[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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