1.This Act may be cited as
the National Competitiveness and
Innovation Strategy Act of 2010
.
2.Findings and
sense of Congress
(a)Congress makes the following
findings:
(1)The United States
has not undertaken a national economic competitiveness strategy since
1978.
(2)Major economic
competitors of the United States are engaged in nationally coordinated efforts
to improve their own competitiveness.
(3)The world economy
is at a turning point in the face of economic challenges, energy constraints,
infrastructure, and manufacturing sector changes.
(4)The United States
needs to position itself to take advantage of the turning point described in
paragraph (3) to ensure the continued economic success of the United States for
the next 50 years.
(b)It is the sense of Congress that the United States
should engage the private sector in order to maximize Government efforts to
improve national competitiveness and further innovation within specific
economic sectors in order to reassert leadership in key sectors and to improve
the quality of, and increase the quantity of, high-value jobs in the United
States.
3.Study on
economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of United States and
development of national economic competitiveness strategy
(a)
(1)Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall complete a comprehensive study of the
economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of the United States.
(2)The study required by paragraph (1) shall include the
following:
(A)An analysis of
the United States economy and innovation infrastructure.
(B)An assessment of
the following:
(i)The
current competitive and innovation performance of the United States economy
relative to other countries that compete economically with the United
States.
(ii)Economic
competitiveness and domestic innovation in the current business climate,
including tax and Federal regulatory policy.
(iii)The business
climate of the United States and those of other countries that compete
economically with the United States.
(iv)Regional issues
that influence the economic competitiveness and innovation capacity of the
United States, including—
(I)the roles of
State and local governments and institutions of higher education; and
(II)regional factors
that contribute positively to innovation.
(v)The
effectiveness of the Federal Government in supporting and promoting economic
competitiveness and innovation, including any duplicative efforts of, or gaps
in coverage between, Federal agencies and departments.
(vi)Barriers to
competitiveness in newly emerging business or technology sectors, factors
influencing underperforming economic sectors, unique issues facing small and
medium enterprises, and barriers to the development and evolution of start-ups,
firms, and industries.
(vii)The effects of
domestic and international trade policy on the competitiveness of the United
States and the United States economy.
(viii)United States
export promotion and export finance programs relative to export promotion and
export finance programs of other countries that compete economically with the
United States, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, and the
United Kingdom, with noting of export promotion and export finance programs
carried out by such countries that are not analogous to any programs carried
out by the United States.
(ix)The
effectiveness of current policies and programs affecting exports, including an
assessment of Federal trade restrictions and State and Federal export promotion
activities.
(x)The
effectiveness of the Federal Government and federally funded research and
development centers in supporting and promoting technology commercialization
and technology transfer.
(xi)Domestic and
international intellectual property policies and practices.
(xii)Manufacturing
capacity, logistics, and supply chain dynamics of major export sectors,
including access to a skilled workforce, physical infrastructure, and broadband
network infrastructure.
(xiii)Federal and
State policies relating to science, technology, and education and other
relevant Federal and State policies designed to promote commercial innovation,
including immigration policies.
(C)Development of
recommendations on the following:
(i)How
the United States should invest in human capital.
(ii)How the United
States should facilitate entrepreneurship and innovation.
(iii)How best to
develop opportunities for locally and regionally driven innovation by providing
Federal support.
(iv)How best to
strengthen the economic infrastructure and industrial base of the United
States.
(v)How to improve
the international competitiveness of the United States.
(3)
(A)The study required by paragraph (1) shall be conducted in
consultation with the National Economic Council of the Office of Policy
Development, such Federal agencies as the Secretary considers appropriate, and
the Innovation Advisory Board established under subparagraph (B). The Secretary
shall also establish a process for obtaining comments from the public.
(B)Innovation
advisory board
(i)The Secretary shall establish an Innovation Advisory
Board for purposes of obtaining advice with respect to the conduct of the study
required by paragraph (1).
(ii)The
Advisory Board established under clause (i) shall be comprised of 15 members,
appointed by the Secretary—
(I)who shall
represent all major industry sectors;
(II)a majority of
whom should be from private industry, including large and small firms,
representing advanced technology sectors and more traditional sectors that use
technology; and
(III)who may include
economic or innovation policy experts, State and local government officials
active in technology-based economic development, and representatives from
higher education.
(iii)The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.)
shall not apply to the advisory board established under clause (i).
(b)
(1)Not later than 1 year after the completion of the study
required by subsection (a), the Secretary shall develop, based on the study
required by subsection (a)(1), a national 10-year strategy to strengthen the
innovative and competitive capacity of the Federal Government, State and local
governments, United States institutions of higher education, and the private
sector of the United States.
(2)The
strategy required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A)Actions to be
taken by individual Federal agencies and departments to improve
competitiveness.
(B)Proposed
legislative actions for consideration by Congress.
(C)Annual goals and
milestones for the 10-year period of the strategy.
(D)A plan for
monitoring the progress of the Federal Government with respect to improving
conditions for innovation and the competitiveness of the United States.
(c)
(1)Upon the completion of the strategy required by
subsection (b), the Secretary of Commerce shall submit to Congress and the
President a report on the study conducted under subsection (a) and the strategy
developed under subsection (b).
(2)The
report required by paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A)The findings of
the Secretary with respect to the study conducted under subsection (a).
(B)The strategy
required by subsection (b).