Sponsor:

Rep. Shuster, Bud [R-PA-9] (Introduced 09/04/1997)

Summary:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the app

Major Actions:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,

Amendments:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,

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Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,

Sponsor:

Rep. Shuster, Bud [R-PA-9] (Introduced 09/04/1997)

Summary:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the app

Major Actions:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,

Amendments:

Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,

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Summary: H.R.2400 — 105th Congress (1997-1998)

There are 3 summaries for this bill. Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998)Passed Senate amended (04/02/1998)Introduced in House (09/04/1997)     Bill summaries are authored by CRS. $("#summarySelector").congress_dropDownNavigation({ stubUrl: '/bill/105th-congress/house-bill/2400/summary', suffix: '' }); Shown Here:
Conference report filed in House (05/22/1998) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Title I: Federal-Aid Highways Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs Subtitle B: General Provisions Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility Subtitle D: Safety Subtitle E: Finance Subtitle F: High Priority Projects Title II: Highway Safety Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs Title IV: Motor Carrier Safety Title V: Transportation Research Subtitle A: Funding Subtitle B: Research and Technology Subtitle C: Intelligent Transportation Systems Title VI: Ozone and Particulate Matter Standards Title VII: Miscellaneous Subtitle A: Automobile Safety and Information Subtitle B: Railroads Subtitle C: Comprehensive One-Call Notification Subtitle D: Sportfishing and Boating Safety Title VIII: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee and Budget Offsets Subtitle A: Transportation Discretionary Spending Guarantee Subtitle B: Veterans' Benefits Subtitle C: Temporary Student Loan Provision Subtitle D: Block Grants for Social Services Title IX: Amendments of Internal Revenue Code of 1986 Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century - Title I: Federal-Aid Highways - Subtitle A: Authorizations and Programs - Authorizes appropriations from the Highway Trust Fund, other than the Mass Transit Account (HTF), for the following: (1) the Interstate Maintenance Program (IM); (2) the National Highway System (NHS); (3) the Bridge Program; (4) the Surface Transportation Program (STP); (5) the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ); (6) the Appalachian Development Highway System Program; (7) the Recreational Trails Program; (8) the Federal Lands Highways Program (FLHP); (9) National Corridor Planning and Development and Coordinated Border Infrastructure Programs; (10) Construction of Ferry Boats and Ferry Terminal Facilities; (11) the National Scenic Byways Program; (12) the Value Pricing Pilot Program; (13) the High Priority Projects Program; (14) Highway Use Tax Evasion Projects; and (15) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Highway Program. Directs that not less than ten percent of the amounts made available under titles I (Federal-Aid Highways), III (Federal Transit Administration Programs), and V (Transportation Research) of this Act be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Requires: (1) States to annually survey and compile a list of disadvantaged business enterprises (DBEs) and to make certain written notifications to the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary); and (2) the Secretary to establish minimum uniform criteria for State governments to use in certifying whether a concern qualifies. Sets forth provisions regarding compliance with court orders and review of the impact throughout the United States of administering DBE requirements. (Sec. 1102) Sets forth specified obligation ceilings, and formulas for distribution of obligation authority and redistribution of unused obligation authority for Federal-aid highway programs. Limits obligations for administrative expenses. (Sec. 1103) Rewrites provisions regarding: (1) administrative expenses to require the Secretary to deduct an amount not to exceed one and a half percent of apportionments under specified programs to administer legal provisions to be financed from appropriations for the Federal-aid highway program and for other highways, and to make transfers of appropriate sums to the Appalachian Regional Commission for administrative activities associated with the Appalachian Development Highway System; (2) the apportionment formulas under Federal highway provisions for the Interstate System (IS) and NHS, CMAQ, STP, and IM; (3) Operation Lifesaver and railway-highway crossing hazard elimination in high speed rail corridors to direct the Secretary to increase funds, before making STP apportionments, for such purposes and to include among eligible high speed rail corridors a Gulf Coast high speed railway corridor, a Keystone high speed railway corridor from Philadelphia to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and an Empire State railway corridor from New York City to Albany to Buffalo, New York; (4) the metropolitan planning set aside to delete references to outdated programs and provide that the set aside not be deducted from funds for the Recreational Trails Program; and (5) National Recreational Trails funding to direct the Secretary to deduct one and a half percent of sums authorized to carry out the recreational trails program for administration of, and research and technical assistance under, that program and for administration of the National Recreational Trails Advisory Committee, distributing the remainder with half apportioned equally among eligible States and half apportioned among such States in amounts proportionate to the degree of non-highway recreational fuel use in each of those States during the preceding year. Authorizes the Secretary to reimburse the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Transportation (DOT) for the conduct of annual audits of financial statements pertaining to HTF. Sets forth provisions regarding certain transfers of highway and transit funds, the effect of delay in deposits into HTF, and adjustments for the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 1997. (Sec. 1104) Directs the Secretary: (1) for each of FY 1998 through 2003, to allocate sums to the States according to a list of State percentages of total apportionments for the IM, NHS, Bridge Program, CMAQ, STP, Metropolitan Planning, Minimum Guarantee, High Priority Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, and Recreational Trails Programs; (2) to adjust such percentages, before making any apportionment, to reflect the estimated percentage of estimated tax payments attributable to highway users in each State paid into HTF in the latest fiscal year for which data is available, to ensure that no State's return is less than 90.5 percent; (3) on October 15 of FY 1999 and each fiscal year thereafter, to allocate an amount of funds determined under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 for distribution according to a specified formula (and authorizes appropriations from HTF). (Sec. 1106) Directs the Secretary to administer the NHS and IM as a combined program to allow States maximum flexibility. Rewrites provisions regarding Federal-aid systems. Declares that NHS consists of highway routes and connections to transportation facilities depicted on the map submitted by the Secretary to the Congress with a specified report dated May 24, 1996. Sets forth provisions regarding NHS components, maximum mileage of the NHS, modifications to the NHS, congressional high priority corridors, eligible NHS projects, and the IS. Provides for an intermodal freight connectors study. (Sec. 1107) Revises IM provisions to authorize the Secretary to approve: (1) projects for resurfacing, restoring, rehabilitating, and reconstructing certain designated IS routes, including in Alaska and Puerto Rico; and (2) a project on a toll road only if such road is subject to a secretarial agreement provided for or continued in effect by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and not voided by the Secretary under the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987. Directs the Secretary to: (1) set aside specified sums for interstate discretionary projects; (2) give priority in selecting projects to fund to any project the cost of which exceeds $10 million on any high volume route in an urban area or a high truck-volume route in a rural area; and (3) conduct and report to the Congress on a study, in cooperation with States and affected metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), to determine the expected condition over the next ten years and the needs of States and MPOs to reconstruct and improve the IS, the resources necessary to maintain and improve the IS, and the means to ensure that the Nation's STP can address such needs and allow for States to address any extraordinary needs. (Sec. 1108) Revises STP provisions to include among eligible projects: (1) the application of sodium acetate-formate or other environmentally acceptable, minimally corrosive anti-icing and de-icing compositions to bridges under the STP; (2) modification of public sidewalks to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990; (3) infrastructure-based intelligent transportation systems capital improvements; and (4) environmental restoration and pollution abatement projects to address water pollution or environmental degradation caused or contributed to by transportation facilities, subject to specified restrictions. Requires: (1) States, with respect to STP fund obligations in urban areas, to comply with obligation rates over two equal three-year periods, as opposed to the existing requirement of complying over a single six-year period; and (2) the Secretary to encourage the States to enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with qualified youth conservation or service corps to perform appropriate transportation enhancement activities. (Sec. 1109) Amends provisions regarding the highway bridge program to provide that if a State transfers funds apportioned to it in a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1997, to any other apportionment of funds to such State, the total cost of deficient bridges in such State and in all States to be determined for the succeeding fiscal year shall be reduced by the amount of such transferred funds. Grants the Secretary discretion regarding a portion of sums authorized for FY 1998 through 2003 for bridges under this Act. (Sec. 1110) Includes among eligible CMAQ projects certain projects that improve traffic flow. Authorizes an MPO, State transportation department, or other project sponsor to enter into an agreement with any public, private, or nonprofit entity to cooperatively implement CMAQ projects. Directs the Secretary and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) enter into arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences to complete a study of CMAQ, including evaluations of the air quality impacts of motor vehicle emissions and the negative effects of traffic congestion, assessments of project effectiveness, and recommendations on improvements and expanding the scope of the program to address traffic-related pollutants not currently addressed; and (2) report to the Congress. (Sec. 1111) Authorizes a State to: (1) determine a lower Federal share than that specified for IS and other projects; and (2) use as a credit toward the non-Federal share requirement toll revenues that are generated and used by public, quasi-public, and private agencies to build, improve, or maintain highways, bridges, or tunnels that serve the public purpose of interstate commerce, provided such agencies have built, improved, or maintained such facilities without Federal funds. Makes an increased Federal share payable for certain safety projects applicable to transit vehicles. (Sec. 1112) Directs the Secretary to carry out a program to provide and maintain recreational trails. Sets forth provisions regarding State responsibilities, use of apportioned funds, State consideration of proposals that benefit or mitigate the impact to the natural environment, the Federal cost share (80 percent), uses not permitted, project administration, contract authority, and termination of the advisory committee. Permits a State to use appropriated funds for construction of new trails only if the construction is permissible under some other law or is otherwise required by a statewide comprehensive outdoor recreational plan in effect that is required by the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act. Places a cap on the amount that a State can expend on educational programs to promote safety and environmental protection at five percent of annual apportionments. Modifies existing law to exclude all small States with a total land area of less than 3.5 million acres from the requirement to expend annual apportionments for trails and trails-related projects in a ratio of 40 percent diverse use, 30 percent motorized use, and 30 percent nonmotorized use. Allows a State trail advisory committee to waive the trails diversity requirement if the State notifies the Secretary that it does not have sufficient projects to meet the diversity requirements. Authorizes States to make grants to private organizations, municipal, county, State, and Federal governmental entities after considering guidance from the recreational advisory committee for uses consistent with this section. (Sec. 1113) Amends emergency relief provisions to authorize an emergency fund for expenditure by the Secretary, subject to specified restrictions, for the repair or reconstruction of highways, roads, and trails, in any part of the United States, including Indian reservations, that the Secretary finds to have suffered serious damage as a result of natural disaster over a wide area or catastrophic failure from any external cause. Prohibits the use of funds for the repair or reconstruction of bridges that have been permanently closed to all vehicular traffic by the State or responsible local official because of imminent danger of collapse due to a structural deficiency or physical deterioration. Authorizes appropriations from HTF to establish the fund and replenish it annually. Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1114) Repeals provisions regarding economic growth center development highways. Revises provisions of ISTEA regarding highway use tax evasion projects to set the Federal share of such projects at 100 percent and to make available specified funds to the Secretary from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Authorizes a State to expend up to .25 percent of its annual Federal-aid apportionments on initiatives to halt the evasion of payment of motor fuel taxes. Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the development and maintenance by the IRS of an excise fuel reporting system; and (2) make available sufficient funds to the IRS to establish and operate an automated fuel reporting system. (Sec. 1115) Authorizes the use of: (1) Federal land management agency funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of funded Federal-aid highway projects; and (2) FLHP funds to pay the non-Federal cost share of specified projects that provide access to or within Federal or Indian lands. Modifies FLHP provisions to: (1) provide for the allocation of funds for Indian reservation roads for FY 2000 and thereafter, based on a funding formula that reflects the relative needs of the Indian tribes for transportation assistance and the relative administrative capacities of, and challenges faced by, various Indian tribes; (2) require the Secretary to establish a nationwide priority program for improving deficient Indian reservation road bridges; and (3) establish a coordinated FLHP. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop transportation planning procedures that are consistent with required metropolitan and statewide planning processes; (2) the Secretary's approval of the transportation improvement program (TIP); (3) that all regionally significant FLHP projects be developed in cooperation with States and MPOs and be included in appropriate FLHP, State, and metropolitan plans and TIPs; (4) the inclusion of the approved FLHP TIP in appropriate State and MPO plans and programs without further action on the TIP; and (5) the Secretary and the Secretary of each appropriate Federal land management agency to develop safety, bridge, pavement, and congestion management systems for roads funded under the FLHP. Allows funds available for public lands highways, park roads and parkways, and Indian reservation roads to be used by the Secretary and the appropriate Federal land management agency to pay for the cost of transportation planning, research, engineering, and construction of the highways, roads, and parkways, or of transit facilities within public lands, national parks, and Indian reservations. Includes among eligible projects a project to build a replacement of the federally owned bridge over Hoover Dam in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area between Nevada and Arizona. Directs: (1) the Secretary to transfer to the appropriate Federal land management agency from amounts made available for public lands highways such amounts as necessary to pay the cost to the agency to conduct necessary transportation planning for Federal lands if funding for the planning is not otherwise provided, and to allocate sums each October 1 for refuge roads according to the relative needs of the various refuges in the National Wildlife Refuge System, taking into consideration the comprehensive conservation plan, the need for access, and the impact of land use planning on existing transportation facilities; and (2) the Indian tribal government, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and, as appropriate, with a State, local government, or MPO, to carry out a transportation planning process in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 1116) Amends the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority Act of 1995 to direct the Secretary to convey to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge Authority (as under current law), or any Capital Region jurisdiction, all rights to the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge. Modifies ownership provisions of the Act to require the Secretary to submit to the Congress a proposed agreement which shall: (1) identify whether the Authority or a Capital Region jurisdiction will accept ownership of the new Bridge; (2) contain a financial plan satisfactory to the Secretary which shall be prepared before the execution of the agreement and which shall specify the total cost of the project, a schedule for project implementation, and specified funding sources; and (3) require that the project include not more than 12 traffic lanes, including eight general purpose lanes, two merging-diverging lanes, and two high occupancy vehicle, express bus, or rail transit lanes; that all provisions described in the environmental impact statement for the project or the record of decision for the project for mitigation and other impacts of the project be implemented; and that the Authority and the Capital Region jurisdictions develop an ongoing process to fully integrate affected local governments in carrying out the engineering, design, and construction phases of the project. Authorizes appropriation of $900 million through FY 2003 from HTF for the project. Limits the availability of apportioned funds for construction, but permits the Secretary to fund Bridge maintenance and rehabilitation, the design of the project, and right-of-way acquisition, including early acquisition of construction staging areas. (Sec. 1117) Directs the Secretary to apportion specified funds for FY 1998 through 2003 among the States based on the latest available cost-to-complete estimate for the Appalachian development highway system prepared by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Increases the Federal share for pre-financed projects. Designates an addition to Corridor O in Pennsylvania. (Sec. 1118) Requires the Secretary to establish and implement a program to make allocations to States and MPOs for coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of national significance, economic growth, and international or interregional trade. Authorizes a State or MPO to apply to the Secretary for such allocations. Requires recipients of such allocations to develop, and submit to the Secretary for review, a corridor development and management plan. (Sec. 1119) Directs the Secretary to establish and implement a coordinated border infrastructure program under which the Secretary may make allocations to border States and MPOs for areas within the boundaries of one or more border States for projects to improve the safe movement of people and goods at or across the borders between the United States and Canada, and the United States and Mexico. Authorizes the Secretary, at the request of the Administrator of General Services, to transfer specified funds to the Administrator for the construction of transportation infrastructure necessary for law enforcement in the border States. Subtitle B: General Provisions - Rewrites provisions regarding definitions, including the addition of definitions for "refuge road" and "safety improvement project." (Sec. 1202) Revises provisions regarding bicycle transportation and pedestrian walkways to authorize the use of NHS funds for pedestrian walkways. Directs that bicyclists and pedestrians be given due consideration in the comprehensive transportation plans developed by each MPO and State, and that transportation plans and projects provide due consideration for safety and contiguous routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. Requires: (1) the Secretary to develop guidance on the various approaches to accommodating bicycles and pedestrian travel. Prohibits the Secretary from approving any project or taking any regulatory action that will result in the severance of an existing major route or have significant adverse impact on the safety for non-motorized transportation traffic and light motorcycles, unless such project or action provides for a reasonable alternate route or such a route exists; and (2) a State, in carrying out railway-highway crossing projects, to take into account bicycle safety. Authorizes the Secretary to develop a national bicycle safety education curriculum that may include courses relating to on-road training. Makes specified funds available for FY 1999. (Sec. 1203) Revises metropolitan planning provisions to include economic growth and development as a general requirement in metropolitan planning. Provides that, in the case of an urbanized area designated after this Act's enactment as a nonattainment area for ozone or carbon monoxide, the boundaries of existing or new MPO boundaries will be retained, but may be adjusted by agreement of the governor and the affected MPOs. Replaces 16 factors to be considered in the planning process with seven general factors consisting of projects and strategies that will: (1) support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency; (2) increase the safety and security of the transportation system for motorized and nonmotorized users; (3) increase the accessibility and mobility options available to people and for freight; (4) protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, and improve quality of life; (5) enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight; (6) promote efficient system management and operation; and (7) emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services, and representatives of users of public transit, to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on metropolitan long-range plans and programs. Allows an MPO to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. (Sec. 1204) Consolidates 20 factors in statewide planning into the seven general factors. Specifies that failure to consider any specified factor in formulating plans, projects, or strategies or in the certification of planning processes is not reviewable in court. Adds freight shippers and providers of freight transportation services and representatives of users of public transit to the list of persons to be given an opportunity to comment on statewide long-range plans and programs. Allows a State to include an illustrative list of projects that would be included on the TIP if additional resources were available. Gives States flexibility to move projects within a three-year TIP without the Secretary's approval or action if the governor and MPO agree. Requires States to consult with local officials with responsibility for transportation when formulating plans and programs. (Sec. 1205) Authorizes a State to procure, under a single contract, the services of a consultant to prepare any environmental impact assessments or analyses required for a project, as well as subsequent engineering and design work, if the State conducts a review that assesses the objectivity of the assessment or analysis prior to its submission to the Secretary. (Sec. 1206) Prohibits a State or political subdivision thereof from enacting or enforcing a law that applies only to motorcycles, the principal purpose of which is to restrict motorcycle access to any highway or portion of a highway for which Federal-aid highway funds have been utilized for planning, design, construction, or maintenance. (Sec. 1207) Modifies provisions regarding ferries to authorize the Secretary to permit Federal participation in the construction of a ferry boat and terminal facility that is publicly operated or majority publicly owned if such boat or facility provides substantial public benefits. Provides for the obligation of specified sums for the construction or refurbishment of ferry boats and terminal facilities and approaches within marine highway systems that are part of the NHS, including set-asides for the States of Alaska, New Jersey, and Washington. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of ferry transportation in the United States and report to specified congressional committees. (Sec. 1208) Allows a State to reserve training positions for welfare recipients. Authorizes the Secretary to develop, conduct, and administer highway technology training, and to develop and fund summer transportation institutes. (Sec. 1209) Authorizes a State to permit a vehicle with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicle is certified as an Inherently Low-Emission Vehicle. (Sec. 1210) Directs the Secretary to establish an advanced travel forecasting procedures program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1998 through 2003. (Sec. 1211) Amends: (1) ISTEA to authorize the Secretary, the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration, or their designees to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Pennsylvania Station Redevelopment Corporation; and (2) the National Visitor Center Facilities Act of 1968 to authorize such persons to serve as ex officio members of the Board of Directors of the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation. Amends the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 to: (1) remove Maine from the list of States (currently, Maine and New Hampshire) to which specified safety belt use law requirements apply (and extends such requirements with respect to New Hampshire by requiring a belt use rate of at least 50 percent through FY 2000); (2) prohibit the Secretary from requiring States to use or plan the use of the metric system (currently, the Secretary may not require such action before September 30, 2000); and (3) reauthorize and extend the winter home heating oil delivery program. Terminates the right-of-way revolving fund (provides for a 20-year close-out period), a pilot toll collection program, and a congressional bridge commission. Amends: (1) ISTEA to include specified high priority corridors on the NHS in various States and to direct the Secretary to approve one or more substitute projects in lieu of a specified project in Wisconsin at the request of the Governor of Wisconsin if submitted by October 1, 2000; (2) the Surface Transportation and Uniform Relocation Assistance Act of 1987 to reduce the scope of a project in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and (3) the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982 to repeal certain lane restrictions in unincorporated areas of Alameda County, California. (Sec. 1212) Replaces references to State highway departments with references to State transportation departments. Authorizes the Secretary to fund the production of a documentary that demonstrates how public works and infrastructure projects stimulate job growth and the economy and contribute to the general welfare of the Nation. Amends ISTEA to extend through October 1, 2003, a temporary exemption for public transit vehicles from specified axle weight limitations on the IS. Sets forth provisions regarding vehicle weight limitations in Colorado, Louisiana, Maine, and New Hampshire. Directs such States to conduct specified studies with respect to such limitations. Directs the Secretary to: (1) make grants to establish a driver training and safety center at Connellsville, Pennsylvania, and a welcome center in Point Pleasant, West Virginia; (2) make grants to a national, not-for-profit organization engaged in promoting bicycle and pedestrian safety; (3) establish a heavy equipment operator training facility in Hibbing, Minnesota; (4) make grants to the State of Pennsylvania to establish and operate an advanced tractor trailer safety and operator training facility in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania; and (5) provide specified funds for the High Priority Las Vegas Intermodal Center. (Sec. 1213) Directs the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct: (1) an evaluation of the methodology used by DOT to determine highway needs using the highway economic requirement system (the model); (2) a study on the extent to which the model can be used to provide States with useful information for developing State transportation investment plans and State infrastructure investment projections; (3) a study on the international roughness index that is used as an indicator of pavement quality on the Federal-aid highway system; (4) a study on the extent and effectiveness of State use of uniformed police officers on Federal-aid highway construction projects; and (5) a study to assess the impact that a utility company's failure to relocate its facilities in a timely manner has on the delivery and cost of Federal-aid highway and bridge projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to conduct: (1) a comprehensive assessment of the state of the transportation infrastructure on the southwest U.S.-Mexican border; (2) a study to examine the impact of truck weight standards on specialized hauling vehicles; (3) a study to determine practices in States for specific service food signs; (4) a study of State laws relating to penalties for violation of State commercial motor vehicle weight laws; and (5) a study to assess the feasibility of providing high speed rail passenger service from Atlanta, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina. Sets forth reporting requirements. Requires the Secretary to: (1) request the National Academy of Sciences' Transportation Research Board to conduct a study regarding the regulation of weights, lengths, and widths of commercial motor vehicles operating on Federal-aid highways to which Federal regulations apply on the date of this Act's enactment; and (2) enter into an agreement with the State of Oklahoma to carry out a traffic analysis to determine the feasibility of a trade processing center in McClain County, Oklahoma. (Sec. 1214) Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and to report to the Congress; (2) allocate specified sums for certain transportation-related exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution; (3) allocate to the Secretary of the Interior certain sums for the planning, design, and construction of a visitor center and related facilities at the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia; and (4) make certain funds available to States encompassing an Indian reservation having a land area of at least 10 million acres. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out reconstruction projects of highways located outside the United States that are important to the national defense. Makes funds available for obligation. Directs the Secretary to make funds available for various projects, such as the removal of asphalt runways at Ninigret National Wildlife Refuge and revitalization of the Tredegar Iron Works to serve as a visitor center for Richmond National Battlefield Park. (Sec. 1215) Directs the Secretary to allocate funds for various projects, such as the restoration of the Gettysburg, Pennsylvania train station, and to establish a center for national scenic byways in Duluth, Minnesota. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 1216) Amends ISTEA to: (1) increase from five to 15 the number of value (formerly, congestion) pricing pilot programs eligible for funding; (2) require the Secretary to fund all pre-implementation costs, but prohibits Federal funding of such costs after three years; (3) remove the three-program cap on the number of such programs on which the Secretary shall allow the use of tolls on the IS; (4) provide an exemption from HOV restrictions to permit single occupancy vehicles to operate in HOV lanes if the vehicles are part of a value pricing program; and (5) require any value pricing pilot program to include, if appropriate, an analysis of the impact of the program on low income drivers. Makes sums available from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Directs the Secretary to establish and implement an IS reconstruction and rehabilitation pilot program. (Sec. 1217) Makes a specified project to repair or reconstruct a Federal-aid primary route in San Mateo County, California, eligible for assistance. Lists several other projects in various States that are eligible for assistance. (Sec. 1218) Requires the Secretary to solicit applications from States, or authorities designated by one or more States, for financial assistance authorized for planning, design, and construction of eligible MAGLEV (i.e., transportation systems employing magnetic levitation that would be capable of safe use by the public at a speed in excess of 240 miles per hour) projects. Sets forth provisions regarding project eligibility; the Federal cost share; project selection criteria; preconstruction planning and final design, engineering, and construction activities; and joint ventures. Authorizes appropriations. Permits the use by a State of certain STP and CMAQ funds to pay a portion of project costs. (Sec. 1219) Directs the Secretary to: (1) carry out a national scenic byways program that recognizes roads having outstanding scenic, historic, cultural, natural, recreational, and archeological qualities; (2) eliminate any programmatic decisionmaking responsibility of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the Federal-aid highway program as part of FHWA's efforts to restructure its field organization; and (3) establish a comprehensive initiative to investigate and address the relationships between transportation and community and system preservation and identify private sector-based initiatives. (Sec. 1222) Amends the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 to expand the counties that comprise the Appalachian Region. (Sec. 1223) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) give priority to funding for a transportation project relating to an international quadrennial Olympic or Paralympic event, or a Special Olympics International event, if the project meets the extraordinary needs associated with such an event and the project is otherwise eligible for assistance; (2) participate in planning activities of States and MPOs and transportation projects relating to such an event and in developing intermodal transportation plans necessary for the projects in coordination with State and local transportation agencies; and (3) provide assistance to States and local governments in carrying out transportation projects relating to such an event. Sets an 80 percent Federal cost share for such a project. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle C: Program Streamlining and Flexibility - Amends Federal highway provisions to: (1) authorize advance acquisition of real property for transportation improvements (currently, limited to highway projects); and (2) provide a credit for acquired lands based on the value of publicly owned lands incorporated within a federally funded project if such land is lawfully obtained by the State or local government, is not park land, and the Secretary determines it will not influence the environmental assessment of the project. Directs that a contribution by a local governmental unit of real property, funds, or material in connection with a project eligible for assistance be credited against the State share of the project at fair market value. (Sec. 1302) Repeals a restriction that applies the Federal-non-Federal matching share requirement to each payment a State receives for construction. Makes the requirement applicable to total project costs rather than to individual voucher payments. (Sec. 1303) Replaces provisions regarding income from airspace rights-of-way with provisions regarding proceeds from the sale or lease of real property acquired with assistance from HTF. (Sec. 1304) Directs the State to pay an amount equal to the amount of Federal funds made available for preliminary engineering of a highway project if on-site construction of, or acquisition of the right-of-way for, such project is not commenced within ten years after the date on which Federal funds are first made available out of HTF (current law), or such longer period as the State requests and the Secretary determines to be reasonable. (Sec. 1305) Rewrites provisions regarding State plans, specifications, and estimates for projects (plans) to direct that: (1) the Secretary act upon plans submitted by the State transportation department as soon as practicable after the date of their submission and enter into an agreement formalizing the conditions of project approval; and (2) the project agreement make provision for State funds required to pay the State's non-Federal share of project construction cost and maintenance after completion of construction. Authorizes the State to assume the Secretary's responsibilities for design, plans, specifications, estimates, contract awards, and project inspections under specified circumstances. Requires that a recipient of Federal financial assistance for a project with an estimated total cost of $1 billion or more submit to the Secretary an annual financial plan for the project, based on detailed annual estimates of the cost to complete the remaining project elements and on reasonable assumptions of future cost increases to complete the project. Directs the Secretary to develop recommendations for the States to conduct life-cycle cost analyses. (Sec. 1306) Repeals a requirement that the Secretary issue guidelines describing the criteria applicable to the IS. Specifies that safety considerations for a project may be met by phase construction consistent with the operative safety management system or in accordance with a statewide transportation improvement program approved by the Secretary. (Sec. 1307) Authorizes a State transportation department or local transit agency to award a "design-build contract" (defined as an agreement that provides for design and construction of a project by a contractor, whether in the form of a design-build contract, a franchise agreement, or any other form of contract approved by the Secretary) for a qualified project using any procurement process permitted by applicable State and local law. Prohibits final design under such a contract from commencing before compliance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) the inapplicability of a standardized contract clause concerning site conditions, certain suspensions of work ordered by the State, and material changes in the scope of work specified in the contract; (2) regulations to be issued by the Secretary; (3) the approval of design-build contracts during the transition period before such regulations take effect three years after this Act's enactment date; and (4) a reporting requirement to the Congress on the effectiveness of design-build contracting procedures. (Sec. 1308) Directs the Secretary to: (1) eliminate the major investment study as a separate requirement and to integrate such requirement, as appropriate, as part of analyses required pursuant to specified planning provisions for Federal-aid highway and transit projects; and (2) develop and implement a coordinated environmental review process for highway construction projects. (Sec. 1310) Sets forth provisions regarding the transfer of Federal-aid highway funds to other apportionments. Subtitle D: Safety - Expands the list of projects eligible for hazard elimination program funds to include projects that would remove road hazards to any public surface transportation facility or any publicly owned bicycle or pedestrian pathway or trail. (Sec. 1402) Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue guidance regarding the benefits and safety performance of redirective and nonredirective crash cushions in different road applications; and (2) conduct a study on the technologies and methods to enhance safety, streamline construction, and improve capacity by providing positive separation at all times between traffic, equipment, and workers on highway construction projects. Sets forth reporting requirements. (Sec. 1403) Provides incentive grants to States that either obtain a State seat belt use rate above the national average or increase the State seat belt usage. Directs the Secretary to use sums made available to make allocations to States to carry out innovative projects to promote increased seat belt use rates. Makes funding available from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. (Sec. 1404) Directs the Secretary to make a grant to any State that has enacted and is enforcing a law that provides that any person with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 percent or greater while operating a motor vehicle in the State shall be deemed to have committed a per se offense (or an equivalent per se offense) of driving while intoxicated. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1998 through 2003. Subtitle E: Finance - Chapter 1 - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998 - Establishes a transportation Federal credit assistance pilot program to provide alternative financing for eligible surface transportation projects and projects for an international bridge or tunnel for which an international entity authorized under Federal or State law is responsible, for intercity passenger bus or rail facilities and vehicles, and for certain publicly owned intermodal surface freight transfer facilities. Sets forth eligibility and project selection criteria, including: (1) the extent to which the project is nationally or regionally significant; (2) the creditworthiness of the project; (3) the extent to which assistance would foster innovative public-private partnerships and attract private debt or equity investment; (4) the likelihood that assistance would enable the project to proceed at an earlier date than it would otherwise; (5) the extent to which the project uses new technologies that enhance project efficiency; (6) the amount of budget authority required to fund the Federal credit instrument made available herein; (7) the extent to which the project helps maintain or protect the environment; and (8) the extent to which assistance would reduce the contribution of Federal grant assistance to the project. Requires the Secretary to require each applicant to provide a preliminary rating opinion letter from at least one rating agency indicating that the project's senior obligations have the potential to achieve an investment-grade rating. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into agreements with one or more obligers to make secured loans, the proceeds of which shall be used to finance eligible project costs, or to refinance interim construction financing of eligible project costs (subject to a limitation), of any projected selected. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and each rating agency providing a preliminary rating opinion letter, to determine an appropriate capital reserve subsidy amount for each secured loan, taking such letter into account. Makes the funding of a secured loan contingent on the project's senior obligations receiving an investment-grade rating, with exceptions. Sets forth provisions regarding: (1) secured loan terms and limitations, repayment schedules, sales of secured loans, and loan guarantees; (2) lines of credit; (3) project servicing; and (4) State and local permits. Authorizes appropriations from HTF for FY 1999 through 2003. Sets forth credit limits and reporting requirements. Directs the Secretary to develop and coordinate Federal policy on financing transportation infrastructure, including the provision of direct Federal credit assistance and other techniques used to leverage Federal transportation funds. Chapter 2: State Infrastructure Bank Pilot Program - Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with the States of California, Florida, Missouri, and Rhode Island for the establishment of State and multistate infrastructure banks for making loans and providing other specified assistance to public and private entities to carry out eligible projects. Grants congressional consent to States entering into an interstate compact establishing such a bank. Sets forth provisions regarding funding, capitalization grants, a special rule for urbanized areas of over 200,000, forms of assistance, qualifying projects, infrastructure bank requirements, a limit on repayments, secretarial requirements, applicability of Federal law, non-obligation of the United States to any third party, management of Federal funds, and program administration. Subtitle F: High Priority Projects - Authorizes the Secretary to carry out a high priority projects program under which specified funds shall be made available for various projects in different States for FY 1998 through 2003. Sets forth provisions regarding allocation percentages, the Federal share, delegation of responsibility to States, advance construction, period of funds availability, availability of obligation limitation, and treatment of funds for programmatic purposes. Title II: Highway Safety - Amends Federal highway law to: (1) require State uniform guidelines for highway safety programs to include accident prevention programs and provisions for enforcement of light transmission standards of glazing for passenger motor vehicles and light trucks as necessary to improve highway safety; (2) increase the minimum apportionment to the Secretary of the Interior for Indian tribes for highway safety programs from one-half to three-fourths of one percent of the total apportionment; (3) apply to Indian tribes, with exceptions, certain requirements for access for physically handicapped across curbs at pedestrian crosswalks; (4) extend to tribes in Indian Country the authorization of highway safety program grants for Indian tribes; and (5) replace a mandatory rulemaking process with one authorizing the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary, unless otherwise indicated) to periodically identify highway safety programs that are highly effective in reducing motor vehicle crashes, injuries, and deaths. (Sec. 2001) Directs the Secretary to: (1) allow States to use highway safety program funds to purchase television and radio time for highway safety public service messages; and (2) study and report to the Congress on the effectiveness of purchasing such time for highway safety public service messages. (Sec. 2002) Authorizes the use of safety research funds for training in work zone safety management. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out safety research with respect to: (1) measures that may deter drugged driving; and (2) programs to train law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits. (Sec. 2003) Directs the Secretary to make occupant protection incentive grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from individuals riding unrestrained or improperly restrained in motor vehicles. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States to carry out child passenger protection programs. Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2004) Revises requirements for the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures program (which provides for grants to States that adopt and implement effective programs to reduce traffic safety problems resulting from individuals driving while under the influence of alcohol). Eliminates drugged driving prevention from the program. Divides basic grants into: (1) basic grant A for meeting certain existing requirements, plus new requirements for a three-stage graduated licensing system for young drivers and programs targeting drivers with high blood alcohol concentrations (BAC); and (2) basic grant B for certain reductions in a State's percentage of fatal impaired drivers with a BAC of 0.10 or greater. Provides for supplemental grants if a State: (1) acquires video equipment for detection of drunk drivers, and passive alcohol sensors, among other things; and (2) demonstrates an effective driving while intoxicated (DWI) tracking system. (Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to make grants to States that take specified actions to advance highway safety with respect to State highway safety data improvements. (Sec. 2006) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into an agreement with an organization that represents the interests of the States to manage, administer, and operate the National Driver Register's (NDR) computer timeshare and user assistance functions. Declares that any transfer of such functions to an organization that represents the interests of the States shall begin only after the Secretary determines that all States are participating in NDR's "Problem Driver Pointer System" and that the system is functioning properly. Directs the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the implementation of the NDR and motor carrier and commercial driver license information systems and identify alternatives to improve the ability of States to exchange information about unsafe drivers and to identify drivers with multiple licenses; and (2) make an assessment of available electronic technologies to improve access to and exchange of motor vehicle driving records (including consideration of alternative unique motor vehicle driver identifiers that would facilitate accurate matching of drivers and their records). Authorizes appropriations. (Sec. 2007) Directs the Secretary to study and report to the Congress on: (1) the benefit to public safety of the use of blowout resistant tires on commercial motor vehicles and the potential to decrease the incidence of accidents and fatalities from accidents occurring as a result of blown out tires; and (2) occupant safety in school buses. (Sec. 2008) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effectiveness in reducing the number and severity of alcohol-involved crashes of State laws that deem any individual with a BAC of .08 percent or greater (.02 percent or greater for persons under age 21) to be DWI. (Sec. 2009) Authorizes appropriations out of the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) for: (1) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) highway safety programs, and highway safety research and development (R&D) (earmarking amounts for research related to the effects of drugs and driver behavior on highway safety, training of law enforcement officers on motor vehicle pursuits, and educating the motoring public on how to share the road safely with commercial motor vehicles); (2) occupant protection incentive grants; (3) the alcohol-impaired driving countermeasures incentive grant program; (4) State highway safety data grants; and (5) the NDR. Title III: Federal Transit Administration Programs - Federal Transit Act of 1998 - Amends Federal mass transportation law to include among capital projects any transit-related intelligent transportation systems, preventive maintenance, leasing of equipment and facilities, mass transportation improvement that enhances economic development or incorporates private investment, as well as the introduction of new technology and provision of nonfixed route paratransit transportation services. (Sec. 3004) Revises metropolitan planning requirements, including those related to development, process and scope, designation of metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), including metropolitan planning areas, MPO duties, metropolitan transportation improvement program, information publication, and transportation management areas. Requires MPOs to include representatives of public transit users. (Sec. 3007) Changes the capital project block grant program into an urbanized area formula grant program. Repeals authority to finance operating costs generally under the program. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to finance the operating cost of equipment and facilities for use in mass transportation only in an urbanized area with a population of less than 200,000. Changes the interest allowance under the covered cost of advance construction projects from a specified formula to the most favorable financing terms reasonably available, given the applicant's reasonable diligence in seeking them. Declares that one percent of the block grant funds apportioned to urbanized areas of at least 200,000 population shall only be available for transit enhancement activities. (Sec. 3008) Establishes a clean fuels formula grant program for vehicles powered by compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, biodiesel fuels, batteries, alcohol-based fuels, or hybrid electric, fuel cell, clean diesel, or other low or zero emissions technology. Provides for assistance to eligible mass transit entities for projects to: (1) purchase or lease clean fuel buses; (2) construct or lease clean fuel buses or electrical recharging facilities and equipment; (3) improve existing mass transportation facilities to accommodate clean fuel buses; (4) repower pre-1993 engines with clean fuel technology that meets current urban bus emission standards; or (5) retrofit or rebuild pre-1993 engines if before half life to rebuild. Provides for apportionment of funds to eligible entities in specified types of areas with certain conditions. Limits grant amounts for eligible projects in an area with a population of less than one million to $15 million (one million or more to $25 million), or 80 percent of the total cost of such projects. Requires the use of a specified portion of funds for: (1) purchase or construction of hybrid electric or battery-powered buses; (2) facilities specifically designed to service those buses; (3) clean diesel buses; and (4) retrofitting or replacement of bus engines that do not meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) clean air standards. (Sec. 3009) Renames specified discretionary grants and loans as capital investment grants and loans. Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and loans to assist State and local authorities in financing: (1) capital projects to modernize existing fixed guideway systems; and (2) capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. Repeals authority to make such grants and loans for transportation projects that enhance urban economic development or incorporate private investment. Repeals the requirement that the Secretary consider the adverse effect of decreased commuter rail transportation when deciding whether to approve a grant or loan to acquire a rail line and all related facilities: (1) owned by a rail carrier subject to reorganization under the bankruptcy code; and (2) used to provide commuter rail transportation. Revises the criteria for grants and loans for fixed guideway systems. Revises requirements for: (1) letters of intent and full funding agreements; and (2) grant and loan allocations, including bus and bus facility grants. Earmarks out of such allocations amounts for the clean fuels formula grant program and certain capital projects for ferry boat systems in Alaska and Hawaii. Limits to not more than eight percent in each fiscal year the amount of funding under the New Starts program that may be used for fixed guideway system activities other than final design and construction. (Sec. 3010) Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation, in developing regulations or in carrying out any other duty, from considering the dollar value of mobility improvements in evaluating capital projects for new fixed guideway systems and extensions to existing fixed guideway systems. Directs the Comptroller General to study, and the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on, the dollar value of mobility improvements and the relationship of mobility improvements to the overall transportation justification of such systems. (Sec. 3011) Authorizes recipients of mass transportation block grants and capital investment grants and loans, if certain State and local government financial support is given, to use proceeds from the issuance of revenue bonds in meeting the required local share of funding for capital projects. (Sec. 3012) Directs the Secretary to make grants for the study, design, and demonstration of fixed guideway technology and bus technology. Earmarks amounts for such projects in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Massachusetts, California, and for a new Advanced Propulsion Control System in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Sec. 3013) Converts certain existing grant and financial assistance programs to: (1) formula grants and loans for the special needs of elderly individuals and individuals with disabilities; and (2) formula grants for other than urbanized areas. (Sec. 3015) Authorizes the Secretary to make grants and enter into 50 percent cost-sharing contracts, and cooperative and other agreements, with selected consortia to promote the early deployment of innovation in mass transportation services, management, operational practices, or technology that has broad applicability. Authorizes the Secretary to establish an international mass transportation program that: (1) informs the U.S. domestic mass transportation community about technological innovations available in the international marketplace; and (2) affords domestic businesses the opportunity to become globally competitive in the export of mass transportation products and services. Earmarks certain amounts for: (1) the fuel cell powered transit bus program and the intermodal transportation fuel cell bus maintenance facility; and (2) grants for 80 percent of the costs of developing low speed magnetic levitation technology for public transportation in urban areas to demonstrate energy efficiency, congestion mitigation, and safety. (Sec. 3016) Increases mass transportation funding to help mass transit providers comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. (Sec. 3017) Authorizes National Transit Institute programs to include courses in: (1) architectural design; (2) construction management, insurance, and risk management; (3) innovative finance; and (4) workplace safety. (Sec. 3019) Increases from 90 percent to 95 percent the Federal share of a project providing bicycle access to mass transportation. (Sec. 3020) Authorizes the Secretary to allow manufacturers or suppliers of steel, iron, or manufactured goods to correct after bid opening any certification of noncompliance or failure to properly complete a certification (except failure to sign the certification) with respect to Buy American requirements if such manufacturer or supplier attests under penalty of perjury that they submitted an incorrect certification as a result of an inadvertent or clerical error. Declares that the Federal share of costs shall be 90 percent with respect to the acquisition of clean fuel or alternative fuel vehicle- related equipment for purposes of complying with the Clean Air Act. Requires that governmental agencies and nonprofit organizations that receive assistance from Government sources (other than the Department of Transportation (DOT)) for nonemergency transportation services: (1) participate and coordinate with recipients of assistance under Federal mass transit law in the design and delivery of transportation services; and (2) be included in the planning for those services. Authorizes the consolidation into a single document of certain certifications to be submitted to the Secretary. (Sec. 3021) Directs the Secretary to establish, and report to specified congressional committees on, a pilot program to determine the benefits of using funds from the HTF Mass Transit Account for intercity passenger rail. Authorizes Oklahoma to use such funds for capital improvements to, and operating assistance for, intercity passenger rail service. (Sec. 3022) Authorizes a mass transportation grant recipient to award a procurement contract to other than the lowest bidder when the award furthers an objective consistent with grant purposes, including improved long-term operating efficiency and lower long-term costs. (Sec. 3023) Includes among turnkey system projects any project under which a grant recipient enters into a contract with a seller, firm, or consortium of firms to design (as well as, currently, to build) a mass transportation system (or an operable segment) that advances new technologies and lowers capital project costs. Authorizes an urbanized area formula grant recipient procuring an associated capital maintenance item to contract directly with the original manufacturer or supplier of the item to be replaced, without the Secretary of Transportation's prior approval, if the recipient first certifies to the Secretary in writing that: (1) the manufacturer or supplier is the only source for the item; and (2) the item's price is no more than what similar customers pay for it. (Sec. 3024) Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to correct deficiencies identified in compliance reviews and audits of major capital projects with respect to mass transportation. Requires recipients of mass transportation assistance with estimated project total costs of $1 billion or more to submit an annual financial plan to the Secretary. (Sec. 3025) Authorizes the Secretary to collect fees to cover the costs of training or conferences, including costs of promotional materials, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration to promote mass transportation and credit amounts collected to the appropriation concerned. Authorizes the Secretary to allow recipients of mass transportation assistance to sell, transfer,