(a) Technical Assistance and Standards.—

(1) Technical assistance and standards development.—

(A) In general.—The Secretary may make grants and enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements (including agreements with departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government) to carry out activities that the Secretary determines will assist recipients of assistance under this chapter to—

(i) more effectively and efficiently provide public transportation service;

(ii) administer funds received under this chapter in compliance with Federal law; and

(iii) improve public transportation.

(B) Eligible activities.—The activities carried out under subparagraph (A) may include—

(i) technical assistance; and

(ii) the development of voluntary and consensus-based standards and best practices by the public transportation industry, including standards and best practices for safety, fare collection, intelligent transportation systems, accessibility, procurement, security, asset management to maintain a state of good repair, operations, maintenance, vehicle propulsion, communications, and vehicle electronics.

(2) Technical assistance.—The Secretary, through a competitive bid process, may enter into contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements with national nonprofit organizations that have the appropriate demonstrated capacity to provide public-transportation-related technical assistance under this subsection. The Secretary may enter into such contracts, cooperative agreements, and other agreements to assist providers of public transportation to—

(A) comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) through technical assistance, demonstration programs, research, public education, and other activities related to complying with such Act;

(B) comply with human services transportation coordination requirements and to enhance the coordination of Federal resources for human services transportation with those of the Department of Transportation through technical assistance, training, and support services related to complying with such requirements;

(C) meet the transportation needs of elderly individuals;

(D) increase transit ridership in coordination with metropolitan planning organizations and other entities through development around public transportation stations through technical assistance and the development of tools, guidance, and analysis related to market-based development around transit stations;

(E) address transportation equity with regard to the effect that transportation planning, investment, and operations have for low-income and minority individuals;

(F) facilitate best practices to promote bus driver safety;

(G) meet the requirements of sections 5323(j) and 5323(m);

(H) assist with the development and deployment of low or no emission vehicles (as defined in section 5339(c)(1)) or low or no emission vehicle components (as defined in section 5312(h)(1)); and

(I) any other technical assistance activity that the Secretary determines is necessary to advance the interests of public transportation.

(3) Annual report on technical assistance.—Not later than the first Monday in February of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives a report that includes—

(A) a description of each project that received assistance under this subsection during the preceding fiscal year;

(B) an evaluation of the activities carried out by each organization that received assistance under this subsection during the preceding fiscal year;

(C) a proposal for allocations of amounts for assistance under this subsection for the subsequent fiscal year; and

(D) measurable outcomes and impacts of the programs funded under subsections (b) and (c).

(4) Government share of costs.—

(A) In general.—The Government share of the cost of an activity carried out using a grant under this subsection may not exceed 80 percent.

(B) Non-government share.—The non-Government share of the cost of an activity carried out using a grant under this subsection may be derived from in-kind contributions.

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(b) Human Resources and Training.—

(1) In general.—The Secretary may undertake, or make grants and contracts for, programs that address human resource needs as they apply to public transportation activities. A program may include—

(A) an employment training program;

(B) an outreach program to increase employment for veterans, females, individuals with a disability, minorities (including American Indians or Alaska Natives, Asian, Black or African Americans, native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics) in public transportation activities;

(C) research on public transportation personnel and training needs;

(D) training and assistance for veteran and minority business opportunities; and

(E) consensus-based national training standards and certifications in partnership with industry stakeholders.

(2) Innovative public transportation frontline workforce development program.—

(A) In general.—The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to assist the development of innovative activities eligible for assistance under paragraph (1).

(B) Eligible programs.—A program eligible for assistance under paragraph (1) shall—

(i) develop apprenticeships, on-the-job training, and instructional training for public transportation maintenance and operations occupations;

(ii) build local, regional, and statewide public transportation training partnerships with local public transportation operators, labor union organizations, workforce development boards, and State workforce agencies to identify and address workforce skill gaps;

(iii) improve safety, security, and emergency preparedness in local public transportation systems through improved safety culture and workforce communication with first responders and the riding public; and

(iv) address current or projected workforce shortages by developing partnerships with high schools, community colleges, and other community organizations.

(C) Selection of recipients.—To the maximum extent feasible, the Secretary shall select recipients that—

(i) are geographically diverse;

(ii) address the workforce and human resources needs of large public transportation providers;

(iii) address the workforce and human resources needs of small public transportation providers;

(iv) address the workforce and human resources needs of urban public transportation providers;

(v) address the workforce and human resources needs of rural public transportation providers;

(vi) advance training related to maintenance of low or no emission vehicles and facilities used in public transportation;

(vii) target areas with high rates of unemployment;

(viii) advance opportunities for minorities, women, veterans, individuals with disabilities, low-income populations, and other underserved populations; and

(ix) address in-demand industry sector or occupation, as such term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).

(D) Program outcomes.—A recipient of assistance under this subsection shall demonstrate outcomes for any program that includes skills training, on-the-job training, and work-based learning, including—

(i) the impact on reducing public transportation workforce shortages in the area served;

(ii) the diversity of training participants;

(iii) the number of participants obtaining certifications or credentials required for specific types of employment;

(iv) employment outcomes, including job placement, job retention, and wages, using performance metrics established in consultation with the Secretary and the Secretary of Labor and consistent with metrics used by programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.); and

(v) to the extent practical, evidence that the program did not preclude workers who are participating in skills training, on-the-job training, and work-based learning from being referred to, or hired on, projects funded under this chapter without regard to the length of time of their participation in the program.

(E) Report to congress.—The Secretary shall make publicly available a report on the Frontline Workforce Development Program for each fiscal year, not later than December 31 of the calendar year in which that fiscal year ends. The report shall include a detailed description of activities carried out under this paragraph, an evaluation of the program, and policy recommendations to improve program effectiveness.

(3) Government’s share of costs.—The Government share of the cost of a project carried out using a grant under paragraph (1) or (2) shall be 50 percent.

(4) Availability of amounts.—Not more than 0.5 percent of amounts made available to a recipient under sections 5307, 5337, and 5339 is available for expenditures by the recipient, with the approval of the Secretary, to pay not more than 80 percent of the cost of eligible activities under this subsection.

(c) National Transit Institute.—

(1) Establishment.—The Secretary shall establish a national transit institute and award grants to a public 4-year degree-granting institution of higher education, as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), in order to carry out the duties of the institute.

(2) Duties.—

(A) In general.—In cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration, State transportation departments, public transportation authorities, and national and international entities, the institute established under paragraph (1) shall develop and conduct training and educational programs for Federal, State, and local transportation employees, United States citizens, and foreign nationals engaged or to be engaged in Government-aid public transportation work.

(B) Training and educational programs.—The training and educational programs developed under subparagraph (A) may include courses in recent developments, techniques, and procedures related to—

(i) intermodal and public transportation planning;

(ii) management;

(iii) environmental factors;

(iv) acquisition and joint use rights-of-way;

(v) engineering and architectural design;

(vi) procurement strategies for public transportation systems;

(vii) turnkey approaches to delivering public transportation systems;

(viii) new technologies;

(ix) emission reduction technologies;

(x) ways to make public transportation accessible to individuals with disabilities;

(xi) construction, construction management, insurance, and risk management;

(xii) maintenance;

(xiii) contract administration;

(xiv) inspection;

(xv) innovative finance;

(xvi) workplace safety; and

(xvii) public transportation security.

(3) Provision for education and training.—Education and training of Government, State, and local transportation employees under this subsection shall be provided—

(A) by the Secretary at no cost to the States and local governments for subjects that are a Government program responsibility; or

(B) when the education and training are paid under paragraph (4), by the State, with the approval of the Secretary, through grants and contracts with public and private agencies, other institutions, individuals, and the institute.

(4) Availability of amounts.—

(A) In general.—Not more than 0.5 percent of amounts made available to a recipient under sections 5307, 5337, and 5339 is available for expenditures by the recipient, with the approval of the Secretary, to pay not more than 80 percent of the cost of eligible activities under this subsection.

(B) Existing programs.—A recipient may use amounts made available under subparagraph (A) to carry out existing local education and training programs for public transportation employees supported by the Secretary, the Department of Labor, or the Department of Education.