[105th Congress Public Law 155]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]


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[DOCID: f:publ155.105]


[[Page 112 STAT. 5]]

Public Law 105-155
105th Congress

                                 An Act


 
      To authorize the Federal Aviation Administration's research, 
 engineering, and development programs for fiscal years 1998 and 1999, 
     and for other purposes. <<NOTE: Feb. 11, 1998 -  [H.R. 1271]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress <<NOTE: FAA Research, Engineering, 
and Development Authorization Act of 1998.>>  assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT <<NOTE: 49 USC 40101 note.>>  TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``FAA Research, Engineering, and 
Development Authorization Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 48102(a) of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (2)(J);
            (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3)(J) 
        and inserting in lieu thereof a semicolon; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) for fiscal year 1998, $226,800,000, including--
                    ``(A) $16,379,000 for system development and 
                infrastructure projects and activities;
                    ``(B) $27,089,000 for capacity and air traffic 
                management technology projects and activities;
                    ``(C) $23,362,000 for communications, navigation, 
                and surveillance projects and activities;
                    ``(D) $16,600,000 for weather projects and 
                activities;
                    ``(E) $7,854,000 for airport technology projects and 
                activities;
                    ``(F) $49,202,000 for aircraft safety technology 
                projects and activities;
                    ``(G) $53,759,000 for system security technology 
                projects and activities;
                    ``(H) $26,550,000 for human factors and aviation 
                medicine projects and activities;
                    ``(I) $2,891,000 for environment and energy projects 
                and activities; and
                    ``(J) $3,114,000 for innovative/cooperative research 
                projects and activities; and
            ``(5) for fiscal year 1999, $229,673,000.''.

SEC. 3. RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM INVOLVING UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS.

    (a) Program.--Section 48102 of title 49, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Research Grants Program Involving Undergraduate Students.--

[[Page 112 STAT. 6]]

            ``(1) Establishment.--The Administrator of the Federal 
        Aviation Administration shall establish a program to utilize 
        undergraduate and technical colleges, including Historically 
        Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving 
        Institutions, in research on subjects of relevance to the 
        Federal Aviation Administration. Grants may be awarded under 
        this subsection for--
                    ``(A) research projects to be carried out at 
                primarily undergraduate institutions and technical 
                colleges;
                    ``(B) research projects that combine research at 
                primarily undergraduate institutions and technical 
                colleges with other research supported by the Federal 
                Aviation Administration; or
                    ``(C) research on future training requirements on 
                projected changes in regulatory requirements for 
                aircraft maintenance and power plant licensees.
            ``(2) Notice of <<NOTE: Federal Register, publication.>>  
        criteria.--Within 6 months after the date of the enactment of 
        the FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Authorization Act 
        of 1998, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation 
        Administration shall establish and publish in the Federal 
        Register criteria for the submittal of proposals for a grant 
        under this subsection, and for the awarding of such grants.
            ``(3) Principal criteria.--The principal criteria for the 
        awarding of grants under this subsection shall be--
                    ``(A) the relevance of the proposed research to 
                technical research needs identified by the Federal 
                Aviation Administration;
                    ``(B) the scientific and technical merit of the 
                proposed research; and
                    ``(C) the potential for participation by 
                undergraduate students in the proposed research.
            ``(4) Competitive, merit-based evaluation.--Grants shall be 
        awarded under this subsection on the basis of evaluation of 
        proposals through a competitive, merit-based process.''.

    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 48102(a) of title 49, 
United States Code, as amended by this Act, is further amended by 
inserting ``, of which $750,000 shall be for carrying out the grant 
program established under subsection (h)'' after ``projects and 
activities'' in paragraph (4)(J).

SEC. 4. <<NOTE: 49 USC 48102 note.>>  NOTICES.

    (a) Reprogramming.--If any funds authorized by the amendments made 
by this Act are subject to a reprogramming action that requires notice 
to be provided to the Appropriations Committees of the House of 
Representatives and the Senate, notice of such action shall concurrently 
be provided to the Committees on Science and Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
    (b) Notice of Reorganization.--The Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration shall provide notice to the Committees on 
Science, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives, and the Committees on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and Appropriations of the Senate, not later than 30 days 
before any major reorganization (as determined

[[Page 112 STAT. 7]]

by the Administrator) of any program of the Federal Aviation 
Administration for which funds are authorized by this Act.

SEC. 5. SENSE OF CONGRESS ON THE YEAR 2000 PROBLEM.

    With the year 2000 fast approaching, it is the sense of Congress 
that the Federal Aviation Administration should--
            (1) give high priority to correcting all 2-digit date-
        related problems in its computer systems to ensure that those 
        systems continue to operate effectively in the year 2000 and 
        beyond;
            (2) assess immediately the extent of the risk to the 
        operations of the Federal Aviation Administration posed by the 
        problems referred to in paragraph (1), and plan and budget for 
        achieving Year 2000 compliance for all of its mission-critical 
        systems; and
            (3) develop contingency plans for those systems that the 
        Federal Aviation Administration is unable to correct in time.

    Approved February 11, 1998.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 1271:
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HOUSE REPORTS: No. 105-61 (Comm. on Science).
SENATE REPORTS: No. 105-152 (Comm. on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
                                                        Vol. 143 (1997):
                                    Apr. 29, considered and passed 
                                        House.
                                    Nov. 13, considered and passed 
                                        Senate, amended.
                                                        Vol. 144 (1998):
                                    Feb. 3, House concurred in Senate 
                                        amendments.

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