[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3247 Introduced in House (IH)]
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3247
To establish a social and behavioral sciences research program at the
Department of Energy, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 17, 2009
Mr. Baird introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science and Technology
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A BILL
To establish a social and behavioral sciences research program at the
Department of Energy, 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. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a social and
behavioral sciences research program to identify and understand social
and behavioral factors that influence energy consumption and acceptance
and adoption rates of new energy technologies, and to promote the
utilization of the results of social and behavioral research to improve
the design, development, demonstration, and application of energy
technologies.
(b) Director.--The Secretary shall appoint or designate a Director
of Social and Behavioral Research to carry out the program established
under this section.
(c) Duties of the Director.--The Director shall--
(1) develop a research plan in accordance with section 2;
(2) implement the research program under this section;
(3) work with the relevant Department of Energy program
offices to integrate the results of social and behavioral
research into their work;
(4) develop tools, practices, and information to apply and
integrate the results of social and behavioral research into
programs that--
(A) design, develop, and demonstrate technologies
that supply energy and improve energy efficiency; and
(B) provide information on energy consumption to
consumers; and
(5) assist the Secretary in awarding research grants under
section 3.
SEC. 2. RESEARCH PLAN.
(a) In General.--The Director, in consultation with the Advisory
Committee established under section 4, shall develop a research plan
and, not later than 9 months after the date of enactment of this Act,
transmit such plan to the Congress. Prior to finalizing the research
plan, the Director shall publish a draft of the proposed research plan
in the Federal Register with a public comment period of not less than
30 days.
(b) Contents of Research Plan.--The research plan shall--
(1) set forth priorities and a schedule for carrying out
the research program under section 1 and the research grant
program under section 3;
(2) address social and behavioral factors that influence--
(A) patterns of energy consumption by individuals,
households, and businesses; and
(B) decisions to implement energy conservation
measures,
including the factors that influence decisions to adopt energy
efficient technologies and practices;
(3) include a description of the mechanisms the Department
will use to integrate the findings of social and behavioral
research into other relevant Department programs; and
(4) include responses to comments received during the
public comment period.
(c) Review and Revision.--The Director shall review the research
plan every 5 years and revise the plan as appropriate.
SEC. 3. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH GRANTS.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall provide grants to support
social and behavioral research consistent with the research plan
developed under section 2.
(b) Awards.--Grant awards under this section may be for a period up
to 3 years. The Secretary shall award grants through a competitive,
merit-based, peer-reviewed process.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2010 through 2015.
SEC. 4. SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an Advisory
Committee composed of experts in relevant fields--
(1) to advise the Secretary and the Director on priority
areas for research;
(2) to assist the Director in the development of the
research plan under section 2; and
(3) to provide other assistance and advice as requested by
the Secretary or the Director.
(b) Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Section 14 of the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory
Committee established under subsection (a) until 3 years after the date
the Advisory Committee is established.
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