1.National biological data
center
(a)The Secretary, acting through the United States
Geological Survey, shall establish a national biological data center (in this
Act referred to as the center
). The center may be established
within an existing program (such as the National Biological Information
Infrastructure program).
(b)The
Secretary seek to enter into a contract with a small business for the purpose
of managing the center.
(c)
(1)The contract under subsection (a) shall have an initial
term of 10 years.
(2)The terms of subsequent contracts shall be determined
by the Secretary.
(d)
(1)The Secretary shall use competitive procedures (as
defined in section 4(5) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41
U.S.C. 403(5))) to enter into the contract under subsection (b).
(2)Qualification
requirementsTo qualify to participate in the competitive
procedures under paragraph (1), a small business shall have—
(A)no more than 500
employees on the date that the initial contract is awarded to such business
under subsection (a);
(B)demonstrated
expertise in—
(i)managing
scientific and technical information;
(ii)implementing
scientific information projects;
(iii)presenting
scientific data in an objective manner; and
(iv)managing
interagency collaborations related to scientific and technical
information;
(C)demonstrated
involvement with biodiversity information programs and the National Biological
Information Infrastructure of the United States Geological Survey (through
partnership or other form of collaboration); and
(D)a demonstrated
ability and willingness to partner with a research university and a national
laboratory with expertise in biodiversity and computational sciences.
(e)The
head of the center shall be appointed by the Secretary, acting through the
Director of the United States Geological Survey, in consultation with the
program director of the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
(f)Duties of the
National Biological Data CenterThe duties of the center shall
be determined by the Secretary and shall include, at a minimum, the following
activities:
(1)Collect nonhuman
biological data from Federal, public, private, and nonprofit entities,
including—
(A)the National
Biological Information Infrastructure; and
(B)institutions and
organizations that partner with the National Biological Information
Infrastructure.
(2)Develop
partnerships with public and private entities that are nationally recognized
for computational capabilities and computer capacity to allow the center to
efficiently develop a digital network for the storage and retrieval of data
collected under paragraph (1).
(3)Develop
partnerships with academic and scientific institutions in the United States to
increase the quantity of data—
(A)collected under
paragraph (1); and
(B)made available for
public use under paragraph (4).
(4)Subject to Federal
statutes and regulations relating to the disclosure of information collected
under paragraph (1), including statutes and regulations related to intellectual
property and section 552 of title 5, United States Code, make available for use
by Federal, State, and local governments and members of the public any
federally funded data collected under paragraph (1).
(5)Make the data
described in paragraph (4) available to such governments and members of the
public—
(A)through a single
electronic search function; or
(B)in any case in
which such data is not electronically maintained, at a single location.
(6)Organize and
manage data collected under paragraph (1) in a manner that—
(A)enables efficient
and effective use of the data by the public;
(B)presents the data
in an objective manner; and
(C)is consistent with
efforts made by the National Biological Information Infrastructure to organize
and manage nonhuman biological data for public use.
(7)Prepare value
added compilations and analytical assessments (including models and
simulations) of multiple data sets that combine and analyze data from multiple
data sources to improve the ease of use of such data sets by Federal, State,
and local governments and by members of the public.
(8)Conduct public
awareness activities that promote the use of the data made available under
paragraph (4) for purposes of encouraging—
(A)economic
development;
(B)the development of
public policy (including policy relating to land use, economic development,
conservation, and preservation);
(C)scientific
research; and
(D)science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
(9)Hold an annual
conference on nonhuman biological data collection for the purpose of
encouraging experts from Federal, State, and local governments and public and
private entities to provide advice to the head of the center on improving the
center’s performance.
(10)Collect fees from
State and local governments and members of the public for the use of—
(A)compilations and
analytical assessments prepared under paragraph (7); and
(B)other products and
services offered by the center including but not limited to technical training
and consultation relating to the use or application of data products, except
that the center may not collect a fee solely for accessing data collected by
the center from another source.
(g)
(1)Subject to Federal statutes and regulations relating to
the disclosure of information, including statutes and regulations related to
intellectual property and section 552 of title 5, United States Code, any
entity that collects or stores federally funded data on or after the end of the
one-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act shall submit or
make available such data to the center, in a form and manner described in
standards published by the center, unless such data has been submitted to the
National Biological Information Infrastructure.
(2)National
biological information infrastructure
(A)The center shall serve as the data repository for the
National Biological Information Infrastructure. and all data shall be made
available in a form and manner described in standards published by the
center.
(B)Data to be made
availableSubject to Federal
statutes and regulations relating to the disclosure of information, including
statutes and regulations related to intellectual property and section 552 of
title 5, United States Code, the National Biological Information Infrastructure
shall make all data that it stores and maintains available to the center in a
form and manner described in standards published by the center.
(h)Subject to appropriation, fees collected under subsection
(d)(10) shall remain available for use by the center for activities under
subsection (d).
(i)
(1)Annual report to
secretaryNot later than January 1 of each year following the
date of enactment of this Act, the head of the center shall submit to the
Secretary an annual report containing—
(A)information on the
activities of the center during the preceding fiscal year and the plans of the
center for activities in the current fiscal year; and
(B)such additional
information as the Secretary may require.
(2)Annual report to
congressNot later than April 1 of each year following the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual
report on—
(A)information on the
activities of the center during the preceding fiscal year and the plans of the
center for activities in the current fiscal year; and
(B)the administration
of the contract entered into under subsection (a).
(j)For purposes of this Act, the following
definitions apply:
(1)The term
federally-funded data means nonhuman biological data that is
collected, maintained, or stored, in whole or in part, through the use of
Federal funds.
(2)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(k)Authorization of
AppropriationsThere is authorized to be appropriated to carry
out this section $8,000,000 per fiscal year. Amounts appropriated under this
subsection shall remain available until expended.