[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4905 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4905
To establish in the United States Agency for International Development
an entity to be known as the United States Global Development Lab, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 19, 2014
Mr. Castro of Texas (for himself and Mr. McCaul) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
and in addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish in the United States Agency for International Development
an entity to be known as the United States Global Development Lab, 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 ``Global Development Lab Act of
2014''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International
Development.
(2) Lab.--The term ``Lab'' means the United States Global
Development Lab established under section 4.
(3) USAID.--The term ``USAID'' means the United States
Agency for International Development.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Leveraging academic research and private sector
expertise to effectively apply science and technology to United
States foreign aid can increase the effectiveness of United
States aid dollars and lead to better outcomes.
(2) In the last 20 years, human ingenuity and
entrepreneurship around the world has reduced child mortality
rates by 42 percent and poverty rates by 52 percent, lifting
hundreds of millions of people out of poverty.
(3) Over the next 40 years, the developing world is
expected to be the largest source of product and services
growth. Breakthroughs pioneered for the developing world can
translate into jobs and economic growth in the United States.
(4) In 2014 the Office of Science and Technology and the
Office of Innovation and Development Alliances at the United
States Agency for International Development were abolished to
pave the way to bring their staffing and other resources into
the United States Global Development Lab.
(5) The Lab represents a new approach to invest, test, and
apply more effective solutions to humanity's greatest
challenges.
(6) The Lab will partner with entrepreneurs, experts,
nongovernmental organizations, universities, and science and
research institutions to solve development challenges in a
faster, more cost-efficient, and more sustainable way.
(7) The Lab will utilize a pay-for-success model, which
uses science, technology, and innovation-driven competitions to
expand the number and diversity of solutions to development
challenges.
(8) In contrast with traditional grants or contracts, where
USAID pays for a proposal to be implemented, pay-for-success
awards are given to a winner only after the objectives of the
competition have been achieved.
(9) Expanding pay-for-success authority to allow the Lab to
use these awards globally will increase the number of high
value solutions to choose from at a significantly reduced cost.
SEC. 4. UNITED STATES GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT LAB.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in USAID an entity to be
known as the United States Global Development Lab.
(b) Duties and Responsibilities.--The duties and responsibilities
of the Lab should include--
(1) increasing the application of science, technology,
innovation and partnerships to develop and scale new solutions
to end extreme poverty;
(2) discovering, testing, and scaling development
innovations to solve development challenges to increase cost
effectiveness and support United States foreign policy and
development goals;
(3) leveraging the expertise, resources, and investment of
businesses, nongovernmental organizations, science and research
organizations, and universities to increase program impact and
sustainability;
(4) utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand the
number and diversity of solutions to development challenges;
and
(5) supporting USAID Missions and Bureaus in applying
science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to
decisionmaking, procurement, and program design.
(c) Authorities.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out the duties and
responsibilities of the Lab under subsection (b), the
Administrator may, in addition to such other authorities as may
be available to the Administrator--
(A) use not more than $15,000,000 of funds
appropriated or otherwise made available by an Act
making appropriations for the Department of State,
foreign operations, and related programs under the
heading ``Development Assistance'' for any fiscal year
for the provision of grants that are focused on
science, technology, or innovation and designed to
improve health outcomes;
(B) make awards in accordance with section 24 of
the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980
(15 U.S.C. 3719), except that foreign citizens and
foreign private entities may be eligible for such
prizes notwithstanding the eligibility requirements of
subsection (g) of such section; and
(C) if the authority to appoint individuals on a
limited term basis pursuant to schedule A or B of
subpart C of part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal
Regulations, is authorized for the Lab by the Office of
Personnel Management, use funds appropriated to carry
out part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for the employment of not more
than 30 of such individuals.
(2) Recovery of funds.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out the duties and
responsibilities of the Lab under subsection (b), the
Administrator may provide that a cooperative agreement
or other transaction for performance of basic, applied,
or advanced research entered into between USAID and a
person or other entity include a clause that requires
the person or other entity to return to USAID program
income generated under the agreement or other
transaction.
(B) Treatment of payments.--
(i) In general.--The amount of any program
income returned to USAID pursuant to
subparagraph (A) shall be credited to the
account from which the obligation and
expenditure of funds under the cooperative
agreement or other transaction described in
subparagraph (A) was made.
(ii) Availability.--
(I) In general.--Except as provided
in subclause (II), amounts returned and
credited to an account under clause
(i)--
(aa) shall be merged with
other funds in the account; and
(bb) shall be available for
the same purposes and period of
time for which other funds in
the account are available for
programs and activities of the
Lab.
(II) Exception.--Amounts returned
and credited to an account under clause
(i) may not be used to pay for the
employment of individuals described in
paragraph (1)(C).
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