Vision 100 Aviation Reauthorization Act

VISION 100 – CENTURY OF AVIATION REAUTHORIZATION ACT
PUBLIC LAW 108-176
SEC. 709. <> AIR TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM JOINT
PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE.
(a) Establishment.--(1) The Secretary of Transportation shall
establish in the Federal Aviation Administration a joint planning and
development office to manage work related to the Next Generation Air
Transportation System. The office shall be known as the Next Generation
Air Transportation System Joint Planning and Development Office (in
this
section referred to as the ``Office'').
(2) The responsibilities of the Office shall include-(A) creating and carrying out an integrated plan for a Next
Generation Air Transportation System pursuant to subsection
(b);
(B) overseeing research and development on that system;
(C) creating a transition plan for the implementation of
that system;
(D) coordinating aviation and aeronautics research programs
to achieve the goal of more effective and directed programs
that
will result in applicable research;
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(E) coordinating goals and priorities and coordinating
research activities within the Federal Government with United
States aviation and aeronautical firms;
(F) coordinating the development and utilization of new
technologies to ensure that when available, they may be used to
their fullest potential in aircraft and in the air traffic
control system;
(G) facilitating the transfer of technology from research
programs such as the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration program and the Department of Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency program to Federal agencies with
operational responsibilities and to the private sector; and
(H) reviewing activities relating to noise, emissions, fuel
consumption, and safety conducted by Federal agencies,
including
the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, the Department of Commerce, and the
Department of Defense.
(3) The Office shall operate in conjunction with relevant programs
in the Department of Defense, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the Department of Commerce and the Department of
Homeland Security. The Secretary of Transportation may request
assistance from staff from those Departments and other Federal
agencies.
(4) In developing and carrying out its plans, the Office shall
consult with the public and ensure the participation of experts from
the
private sector including representatives of commercial aviation,
general

aviation, aviation labor groups, aviation research and development
entities, aircraft and air traffic control suppliers, and the space
industry.
(b) Integrated Plan.--The integrated plan shall be designed to
ensure that the Next Generation Air Transportation System meets air
transportation safety, security, mobility, efficiency, and capacity
needs beyond those currently included in the Federal Aviation
Administration's operational evolution plan and accomplishes the goals
under subsection (c). The integrated plan shall include-(1) a national vision statement for an air transportation
system capable of meeting potential air traffic demand by 2025;
(2) a description of the demand and the performance
characteristics that will be required of the Nation's future
air
transportation system, and an explanation of how those
characteristics were derived, including the national goals,
objectives, and policies the system is designed to further, and
the underlying socioeconomic determinants, and associated
models
and analyses;
(3) a multiagency research and development roadmap for
creating the Next Generation Air Transportation System with the
characteristics outlined under clause (ii), including-(A) the most significant technical obstacles and
the
research and development activities necessary to
overcome them, including for each project, the role of
each Federal agency, corporations, and universities;
(B) the annual anticipated cost of carrying out the
research and development activities; and
(C) the technical milestones that will be used to
evaluate the activities; and
(4) a description of the operational concepts to meet the
system performance requirements for all system users and a
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timeline and anticipated expenditures needed to develop and
deploy the system to meet the vision for 2025.
(c) Goals.--The Next Generation Air Transportation System shall-(1) improve the level of safety, security, efficiency,
quality, and affordability of the National Airspace System and
aviation services;
(2) take advantage of data from emerging ground-based and
space-based communications, navigation, and surveillance
technologies;
(3) integrate data streams from multiple agencies and
sources to enable situational awareness and seamless global
operations for all appropriate users of the system, including
users responsible for civil aviation, homeland security, and
national security;
(4) leverage investments in civil aviation, homeland
security, and national security and build upon current air
traffic management and infrastructure initiatives to meet
system
performance requirements for all system users;

(5) be scalable to accommodate and encourage substantial
growth in domestic and international transportation and
anticipate and accommodate continuing technology upgrades and
advances;
(6) accommodate a wide range of aircraft operations,
including airlines, air taxis, helicopters, general aviation,
and unmanned aerial vehicles; and
(7) take into consideration, to the greatest extent
practicable, design of airport approach and departure flight
paths to reduce exposure of noise and emissions pollution on
affected residents.
(d) Reports.--The <> Administrator of the Federal
Aviation Administration shall transmit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation in the Senate and the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure and the Committee on Science in the
House of Representatives-(1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, the integrated plan required in subsection (b); and
(2) annually at the time of the President's budget request,
a report describing the progress in carrying out the plan
required under subsection (b) and any changes to that plan.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Office $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2004
through 2010.
SEC. 710. <> NEXT GENERATION AIR
TRANSPORTATION SENIOR POLICY COMMITTEE.
(a) In General.--The <> Secretary of
Transportation shall establish a senior policy committee to work with
the Next Generation Air Transportation System Joint Planning and
Development Office. The senior policy committee shall be chaired by the
Secretary.
(b) Membership.--In addition to the Secretary, the senior policy
committee shall be composed of-(1) the Administrator of the Federal Aviation
Administration
(or the Administrator's designee);
(2) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (or the Administrator's designee);
(3) the Secretary of Defense (or the Secretary's designee);
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(4) the Secretary of Homeland Security (or the Secretary's
designee);
(5) the Secretary of Commerce (or the Secretary's
designee);
(6) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (or the Director's designee); and
(7) designees from other Federal agencies determined by the
Secretary of Transportation to have an important interest in,
or

responsibility for, other aspects of the system.
(c) Function.--The senior policy committee shall-(1) advise the Secretary of Transportation regarding the
national goals and strategic objectives for the transformation
of the Nation's air transportation system to meet its future
needs;
(2) provide policy guidance for the integrated plan for the
air transportation system to be developed by the Next
Generation
Air Transportation System Joint Planning and Development
Office;
(3) provide ongoing policy review for the transformation of
the air transportation system;
(4) identify resource needs and make recommendations to
their respective agencies for necessary funding for planning,
research, and development activities; and
(5) make legislative recommendations, as appropriate, for
the future air transportation system.
(d) Consultation.--In carrying out its functions under this
section,
the senior policy committee shall consult with, and ensure
participation
by, the private sector (including representatives of general aviation,
commercial aviation, aviation labor, and the space industry), members
of
the public, and other interested parties and may do so through a
special
advisory committee composed of such representatives.