[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3918 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3918

    To amend sections 25 and 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
    Innovation Act of 1980 to improve the Office of Innovation and 
           Entrepreneurship and regional innovation programs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 16, 2014

Mr. Kilmer (for himself, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Peters 
  of California, Ms. Esty, and Mr. Bera of California) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To amend sections 25 and 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
    Innovation Act of 1980 to improve the Office of Innovation and 
           Entrepreneurship and regional innovation programs.

    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 ``Regional Innovation and 
Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

    Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 25. OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish an Office of 
Innovation and Entrepreneurship with a Director and full-time staff to 
foster innovation and the commercialization of new technologies, 
products, processes, and services with the goal of promoting 
productivity and economic growth in the United States.
    ``(b) Duties.--The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship shall 
be responsible for--
            ``(1) developing policies to accelerate innovation and 
        advance the commercialization of research and development, 
        including federally funded research and development;
            ``(2) identifying existing barriers to innovation and 
        commercialization, including access to capital and other 
        resources, and ways to overcome those barriers, particularly in 
        States participating in the Experimental Program to Stimulate 
        Competitive Research;
            ``(3) providing access to relevant data, research, and 
        technical assistance on innovation and commercialization, 
        including best practices for university-based incubators and 
        accelerators;
            ``(4) overseeing the implementation of the loan guarantee 
        programs and the Regional Innovation Program established under 
        sections 26 and 27, respectively;
            ``(5) developing, within 180 days after the date of 
        enactment of the Regional Innovation and Entrepreneurship 
        Enhancement Act of 2014, and updating at least every 5 years, a 
        strategic plan to guide the activities of the Office of 
        Innovation and Entrepreneurship that shall--
                    ``(A) specify and prioritize near-term and long-
                term goals, objectives, and policies to accelerate 
                innovation and advance the commercialization of 
                research and development, including federally funded 
                research and development, set forth the anticipated 
                time for achieving the objectives, and identify metrics 
                for use in assessing progress toward such objectives;
                    ``(B) describe how the Department of Commerce is 
                working in conjunction with other Federal agencies to 
                foster innovation and commercialization across the 
                United States; and
                    ``(C) provide a summary of the activities, 
                including the development of metrics to evaluate 
                regional innovation strategies undertaken through the 
                Regional Innovation Research and Information Program 
                established under section 27(c);
            ``(6) strengthening collaboration on and coordination of 
        policies relating to innovation and commercialization, 
        including those focused on the needs of small businesses and 
        rural communities, within the Department of Commerce, between 
        the Department of Commerce and other Federal agencies, and 
        between the Department of Commerce and appropriate State 
        government agencies and institutions, as appropriate; and
            ``(7) any other duties as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(c) Advisory Committee.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish or 
        designate an advisory committee, which shall meet at least 
        twice each fiscal year, to provide advice to the Secretary on 
        carrying out the duties and responsibilities of the Office of 
        Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--The advisory committee shall 
        prepare a report, to be submitted to the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
        Senate every 3 years. The first report shall be submitted not 
        later than 1 year after the date of enactment of the Regional 
        Innovation and Entrepreneurship Enhancement Act of 2014 and 
        shall include--
                    ``(A) an assessment of the strategic plan developed 
                under subsection (b)(5) and the progress made in 
                implementing the plan and the duties of the Office of 
                Innovation and Entrepreneurship;
                    ``(B) an assessment of how the Office of Innovation 
                and Entrepreneurship is working with other Federal 
                agencies to meet the goals and duties of the office; 
                and
                    ``(C) any recommendations for how the Office of 
                Innovation and Entrepreneurship could be improved.
    ``(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 
through 2018 to carry out this section.''.

SEC. 3. REGIONAL INNOVATION PROGRAM.

    Section 27 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 
1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 27. REGIONAL INNOVATION PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a regional 
innovation program to encourage and support the development of regional 
innovation strategies, including regional innovation clusters.
    ``(b) Cluster Grants.--
            ``(1) In general.--As part of the program established under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary may award grants on a competitive 
        basis to eligible recipients for activities relating to the 
        formation and development of regional innovation clusters.
            ``(2) Permissible activities.--Grants awarded under this 
        subsection may be used for activities determined appropriate by 
        the Secretary, including the following:
                    ``(A) Feasibility studies.
                    ``(B) Planning activities.
                    ``(C) Technical assistance.
                    ``(D) Developing or strengthening communication and 
                collaboration between and among participants of a 
                regional innovation cluster.
                    ``(E) Attracting additional participants to a 
                regional innovation cluster.
                    ``(F) Facilitating market development of products 
                and services developed by a regional innovation 
                cluster, including through demonstration, deployment, 
                technology transfer, and commercialization activities.
                    ``(G) Developing relationships between a regional 
                innovation cluster and entities or clusters in other 
                regions.
                    ``(H) Interacting with the public and State and 
                local governments to meet the goals of the cluster.
            ``(3) Eligible recipient defined.--In this subsection, the 
        term `eligible recipient' means--
                    ``(A) a State;
                    ``(B) an Indian tribe;
                    ``(C) a city or other political subdivision of a 
                State;
                    ``(D) an entity that--
                            ``(i) is a nonprofit organization, an 
                        institution of higher education, a public-
                        private partnership, a science or research 
                        park, a Federal laboratory, or an economic 
                        development organization or similar entity; and
                            ``(ii) has an application that is supported 
                        by a State or a political subdivision of a 
                        State; or
                    ``(E) a consortium of any of the entities described 
                in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
            ``(4) Application.--
                    ``(A) In general.--An eligible recipient shall 
                submit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 
                such manner, and containing such information and 
                assurances as the Secretary may require.
                    ``(B) Components.--The application shall include, 
                at a minimum, a description of the regional innovation 
                cluster supported by the proposed activity, including a 
                description of--
                            ``(i) whether the regional innovation 
                        cluster is supported by the private sector, 
                        State and local governments, and other relevant 
                        stakeholders;
                            ``(ii) how the existing participants in the 
                        regional innovation cluster will encourage and 
                        solicit participation by all types of entities 
                        that might benefit from participation, 
                        including newly formed entities and those rival 
                        existing participants;
                            ``(iii) the extent to which the regional 
                        innovation cluster is likely to stimulate 
                        innovation and have a positive impact on 
                        regional economic growth and development;
                            ``(iv) whether the participants in the 
                        regional innovation cluster have access to, or 
                        contribute to, a well-trained workforce;
                            ``(v) whether the participants in the 
                        regional innovation cluster are capable of 
                        attracting additional funds from non-Federal 
                        sources; and
                            ``(vi) the likelihood that the participants 
                        in the regional innovation cluster will be able 
                        to sustain activities once grant funds under 
                        this subsection have been expended.
                    ``(C) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall 
                give special consideration to applications from regions 
                that contain communities negatively impacted by trade.
            ``(5) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall give 
        special consideration to an eligible recipient who agrees to 
        collaborate with local workforce investment area boards.
            ``(6) Cost share.--The Secretary may not provide more than 
        50 percent of the total cost of any activity funded under this 
        subsection.
            ``(7) Outreach to rural communities.--The Secretary shall 
        conduct outreach to public and private sector entities in rural 
        communities to encourage those entities to participate in 
        regional innovation cluster activities under this subsection.
            ``(8) Funding.--The Secretary may accept funds from other 
        Federal agencies to support grants and activities under this 
        subsection.
    ``(c) Regional Innovation Research and Information Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--As part of the program established under 
        subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish a regional 
        innovation research and information program--
                    ``(A) to gather, analyze, and disseminate 
                information on best practices for regional innovation 
                strategies (including regional innovation clusters), 
                including information relating to how innovation, 
                productivity, and economic development can be maximized 
                through such strategies;
                    ``(B) to provide technical assistance, including 
                through the development of technical assistance guides, 
                for the development and implementation of regional 
                innovation strategies (including regional innovation 
                clusters);
                    ``(C) to support the development of relevant 
                metrics and measurement standards to evaluate regional 
                innovation strategies (including regional innovation 
                clusters), including the extent to which such 
                strategies stimulate innovation, productivity, and 
                economic development; and
                    ``(D) to collect and make available data on 
                regional innovation cluster activity in the United 
                States, including data on--
                            ``(i) the size, specialization, and 
                        competitiveness of regional innovation 
                        clusters;
                            ``(ii) the regional domestic product 
                        contribution, total jobs and earnings by key 
                        occupations, establishment size, nature of 
                        specialization, patents, Federal research and 
                        development spending, and other relevant 
                        information for regional innovation clusters; 
                        and
                            ``(iii) supply chain product and service 
                        flows within and between regional innovation 
                        clusters.
            ``(2) Research grants.--The Secretary may award research 
        grants on a competitive basis to support and further the goals 
        of the program established under this subsection.
            ``(3) Dissemination of information.--Data and analysis 
        compiled by the Secretary under the program established in this 
        subsection shall be made available to other Federal agencies, 
        State and local governments, and nonprofit and for-profit 
        entities.
            ``(4) Regional innovation grant program.--The Secretary 
        shall incorporate data and analysis relating to any grant under 
        subsection (b) into the program established under this 
        subsection.
    ``(d) Interagency Coordination.--
            ``(1) In general.--To the maximum extent practicable, the 
        Secretary shall ensure that the activities carried out under 
        this section are coordinated with, and do not duplicate the 
        efforts of, other programs at the Department of Commerce or 
        other Federal agencies.
            ``(2) Collaboration.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall explore and 
                pursue collaboration with other Federal agencies, 
                including through multiagency funding opportunities, on 
                regional innovation strategies.
                    ``(B) Small businesses.--The Secretary shall ensure 
                that such collaboration with Federal agencies 
                prioritizes the needs and challenges of small 
                businesses.
    ``(e) Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, 
        the Secretary shall enter into a contract with an independent 
        entity, such as the National Academy of Sciences, to conduct an 
        evaluation of the program established under subsection (a).
            ``(2) Requirements.--The evaluation shall include--
                    ``(A) whether the program is achieving its goals;
                    ``(B) any recommendations for how the program may 
                be improved; and
                    ``(C) a recommendation as to whether the program 
                should be continued or terminated.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Regional innovation cluster.--The term `regional 
        innovation cluster' means a geographically bounded network of 
        similar, synergistic, or complementary entities that--
                    ``(A) are engaged in or with a particular industry 
                sector;
                    ``(B) have active channels for business 
                transactions and communication;
                    ``(C) share specialized infrastructure, labor 
                markets, and services; and
                    ``(D) leverage the region's unique competitive 
                strengths to stimulate innovation and create jobs.
            ``(2) State.--The term `State' means one of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, or any other 
        territory or possession of the United States.
    ``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018 to 
carry out this section.''.
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