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House Passed Act

Congressional Record-House
August 17, 1966, 19673

"TITLE III-ACCIDENT AND INJURY RESEARCH
AND TEST FACILITY

"SEC. 301. The Secretary of Commerce is
hereby authorized to make a complete in-
vestigation and study of the need for a facil-
ity or facilities to conduct research, develop-
ment, and testing in tramc safety (including
but not limited to motor vehicle and high-
way safety) authorized by law, and research,
development, and testing relating to the
safety of agricultural machinery used on
highways or in connection with the mainte-
nance of highways (with particular emphasis
on tractor safety) as he deems appropriate
and necessary.

"BEC. 302. The Secretary shall report the results of his investigation and study to Congress not later than December 31, 1967. Such report shall include but not be limited to (1) an inventory of existing capabilities, equip

ment, and facilities, either publicly or privately owned or operated, which could be made available for use by the Secretary in carrying out the safety research, development, and testing referred to in section 301, (2) recommendations as to the site or sites for any recommended facility or facilities, (3) preliminary plans, specifications, and drawings for such recommended facility or facilities (including major research, development, and testing equipment), and (4) the estimated cost of the recommended sites, facilities, and equipment.

"SEC. 303. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $3,000,000 for the investigation, study, and report authorized by this title. Any funds so appropriated shall remain available until expended.

19635

House Debate

Congressional Record-House
August 17, 1966, 19634 and 19635

Mr. TAYLOR.

Mr. Chairman, does the bill give the Secretary authority to standardize operation control equipment on different kinds of new automobiles if safety performance is affected?

Mr. MACKAY. Yes, it does. The gentleman from Florida [Mr. ROGERS] presented an excellent amendment to provide an advisory council that will bring in all the interested parties-State and local officials, automotive industry and equipment people-to participate in the formulation of those standards.

Mr. TAYLOR. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield further?

Mr. MACKAY. I yield to the gentleman from North Carolina.

Mr. TAYLOR. For instance, I drive a car made by General Motors. My wife drives a car made by Ford Motor Co. The gearshift on one is just the opposite from the other. It is difficult for me to drive her car in traffic when quick, automatic action is needed. The differences in gearshifts add to the hazards of driving and could cause an accident. I

am of the opinion that operating features on new cars, such as gearshifts, should be standardized.

Mr. MACKAY. I thank the gentleman from North Carolina. That is a good illustration of the type of safety hazard we are trying to get at.

........

Mr. MACKAY. I thank the gentleman from California. Recognition is also due Senator Speno of New York and former Congressman Kenneth Roberts of Alabama for their contributions.

I believe we can see that the argument has been won that the time has arrived when national safety performance standards should be established and enforced. No one is seriously contending that in respect to standards for motor vehicle safety that we can function at any level effectively other than the national level.

Second, a new Federal role is our provision for comprehensive research. The great scandal revealed by our committee is that the Government has failed to collect the data needed and on which

we can base judgments as to the causes of deaths, accidents, and injuries. Congress shares the blame because we have not heretofore explicitly assigned this responsibility to any department.

We know that one of the first results will be this: We are going to begin vigorous comprehensive research so that we can make our counterattack at the right points.

House Committee Report

House Report 1776, Pages 33 and 34

Title III-Accident and Injury Research and Test Facility Section 301 of the reported bill authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make a complete investigation and study of the need for a facility or facilities to conduct research, development, and testing in traffic safety, including but not limited to motor vehicle and highway safety, authorized by law, and research, development, and testing relating to the safety of agricultural machinery used on highways or in connection with the maintenance of highways (with particular emphasis on tractor safety) as he deems appropriate and necessary.

Section 302 requires the Secretary to report the results of this 34 study to Congress by December 31, 1967. This report is required to include (1) an inventory of existing capabilities, equipment, and facilities which could be used by the Secretary in carrying out this research, development, and testing; (2) recommendations for sites; (3) preliminary plans, specifications, and drawings; and (4) estimated cost of the recommended sites, facilities, and equipment.

Section 303 authorizes the appropriation of not to exceed $3 million for this investigation, study, and report.

The introduced bill included both an authorization of $3 million for planning and unlimited authorization for the construction of research and test facilities. The committee has limited this title to a planning program. It does not question that facilities in addition to those in existence may be needed but it does believe that both public and private existing facilities should first be considered. The provisions of this title will allow a full investigation and report and evaluation by both the Secretary and Congress before entering into a new construction program.

Senate Passed Act

Congressional Record-Senate
June 24, 1966, 14260

TITLE TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND INJURY RE-
SEARCH AND TEST FACILITY

Authorization for research and testing
facility

SEC. 201. The Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized, acting independently or in cooperation with other Federal departments or agencies, to plan, design, construct, acquire, maintain, and operate a facility or facilities, within the District of Columbia or elsewhere, in which to conduct so much of the research, development, testing and evaluation provided for by this Act, and other research, development, and testing in traffic safety authorized by law, as he may deem appropriate and necessary.

Planning appropriations authorized

SEC. 202. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $2,000,000 for the planning of the facility or facilities authorized by section 201 of this Act, including necessary feasibility studies.

Limitations on appropriations for con-
struction

SEO. 203. (a) No appropriation shall be made to construct, acquire, or alter any facility pursuant to section 201 involving an expenditure in excess of $100,000 if such construction, acquisition, or alteration has not been approved by resolutions adopted by the Committee on Commerce of the Senate and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives, and such approval has not been rescinded as provided in subsection (c) of this section. For the purpose of securing consideration of such approval, the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a prospectus of the proposed project, including (but not limited to)—

(1) a brief description of the building or facility to be constructed, acquired, or altered under this title;

(2) the location of the project, and an estimate of the maximum cost of the project;

(3) statement by the Secretary that suitable space owned by the Government le not available and that suitable facilities are not available for acquisition or on a fee or rental basis at a price commensurate with that to be afforded through the proposed action; and

(4) a statement by the Secretary of the number of persons expected to be employed at the building or facility and an estimate of its annual operating cost.

(b) The estimated maximum cost of any project approved under this section as set forth in any prospectus may be increased by an amount equal to the percentage increase, if any, as determined by the Secretary in consultation with the Administrator of the General Services Administration, in construction, production, or alteration costs, as the case may be, from the date of transmittal of such prospectus to Congress, but in no event shall the increase authorized by this subsection exceed 10 per centum of such estimated maximum costs.

(c) In the case of any project approved for construction, acquisition, or alteration by the Committee on Commerce of the Senate and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives, in accordance with subsection (a) of this section, for which an appropriation has not been made within one year after the date of such approval, either the Committee on Commerce of the Senate or the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives may rescind, by resolution, its approval of such project at any time thereafter before such an appropriation has been made.

Senate Debate

Contains nothing helpful.

Senate Committee Report

Senate Report 1301, Pages 16, 17 and 18

TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND INJURY RESEARCH AND TEST FACILITY

The Federal Government does not presently have an adequate research capability to meet the responsibilities which it would assume under this act. Its capability is inadequate both with respect to research facilities capable of single types of tests or test on single components, as in the National Bureau of Standards, or Department of Defense test tracks for military purposes, there is no test track where Federal scientists and engineers can make even the most elementary operational tests on vehicles, let alone conduct full-scale research on motor vehicles and the highway from a safety point of view. The Bureau of Public Roads has been forced to resort to testing on sections of highways and airport landing strips before these were open for public use.

In testing automobile odometers recently, the National Bureau of Standards had to use the public highways. There is no Federal facility or laboratory equipped and capable of testing the interaction of the vehicle interior and interior equipment with the occupants or a vehicle in the investigation of the "second collision," the impact of the occupant with the vehicle.

Test facilities in industry are considerable, but are used primarily in connection with product development in which vehicle and passenger safety is only one of the elements considered. Results are proprietary and, for competitive reasons, are not generally available. Furthermore, manufacturers' facilities hardly seem the appropriate place for the Government to conduct its research and testing on vehicle safety performance standards as well as other aspects of highway safety.

Laboratory facilities are needed where the Government itself can conduct systematic scientific research and evaluation of all safety performance characteristics of motor vehicles and motor vehicle components. The facilities must be suitably equipped and staffed to evaluate standards already in effect, as well as proposed deletions, changes, or additions of wholly new standards. Facilities are required to carry out these responsibilities.

In addition to research, development, and testing related to motor vehicle performance standards, these laboratory facilities are needed for studying improved geometric design of highways for increased safety, improved paving materials that reduce dangerous skidding especially in winter driving, better traffic control devices that reduce the chance of accident-producing driver errors, improved highway lighting for increasing night visibility, and finally the wide range of problems associated with driver performance and skills. Clearly, proper performance standards for vehicles and design criteria for the highway network can only be realized by taking into account the physical and psychological capabilities of drivers.

In short, some type of Federal facility is needed where the Government can conduct systematic controlled research, development, and test activities related to all aspects of traffic safety. Title II would authorize a study of the needed facility or facilities and the planning, designing, and construction of such facilities. It would authorize appropriations of $3 million from the highway trust fund for planning 17 and feasibility studies, and so much as is needed for construction subject to later congressional approval of appropriations requested. For the traffic accident and injury research and test facility authorized by title II, the committee bill would authorize $2 million for planning, including necessary feasibility studies. Before any appropriation can be made for construction of the facility in excess of $100,000, the Secretary must submit a prospectus of the proposed project to Congress and obtain approving resolutions from the Committee on Commerce of the Senate and the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce of the House of Representatives.

Executive Communications

Contains nothing helpful.

As Introduced

As H.R. 13228 in the House and S. 3005 in the Senate:

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TITLE II-TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AND INJURY

RESEARCH AND TEST FACILITY

SEC. 201. The Secretary of Transportation is hereby 4 authorized, acting independently or in cooperation with 5 other Federal departments or agencies, to plan, design, con6 struct, maintain, and operate a facility or facilities, within the 7 District of Columbia or elsewhere, in which to conduct so 8 much of the research, development, and testing provided for 9 by this Act, and other research, development, and testing in 10 traffic safety authorized by law, as he may deem appropriate

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