[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 995 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 995
To improve transportation safety, efficiency, and system performance
through innovative technology deployment and operations.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 10, 2011
Mr. Carnahan (for himself and Mr. Rogers of Michigan) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve transportation safety, efficiency, and system performance
through innovative technology deployment and operations.
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 ``Smart Technologies for Communities
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Congestion on our roadways is hampering American's
daily lives, slowing down commerce, polluting the environment
we live in, and wasting fuel. It is estimated that in our
metropolitan communities, the average commuter wasted 34 hours
in 2009 sitting in traffic, resulting in 3,900,000,000 gallons
of wasted fuel and costing more than $115,000,000,000 annually.
With our growing population and demand for freight
transportation expected to double by 2035, failure to address
traffic congestion adds to the cost of goods movement and
threatens the Nation's economic competitiveness and quality of
life.
(2) Even with a record decline in traffic fatalities in
2009, nearly 34,000 people were killed on United States roads,
the equivalent of more than 200 fully loaded 737 airliners. The
economic cost alone of traffic fatalities and injuries has been
estimated at $230,000,000,000 each year.
(3) The transportation sector contributes nearly one-third
of the Nation's carbon dioxide emissions, while wasted fuel
from idling vehicles and stop-and-go traffic puts family
budgets in the red, drives up the cost of goods and services,
and increases our Nation's dependence on foreign oil.
(4) The United States cannot continue to simply build our
way into a safer, cleaner, and more efficient transportation
system. We must make better use of the tools that are
available, including intelligent transportation systems (ITS),
to actively manage our transportation network to improve
safety, efficiency, and multimodal connectivity.
(5) Technology solutions are available today to help cities
and States reduce congestion and emissions, make our roads and
transit systems safer, and provide the public with improved
access to transportation options and real-time information to
make efficient travel decisions.
(6) Transitioning to electric and other alternative fueled
vehicles requires the integration of intelligent transportation
systems with the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and
charging systems.
(7) ITS technologies are cost effective and quick to
deploy, with solutions like synchronized and adaptive traffic
signals yielding a $40 return in time and fuel savings for
every $1 invested while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions
up to 22 percent and travel delays by 25 percent. The
Government Accountability Office found the benefit-cost ratio
of a nationwide real-time traffic information system to be 25
to 1, with a $1,200,000,000 investment returning more than
$30,000,000,000 in safety, mobility, and environmental
benefits. The overall benefit-cost ratio of ITS-enabled
operational improvements is estimated at 9 to 1, a significant
return on investment when compared to the addition of new
highway capacity which has an estimated benefit-to-cost ratio
of 2.7 to 1.
(8) An estimated 31 percent of traffic crashes could be
prevented or have their impact reduced through the deployment
of collision avoidance technologies, according to the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety. Moreover, the Department of
Transportation estimates that a comprehensive vehicle-to-
vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications network
could potentially prevent or reduce the impact of 81 percent of
all unimpaired vehicle crashes. For ITS technologies like
vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure
communications, a national coordinated deployment structure is
important for ensuring uniform standards and regulations that
ensure interoperability and stability.
(9) Transitioning to a more efficient, performance-based
transportation network requires ITS technologies to provide
accurate, real-time traffic and multimodal transportation
system information necessary for measuring performance, as well
as for actively managing the transportation network to optimize
capacity and meet or exceed system performance goals.
(10) Effective transportation financing mechanisms of today
and tomorrow depend on ITS to be viable, including electronic
toll collection, dynamic pricing, integrated payment systems
for transit, tolls, parking and other services, and potential
future alternatives such as variable mileage-based user fees.
(11) Investing in ITS creates good jobs, with an average of
50 percent of ITS project spending going directly to wages and
salaries as compared to 20 percent for new highway
construction. Researchers from the London School of Economics
and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation
(referred to in this section as ``ITIF'') have found that
investing in ITS creates a network effect throughout the
economy and stimulates job creation across multiple sectors,
including green jobs, high-tech, automotive, information
technology, consumer electronics, and related industries. In
addition, investing in ITS provides a foundation for long-term
benefits including government cost savings, economy-wide
productivity, and an improved quality of life.
(12) The lack of national investment in ITS has caused the
Nation to fall behind other world innovation leaders. A 2010
ITIF report found that the United States is lagging behind
Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other leading Asian and
European nations in the deployment of ITS technologies with
countries like China beginning to invest heavily in the
deployment of transportation technology. These countries have
generated significant benefits for their citizens, economy, and
environment by investing heavily in ITS solutions. In order to
strengthen the Nation's economic competitiveness and quality of
life, it is in the interest of the United States to encourage
the accelerated development and deployment of intelligent
transportation systems.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
State or local government, including a territory of the United
States, tribal government, transit agency, port authority,
metropolitan planning organization, or other political
subdivision of a State or local government or a multi-State or
multi-jurisdictional group applying through a single lead
applicant.
(2) ITS.--The term ``ITS'' means intelligent transportation
systems.
(3) Multi-jurisdictional group.--The term ``multi-
jurisdictional group'' means a combination of State
governments, locals governments, metropolitan planning
agencies, transit agencies, or other political subdivisions of
a State that have signed a written agreement to implement the
Smart Communities Technology Initiative across jurisdictional
boundaries. Each member of the group, including the lead
applicant, must be an eligible entity to receive a grant under
this Act.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Transportation.
SEC. 4. SMART COMMUNITIES TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE.
(a) Establishment of Program.--Not later than 6 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a Smart
Communities Technology Initiative to provide grants to eligible
entities to develop pilot programs to serve as model deployment sites
for large scale installation and operation of ITS to improve safety,
efficiency, system performance, and return on investment. The Secretary
shall develop criteria for selection of an eligible entity to receive a
grant, including how the deployment of technology will enable the
recipient--
(1) to reduce costs and improve return on investments,
including through the enhanced utilization of existing
transportation capacity;
(2) to deliver environmental benefits and reduce energy
consumption by alleviating congestion and streamlining traffic
flow;
(3) to measure and improve the operational performance of
its transportation network;
(4) to reduce the number and severity of traffic collisions
and increase driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety;
(5) to collect, disseminate, and utilize real-time traffic,
transit, parking, and other transportation-related information
to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and provide for more
efficient and accessible transportation alternatives;
(6) to monitor transportation assets to improve
infrastructure management, reduce maintenance costs, prioritize
investment decisions, and ensure a state of good repair; and
(7) to deliver economic benefits by reducing delays,
improving system performance, and providing for the efficient
and reliable movement of goods and services.
(b) Request for Applications.--Not later than 6 months after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall request applications
in accordance with section 5 for participation in the Smart Communities
Technology Initiative.
SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Grant Application.--To be considered for a grant under this
Act, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary
that includes the following:
(1) Deployment plan.--A plan to deploy and provide for the
long-term operation and maintenance of intelligent
transportation systems to improve safety, efficiency, system
performance, and return on investment, such as--
(A) real-time integrated traffic, transit, and
multimodal transportation information;
(B) advanced traffic, freight, parking, and
incident management systems;
(C) collision avoidance systems;
(D) advanced technologies to improve transit and
commercial vehicle operations;
(E) synchronized, adaptive, and transit
preferential traffic signals;
(F) advanced infrastructure condition assessment
technologies; and
(G) other technologies to improve system
operations, including ITS applications necessary for
multimodal systems integration and for achieving
performance goals.
(2) Objectives.--Quantifiable system performance
improvements, including reducing traffic-related crashes,
congestion, and costs, optimizing system efficiency, and
improving access to transportation services.
(3) Results.--Quantifiable safety, mobility, and
environmental benefit projections including data driven
estimates of how the project will improve the region's
transportation system efficiency and reduce traffic congestion.
(4) Partnerships.--A plan for partnering with the private
sector, public agencies including multimodal and
multijurisdictional entities, research institutions,
organizations representing transportation and technology
leaders, and other transportation stakeholders.
(5) Leveraging.--A plan to leverage and optimize existing
local and regional ITS investments.
(6) Interoperability.--A plan to ensure interoperability of
deployed technologies with other tolling, traffic management,
and intelligent transportation systems.
(b) Grant Selection.--
(1) Grant awards.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award a grant to not
more than 6 eligible entities with funds available for up to 5
fiscal years.
(2) Geographic diversity.--In awarding a grant under this
section, the Secretary shall ensure, to the extent practicable,
that grant recipients represent diverse geographic areas of the
United States, including urban, suburban, and rural areas.
SEC. 6. USES OF FUNDS.
A grant recipient may use funds authorized in this Act to deploy,
operate, and maintain ITS and ITS-enabled operational strategies,
including--
(1) advanced traveler information systems;
(2) advanced transportation management technologies;
(3) infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition
assessment;
(4) advanced public transportation systems;
(5) transportation system performance data collection,
analysis, and dissemination systems;
(6) advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle
and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications and other
collision avoidance technologies;
(7) integration of intelligent transportation systems with
the Smart Grid and other energy distribution and charging
systems;
(8) electronic pricing and tolling systems; and
(9) advanced mobility and access technologies, such as
dynamic ridesharing and information systems to support human
services for elderly and disabled Americans.
SEC. 7. REPORTS.
(a) Report to Secretary.--Not later than 1 year after an eligible
entity receives a grant award under this Act and each year thereafter,
each grant recipient shall submit a report to the Secretary that
describes--
(1) deployment and operational cost compared to the
benefits and savings from the pilot program and compared to
other alternative approaches; and
(2) how the project has met the original expectation as
projected in the deployment plan submitted with the
application, including--
(A) data on how the program has helped reduce
traffic crashes, congestion, costs, and other benefits
of the deployed systems;
(B) data on the effect of measuring and improving
transportation system performance through the
deployment of advanced technologies;
(C) the effectiveness of providing real-time
integrated traffic, transit, and multimodal
transportation information to the public to make
informed travel decisions; and
(D) lessons learned and recommendations for future
deployment strategies to optimize transportation
efficiency and multimodal system performance.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after grants have
been allocated and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a
report to Congress that describes the effectiveness of grant recipients
in meeting their projected deployment plan, including data on how the
program has--
(1) reduced traffic-related fatalities and injuries;
(2) reduced traffic congestion and improved travel time
reliability;
(3) reduced transportation-related emissions;
(4) optimized multimodal system performance;
(5) improved access to transportation alternatives;
(6) provided the public with access to real-time integrated
traffic, transit, and multimodal transportation information to
make informed travel decisions;
(7) provided cost savings to transportation agencies,
businesses, and the traveling public; and
(8) provided other benefits to transportation users and the
general public.
(c) Additional Grants.--If the Secretary determines from a grant
recipient's reports that the recipient is not carrying out the
requirements of the grant, the Secretary may cease to provide any
additional grant funds to the recipient. The Secretary shall have the
authority to redistribute remaining funds to select additional eligible
entities for pilot programs under this Act.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Funding.--
(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated
out of the Highway Trust Fund to carry out this Act--
(A) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2012;
(B) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2013;
(C) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2014;
(D) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2015;
(E) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
(F) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2017.
(2) Contract authority.--Funds authorized under this
subsection shall be available for obligation in the same manner
as if the funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23,
United States Code, except that such funds shall not be
transferable, the obligation limitations shall not apply to
such funds, and shall remain available until expended.
(b) Grant Limitation.--The Secretary may not award more than 25
percent of the amount appropriated under this Act to a single grant
recipient.
(c) Expenses for Grant Recipients.--A grant recipient under this
Act may use not more than 5 percent of the grant award each fiscal year
to carry out planning and reporting requirements.
(d) Expenses for Secretary.--Before awarding grant funds under this
Act, the Secretary may set aside $3,000,000 each fiscal year for
program reporting, evaluation, and administrative costs.
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