Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 70.djvu/457

 70 S T A T. ]

PUBLIC LAW 6 2 7 - J U N E 29, 1956

401

after apportion to the States for such fiscal year for the construction, reconstruction, or improvement of the Interstate System, in lieu of the amount which but for the provisions of this subsection would be so apportioned, the amount obtained by multiplying the amount authorized to be appropriated for such fiscal year by such percentage. Whenever the Secretary of the Treasury determines that there will be available in the Highway Trust F u n d (excluding repayable advances) amounts which, after all other expenditures required to be made from such fund have been defrayed, will be available to defray the expenditures required as a result of the apportionment of any Federal-aid highway funds for the Interstate System previously withheld from apportionment for any fiscal year, he shall so advise the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Commerce shall apportion to the States such portion of the funds so withheld from apportionment as the Secretary of the Treasury has advised him may be so apportioned without causing expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund for the Interstate System to exceed amounts available in such fund (excluding repayable advances) to defray such expenditures. Any funds apportioned pursuant to the provisions of the preceding sentence shall remain available for expenditure until the close of the third fiscal year following that in which apportioned. SEC. 210. INVESTIGATION AND REPORT TO CONGRESS.

(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to make available to the Congress information on the basis of which it may determine what taxes should be imposed by the United States, and in what amounts, in order to assure, insofar as practicable, an equitable distribution of the tax burden among the various classes of persons using the Federal-aid highways or otherwise deriving benefits from such highways. (b) STUDY AND INVESTIGATION.—In order to carry out the purpose

of this section, the Secretary of Commerce is hereby authorized and directed, in cooperation with other Federal officers and agencies (particularly the Interstate Commerce Commission) and with the State highway departments, to make a study and investigation of— (1) the effects on design, construction, and maintenance of Federal-aid highways of (A) the use of vehicles of different dimensions, weights, and other specifications, and (B) the frequency of occurrences of such vehicles in the traffic stream, (2) the proportionate share of the design, construction, and maintenance costs of the Federal-aid highways attributable to each class of persons using such highways, such proportionate share to be based on the effects referred to in paragraph (1) and the benefits derived from the use of such highways, and (3) any direct and indirect benefits accruing to any class which derives benefits from Federal-aid highways, in addition to benefits from actual use of such highways, which are attributable to public expenditures for such highways. (c) COORDINATION W I T H OTHER STUDIES.—The Secretary of Commerce shall coordinate the study and investigation required by this section with— (1) the research and other activities authorized by section 10 of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1954, and ^8 Stat. 74. 23 USC 21-1. (2) the tests referred to m section 108(k) of this Act. (d) KEPORTS ON STUDY AND INVESTIGATION.—The Secretary of Commerce shall report to the Congress the results of the study and investigation required by this section. The final report shall be made as soon as possible but in no event later than March 1, 1959. On or before March 1, 1957, and on or before March 1, 1958, the Secretary of Commerce shall report to the Congress the progress that has been made in 69225 O - 5 7 -30 (Vol. 70)

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