U.S. Code > Title 49 Transportation > SUBTITLE III—GENERAL AND INTERMODAL PROGRAMS (§§ 5101—6109) > CHAPTER 53—PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION (§§ 5301—5340) > § 5315. National transit institute

§ 5315. National transit institute

(a) Establishment.— The Secretary shall award grants to Rutgers University to conduct a national transit institute.
(b) Duties.—
(1) In general.— In cooperation with the Federal Transit Administration, State transportation departments, public transportation authorities, and national and international entities, the institute established under subsection (a) 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.
(2) Training and educational programs.— The training and educational programs developed under paragraph (1) may include courses in recent developments, techniques, and procedures related to—
(A) intermodal and public transportation planning;
(B) management;
(C) environmental factors;
(D) acquisition and joint use rights-of-way;
(E) engineering and architectural design;
(F) procurement strategies for public transportation systems;
(G) turnkey approaches to delivering public transportation systems;
(H) new technologies;
(I) emission reduction technologies;
(J) ways to make public transportation accessible to individuals with disabilities;
(K) construction, construction management, insurance, and risk management;
(L) maintenance;
(M) contract administration;
(N) inspection;
(O) innovative finance;
(P) workplace safety; and
(Q) public transportation security.
(c) Providing Education and Training.— Education and training of Government, State, and local transportation employees under this section shall be provided—
(1) by the Secretary at no cost to the States and local governments for subjects that are a Government program responsibility; or
(2) when the education and training are paid under subsection (d) of this section, by the State, with the approval of the Secretary, through grants and contracts with public and private agencies, other institutions, individuals, and the institute.
(d) Availability of Amounts.— Not more than .5 percent of the amounts made available for a fiscal year beginning after September 30, 1991, to a State or public transportation authority in the State to carry out sections 5307 and 5309 of this title is available for expenditure by the State and public transportation authorities in the State, with the approval of the Secretary, to pay not more than 80 percent of the cost of tuition and direct educational expenses related to educating and training State and local transportation employees under this section.