There is authorized to be appropriated from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) for the Secretary of Transportation to pay administrative expenses of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration—

(1) $267,400,000 for fiscal year 2016;

(2) $277,200,000 for fiscal year 2017;

(3) $283,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;

(4) $284,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; and

(5) $288,000,000 for fiscal year 2020.

The funds authorized by this section shall be used for—

(1) personnel costs;

(2) administrative infrastructure;

(3) rent;

(4) information technology;

(5) programs for research and technology, information management, regulatory development, and the administration of performance and registration information systems management under section 31106(b);

(6) programs for outreach and education under subsection (c);

(7) other operating expenses;

(8) conducting safety reviews of new operators; and

(9) such other expenses as may from time to time become necessary to implement statutory mandates of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration not funded from other sources.

The Secretary may conduct, through any combination of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other activities, an internal and external outreach and education program to be administered by the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The program authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while deferring to existing resources, as practicable.

(1) In general.— The Secretary may conduct, through any combination of grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and other activities, an internal and external outreach and education program to be administered by the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. The program authorized under this subsection may support, in addition to funds otherwise available for such purposes, the recognition, prevention, and reporting of human trafficking, while deferring to existing resources, as practicable.

(2) Federal share.— The Federal share of an outreach and education project for which a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement is made under this subsection may be up to 100 percent of the cost of the project.

(3) Funding.— From amounts made available under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make available not more than $4,000,000 each fiscal year to carry out this subsection.

Amounts authorized from the Highway Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account) by this section shall be available for obligation on the date of their apportionment or allocation or on October 1 of the fiscal year for which they are authorized, whichever occurs first.

Amounts made available under this section shall remain available until expended.

The approval of funds by the Secretary under this section is a contractual obligation of the Federal Government for payment of the Federal Government’s share of costs.

(Added Pub. L. 114–94, div. A, title V, § 5103(a), Dec. 4, 2015, 129 Stat. 1526; amended Pub. L. 115–99, § 3, Jan. 3, 2018, 131 Stat. 2242.)