Title 49 — Transportation
Part A · Chapter 445 — Facilities, Personnel, and Research
§ 44508. Research advisory committee
Statutory text
Establishment and Duties.—
There is a research advisory committee in the Federal Aviation Administration. The committee shall—
provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and Congress about needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of all aviation research and development activities and programs carried out, including those under sections 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title;
assist in ensuring that the research is coordinated with similar research being conducted outside the Administration;
review the operations of the regional centers of air transportation excellence established under section 44513 of this title; and
annually review the allocation made by the Administrator of the amounts authorized by section 48102(a) of this title among the major categories of research and development activities carried out by the Administration and provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on whether such allocation is appropriate to meet the needs and objectives identified under subparagraph (A).
The Administrator may establish subordinate committees to provide advice on specific areas of research conducted under sections 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title.
Members, Chairman, Pay, and Expenses.—
The committee is composed of not more than 30 members appointed by the Administrator from among individuals who are not employees of the Administration and who are specially qualified to serve on the committee because of their education, training, or experience. In appointing members of the committee, the Administrator shall ensure that the regional centers of air transportation excellence, universities, corporations, associations, consumers, and other departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the United States Government are represented.
The Administrator shall designate the chairman of the committee.
A member of the committee serves without pay. However, the Administrator may allow a member, when attending meetings of the committee or a subordinate committee, expenses as authorized under section 5703 of title 5.
Support Staff, Information, and Services.—
The Administrator shall provide support staff for the committee. On request of the committee, the Administrator shall provide information, administrative services, and supplies that the Administrator considers necessary for the committee to carry out its duties and powers.
Nonapplication.—
Section 1013 of title 5 does not apply to the committee.
Use and Limitation of Amounts.—
Not more than .1 percent of the amounts made available to conduct research under sections 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title may be used by the Administrator to carry out this section.
A limitation on amounts available for obligation by or for the committee does not apply to amounts made available to carry out this section.
Written Reply.—
In general.—
Not later than 60 days after receiving any recommendation from the research advisory committee, the Administrator shall provide a written reply to the research advisory committee that, at a minimum—
clearly states whether the Administrator accepts or rejects the recommendation;
explains the rationale for the Administrator’s decision;
sets forth the timeframe in which the Administrator will implement the recommendation; and
describes the steps the Administrator will take to implement the recommendation.
Transparency.—
The written reply to the research advisory committee, when transmitted to the research advisory committee, shall be—
made publicly available on the research advisory committee website; and
transmitted to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
National aviation research plan.—
The national aviation research plan required under section 44501(c) shall include a summary of all research advisory committee recommendations and a description of the status of their implementation.
Legislative history
Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.
Pub. L. 103–272 § 1(e) · 108 Stat. 745
Enacted · 49 U.S.C. § 44508
Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1180
Source evidence
Code source credit
Pub. L. 103–272, § 1(e), July 5, 1994, 108 Stat. 1180Enacted provision · exact public law section
Section 1. subtitles ii, ii, and v-x of title 49, united states code (a) Certain general and permanent laws of the 49 USC prec. 101 note. United States, related to transportation, are revised, codified, and enacted by subsections (c)–(e) of this section without substantive change as subtitles II, III, and V–X of title 49, United States Code, “Transportation”. Those laws may be cited as “49 U.S.C. ________”. (b) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking the table of subtitles at the beginning of the title and substituting the following new table of subtitles: “Subtitle “I. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION “II. OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES “III. GENERAL AND INTERMODAL PROGRAMS “IV. INTERSTATE COMMERCE “V. RAIL PROGRAMS “VI. MOTOR VEHICLE AND DRIVER PROGRAMS “VII. AVIATION PROGRAMS “VIII. PIPELINES “IX. COMMERCIAL SPACE TRANSPORTATION “X. MISCELLANEOUS (c) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking subtitle II, except that chapter 31 (comprising sections 3101–3104) of subtitle II is redesignated and restated as chapter 315 (comprising sections 31501–31504) of subtitle VI of title 49, as enacted by subsection (e) of this section. (d) Title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding the following immediately after subtitle I:FAA Research, Engineering, and Development Management Reform Act of 1996
Pub. L. 104–264 title XI § 1104 · 110 Stat. 3213
Added · 49 U.S.C. § 44508(a)(1)(D)
Pub. L. 104–264 added subpar. (D)
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 104–264 added subpar. (D).Enacted provision · exact public law section
SEC. 1104. RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE. Section 44508(a)(1) is amended— (1) by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (B); (2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (C) and inserting in lieu thereof “; and”; and (3) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following: “(D) annually review the allocation made by the Administrator of the amounts authorized by section 48102(a) of this title among the major categories of research and development activities carried out by the Administration and provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator on whether such allocation is appropriate to meet the needs and objectives identified under subparagraph (A).”.Effective date note
Except as otherwise specifically provided, amendment by Pub. L. 104–264 applicable only to fiscal years beginning after Sept. 30, 1996, and not to be construed as affecting funds made available for a fiscal year ending before Oct. 1, 1996, see section 3 of Pub. L. 104–264, set out as a note under section 106 of this title.FAA Leadership in Groundbreaking High-Tech Research and Development Act
Pub. L. 115–254 § 712(a) · 132 Stat. 3187
Amended · 49 U.S.C. § 44508(a)(1)(A)
Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(a), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration about needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of the aviation research program carried out under sections 40119, 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title;”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(a), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration about needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of the aviation research program carried out under sections 40119, 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title;”.Enacted provision · exact public law section
(a) Advice and Recommendations.— Section 44508(a)(1)(A) of title 49, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “(A) provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration and Congress about needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of all aviation research and development activities and programs carried out, including those under sections 40119, 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title;” .FAA Leadership in Groundbreaking High-Tech Research and Development Act
Pub. L. 115–254 § 712(b) · 132 Stat. 3187
Added · 49 U.S.C. § 44508(f)
Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(b), added subsec. (f)
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(b), added subsec. (f).Enacted provision · exact public law section
(b) Written Reply to Research Advisory Committee.— Section 44508 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: “(f) Written Reply.— “(1) In general.— Not later than 60 days after receiving any recommendation from the research advisory committee, the Administrator shall provide a written reply to the research advisory committee that, at a minimum— “(A) clearly states whether the Administrator accepts or rejects the recommendation; “(B) explains the rationale for the Administrator’s decision; “(C) sets forth the timeframe in which the Administrator will implement the recommendation; and “(D) describes the steps the Administrator will take to implement the recommendation. “(2) Transparency.— The written reply to the research advisory committee, when transmitted to the research advisory committee, shall be— “(A) made publicly available on the research advisory committee website; and “(B) transmitted to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. “(3) National aviation research plan.— The national aviation research plan required under section 44501(c) shall include a summary of all research advisory committee recommendations and a description of the status of their implementation.” .Pub. L. 117–286 § 4(a)(313) · 136 Stat. 4196
Substituted · 49 U.S.C. § 44508(d)
Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “Section 1013 of title 5” for “Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.)”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “Section 1013 of title 5” for “Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.)”.Enacted provision · exact public law section
(313) Section 44508(d) of title 49, United States Code, is amended by striking “Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.)” and inserting “Section 1013 of title 5”.Pub. L. 118–63 title XI § 1101 · 138 Stat. 1414
Struck · 49 U.S.C. § 44508(a)(1)(A); 49 U.S.C. § 44508(a)(1)(2); 49 U.S.C. § 44508(a)(e)(1)
Pub. L. 118–63 struck out “40119,” after “under sections”
Unresolved: Pub. L. 118–63 was not found in the local Statutes at Large index.
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsecs. (a)(1)(A), (2), (e)(1). Pub. L. 118–63 struck out “40119,” after “under sections”.
5 of 6 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 1 unresolved
Notes
historicalAndRevision
| Historical and Revision Notes | ||
|---|---|---|
| RevisedSection | Source (U.S. Code) | Source (Statutes at Large) |
| 44508(a)(1) | 49 App.:1353(f)(1), (2). | Aug. 23, 1958, Pub. L. 85–726, 72 Stat. 731, § 312(f); added Nov. 3, 1988, Pub. L. 100–591, § 6, 102 Stat. 3013; Nov. 5, 1990, Pub. L. 101–508, § 9209(b), 104 Stat. 1388–377. |
| 44508(a)(2) | 49 App.:1353(f)(6) (last sentence). | |
| 44508(b) | 49 App.:1353(f)(3)–(5). | |
| 44508(c) | 49 App.:1353(f)(6) (1st sentence), (7). | |
| 44508(d) | 49 App.:1353(f)(8). | |
| 44508(e) | 49 App.:1353(f)(9). | |
In subsection (a)(1), before clause (A), the words “There is a” are substituted for “Not later than 180 days after , the Administrator shall establish” to eliminate obsolete words. In clause (C), the words “operations of” are substituted for “research and training to be carried out by” for consistency with section 44513 of the revised title.
In subsection (a)(2), the words “to the advisory committee” are omitted as surplus.
In subsection (b)(1), the words “departments, agencies, and instrumentalities” are substituted for “agencies” for consistency in the revised title and with other titles of the United States Code.
In subsection (b)(3), the words “travel or transportation” are omitted as surplus.
In subsection (e), the words “for fiscal years beginning after ” are omitted as obsolete.
Editorial Notes
Amendments1996–2024 · 4 rounds
2024
Subsecs. (a)(1)(A), (2), (e)(1). Pub. L. 118–63 struck out “40119,” after “under sections”.
2022
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 117–286 substituted “Section 1013 of title 5” for “Section 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 App. U.S.C.)”.
2018
Subsec. (a)(1)(A). Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(a), amended subpar. (A) generally. Prior to amendment, subpar. (A) read as follows: “provide advice and recommendations to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration about needs, objectives, plans, approaches, content, and accomplishments of the aviation research program carried out under sections 40119, 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 44912 of this title;”.
Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 115–254, § 712(b), added subsec. (f).
1996
Subsec. (a)(1)(D). Pub. L. 104–264 added subpar. (D).
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1996 Amendment
Except as otherwise specifically provided, amendment by Pub. L. 104–264 applicable only to fiscal years beginning after , and not to be construed as affecting funds made available for a fiscal year ending before , see section 3 of Pub. L. 104–264, set out as a note under section 106 of this title.