[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1156 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1156


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 20, 2015

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To authorize the establishment or designation of a working group under 
the National Science and Technology Council to identify and coordinate 
    international science and technology cooperation opportunities.

    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 ``International Science and Technology 
Cooperation Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. COORDINATION OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 
              PARTNERSHIPS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy shall establish or designate a working group under 
the National Science and Technology Council with the responsibility to 
identify and coordinate international science and technology 
cooperation that can strengthen the United States science and 
technology enterprise, improve economic and national security, and 
support United States foreign policy goals.
    (b) NSTC Working Group Membership.--The working group established 
under subsection (a) shall be co-chaired by officials from the Office 
of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of State.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The working group established under 
subsection (a) shall--
            (1) plan and coordinate interagency international science 
        and technology cooperative research and training activities and 
        partnerships supported or managed by Federal agencies and work 
        with other National Science and Technology Council committees 
        to help plan and coordinate the international component of 
        national science and technology priorities;
            (2) establish Federal priorities and policies for aligning, 
        as appropriate, international science and technology 
        cooperative research and training activities and partnerships 
        supported or managed by Federal agencies with the foreign 
        policy goals of the United States;
            (3) identify opportunities for new international science 
        and technology cooperative research and training partnerships 
        that advance both the science and technology and the foreign 
        policy priorities of the United States;
            (4) in carrying out paragraph (3), solicit input and 
        recommendations from non-Federal science and technology 
        stakeholders, including universities, scientific and 
        professional societies, industry, and relevant organizations 
        and institutions; and
            (5) identify broad issues that influence the ability of 
        United States scientists and engineers to collaborate with 
        foreign counterparts, including barriers to collaboration and 
        access to scientific information.
    (d) Report to Congress.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy shall transmit a report, to be updated every 2 years, 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on 
Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Foreign 
Relations of the Senate. The report shall also be made available to the 
public on the reporting agency's website. The report shall contain a 
description of--
            (1) the priorities and policies established under 
        subsection (c)(2);
            (2) the ongoing and new partnerships established since the 
        last update to the report;
            (3) the means by which stakeholder input was received, as 
        well as summary views of stakeholder input; and
            (4) the issues influencing the ability of United States 
        scientists and engineers to collaborate with foreign 
        counterparts.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 19, 2015.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.