(a) Any State desiring to avail itself of the provisions of this title shall have a State transportation department which shall have adequate powers, and be suitably equipped and organized to discharge to the satisfaction of the Secretary the duties required by this title. In meeting the provisions of this subsection, a State may engage, to the extent necessary or desirable, the services of private engineering firms. (b) Effect of Compliance.— Compliance with subsection (a) shall have no effect on the eligibility of costs. ( Pub. L. 85–767 , Aug. 27, 1958 , 72 Stat. 912 ; Pub. L. 89–574, § 11 , Sept. 13, 1966 , 80 Stat. 770 ; Pub. L. 105–178, title I, § 1212(a)(1) , (2)(A)(i), (B)(ii), June 9, 1998 , 112 Stat. 193 .) Editorial Notes Amendments 1998— Pub. L. 105–178, § 1212(a)(2)(B)(ii) , substituted “State transportation department” for “State highway department” in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–178, § 1212(a)(1)(A) , (2)(A)(i), substituted “State transportation department” for “State highway department” and struck out after first sentence “Among other things, the organization shall include a secondary road unit.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105–178, § 1212(a)(1)(B) , added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “The State highway department may arrange with a county or group of counties for competent highway engineering personnel suitably organized and equipped to the satisfaction of the State highway department, to supervise construction and maintenance on a county-unit or group-unit basis, for the construction of projects on the Federal-aid secondary system, financed with secondary funds, and for the maintenance thereof.” CFR Title Parts 23 172 , 627