(h) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—                                                                           

• (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish an Advisory Committee to advise the Secretary on carrying out this subtitle.
• (2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Committee shall have no more than 20 members, be balanced between metropolitan and rural interests, and include, at a minimum—
  
  • (A) a representative from a State highway department;
  • (B) a representative from a local highway department who is not from a metropolitan planning organization;
  • (C) a representative from a State, local, or regional transit agency;
  • (D) a representative from a metropolitan planning organization;
  • (E) a private sector user of intelligent transportation system technologies;
  • (F) an academic researcher with expertise in computer science or another information science field related to intelligent transportation systems, and who is not an expert on transportation issues;
  • (G) an academic researcher who is a civil engineer;
  • (H) an academic researcher who is a social scientist with expertise in transportation issues;
  • (I) a representative from a nonprofit group representing the intelligent transportation system industry;
  • (J) a representative from a public interest group concerned with safety;
  • (K) a representative from a public interest group concerned with the impact of the transportation system on land use and residential patterns; and
  • (L) members with expertise in planning, safety, and operations.

• (3) DUTIES.— The Advisory Committee shall, at a minimum, perform the following duties:
  • (A) Provide input into the development of the Intelligent Transportation System aspects of the strategic plan under section 508 of title 23, United States Code.
  • (B) Review, at least annually, areas of intelligent transportation systems research being considered for funding by the Department, to determine—
    • (i) whether these activities are likely to advance either the state-of-the-practice or state-of-the-art in intelligent transportation systems;
    • (ii) whether the intelligent transportation system technologies are likely to be deployed by users, and if not, to determine the barriers to deployment; and
    • (iii) the appropriate roles for government and the private sector in investing in the research and technologies being considered.

• (4) REPORT.— Not later than February 1 of each year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a report including—
  • (A) all recommendations made by the Advisory Committee during the preceding calendar year;
  • (B) an explanation of how the Secretary has implemented those recommendations; and
  • (C) for recommendations not implemented, the reasons for rejecting the recommendations.

• (5) APPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.— The Advisory Committee shall be subject to the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.).