text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Developing Standards for Electronic 
  Shipping Papers Act of 2014''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) The impacts of hazardous materials transportation 
          incidents can be mitigated by effective response strategies, 
          equipment, and training.
              (2) Shipping papers and manifests are essential tools for 
          responding to incidents involving hazardous materials as they 
          provide the disclosures needed to determine the proper response 
          strategy.
              (3) While physical shipping papers must continue to be 
          required under law in order to ensure that redundancies are in 
          place to protect the safety of first responders, there should 
          be efforts to modernize how hazardous materials information is 
          disseminated.
              (4) The HM-ACCESS Program authorized in section 33005 of 
          MAP-21 (49 U.S.C. 5121 note) is an important step for 
          developing additional, innovative methods for disseminating 
          hazardous material information electronically, but the pilot 
          tests will not be completed until October 2015.
              (5) As transporters of hazardous materials in commerce 
          deploy these innovative technologies on their own, efforts 
          should be undertaken to ensure that best practices and 
          voluntary standards are available until the HM-ACCESS pilot and 
          subsequent rulemakings are completed so that transporters of 
          hazardous materials will have guidelines to assist with their 
          modernization effort while ensuring that first responders will 
          have access to standardized information platforms and systems.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
  
      In this Act:
              (1) Commerce and hazardous material.--The terms 
          ``commerce'' and ``hazardous material'' have the meanings given 
          such terms in section 5102 of title 49, United States Code.
              (2) Electronic shipping paper.--The term ``electronic 
          shipping paper'' means an electronic version of the physical 
          shipping paper that is--
                      (A) designed to convey the most current available 
                  hazard information required to be disclosed under 
                  section 5110(a) of title 49, United States Code; and
                      (B) capable of being accessed instantaneously by 
                  emergency responders during an incident involving 
                  hazardous material being transported in commerce.
  
  SEC. 4. HAZARDOUS MATERIALS INFORMATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
  
      (a) In General.--Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
  of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a 
  Hazardous Materials Information Advisory Committee composed of members 
  appointed by the Secretary.
      (b) Membership.--Members appointed by the Secretary under 
  subsection (a) shall represent the following individuals and entities:
              (1) Fire services personnel and management.
              (2) Law enforcement and other appropriate enforcement 
          personnel.
              (3) Other emergency response providers.
              (4) Persons who transport hazardous material by air, 
          highway, rail, or water.
              (5) Persons who offer hazardous material in commerce for 
          transport by air, highway, rail, or water.
              (6) Employees of persons who transport or offer for 
          transportation hazardous material in commerce by air, highway, 
          rail, or water.
              (7) The Coast Guard and other relevant agencies.
              (8) Other individuals and entities determined appropriate 
          by the Secretary.
      (c) Duties.--Not later than 120 days after the establishment of the 
  Hazardous Materials Information Advisory Committee under subsection 
  (a), the Committee shall--
              (1) develop a voluntary standard for the use of electronic 
          shipping papers until a rulemaking has been completed;
              (2) establish a standardized curriculum for training first 
          responders and enforcement officials in the use of electronic 
          shipping papers and other alternative means of communicating 
          hazardous materials information;
              (3) provide recommendations and best practices for the use 
          of electronic shipping papers by first responders in varying 
          circumstances and locations;
              (4) provide recommendations and best practices to assist 
          persons transporting hazardous materials in commerce in 
          implementing electronic shipping papers; and
              (5) assess potential issues during deployment phases, 
          including first responder training, technology procurement 
          issues and budget limitations, and biometrics.
      (d) Requirements.--In developing the best practices, standards, and 
  findings under subsection (c), the Hazardous Materials Information 
  Advisory Committee shall take into consideration--
              (1) the scalability of information in its presentation to 
          determine the most efficient means of conveying necessary 
          information for emergency response personnel while allowing 
          access to ancillary information relating to the transport of 
          hazardous materials in order to ensure that information 
          conveyed fits the intended need and the varying levels of first 
          responder training;
              (2) access issues and spectrum issues for rural responders;
              (3) standardization of information to equipment to ensure 
          consistency across modes;
              (4) providing data security and protection from unwanted 
          manipulation in order to preserve the integrity of data entered 
          by transporters of hazardous materials and accessed by bona 
          fide first responders;
              (5) the need to develop a National Deployment Standard on 
          biometrics and identifiers to ensure secure access for first 
          responders;
              (6) the potential for the deployment of fail-safe 
          redundancies linked to State, regional, and local 911 emergency 
          centers;
              (7) the timing of implementation and methods for funding 
          the implementation of electronic shipping papers devices and 
          training;
              (8) updates and revisions to the Emergency Response 
          Guidebooks;
              (9) existing technologies that are employed voluntarily by 
          persons who transport hazardous materials in commerce by air, 
          highway, rail, and water; and
              (10) the results of pilot tests being conducted in 
          accordance with section 33005 of MAP-21 (49 U.S.C. 5121 note) 
          and any interim recommendations issued by the persons 
          administering such pilot tests.
      (e) Travel Expenses.--The Secretary may provide travel expenses, 
  including per diem in lieu of subsistence, to a member appointed under 
  subsection (b)(1), (b)(2), or (b)(3) in accordance with applicable 
  provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
  Code.
      (f) Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of 
  this Act, the Hazardous Materials Information Advisory Committee shall 
  transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
  House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
  Transportation of the Senate, a report listing the best practices, 
  standards, and findings developed under subsection (c).
target: Developing Standards for Electronic Shipping Papers Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a Hazardous Materials Information Advisory Committee to develop voluntary standards and best practices for first responders and enforcement officials in the use of electronic shipping papers in the event of a hazardous material transportation incident. Defines the term &quot;electronic shipping paper&quot; as an electronic version of the physical shipping paper conveying the most current available hazard information and capable of being accessed instantaneously by emergency responders during such an incident.
feat_title: Developing Standards for Electronic Shipping Papers Act of 2014