[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3724 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3724

    To enhance scientific research and competitiveness through the 
 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 25, 2006

 Mr. Rockefeller (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Cochran, and 
 Mr. Johnson) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To enhance scientific research and competitiveness through the 
 Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``EPSCoR Research and Competitiveness 
Act of 2006''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Ensuring regional diversity in research funding is an 
        essential strategy in strengthening international 
        competitiveness.
            (2) Economic development in high technology fields is often 
        advanced by industrial partnerships with near by strong 
        research institutions from which companies can acquire 
        intellectual property, highly trained staff, and vital 
        resources.
            (3) The National Science Foundation is an independent 
        Federal agency created by Congress in 1950 ``to promote the 
        progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity 
        and welfare, and to secure the national defense''.
            (4) Congress has subsequently directed that, ``it shall be 
        an objective of the Foundation to strengthen research and 
        education in the sciences and engineering, including 
        independent research by individuals, throughout the United 
        States, and to avoid undue concentration of such research and 
        education''.
            (5) Currently, Foundation research investments are 
        concentrated in a small number of States. In contrast, 25 other 
        States together receive less than 10 percent of the 
        Foundation's research funding, yet these States are home to 20 
        percent of the population, 25 percent of doctoral/research 
        universities, and 18 percent of academic scientists and 
        engineers.
            (6) Insufficient research infrastructure diminishes the 
        ability of many universities to compete effectively for 
        research funding, and thereby limits their contributions to 
        regional economic development and international 
        competitiveness.
            (7) The Foundation's Experimental Program to Stimulate 
        Competitive Research, or EPSCoR, is the primary program by 
        which the Foundation seeks to improve the research 
        infrastructure of institutions in States that presently receive 
        small portions of Foundation funding. EPSCoR is thus an 
        important component of national efforts to increase innovation 
        and improve competitiveness.

SEC. 3. FUNDING.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Foundation for 
EPSCoR--
            (1) $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
            (2) for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011, an amount 
        equal to the sum of--
                    (A) $125,000,000; and
                    (B) $125,000,000 multiplied by a percentage equal 
                to the percentage by which the Foundation's budget 
                request for such fiscal year exceeds the total amount 
                appropriated to the Foundation for fiscal year 2007.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENT GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--In the administration of the Foundation's research 
infrastructure improvement grant program, the Director shall authorize 
States participating in the grant program to include partnerships with 
out-of-State research institutions if the amount of funding transferred 
to another State does not exceed 5 percent of the amount of the grant 
in any fiscal year.
    (b) Authorization Level.--From amounts appropriated pursuant to 
section 3, the Director shall make available to the research 
infrastructure improvement grant program--
            (1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
            (2) for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011, an amount 
        equal to the sum of--
                    (A) $75,000,000; and
                    (B) $75,000,000 multiplied by a percentage equal to 
                the percentage by which the Foundation's budget request 
                for such fiscal year exceeds the total amount 
                appropriated to the Foundation for fiscal year 2007.

SEC. 5. CO-FUNDING.

    (a) In General.--For each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011, the 
Director shall obligate and expend not less than 20 percent of the 
amount available for EPSCoR on co-funding projects that are ranked, by 
a peer-review process, in the top 20 percent of all proposals submitted 
in response to an announced competition.
    (b) Annual Report.--The Director shall submit an annual report to 
the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 
House of Representatives Committee on Science that provides information 
about--
            (1) co-funded projects on a State-by-State basis for the 
        preceding year; and
            (2) the amount and use of co-funding by each of the 
        Foundation's directorates for that year.

SEC. 6. CYBER INFRASTRUCTURE.

    Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director, through the Office of Cyber Infrastructure, shall develop and 
publish a plan enabling States participating in EPSCoR to participate 
fully in the Foundation's Cyber Infrastructure Initiative.

SEC. 7. MAJOR RESEARCH INSTRUMENTATION.

    Within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director, through the Office of Major Research Instrumentation, shall 
develop and publish a plan enabling States participating in EPSCoR to 
develop partnerships and participate fully in the Foundation's major 
research instrumentation program.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the National Science Foundation.
            (2) EPSCoR.--The term ``EPSCoR'' means the Experimental 
        Program to Stimulate Competitive Research authorized by section 
        113 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 
        1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g).
            (3) Foundation.--The term ``Foundation'' means the National 
        Science Foundation.D23/
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