(g) ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT SERVICES.-Upon the request of the Council, the Administrator of General Services shall provide to the Council, on a reimbursable basis, the administrative support services necessary for the Council to carry out its responsibilities under this section.

(h) OBTAINING OFFICIAL DATA.-The Council may secure directly from any department or agency of the United States information necessary for it to carry out its duties under this section. Upon request of the Council, the head of that department or agency shall furnish that information to the Council.

(i) REPORT.-Not later than September 30, 1993, the Council shall transmit to Congress a final report on the results of the investigation and study conducted under this section. The report shall include recommendations of the Council, including a proposed national surface transportation research plan for immediate implementation.

(j) TERMINATION.-The Council shall terminate on the 180th day following the date of transmittal of the report under subsection (i). All records and papers of the Council shall thereupon be delivered to the Administrator of General Services for deposit in the National Archives.

SEC. 6011. RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.-Not later than 180 days after the date of transmittal of the report to Congress under section 6010, the Secretary shall establish an independent surface transportation research advisory committee (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "advisory committee").

(b) PURPOSES.-The advisory committee shall provide ongoing advice and recommendations to the Secretary regarding needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments with respect to short-term and long-term surface transportation research and development. The advisory committee shall also assist in ensuring that such research and development is coordinated with similar research and development being conducted outside of the Department of Transportation.

(c) MEMBERSHIP.-The advisory committee shall be composed of not less than 20 and not more than 30 members appointed by the Secretary from among individuals who are not employees of the Department of Transportation and who are specially qualified to serve on the advisory committee by virtue of their education, training, or experience. A majority of the members of the advisory committee shall be individuals with experience in conducting surface transportation research and development. The Secretary in appointing the members of the advisory committee shall ensure that representatives of Federal, State, and local governments, other public agencies, colleges and universities, public, private, and nonprofit research organizations, and organizations representing transportation providers, shippers, labor, and the financial community are represented on an equitable basis.

(d) CHAIRMAN.-The chairman of the advisory committee shall be designated by the Secretary.

(e) PAY AND EXPENSES.-Members of the advisory committee shall serve without pay, except that the Secretary may allow any member, while engaged in the business of the advisory committee

or a subordinate committee, travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

(f) SUBORDINATE COMMITTEES.-The Secretary shall establish a subordinate committee to the advisory committee to provide advice on advanced highway vehicle technology research and development, and may establish other subordinate committees to provide advice on specific areas of surface transportation research and development. Such subordinate committees shall be subject to subsections (e), (g), and (i) of this section.

(g) ASSISTANCE OF SECRETARY.-Upon request of the advisory committee, the Secretary shall provide such information, administrative services, support staff, and supplies as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the advisory committee to carry out its functions.

(h) REPORTS.-The advisory committee shall, within 1 year after the date of establishment of the advisory committee, and annually thereafter, submit to the Congress a report summarizing its activities under this section.

(i) TERMINATION.-Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the advisory committee established under this section.

SEC. 6012. [23 U.S.C. 101 note] COMMEMORATION OF DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER NATIONAL SYSTEM OF INTERSTATE AND DEFENSE HIGHWAYS.

(a) STUDY.-The Secretary shall conduct a study to determine an appropriate symbol or emblem to be placed on highway signs referring to the Interstate System to commemorate the vision of President Dwight D. Eisenhower in creating the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways.

(b) REPORT.-Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a report on the results of the study under this section.

SEC. 6013. STATE LEVEL OF EFFORT.

(a) STUDY.-Not later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Director of the Bureau of Transportation Statistics shall begin a comprehensive study of the most appropriate and accurate methods of calculating State level of effort in funding surface transportation programs.

(b) CONTENTS.-The study under subsection (a) shall include collection of data relating to State and local revenues collected and spent on surface transportation programs. Such revenues include income from fuel taxes, toll revenues (including bridge, tunnel, and ferry tolls), sales taxes, general fund appropriations, property taxes, bonds, administrative fees, taxes on commercial vehicles, and such other State and local revenue sources as the Director of the Bureau considers appropriate.

(c) REPORT.-Not later than 9 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary and the Director of the Bureau shall transmit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives a report on the results of the study under this section, including recommendations on the most appropriate measure of State level of effort in funding surface

transportation programs and comprehensive data, by State, on revenue sources and amounts collected by States and local governments and devoted to surface transportation programs.

SEC. 6014. EVALUATION OF STATE PROCUREMENT PRACTICES.

(a) STUDY.-The Secretary shall conduct a study to evaluate whether or not current procurement practices of State departments and agencies, including statistical acceptance procedures, are adequate to ensure that highway and transit systems are designed, constructed, and maintained so as to achieve a high quality for such systems at the lowest overall cost.

(b) REPORT.-Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on Public Works and Transportation of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate a report on the results of the study conducted under this section, together with an assessment of the need for establishing a national policy on transportation quality assurance and recommendations for appropriate legislative and administrative actions.

SEC. 6016. FUNDAMENTAL PROPERTIES OF ASPHALTS AND MODIFIED ASPHALTS.

(a) STUDIES.-The Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration (hereinafter in this section referred to as the "Administrator") shall conduct studies of the fundamental chemical property and physical property of petroleum asphalts and modified asphalts used in highway construction in the United States. Such studies shall emphasize predicting pavement performance from the fundamental and rapidly measurable properties of asphalts and modified asphalts.

(b) CONTRACTS.-To carry out the studies under subsection (a), the Administrator shall enter into contracts with the Western Research Institute of the University of Wyoming in order to conduct the necessary technical and analytical research in coordination with existing programs which evaluate actual performance of asphalts and modified asphalts in roadways, including the Strategic Highway Research Program.

(c) ACTIVITIES OF STUDIES.-The studies under subsection (a) shall include the following activities:

(1) Fundamental composition studies.

(2) Fundamental physical and rheological property studies. (3) Asphalt-aggregate interaction studies.

(4) Coordination of composition studies, physical and rheological property studies, and asphalt-aggregate interaction studies for the purposes of predicting pavement performance, including refinements of Strategic Highway Research Program specifications.

(d) TEST STRIP.—

(1) IMPLEMENTATION.-The Administrator, in coordination with the Western Research Institute of the University of Wyoming, shall implement a test strip for the purpose of demonstrating and evaluating the unique energy and environmental advantages of using shale oil modified asphalts under extreme climatic conditions.

(2) FUNDING.-For the purposes of construction activities related to this test strip, the Secretary and the Director of the National Park Service shall make up to $1,000,000 available from amounts made available from the authorization for parkroads and parkways.

(3) REPORT TO CONGRESS.-Not later than November 30, 1995, the Administrator shall transmit to Congress as part of a report under subsection (e) the Administrator's findings on activities conducted under this subsection, including an evaluation of the test strip implemented under this subsection and recommendations for legislation to establish a national program to support United States transportation and energy security requirements.

(e) ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS.-Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and on or before November 30th of each year beginning thereafter, the Administrator shall transmit to Congress a report of the progress made in implementing this section.

(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.-The Secretary shall expend from administrative and research funds deducted under section 104(a) of this title at least $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996 to carry out subsection (b).

SEC. 6019. ADVANCED AUTOMOTIVE CONFERENCE AND AWARD. 1

[Section 6020 repealed by section 7(3) of P.L. 104-287 (110 Stat. 3400).]

[Part B repealed by section 5213 of P.L. 105-178 (112 Stat.

463).]

PART C-ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION
SYSTEMS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES

SEC. 6071. ADVANCED TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM AND ELECTRIC VEHICLE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONSORTIA.

(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY.

(1) PROPOSAL.-Not later than 3 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, an eligible consortium may submit to the Secretary a proposal for receiving grants made available under this section for electric vehicle and advanced transportation research and development.

(2) CONTENTS OF PROPOSAL.-A proposal submitted under paragraph (1) shall include

(A) a description of the eligible consortium making the proposal;

(B) a description of the type of additional members targeted for inclusion in the consortium;

(C) a description of the eligible consortium's ability to contribute significantly to the development of vehicles,

1This section added sections 18 and 19 to Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980, which appears elsewhere in this compilation.

transportation systems, or related subsystems and equipment, that are competitive in the commercial market and its ability to enable serial production processes;

(D) a description of the eligible consortium's financing scheme and business plan, including any projected contributions of State and local governments and other parties;

(E) assurances, by letter of credit or other acceptable means, that the eligible consortium is able to meet the requirement contained in subsection (b)(6); and

(F) any other information the Secretary requires in order to make selections under this section.

(3) GRANT AUTHORITY.-Except as provided in paragraph (4), not later than 6 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall award grants to not less than 3 eligible consortia. No one eligible consortium may receive more than one-third of the funds made available for grants under this section.

(4) EXTENSION.-If fewer than 3 complete applications from eligible consortia have been received in time to permit the awarding of grants under paragraph (3), the Secretary may extend the deadlines for the submission of applications and the awarding of grants.

(b) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA.—To be qualified to receive assistance under this section, an eligible consortium shall

(1) be organized for the purpose of designing and developing electric vehicles and advanced transportation systems, or related systems or equipment, or for the purpose of enabling serial production processes;

(2) facilitate the participation in the consortium of smalland medium-sized businesses in conjunction with large established manufacturers, as appropriate;

(3) to the extent practicable, include participation in the consortium of defense and aerospace suppliers and manufacturers;

e extent practicable, include participation in the consortium of entities located in areas designated as nonattainment areas under the Clean Air Act;

(5) be designed to use State and Federal funding to attract private capital in the form of grants or investments to further the purposes stated in paragraph (1); and

(6) ensure that at least 50 percent of the costs of the consortium, subject to the requirements of subsection (a)(3), be provided by non-Federal sources.

(c) SERVICES.-Services to be performed by an eligible consortium using amounts from grants made available under this part shall include

ing funding for the acquisition of plant sites, conversion of plant facilities, and acquisition of equipment for the development or manufacture of advanced transportation systems or electric vehicles, or other related systems or equipment, especially for environmentally benign and cost-effective manufacturing processes;

(2) obtaining low-cost, long-term loans or investments for the purposes described in paragraph (1);