[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 134 (Friday, July 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57177-57179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-15291]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0041]


Notice To Renew the Transforming Transportation Advisory 
Committee (TTAC)

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of Transportation 
(DOT).

ACTION: Notice of the charter renewal of the Transforming 
Transportation Advisory Committee (TTAC), and TTAC Membership Balance 
Plan.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) announces 
the charter renewal of TTAC. The Secretary has determined that renewing 
TTAC charter is necessary and is in the public interest.

DATES: The TTAC Charter will be effective for two years after date of 
publication of this Federal Register Notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: TTAC Designated Federal Officer, c/o 
Benjamin Ross Levine, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Office of the 
Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, Office of the 
Secretary of Transportation, (202) 941-6180, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice announces the renewal of the DOT 
TTAC as a Federal Advisory Committee in accordance with the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 5 U.S.C. ch. 10) to provide 
information, advice, and recommendations to the Secretary on matters 
relating to transportation innovation. TTAC is tasked with providing 
advice and recommendations to the Secretary about needs, objectives, 
plans, and approaches for transportation innovation. Please see the 
TTAC website for additional information at https://www.transportation.gov/ttac.

    Issued in Washington, DC on July 8, 2024, under authority 
delegated at 49 CFR 1.25a.
Benjamin Ross Levine,
Director of Strategic Initiatives.

Current Charter of the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee

    1. Committee's Official Designation: The Committee's official 
designation is the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee 
(TTAC).
    2. Authority: The Committee is established as a discretionary 
Committee under the authority of the U.S. Department of Transportation 
(DOT) and in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. App. 2. The formation and 
use of TTAC are determined to be in the public interest.
    3. Objectives and Scope of Activities: The Secretary of 
Transportation (the Secretary), or his or her designee, shall present 
TTAC with tasks on matters relating to transportation innovation. The 
Committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary 
about needs, objectives, plans, and approaches for multimodal 
transportation innovation.
    4. Description of Duties: The Committee is advisory only. Duties 
include the following:
    a. Gathering information as necessary to discuss issues presented 
by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO);
    b. Deliberating on the following issues, as assigned:
    i. Exploring pathways to safe, secure, equitable, environmentally 
friendly and accessible deployments of emerging technologies;
    ii. Identifying integrated approaches and finding ways to promote 
greater cross-modal integration of emerging technologies, in particular 
applications to deploy automation;:
    iii. Recommending policies that encourage innovation to grow and 
support a safe and productive U.S. workforce, as well as foster 
economic competitiveness and job quality;
    iv. Assessing approaches and frameworks that encourage the secure 
exchange and sharing of transformative transportation data, including 
technologies and infrastructure, across the public and private sectors 
that can guide core policy decisions across DOT's strategic goals;
    v. Exploring ways the Department can identify and elevate 
cybersecurity solutions and protect privacy across transportation 
systems and infrastructure;
    vi. Considering other emerging issues, topics, and technologies, at 
the direction of the DFO.

[[Page 57178]]

    c. Providing written advice and recommendations to the Secretary.
    5. Agency/Official to Whom the Committee Reports: The Committee 
shall report to the Secretary through the Under Secretary for 
Transportation Policy.
    6. Support: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Transportation Policy (OST-P) will provide necessary support for the 
Committee.
    7. Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years: The annual 
operating (administrative) costs associated with the Committee's 
functions are estimated to be $200,000. The cost estimate includes 
support from 2 full-time equivalent positions that are required to 
support the Committee. Costs incurred by Committee members for travel 
and logistics will not be paid by the Department.
    8. Designated Federal Officer (DFO) and Sponsor
    a. The DFO for the Committee is OST's Senior Advisor for Innovation 
or his or her designee.
    b. The DFO will approve or call all Committee and subcommittee 
meetings, prepare and approve all meeting agendas, attend all Committee 
and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meetings when he or she 
determines adjournment to be in the public interest, and chair meetings 
when directed to do so by the Secretary.
    9. Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings: Committee meetings 
will be held approximately twice a year. As necessary, the DFO may call 
subcommittee meetings.
    10. Duration: Continuing until renewed/terminated.
    11. Termination: The Committee will terminate 2 years from the 
charter filing date unless the charter is renewed in accordance with 
the FACA.
    12. Membership and Designation
    a. Members will serve without charge, and without any government 
compensation.
    b. The Committee shall comprise no more than 30 members appointed 
by the Secretary for up to 2-year terms.
    c. Members serve at the discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary 
may extend appointments and may appoint replacements for members 
outside a stated term, as necessary.
    d. The Secretary may reappoint members.
    e. The members shall include safety advocates, experts from 
academia/universities, representatives of organized labor, technical 
experts (e.g., automation, data, privacy, cybersecurity), and industry 
representatives. Individuals appointed solely for their expertise will 
be appointed as special government employees (SGEs). No single interest 
group may constitute a majority of the Committee.
    f. To ensure that the recommendations of the Committee have 
considered the needs of diverse groups served by the Department, 
membership shall include, to the extent practicable, persons with lived 
experience and knowledge of the needs of underrepresented groups.
    g. Members may continue to serve until their replacements have been 
appointed.
    h. The Secretary shall designate a chair and vice chair from among 
members of the Committee. They will serve 2-year nonrenewable terms. 
The vice chair will succeed the chair at the end of the term.
    13. Subcommittees: The Secretary, Under Secretary for 
Transportation Policy, or DFO shall be authorized to establish 
subcommittees. Subcommittees shall not work independently of the 
chartered TTAC and shall report their recommendations and advice to the 
full TTAC for deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees must not 
provide advice or work products directly to DOT. Subcommittee 
membership is not limited to those who were selected as members of the 
Committee. Further, any costs associated with subcommittee travel or 
meetings will not be paid by the Department.
    14. Recordkeeping: The records of the Committee, formally and 
informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the 
Committee, shall be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 
6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These 
records shall be available for public inspection and copying, subject 
to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
    15. Filing Date: This charter is effective July 19, 2022. The 
charter will expire 2 years after this date unless sooner terminated or 
renewed.

Redline Comparison of Changes Made to the Charter of the Transforming 
Transportation Advisory Committee

    1. Committee's Official Designation: The Committee's official 
designation is the Transforming Transportation Advisory Committee 
(TTAC).
    2. Authority: The Committee is a discretionary Committee under the 
authority of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and in 
accordance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act 
(FACA), 5 U.S.C. Ch.10. The formation and use of TTAC are determined to 
be in the public interest.
    3. Objectives and Scope of Activities: The Secretary of 
Transportation (the Secretary), or his or her designee, will present 
TTAC with tasks on matters relating to transportation innovation. The 
Committee will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary 
about needs, objectives, plans, and approaches for multimodal 
transportation innovation.
    4. Description of Duties: The Committee is advisory only. Duties 
include the following:
    a. Gathering information as necessary to discuss issues presented 
by the Designated Federal Officer (DFO).
    b. Deliberating on the following issues, as assigned:
    (1) Exploring pathways to safe, secure, equitable, environmentally 
friendly and accessible deployments of emerging technologies;
    (2) Identifying practices for responsibly addressing the 
introduction of emerging technologies into transportation, including 
automation and artificial intelligence. In the context of emerging 
technologies, TTAC may consider issues such as: approaches and policies 
to promote safety and equity in the deployment of emerging 
technologies; the secure exchange and sharing of data across the public 
and private sectors; and ways the Department can identify cybersecurity 
risks and elevate mitigation strategies;
    (3) Recommending policies that encourage innovation to grow and 
support a safe and productive U.S. workforce, as well as foster 
economic competitiveness and job quality;
    (4) Identifying how DOT and its partners can leverage emerging 
technologies to help improve the delivery of safe, equitable, 
efficient, and affordable transportation projects;
    (5) Considering other emerging issues, topics, and technologies, at 
the direction of the DFO.
    (6) Providing written advice and recommendations to the Secretary.
    5. Agency/Official to Whom The Committee Reports: The Committee 
will report to the Secretary through the Under Secretary for 
Transportation Policy.
    6. Support: The Office of the Assistant Secretary for 
Transportation Policy (OST-P) will provide necessary support for the 
Committee.
    7. Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years: The annual 
operating (administrative) costs associated with the Committee's 
functions are estimated to be $250,000. The cost estimate includes 
support from 2 full-time equivalent positions that are required to

[[Page 57179]]

support the Committee. Costs incurred by Committee members appointed as 
Special Government Employees (SGEs) for travel and logistics may be 
paid by the Department, subject to funding availability.
    8. Designated Federal Officer (DFO) and Sponsor
    a. The DFO for the Committee is the Senior Advisor for Innovation 
reporting to the Under Secretary of Transportation for Policy; or, if 
that position is vacant, a full-time or permanent part-time Federal 
official designated by the Under Secretary of Transportation for 
Policy.
    b. The DFO will approve or call all Committee meetings, prepare and 
approve all Committee meeting agendas, attend all Committee meetings, 
adjourn any meetings when he or she determines adjournment to be in the 
public interest, and chair meetings when directed to do so by the 
Secretary. The DFO or his/her delegate will attend all subcommittee 
meetings.
    9. Number and Frequency of Meetings: Committee meetings will be 
held approximately twice a year. As necessary, the DFO may call 
subcommittee meetings.
    10. Duration: Continuing until renewed/terminated.
    11. Termination: The Committee will terminate 2 years from the 
charter filing date unless the charter is renewed in accordance with 
the FACA.
    12. Membership and Designation
    a. Members will serve without charge, and without any government 
compensation.
    b. The Committee will comprise no more than 35 members appointed by 
the Secretary for up to 2-year terms.
    c. Members serve at the discretion of the Secretary. The Secretary 
may reappoint current members and appoint replacements for members 
outside a stated term, as necessary.
    d. The members will include safety advocates, experts from 
academia/universities, representatives of organized labor, technical 
experts (e.g., automation, data, privacy, cybersecurity, artificial 
intelligence), and industry representatives. Individuals appointed 
solely for their expertise will be appointed as SGEs. No single 
interest group may constitute a majority of the Committee.
    e. To ensure that the recommendations of the Committee have 
considered the needs of diverse groups served by the Department, 
membership will include, to the extent practicable, persons with lived 
experience and knowledge of the needs of underrepresented groups.
    f. Members may continue to serve until their replacements have been 
appointed.
    g. The Secretary will designate a chair and vice chair from among 
members of the Committee. They will serve 2-year nonrenewable terms. 
Upon the end of their terms, the Secretary may appoint a new chair and 
vice chair. If the Secretary does not appoint a new chair, the vice 
chair may succeed the chair at the end of the term.
    13. Subcommittees: The Secretary, Under Secretary for 
Transportation Policy, or DFO will be authorized to establish 
subcommittees. Subcommittees will not work independently of the 
chartered TTAC and will report their recommendations and advice to the 
full TTAC for deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees must not 
provide advice or work products directly to DOT. Subcommittee 
membership is not limited to those who were selected as members of the 
Committee. Further, any costs associated with subcommittee travel or 
meetings will not be paid by the Department.
    14. Recordkeeping: The records of the Committee, formally and 
informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the 
Committee, will be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 
6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. These 
records will be available for public inspection and copying, subject to 
the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552.
    15. Filing Date: This charter is effective July 7, 2024. The 
charter will expire 2 years after this date unless sooner terminated or 
renewed.
[FR Doc. 2024-15291 Filed 7-11-24; 8:45 am]
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