1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Port Operations, Research, and Technology Act . 2. Port and Intermodal Improvement rogram (a) Short title This section may be cited as the Ports Improvement Act . (b) Port and Intermodal Improvement Program Section 50302 of title 46, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following: (c) Port and Intermodal Improvement Program (1) General authority Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary of Transportation shall make grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible applicants to assist in funding eligible projects for the purpose of improving the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports. (2) Eligible applicant The Secretary may make a grant under this subsection to the following: (A) A State. (B) A political subdivision of a State or local government. (C) A public agency or publicly chartered authority established by one or more States. (D) A special purpose district with a transportation function. (E) A multistate or multijurisdictional group of entities described in this subsection. (F) A lead entity described in subparagraph (A), (B), (C), (D), or (E) jointly with a private entity or group of private entities. (3) Eligible projects The Secretary may make a grant under this subsection— (A) for a project that— (i) is either— (I) within the boundary of a port; or (II) outside the boundary of a port, but is directly related to port operations or to an intermodal connection to a port; and (ii) will be used to improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of— (I) the loading and unloading of goods at the port, such as for marine terminal equipment; (II) the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port, such as for highway or rail infrastructure, intermodal facilities, freight intelligent transportation systems, and digital infrastructure systems