49 USC 5314 - Technical Assistance and Standards Development

(a) Technical Assistance and Standards Development.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary may make grants and enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements (including agreements with departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government) to carry out activities that the Secretary determines will assist recipients of assistance under this chapter to—

(A) more effectively and efficiently provide public transportation service;

(B) administer funds received under this chapter in compliance with Federal law; and

(2) Eligible activities.—The activities carried out under paragraph (1) may include—

(A) technical assistance; and

(B) the development of voluntary and consensus-based standards and best practices by the public transportation industry, including standards and best practices for safety, fare collection, Intelligent Transportation Systems, accessibility, procurement, security, asset management to maintain a state of good repair, operations, maintenance, vehicle propulsion, communications, and vehicle electronics.

(b) Technical Assistance.—The Secretary, through a competitive bid process, may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements with national nonprofit organizations that have the appropriate demonstrated capacity to provide public transportation-related technical assistance under this section. The Secretary may enter into such contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements to assist providers of public transportation to—

(1) comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) through technical assistance, demonstration programs, research, public education, and other activities related to complying with such Act;

(2) comply with human services transportation coordination requirements and to enhance the coordination of Federal resources for human services transportation with those of the Department of Transportation through technical assistance, training, and support services related to complying with such requirements;

(3) meet the transportation needs of elderly individuals;

(4) increase transit ridership in coordination with metropolitan planning organizations and other entities through development around public transportation stations through technical assistance and the development of tools, guidance, and analysis related to market-based development around transit stations;

(5) address transportation equity with regard to the effect that transportation planning, investment and operations have for low-income and minority individuals; and

(6) any other technical assistance activity that the Secretary determines is necessary to advance the interests of public transportation.

(c) Annual Report on Technical Assistance.—Not later than the first Monday in February of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that includes—

(1) a description of each project that received assistance under this section during the preceding fiscal year;

(2) an evaluation of the activities carried out by each organization that received assistance under this section during the preceding fiscal year; and

(3) a proposal for allocations of amounts for assistance under this section for the subsequent fiscal year.

(d) Government Share of Costs.—

(1) In general.—The Government share of the cost of an activity carried out using a grant under this section may not exceed 80 percent.

(2) Non-government share.—The non-Government share of the cost of an activity carried out using a grant under this section may be derived from in-kind contributions.

(Pub. L. 103–272, §1(d), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 812; Pub. L. 105–178, title III, §§3016, 3029(b)(6), June 9, 1998, 112 Stat. 361, 372; Pub. L. 109–59, title III, §§3002(b)(4), 3016(a), (b), Aug. 10, 2005, 119 Stat. 1545, 1598, 1599; Pub. L. 110–244, title II, §201(g), June 6, 2008, 122 Stat. 1610; Pub. L. 112–141, div. B, §20012, July 6, 2012, 126 Stat. 690.)

Historical and Revision Notes
Revised Section	Source (U.S. Code)	Source (Statutes at Large)
5314(a)	49 App.:1622(b) (1)–(7).	July 9, 1964, Pub. L. 88–365, 78 Stat. 302, §26(b)(1)–(8) (related to this subsection); added Dec. 18, 1991, Pub. L. 102–240, §3030, 105 Stat. 2118.
5314(b)	49 App.:1622(b)(8) (related to this subsection).

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Last modified: October 26, 2015