AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.

SEC. 712. AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM. Section 44511 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:“(f) Airport Cooperative Research Program.—“(1) Establishment.—The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a 4-year pilot airport cooperative research program to—“(A) identify problems that are shared by airport operating agencies and can be solved through applied research but that are not being adequately addressed by existing Federal research programs; and“(B) fund research to address those problems.“(2) Governance.—The Secretary of Transportation shall appoint an independent governing board for the research program established under this subsection. The governing board shall be appointed from candidates nominated by national associations representing public airport operating agencies, airport executives, State aviation officials, and the scheduled airlines, and shall include representatives of appropriate Federal agencies. Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the governing board.“(3) Implementation.—The Secretary of Transportation shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to provide staff support to the governing board established under paragraph (2) and to carry out projects proposed by the governing board that the Secretary considers appropriate.“(4) Report.—Not later than 6 months after the expiration of the program under this subsection, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report on the program, including recommendations as to the need for establishing a permanent airport cooperative research program.”.