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[Congressional Record: May 22, 1998 (House)]
[Page H3843-H3893]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr22my98-160]
[[pp. H3843-H3893]]
Selected Provisions
Funding
Provision
Main Provision
International
Trade Traffic Study
School Transportation
Safety Study
CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 2400, TRANSPORTATION EQUITY ACT FOR THE
21ST CENTURY
SEC. 5001. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--The following
sums are authorized to be
appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund
(other than the
Mass Transit Account):
* * * * *
(4) Bureau of transportation statistics.--For
the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics to carry out section
111 of title
49, United States Code, $31,000,000 for each
of fiscal years
1998 through 2003.
* * * * *
SEC. 5109. BUREAU OF TRANSPORTATION STATISTICS.
(a) In General.--Section 111 of title 49, United States
Code, is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(4) by striking the second sentence;
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in subparagraph (J) by striking ``and'' at the end;
(ii) in subparagraph (K) by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(L) transportation-related variables that influence
global competitiveness.'';
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in the first sentence by striking ``national
transportation system'' and inserting ``transportation
systems of the United States'';
(ii) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the
following:
``(A) be coordinated with efforts to measure outputs and
outcomes of the Department of Transportation and the
transportation systems of the United States under the
Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (107 Stat. 285
et seq.) and the amendments made by such Act;''; and
(iii) in subparagraph (C) by inserting ``, made relevant to
the States and metropolitan planning organizations,'' after
``accuracy'';
(C) in paragraph (3) by adding at the end the following:
``The Bureau shall review and report to the Secretary of
Transportation on the sources and reliability of the
statistics proposed by the heads of the operating
administrations of the Department to measure outputs and
outcomes as required by the Government Performance and
Results Act of 1993, and the amendments made by such Act, and
shall carry out such other reviews of the sources and
reliability of other data collected by the heads of the
operating administrations of the Department as shall be
requested by the Secretary.''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) Supporting transportation decisionmaking.--Ensuring
that the statistics compiled under paragraph (1) are relevant
for transportation decisionmaking by the Federal Government,
State and local governments, transportation-related
associations, private businesses, and consumers.'';
(3) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as
subsections (h), (i), and (j), respectively;
(4) by striking subsection (g);
(5) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Intermodal Transportation Data Base.--
``(1) In general.--In consultation with the Associate
Deputy Secretary, the Assistant Secretaries, and the heads of
the operating administrations of the Department of
Transportation, the Director shall establish and maintain a
transportation data base for all modes of transportation.
``(2) Use.--The data base shall be suitable for analyses
carried out by the Federal Government, the States, and
metropolitan planning organizations.
``(3) Contents.--The data base shall include--
``(A) information on the volumes and patterns of movement
of goods, including local, interregional, and international
movement, by all modes of transportation and intermodal
combinations, and by relevant classification;
``(B) information on the volumes and patterns of movement
of people, including local, interregional, and international
movements, by all modes of transportation (including bicycle
and pedestrian modes) and intermodal combinations, and by
relevant classification;
``(C) information on the location and connectivity of
transportation facilities and services; and
``(D) a national accounting of expenditures and capital
stocks on each mode of transportation and intermodal
combination.
``(e) National Transportation Library.--
``(1) In general.--The Director shall establish and
maintain a National Transportation Library, which shall
contain a collection of statistical and other information
needed for transportation decisionmaking at the Federal,
State, and local levels.
``(2) Access.--The Director shall facilitate and promote
access to the Library, with the goal of improving the ability
of the transportation community to share information and the
ability of the Director to make statistics readily accessible
under subsection (c)(5).
``(3) Coordination.--The Director shall work with other
transportation libraries and other transportation information
providers, both public and private, to achieve the goal
specified in paragraph (2).
``(f) National Transportation Atlas Data Base.--
``(1) In general.--The Director shall develop and maintain
geospatial data bases that depict--
``(A) transportation networks;
``(B) flows of people, goods, vehicles, and craft over the
networks; and
``(C) social, economic, and environmental conditions that
affect or are affected by the networks.
``(2) Intermodal network analysis.--The data bases shall be
able to support intermodal network analysis.
``(g) Research and Development Grants.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may make grants to, or
enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with, public
and nonprofit private entities (including State
transportation departments, metropolitan planning
organizations, and institutions of higher education) for--
``(A) investigation of the subjects specified in subsection
(c)(1) and research and development of new methods of data
collection, management, integration, dissemination,
interpretation, and analysis;
``(B) development of electronic clearinghouses of
transportation data and related information, as part of the
National Transportation Library under subsection (e); and
``(C) development and improvement of methods for sharing
geographic data, in support of the national transportation
atlas data base under subsection (f) and the National Spatial
Data Infrastructure developed under Executive Order No.
12906.
``(2) Limitation.--Not more than $500,000 of the amounts
made available to carry out this section in a fiscal year may
be used to carry out this subsection.'';
(6) by striking subsection (i) (as redesignated by
paragraph (3) of this subsection) and inserting the
following:
``(i) Prohibition on Certain Disclosures.--
``(1) In general.--An officer or employee of the Bureau may
not--
``(A) make any disclosure in which the data provided by an
individual or organization under subsection (c)(2) can be
identified;
``(B) use the information provided under subsection (c)(2)
for a nonstatistical purpose; or
``(C) permit anyone other than an individual authorized by
the Director to examine any individual report provided under
subsection (c)(2).
``(2) Prohibition on requests for certain data.--
``(A) Government agencies.--No department, bureau, agency,
officer, or employee of the United States (except the
Director in carrying out this section) may require, for any
reason, a copy of any report that has been filed under
subsection (c)(2) with the Bureau or retained by an
individual respondent.
``(B) Courts.--Any copy of a report described in
subparagraph (A) that has been retained by an individual
respondent or filed with the Bureau or any of its employees,
contractors, or agents--
``(i) shall be immune from legal process; and
``(ii) shall not, without the consent of the individual
concerned, be admitted as evidence or used for any purpose in
any action, suit, or other judicial or administrative
proceeding.
``(C) Applicability.--This paragraph shall apply only to
reports that permit information concerning an individual or
organization to be reasonably inferred by direct or indirect
means.
``(3) Data collected for nonstatistical purposes.--In a
case in which the Bureau is authorized by statute to collect
data or information for a nonstatistical purpose, the
Director shall clearly distinguish the collection of the data
or information, by rule and on the collection instrument, so
as to inform a respondent that is requested or required to
supply the data or information of the nonstatistical
purpose.'';
(7) in subsection (j) (as redesignated by paragraph (3) of
this subsection) by striking ``On or before January 1, 1994,
and annually thereafter, the'' and inserting ``The''; and
(8) by adding at the end the following:
``(k) Proceeds of Data Product Sales.--Notwithstanding
section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, funds received
by the Bureau from the sale of data products, for necessary
expenses incurred, may be credited to the Highway Trust Fund
(other than the Mass Transit Account) for the purpose of
reimbursing the Bureau for the expenses.''.
(b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 5503 of title 49,
United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking subsection (d); and
(2) by redesignating subsections (e), (f), and (g) as
subsections (d), (e), and (f), respectively.
* * * * *
SEC. 5115. INTERNATIONAL TRADE TRAFFIC.
(a) Study.--The Director shall
carry out a study--
(1) to measure the ton-miles and
value-miles of
international trade traffic carried by highway
for each
State;
(2) to evaluate the accuracy and
reliability of such
measures for use in the formula for highway
apportionments;
(3) to evaluate the accuracy and
reliability of the use of
diesel fuel data as a measure of international
trade traffic
by State; and
(4) to identify needed improvements
in long-term data
collection programs to provide accurate and
reliable measures
of international traffic for use in the formula
for highway
apportionments.
(b) Basis for Evaluations.--The
study shall evaluate the
accuracy and reliability of measures for use
as formula
factors based on statistical quality standards
developed by
the Bureau in consultation with the Committee
on National
Statistics of the National Academy of Sciences.
(c) Report.--Not later than 3
years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall
submit to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works
of the Senate and
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
of the
House of Representatives a report on the results
of the study
carried out under paragraph (1), including
recommendations
for changes in law necessary to implement
the identified
needs for improvements in long-term data collection
programs.
* * * * *
SEC. 4030. SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY.
(a) Study.--Not later than 3 months
after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
offer to enter
into an agreement with the Transportation
Research Board of
the National Academy of Sciences to conduct,
subject to the
availability of appropriations, a study of
the safety issues
attendant to the transportation of school
children to and
from school and school-related activities
by various
transportation modes.
(b) Terms of Agreement.--The agreement
under subsection (a)
shall provide that--
(1) the Transportation Research
Board, in conducting the
study, shall consider--
(A) in consultation with the National
Transportation Safety
Board, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
and other
relevant entities, available crash injury
data;
(B) vehicle design and driver
training requirements,
routing, and operational factors that affect
safety; and
(C) other factors that the Secretary
considers to be
appropriate;
(2) if the data referred to in
paragraph (1)(A) is
unavailable or insufficient, the Transportation
Research
Board shall recommend a new data collection
regimen and
implementation guidelines; and
(3) a panel shall conduct the
study and shall include--
(A) representatives of--
(i) highway safety organizations;
(ii) school transportation;
(iii) mass transportation operators;
(iv) employee organizations; and
(v) bicycling organizations;
(B) academic and policy analysts;
and
(C) other interested parties.
(c) Report.--Not later than 12
months after the Secretary
enters into an agreement under subsection
(a), the Secretary
shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and
Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House
of
Representatives a report that contains the
results of the
study.
(d) Authorization.--There are
authorized to be appropriated
to the Department of Transportation to carry
out this section
$200,000 for fiscal year 2000 and $200,000
for fiscal year
2001. Such sums shall remain available until
expended.
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