[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5315 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5315
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the
Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant
program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 21, 2021
Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Graves of Louisiana) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation
and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the
Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant
program and a drone education and training grant program, 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 ``Drone Infrastructure Inspection
Grant Act''.
SEC. 2. DRONE INFRASTRUCTURE INSPECTION GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a
drone infrastructure inspection grant program to make grants to
governmental entities to facilitate the use of eligible small unmanned
aircraft systems to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker
safety, and reduce carbon emissions related to the inspection, repair,
modernization, and construction of critical infrastructure.
(b) Use of Grant Amounts.--Amounts from a grant under this section
may be used to--
(1) purchase or lease eligible small unmanned aircraft
systems;
(2) contract for services performed with an eligible small
unmanned aircraft system; and
(3) support the governmental entity's small unmanned
aircraft system program's management capability.
(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, a governmental entity shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require.
(d) Selection of Applicants.--In the selection of applicants for
grants under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that
propose to--
(1) use the grant for critical infrastructure projects in
historically disadvantaged communities; or
(2) address a significant safety risk in critical
infrastructure inspection, maintenance, rehabilitation, or
construction projects.
(e) Report to Congress.-- Not later than 1 year after the first
grant awards are made under this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate a report that evaluates the program
carried out under this section, including--
(1) a description of the number of grants awarded;
(2) the amount of each grant;
(3) the activities funded under this section; and
(4) the effectiveness of such funded activities in meeting
the objectives described in subsection (a).
(f) Funding.--
(1) Federal share.--
(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph
(B), the Federal share of the cost of a project carried
out using a grant under this section shall not exceed
80 percent of the total project cost.
(B) Waiver.--The Secretary may increase the Federal
share requirement under subparagraph (A) to up to 100
percent for a project carried out using a grant under
this section by a governmental entity if such entity--
(i) submits a written application to the
Secretary requesting an increase in the Federal
share; and
(ii) demonstrates, to the Secretary's
satisfaction, that the additional assistance is
necessary to facilitate the acceptance and full
use of a grant under this section, such as
alleviating economic hardship, meeting
additional workforce needs, or such other uses
that the Secretary determines to be
appropriate.
(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section--
(A) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
(B) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023.
(g) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Critical infrastructure.--The term ``critical
infrastructure'' has the meaning given the term in section
1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001
(42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)) that is a bridge, road, dam, electric grid
infrastructure, water infrastructure, or other related
infrastructure.
(2) Eligible small unmanned aircraft system.--The term
``eligible small unmanned aircraft system'' means a small
unmanned aircraft system that is manufactured or assembled by a
company domiciled in the United States that is not subject to
influence or control by the Government of the People's Republic
of China.
(3) Governmental entity.--The term ``governmental entity''
means--
(A) a State or political subdivision thereof;
(B) a unit of local government;
(C) a Tribal government,
(D) a metropolitan planning organization; or
(E) a combination of the entities in subparagraphs
(A) through (D) in a region or geographic area.
(4) Small unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft; unmanned
aircraft system.--The terms ``small unmanned aircraft'',
``unmanned aircraft'', and ``unmanned aircraft system'' have
the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49,
United States Code.
(5) State.--The term ``State'' means each State, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam,
American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands.
SEC. 3. DRONE EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a
drone education and training grant program to make grants to
educational institutions for workforce training for small unmanned
aircraft system technology.
(b) Use of Grant Amounts.--Amounts from a grant under this section
shall be used in furtherance of activities authorized under sections
631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
(c) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a grant under this
section, an educational institution shall submit an application to the
Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information
as the Secretary may require,
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and
(2) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Educational institution.--The term ``educational
institution'' means an institution of higher education as
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001) that--
(A) is designated by the Secretary of
Transportation as a Community and Technical College
Center of Excellence in Small Unmanned Aircraft System
Technology Training under section 631(a) of the FAA
Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note); or
(B) has an agreement in effect with the
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
under the collegiate training initiative program
relating to unmanned aircraft systems under section 632
of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101
note).
(2) Small unmanned aircraft; unmanned aircraft; unmanned
aircraft system.--The terms ``small unmanned aircraft'',
``unmanned aircraft'', and ``unmanned aircraft system'' have
the meanings given such terms in section 44801 of title 49,
United States Code.
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