UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS.

SEC. 6023. UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS. (a) Additional Responsibility.— Section 11(b)(2) of the Federal Transit Act (49 U.S.C. App. 1607c(b)(2)) is amended by inserting “transportation safety and” after “training concerning”. (b) Establishment of New Centers; Program Coordination.— Section 11(b) of such Act (49 U.S.C. App. 1607c(b)) is amended by striking paragraphs (7) and (8), by redesignating paragraphs (9) and (10) as paragraphs (14) and (15), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph (6) the following new paragraphs: “(7) National center.— To accelerate the involvement and participation of minority individuals and women in transportation-related professions, particularly in the science, technology, and engineering disciplines, the Secretary shall make grants under this section to Morgan State University to establish a national center for transportation management, research, and development. Such center shall give special attention to the design, development, and implementation of research, training, and technology transfer activities to increase the number of highly skilled minority individuals and women entering the transportation workforce. “(8) Center for transportation and industrial productivity.— “(A) In general.— The Secretary shall make grants under this section to the New Jersey Institute of Technology to establish and operate a center for transportation and industrial productivity. Such center shall conduct research and development activities which focus on methods to increase surface transportation capacity, reduce congestion, and reduce costs for transportation system users and providers through the use of transportation management systems. “(B) James and marlene Howard transportation information center.— “(i) Grant.— The Secretary shall make a grant to Monmouth College, West Long Branch, New Jersey, for modification and reconstruction of Building Number 500 at Monmouth College. “(ii) Assurances.— Before making a grant under clause (i), the Secretary shall receive assurances from Monmouth College that— “(I) the building referred to in clause (i) will be known and designated as the ‘James and Marlene Howard Transportation Information Center’; and “(II) transportation-related instruction and research in the fields of computer science, electronic engineering, mathematics, and software engineering conducted at the building referred to in clause (i) will be coordinated with the Center for Transportation and Industrial Productivity at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. “(iii) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) $2,242,000 105 STAT. 2187in fiscal year 1992 for making the grant under clause (i). “(iv) Applicability of title 23.— Funds authorized by clause (iii) shall be available for obligation in the same manner as if such funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code; except that the Federal share of the cost of activities conducted with the grant under clause (i) shall be 80 percent and such funds shall remain available until expended. Funds authorized by clause (iii) shall not be subject to any obligation limitation. “(9) National rural transportation study center.— The Secretary shall make grants under this section to the University of Arkansas to establish a national rural transportation center. Such center shall conduct research, training, and technology transfer activities in the development, management, and operation of intermodal transportation systems in rural areas. “(10) National center for advanced transportation technology.— “(A) In general.— The Secretary shall make grants under paragraph (10) to the University of Idaho to establish a National Center for Advanced Transportation technology. Such center shall be established and operated in partnership with private industry and shall conduct industry driven research and development activities which focus on transportation-related manufacturing and engineering processes, materials, and equipment. “(B) Grants.— The Secretary shall make grants to the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, for planning, design, and construction of a building in which the research and development activities of the National Center for Advanced Transportation Technology may be conducted. “(C) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) $2,500,000 for fiscal year 1992, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, and $2,500,000 for fiscal year 1994 for making the grants under subparagraph (B). “(D) Applicability of title 23.— Funds authorized by subparagraph (C) shall be available for obligation in the same manner as if such funds were apportioned under chapter 1 of title 23, United States Code, except that the Federal share of the cost of activities conducted with the grant under subparagraph (B) shall be 80 percent and such funds shall remain available until expended. Funds authorized by subparagraph (B) shall not be subject to any obligation limitation. “(E) Applicability of grant requirements.— Any grant entered into under this paragraph shall not be subject to the requirements of subsection (b) of this section. “(11) Program coordination.— “(A) In general.— The Secretary shall provide for the coordination of research, education, training, and technology transfer activities carried out by grant recipients under this subsection, the dissemination of the results of such research, and the establishment and operation of a clearinghouse between such centers and the transportation 105 STAT. 2188industry. The Secretary shall review and evaluate programs carried out by such grant recipients at least annually. “(B) Funding.— Not to exceed 1 percent of the funds made available from Federal sources to carry out this subsection may be used by the Secretary to carry out this paragraph. “(12) Obligation ceiling.— Amounts authorized out of the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this subsection shall be subject to obligation limitations established by section 102 of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. “(13) Authorizations.— There shall be available from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1992 and $6,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1993 through 1997. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, approval by the Secretary of a grant under this section shall be deemed a contractual obligation of the United States for payment of the Federal share of the cost of the project.”.