and space-
                based communications, navigation, and surveillance 
                technologies;
                    (B) increase the level of safety, security, and 
                efficiency of the National Airspace System;
                    (C) integrate data and information flow effectively 
                with other Federal agencies responsible for providing 
                for our Nation's defense and security;
                    (D) be scalable to accommodate and encourage 
                substantial growth in domestic and international 
                transportation;
                    (E) anticipate and accommodate continuing 
                technology upgrades;
                    (F) accommodate a wide range of aircraft 
                operations, including airlines, air taxis, helicopters, 
                general aviation, and unmanned aerial vehicles; and
                    (G) incorporate noise pollution reduction concerns.
            (3) Contents.--The plan shall describe, at a minimum--
                    (A) the most significant technical hurdles that 
                stand in the way of achieving the goal described in 
                paragraph (2);
                    (B) the research and development projects that will 
                be carried out to overcome the technical hurdles 
                described in subparagraph (A), including, for each 
                project, whether it would be funded by the Federal 
                Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and 
                Space Administration, or both, and whether the work 
                would be carried by the Federal Government, 
                corporations, or universities, or a combination 
                thereof;
                    (C) the annual anticipated cost of carrying out the 
                plan;
                    (D) the technical milestones that will be used to 
                evaluate progress in carrying out the plan; and
                    (E) how the research and development activities 
                will be coordinated with other appropriate Federal 
                agencies.
    (e) Reports.--The Director of the Office shall transmit to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate--
            (1) not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, the plan required under subsection (d); and
            (2) annually at the time of the President's budget request, 
        a report describing the progress in carrying out the plan 
        required under subsection (d) and any changes to that plan.

SEC. 4. BUDGET DESIGNATION FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.

    Section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by 
inserting after subsection (f) the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Designation of Activities.--(1) The amounts appropriated 
under subsection (a) are for the support of all research and 
development activities carried out by the Federal Aviation 
Administration that fall within the categories of basic research, 
applied research, and development, including the design and development 
of prototypes, in accordance with the classifications of the Office of 
Management and Budget Circular A-11 (Budget Formulation/Submission 
Process).
    ``(2) The Department of Transportation's annual budget request for 
the Federal Aviation Administration shall identify all of the 
activities carried out by the Administration within the categories of 
basic research, applied research, and development, as classified by the 
Office of Management and Budget Circular A-11. Each activity in the 
categories of basic research, applied research, and development shall 
be identified regardless of the budget category in which it appears in 
the budget request.''.

SEC. 5. AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 44511 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Airport Cooperative Research Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
        establish an airport cooperative research program to--
                    ``(A) identify problems that are shared by airport 
                operating agencies and can be solved through applied 
                research but that are not being adequately addressed by 
                existing Federal research programs; and
                    ``(B) fund research to address those problems.
            ``(2) Governance.--The Secretary of Transportation shall 
        appoint an independent governing board for the research program 
        established under this subsection. The governing board shall be 
        appointed from candidates nominated by national associations 
        representing public airport operating agencies, airport 
        executives, State aviation officials, and the scheduled 
        airlines, and shall include representatives of appropriate 
        Federal agencies. Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee 
        Act shall not apply to the governing board.
            ``(3) Implementation.--The Secretary of Transportation 
        shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of 
        Sciences to provide staff support to the governing board 
        established under paragraph (2) and to carry out projects 
        proposed by the governing board that the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.''.

SEC. 6. DEVELOPMENT OF ANALYTICAL TOOLS AND CERTIFICATION METHODS.

    The Federal Aviation Administration shall conduct research to 
promote the development of analytical tools to improve existing 
certification methods and to reduce the overall costs for the 
certification of new products.

SEC. 7. RESEARCH ON AVIATION TRAINING.

    Section 48102(h)(1) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``or'' at the end of subparagraph (B);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (C) 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) research on the impact of new technologies 
                and procedures, particularly those related to aircraft 
                flight deck and air traffic management functions, on 
                training requirements for pilots and air traffic 
                controllers.''.

SEC. 8. ROTORCRAFT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.

    (a) Objective.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall establish a rotorcraft initiative with the 
objective of developing, and demonstrating in a relevant environment, 
within 10 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
technologies to enable rotorcraft with the following improvements 
relative to rotorcraft existing as of the date of the enactment of this 
Act:
            (1) 80 percent reduction in noise levels on takeoff and on 
        approach and landing as perceived by a human observer.
            (2) Factor of 10 reduction in vibration.
            (3) 30 percent reduction in empty weight.
            (4) Predicted accident rate equivalent to that of fixed-
        wing aircraft in commercial service within 10 years after the 
        date of the enactment of this Act.
            (5) Capability for zero-ceiling, zero-visibility 
        operations.
    (b) Implementation.--Within 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration, in cooperation with the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall provide a plan to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate for 
the implementation of the initiative described in subsection (a). The 
implementation plan shall include--
            (1) technological roadmaps for achieving each of the 
        improvements specified in subsection (a);
            (2) an estimate of the 10-year funding profile required to 
        achieve the objective specified in subsection (a);
            (3) a plan for carrying out a formal quantification of the 
        estimated costs and benefits of each technological option 
        selected for development beyond the initial concept definition 
        phase;
            (4) a plan for transferring the technologies to industry, 
        including the identification of requirements for prototype 
        demonstrations, as appropriate;
            (5) a plan to perform rotorcraft system architecture 
        studies to identify revolutionary technologies for future 
        investments in research and development; and
            (6) a plan to increase the use of vertical-take-off-and-
        landing vehicles to improve transportation service in urban 
        areas.
    (c) Funding Agreements.--The Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
Administration shall enter into appropriate funding agreements with 
other Federal agencies and departments linked to national rotorcraft 
industry and academic research and development.
    (d) Center for Rotorcraft Technology.--The Federal Aviation 
Administration is authorized to contribute up to $5,000,000 for the 
operation of a center for rotorcraft technology to house a research, 
testing, and training facility and administrative center in the 
vicinity of existing helicopter manufacturing and research for the 
purpose of improving upon and developing new rotorcraft technologies, 
new design capabilities, and manufacturing techniques, including the 
objectives described in subsection (a), led by helicopter 
manufacturers, the maintenance industry, retrofitters, universities, 
and industry suppliers.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts 
authorized to be appropriated by the amendments made by this Act, there 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration to carry out this section--
            (1) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
            (3) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
            (4) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
            (5) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.

SEC. 9. PILOT RETIREMENT AGE STUDY.

    The Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall 
conduct a research study of whether commercial airline pilots between 
the ages of 60 and 64 who are employed by foreign air carriers pose a 
significant safety risk to United States passengers and airspace. The 
Administrator shall transmit the results of the study to the Congress 
not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 231

108th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2734

                      [Report No. 108-405, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

    To authorize appropriations for the civil aviation research and 
      development projects and activities of the Federal Aviation 
                Administration, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                            December 8, 2003

      Reported with an amendment and referred to the Committee on 
 Transportation and Infrastructure for a period ending not later than 
December 8, 2003, for consideration of such provisions of the bill and 
amendment as fall within the jurisdiction of that committee pursuant to 
                          clause 1(q), rule X

                            December 8, 2003

    The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; 
committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union 
                       and ordered to be printed