NATIONAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.

SEC. 3016. NATIONAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.(a) In General.—Section 5314 is amended—(1) by striking the section heading and inserting the following:“§ 5314. National research programs” ;(2) in subsection (a)(1)—(A) by striking “subsections (d) and (h)(7) of section 5338 of this title” and inserting “section 5338(d)”;(B) by striking “and contracts” and inserting “, contracts, cooperative agreements, or other agreements”;(C) by striking “5303–5306,”; and(D) by striking “5317,”;(3) in subsection (a)(2) by striking “Of the amounts” and all that follows through “$3,000,000 to” and inserting “The Secretary shall”;(4) by striking subsection (a)(4)(B);(5) by redesignating subsection (a)(4)(C) as subsection (a)(4)(B); (6) by adding at the end of subsection (a) the following:“(6) Medical transportation demonstration grants.—“(A) Grants authorized.—The Secretary may award demonstration grants, from funds made available under paragraph (1), to eligible entities to provide transportation services to individuals to access dialysis treatments and other medical treatments for renal disease.“(B) Eligible entities.—An entity shall be eligible to receive a grant under this paragraph if the entity—“(i) meets the conditions described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or“(ii) is an agency of a State or unit of local government.“(C) Use of funds.—Grant funds received under this paragraph may be used to provide transportation services to individuals to access dialysis treatments and other medical treatments for renal disease.“(D) Application.—“(i) In general.—Each eligible entity desiring a grant under this paragraph shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, at such place, and containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably require.“(ii) Selection of grantees.—In awarding grants under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities from communities with—“(I) high incidence of renal disease; and“(II) limited access to dialysis facilities.“(E) Rulemaking.—The Secretary shall issue regulations to implement and administer the grant program established under this paragraph.“(F) Report.—The Secretary shall submit a report on the results of the demonstration projects funded under this paragraph to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives.”.119 STAT. 1599(7) in subsection (b) by striking “or contract” and all that follows through “section,” and inserting “, contract, cooperative agreement, or other agreement under subsection (a) or section 5312,”; and(b) National Technical Assistance Center for Senior Transportation.—Section 5314 is amended by adding at the end the following:“(c) National Technical Assistance Center for Senior Transportation.—“(1) Establishment.—The Secretary shall award grants to a national not-for-profit organization for the establishment and maintenance of a national technical assistance center.“(2) Eligibility.—An organization shall be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph (1) if the organization—“(A) focuses significantly on serving the needs of the elderly;“(B) has demonstrated knowledge and expertise in senior transportation policy and planning issues;“(C) has affiliates in a majority of the States;“(D) has the capacity to convene local groups to consult on operation and development of senior transportation programs; and“(E) has established close working relationships with the Federal Transit Administration and the Administration on Aging.“(3) Use of funds.—The national technical assistance center established under this section shall—“(A) gather best practices from throughout the Nation and provide such practices to local communities that are implementing senior transportation programs;“(B) work with teams from local communities to identify how the communities are successfully meeting the transportation needs of senior citizens and any gaps in services in order to create a plan for an integrated senior transportation program;“(C) provide resources on ways to pay for senior transportation services;“(D) create a web site to publicize and circulate information on senior transportation programs;“(E) establish a clearinghouse for print, video, and audio resources on senior mobility; and“(F) administer the demonstration grant program established under paragraph (4).“(4) Grants authorized.—“(A) In general.—The national technical assistance center established under this section, in consultation with the Federal Transit Administration, shall award senior transportation demonstration grants to—“(i) local transportation organizations;“(ii) State agencies;“(iii) units of local government; and“(iv) nonprofit organizations.“(B) Use of funds.—Grant funds received under this paragraph may be used to—“(i) evaluate the state of transportation services for senior citizens;119 STAT. 1600“(ii) recognize barriers to mobility that senior citizens encounter in their communities;“(iii) establish partnerships and promote coordination among community stakeholders, including public, not-for-profit, and for-profit providers of transportation services for senior citizens;“(iv) identify future transportation needs of senior citizens within local communities; and“(v) establish strategies to meet the unique needs of healthy and frail senior citizens.“(C) Selection of grantees.—The Secretary shall select grantees under this paragraph based on a fair representation of various geographical locations throughout the United States.”.(c) Alternative Fuels Study.—(1) Study.—The Secretary shall conduct a study of the actions necessary to facilitate the purchase of increased volumes of alternative fuels (as defined in section 301 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 13211)) for use in public transit vehicles.(2) Scope of study.—The study conducted under this subsection shall focus on the incentives necessary to increase the use of alternative fuels in public transit vehicles, including buses, fixed guideway vehicles, and ferries.(3) Contents.—The study shall consider—(A) the environmental benefits of increased use of alternative fuels in transit vehicles;(B) existing opportunities available to transit system operators that encourage the purchase of alternative fuels for transit vehicle operation;(C) existing barriers to transit system operators that discourage the purchase of alternative fuels for transit vehicle operation, including situations where alternative fuels that do not require capital improvements to transit vehicles are disadvantaged over fuels that do require such improvements; and(D) the necessary levels and type of support necessary to encourage additional use of alternative fuels for transit vehicle operation.(4) Recommendations.—The study shall recommend regulatory and legislative alternatives that will result in the increased use of alternative fuels in transit vehicles.(5) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report containing the results of the study completed under this subsection.(d) Conforming Amendment.—The analysis for chapter 53 is amended by striking the item relating to section 5314 and inserting the following: “5314. National research programs.”.