,i #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #fhih ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #ae1 #bjbj,mr4 ,cicilline 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,rodney ,davis of ,illinois1 ,mr4 ,larsen of ,washington1 ,mr4 ,young1 and ,mr4 ,posey7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and ,energy and ,commerce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to encourage the research and use of innovative materials and associated techniques in the construction and preservation of the domestic transportation and water infrastructure system1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,innovative ,materials for ,america's ,growth and ,infrastructure ,newly ,expanded ,act of #bjbj or the ,,imagine ,act4 #b4 ,purposes ,the purposes of this ,act are-- 7#a7 to encourage the research and use of innovative materials1 in concert with traditional materials1 and associated techniques in the construction and preservation of the domestic infrastructure network2 7#b7 to accelerate the deployment and extend the service life1 improve the performance1 and reduce the cost of infrastructure projects2 and 7#c7 to improve the economy1 resilience1 maintainability1 sustainability1 and safety of the domestic infrastructure network4 #c4 ,definition of innovative material ,in this ,act1 the term innovative material1 with respect to an infrastructure project1 includes those materials or combinations and processes for use of materials that enhance the overall service life1 sustainability1 and resiliency of the project or provide ancillary benefits relative to widely adopted state of practice technologies1 as determined by the appropriate ,secretary or agency head4 #d4 ,interagency ,innovative ,materials ,standards ,task ,force 7a7 ,establishment 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology shall establish an ,interagency ,innovative ,materials ,standards ,task ,force 7referred to in this section as the ,task ,force7 composed of the heads of ,federal agencies responsible for significant civil infrastructure projects1 including-- 7,a7 the ,administrator of the ,federal ,highway ,administration2 7,b7 the ,commanding ,general and ,chief of ,engineers of the ,corps of ,engineers2 7,c7 the ,assistant ,secretary of the ,army for ,civil ,works2 and 7,d7 the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 7#b7 ,chairperson ,the ,director of the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology shall serve as ,chairperson of the ,task ,force4 7b7 ,purpose ,the ,task ,force shall coordinate and improve1 with respect to infrastructure construction1 retrofitting1 rehabilitation1 and other improvements-- 7#a7 ,federal testing standards2 7#b7 ,federal design and use guidelines2 7#c7 ,federal regulations2 and 7#d7 other applicable standards4 7c7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #ah months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,task ,force shall conduct1 and submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress a report that describes the results of1 a study-- 7,a7 to assess the standards for the use of innovative materials in infrastructure projects2 7,b7 to identify any barriers1 regulatory or otherwise1 relating to the standards described in subparagraph 7,a7 that preclude the use of certain products or associated techniques2 and 7,c7 to identify opportunities for the development of standardized designs that use innovative materials to reduce costs1 improve performance1 and extend the service life of infrastructure assets4 7#b7 ,report ,the report under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 identify any non-,federal entities or other organizations1 including the ,american ,association of ,state ,highway and ,transportation ,officials1 that develop relevant standards2 and 7,b7 outline a strategy to improve coordination and information sharing between the entities described in subparagraph 7,a7 and any relevant ,federal agencies4 7d7 ,improved coordination ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,task ,force shall collaborate with any non-,federal entity identified under subsection 7c77#b77;,a7-- 7#a7 to identify and carry out appropriate research1 testing methods1 and processes relating to the development and use of innovative materials2 7#b7 to develop new methods and processes relating to the development and use of innovative materials1 as the applicable agency head determines to be necessary2 7#c7 to contribute to the development of standards and guidelines for the use of innovative materials and approaches in civil infrastructure projects2 7#d7 to develop a plan for addressing potential barriers1 regulatory or otherwise1 identified in subsection 7c77#a77;,b72 and 7#e7 to develop a plan for the development of standardized designs that use innovative materials to reduce costs1 improve performance1 and extend the service life of infrastructure assets4 #e4 ,innovative material innovation hubs 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,hub ,the term ,hub means an ,innovative ,material ,innovation ,hub established under this section4 7#b7 ,qualifying entity ,the term qualifying entity means-- 7,a7 an institution of higher education 7as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a7772 7,b7 an appropriate ,federal or ,state entity1 including a federally funded research and development center of the ,department of ,transportation2 7,c7 a university transportation center under section #eeje of title #di1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,d7 an ,innovative ,material ,innovation ,hub in existence on the date of enactment of this ,act2 and 7,e7 any other relevant entity the ,secretary determines to be appropriate4 7#c7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,transportation4 7b7 ,authorization of program 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall carry out a program to enhance the development of innovative materials in the ,united ,states by making awards to consortia for establishing and operating new ,hubs1 to be known as ,innovative ,material ,innovation ,hubs1 to conduct and support multidisciplinary1 collaborative research1 development1 demonstration1 standardized design development1 and commercial application of innovative materials4 7#b7 ,location of ,hubs ,to the extent practicable1 each ,hub shall be located at #a centralized location4 7#c7 ,technology development focus ,the ,secretary shall designate for each new ,hub a unique innovative material focus1 such as material development1 infrastructure applications1 and other focus areas identified by the ,secretary4 7#d7 ,coordination ,the ,secretary shall ensure the coordination of1 and avoid unnecessary duplication of1 the activities of each ,hub with the activities of-- 7,a7 other research entities of the ,department of ,transportation1 including the ,federal ,highway ,administration2 7,b7 the ,national ,laboratories 7as defined in section #b of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aehja772 7,c7 the ,corps of ,engineers2 7,d7 the ,environmental ,protection ,agency2 7,e7 the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency2 7,f7 the ,national ,institute of ,standards and ,technology2 7,g7 the ,department of ,defense2 7,h7 an industry consortium meeting the requirements under subsection 7c77#a72 and 7,i7 any other ,federal agencies or industry consortia conducting substantially similar work4 7c7 ,application process 7#a7 ,eligibility ,to be eligible to receive an award for the establishment and operation of a ,hub under subsection 7b77#a71 a consortium shall-- 7,a7 be composed of not fewer than #b qualifying entities2 7,b7 operate subject to a binding agreement1 entered into by each member of the consortium1 that documents-- 7i7 the proposed partnership agreement1 including the governance and management structure of the ,hub2 7ii7 measures the consortium will undertake to enable cost-effective implementation of activities under the program described in subsection 7b77#a72 and 7iii7 a proposed budget1 including financial contributions from non-,federal sources2 and 7,c7 operate as a nonprofit organization4 7#b7 ,application 7,a7 ,in general ,a consortium seeking to establish and operate a ,hub under subsection 7b77#a7 shall submit to the ,secretary an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,secretary may require1 including a detailed description of-- 7i7 each element of the consortium agreement required under paragraph 7#a77;,b72 and 7ii7 any existing facilities the consortium intends to provide for ,hub activities4 7,b7 ,requirement ,if the consortium members will not be located at #a centralized location1 the application under subparagraph 7,a7 shall include a communications plan that ensures close coordination and integration of ,hub activities4 7#c7 ,selection 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall select consortia for awards for the establishment and operation of ,hubs through a competitive selection process4 7,b7 ,considerations ,in selecting consortia under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall consider-- 7i7 the information disclosed by the consortium under this subsection2 7ii7 any existing facilities a consortium will provide for ,hub activities2 and 7iii7 maintaining regional variety in locations of selected ,hubs4 7d7 ,term ,an award made to a ,hub under this section shall be for a period of not more than #e years1 subject to the availability of appropriations1 after which the award may be renewed1 subject to a rigorous merit review4 7e7 ,hub ,operations 7#a7 ,in general ,each ,hub shall conduct or provide for multidisciplinary1 collaborative research1 development1 demonstration1 and commercial application of innovative materials within the technology development focus designated under subsection 7b77#c74 7#b7 ,activities ,each ,hub shall-- 7,a7 encourage collaboration and communication among the member qualifying entities of the consortium as described in subsection 7c77#a7 and awardees2 7,b7 develop and publish proposed plans and programs on a publicly accessible website2 7,c7 submit to the ,department of ,transportation an annual report summarizing the activities of the ,hub1 including information-- 7i7 detailing organizational expenditures2 and 7ii7 describing each project undertaken by the ,hub2 and 7,d7 monitor project implementation and coordination4 7#c7 ,conflicts of ,interest ,each ,hub shall maintain conflict of interest procedures1 consistent with the conflict of interest procedures of the ,department of ,transportation4 7#d7 ,prohibition on construction 7,a7 ,in general ,except as provided in subparagraph 7,b7-- 7i7 no funds provided under this section may be used for construction of new buildings or facilities for ,hubs2 and 7ii7 construction of new buildings or facilities shall not be considered as part of the non-,federal share of a ,hub cost-sharing agreement4 7,b7 ,test bed and renovation exception ,nothing in this paragraph prohibits the use of funds provided under this section or non-,federal cost share funds for the construction of a test bed or renovations to existing buildings or facilities for the purposes of research if the ,secretary determines that the test bed or renovations are limited to a scope and scale necessary for the research to be conducted4 #f4 ,turner-,fairbank ,highway ,research ,center ,section #ejc7;b77#g7 of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code1 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7,c7 ,innovative materials 7i7 ,definition of innovative material ,in this subparagraph1 the term innovative material1 with respect to an infrastructure project1 includes high performance asphalt mixtures and concrete formulations1 geosynthetic materials1 advanced insulating materials1 advanced alloys and metals1 reinforced polymer composites1 advanced polymers1 nanocellulose and wood-based composites1 coatings1 highly functional adhesives1 or other corrosion prevention methods used in conjunction with those materials1 and any other material or aggregate materials1 as determined by the appropriate agency or department head4 7ii7 ,collaboration with ,states and ,tribes ,the ,secretary shall expand the capacity of the ,turner-,fairbank ,highway ,research ,center to collaborate with relevant ,state and ,tribal agencies-- 7,i7 with respect to the use of innovative materials in construction projects carried out by the ,state and ,tribal agencies2 and 7,,ii7 to understand and identify-- 7aa7 the needs of the ,state and ,tribal agencies2 and 7bb7 innovative materials that may be further researched1 developed1 and used to meet those needs4 7iii7 ,activities ,the collaboration described in clause 7ii7 may include-- 7,i7 the development of new training for ,state and ,tribal agencies2 and 7,,ii7 the expansion of technical training that involves ,state or ,tribal departments of transportation in the development of new construction designs for innovative materials at the ,turner-,fairbank ,highway ,research ,center4 7iv7 ,priority research ,the ,turner-,fairbank ,highway ,research ,center shall prioritize research relating to-- 7,i7 the use of innovative materials in-- 7aa7 bridges with a span equal to or greater than #ej feet2 7bb7 highway reconstruction and rehabilitation2 and 7cc7 rural road infrastructure2 7,,ii7 the development of standardized designs using innovative materials2 and 7,,iii7 coastal resiliency4 7v7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subparagraph #h1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4 4 #g4 ,innovative ,bridge ,program 7a7 ,definition of ,administrator ,in this section1 the term ,administrator means the ,administrator of the ,federal ,highway ,administration4 7b7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator shall establish a grant program1 to be known as the ,innovative ,bridge ,program1 to provide grants to ,state departments of transportation1 ,tribal governments1 or units of local government for coastal and rural infrastructure bridge projects4 7c7 ,applications ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7b71 a ,state department of transportation or unit of ,tribal or local government shall submit to the ,administrator an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,administrator may require4 7d7 ,eligible projects ,to be eligible to receive a grant under subsection 7b7 or 7g71 a coastal or rural infrastructure bridge project or a value engineering project shall-- 7#a7 be for the purpose of construction1 preservation1 rehabilitation1 or reconstruction of a bridge with a span equal to or greater than #ej feet2 7#b7 be carried out in a manner so as to reduce traffic impact2 7#c7 use innovative materials that-- 7,a7 are resistant to corrosion2 and 7,b7 extend the service life of the bridge2 and 7#d7 reduce preservation costs1 as compared to conventionally designed and constructed bridges4 7e7 ,preferences ,in providing grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall give preference to proposed projects that-- 7#a7 use materials that are domestically produced and sourced2 7#b7 use nontraditional production techniques1 such as factory prefabrication2 and 7#c7 retrofit a bridge4 7f7 ,special consideration for at-,risk areas ,in providing grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall give special consideration to projects located in rural areas or areas prone to coastal or inland flooding due to severe storms 7such as hurricanes or rain bursts71 storm surges1 or projected sea level rise during the projected lifetime of the project4 7g7 ,value engineering using innovative materials ,of the amounts made available to carry out this section1 the ,administrator shall set aside #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd to provide funding to #a or more ,state departments of transportation or units of ,tribal or local government that submit to the ,administrator an application to carry out value engineering of a standard bridge design to enhance the performance of the bridge 7including extending the service life of the bridge1 increasing resistance to corrosion1 and reducing construction and preservation costs7 through the use of innovative materials4 7h7 ,recordkeeping2 reports 7#a7 ,recordkeeping ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall develop a project recordkeeping system that maintains comprehensive1 current1 and accurate information on each grant provided under this section4 7#b7 ,reports ,not later than #b years after the development of the recordkeeping system described in paragraph 7#a71 and every #b years thereafter1 the ,administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress1 including the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate1 and make publicly available a report describing1 with respect to each project that receives a grant under this section-- 7,a7 the status of the project2 7,b7 the location of the project2 7,c7 for each bridge in the project1 the inventory number of the bridge in the ,national ,bridge ,inventory pursuant to section #add of title #bc1 ,united ,states ,code2 7,d7 a detailed description of the scope of the project2 7,e7 the amount of project costs paid by funds provided under this section and the total project costs2 7,f7 for each bridge involved in the project1 the bridge condition1 operations1 and performance of the bridge2 and 7,g7 in every third report submitted under this paragraph1 the results of the regular monitoring and evaluation of the maintenance demands1 projects1 needs1 and costs of each bridge in the project during the previous #f years4 7i7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,administrator to carry out this section #fe1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4 #h4 ,water ,infrastructure ,innovation ,program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,administrator of the ,environmental ,protection ,agency 7referred to in this section as the ,administrator7 shall establish a grant program1 to be known as the ,water ,infrastructure ,innovation ,program1 to provide grants for the design and installation of water infrastructure projects1 including wastewater transport and treatment systems and drinking water treatment and distribution systems1 that use innovative materials to reduce total costs1 including operation and preservation expenses1 and extend the service life of installed structures4 7b7 ,applications ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 an applicant shall submit to the ,administrator an application at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,administrator may require4 7c7 ,eligible projects ,to be eligible to receive a grant under this section1 a water infrastructure project shall-- 7#a7 serve a community with a population between #c1cja and #ii1iii2 and 7#b7 use innovative materials that-- 7,a7 are resistant to degradation2 7,b7 extend service life2 or 7,c7 provide long-term protection of water facilities and systems4 7d7 ,preference ,in providing grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall give preference to proposed projects that use materials that are domestically produced and sourced4 7e7 ,special consideration for at-,risk areas ,in providing grants under this section1 the ,administrator shall give special consideration to projects located in areas that are prone to saltwater intrusion or flooding due to severe storms1 rain bursts1 storm surges1 or projected sea level rise during the projected lifetime of the project4 7f7 ,recordkeeping2 reports 7#a7 ,recordkeeping ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator shall develop a project recordkeeping system that maintains comprehensive1 current1 and accurate information on each grant provided under this section4 7#b7 ,reports ,not later than #b years after the development of the recordkeeping system described in paragraph 7#a71 and every #b years thereafter1 the ,administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of ,congress1 including the ,committee on ,environment and ,public ,works of the ,senate1 and make publicly available a report describing1 with respect to each project that receives a grant under this section-- 7,a7 the status of the project2 7,b7 the location of the project2 7,c7 a detailed description of the scope of the project2 7,d7 the amount of project costs paid by funds provided under this section and the total project costs2 7,e7 the condition1 operations1 and performance of the project2 and 7,f7 in every third report submitted under this paragraph1 the results of the regular monitoring and evaluation of the maintenance demands1 projects1 needs1 and costs of the project during the previous #f years4 7g7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,administrator to carry out this section #fe1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjbd4