Union Calendar No. 357
117th CONGRESS 2d Session |
[Report No. 117–460]
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other purposes.
September 21, 2021
Mr. Stanton (for himself and Mr. Graves of Louisiana) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
September 13, 2022
Additional sponsors: Ms. Brownley, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Rodney Davis of Illinois, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Titus, Mr. Payne, Ms. Davids of Kansas, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Wilson of Florida, and Miss González-Colón
September 13, 2022
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on September 21, 2021]
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SEC. 2. Drone infrastructure inspection grant program.
(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a drone infrastructure inspection grant program to make grants to governmental entities to facilitate the use of eligible small unmanned aircraft systems to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker and community safety, reduce carbon emissions, or meet other priorities (as determined by the Secretary) related to critical infrastructure projects.
(b) Use of grant amounts.—A governmental entity may use a grant provided under this section to—
(2) support operational capabilities of eligible small unmanned aircraft systems by the governmental entity;
(c) Eligibility.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a governmental entity shall submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in such form, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including an assurance that the governmental entity or its contractor will comply with relevant federal regulations.
(d) Selection of applicants.—In selecting an applicant for a grant under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize projects that propose to—
(e) Limitation.—Nothing in this section shall be construed as to interfere with an agreement between a governmental entity and a labor union.
(f) Report to congress.—Not later than 1 year after the first grant is provided under this section, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report that evaluates the program carried out under this section, including—
(g) Funding.—
(1) FEDERAL SHARE.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the Federal share of the cost of a project carried out using a grant under this section shall not exceed 80 percent of the total project cost.
SEC. 3. Drone education and workforce training grant program.
(a) Authority.—The Secretary of Transportation shall establish a drone education and training grant program to make grants to educational institutions for workforce training for eligible small unmanned aircraft system technology.
(b) Use of grant amounts.—Amounts from a grant under this section shall be used in furtherance of activities authorized under sections 631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
In this Act:
(1) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term “critical infrastructure” has the meaning given such term in section 1016(e) of the Critical Infrastructures Protection Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)).
(2) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT.—The term “critical infrastructure project” means a project for the inspection, operation, maintenance, repair, modernization, or construction of an element of critical infrastructure, including mitigating environmental hazards to such infrastructure.
(3) COVERED FOREIGN ENTITY.—The term “covered foreign entity” means an entity—
(A) included on the Consolidated Screening List or Entity List as designated by the Secretary of Commerce;
(4) EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION.—The term “educational institution” means an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that participates in a program authorized under sections 631 and 632 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (49 U.S.C. 40101 note).
(5) ELEMENT OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term “element of critical infrastructure” means a critical infrastructure facility or asset, including public bridges, tunnels, roads, highways, dams, electric grid, water infrastructure, communication systems, pipelines, or other related facilities or assets, as defined by the Secretary.
(6) ELIGIBLE SMALL UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM.—The term “eligible small unmanned aircraft system” means a small unmanned aircraft system manufactured or assembled by a company that is domiciled in the United States and is not a covered foreign entity.
Union Calendar No. 357 | |||||
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[Report No. 117–460] | |||||
A BILL | |||||
To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish in the Department of Transportation a drone infrastructure inspection grant program and a drone education and training grant program, and for other purposes. | |||||
September 13, 2022 | |||||
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed |