[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 172 (Tuesday, December 21, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H8823-H8852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 
1781, I call up the bill (H.R. 5116) to invest in innovation through 
research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United 
States, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto, and 
I have a motion at the desk.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.

[[Page H8824]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will designate the Senate 
amendment:
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:

       Senate amendment:
Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

       (a) Short Title.--this Act may be cited as the ``America 
     COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010'' or the ``America 
     Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in 
     Technology, Education, and Science Reauthorization Act of 
     2010''.
       (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act 
     is as follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Budgetary impact statement.

            TITLE I--OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

Sec. 101. Coordination of Federal STEM education.
Sec. 102. Coordination of advanced manufacturing research and 
              development.
Sec. 103. Interagency public access committee.
Sec. 104. Federal scientific collections.
Sec. 105. Prize competitions.

        TITLE II--NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

Sec. 201. NASA's contribution to innovation and competitiveness.
Sec. 202. NASA's contribution to education.
Sec. 203. Assessment of impediments to space science and engineering 
              workforce development for minority and under-represented 
              groups at NASA.
Sec. 204. International Space Station's contribution to national 
              competitiveness enhancement.
Sec. 205. Study of potential commercial orbital platform program impact 
              on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.
Sec. 206. Definitions.

       TITLE III--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

Sec. 301. Oceanic and atmospheric research and development program.
Sec. 302. Oceanic and atmospheric science education programs.
Sec. 303. Workforce study.

        TITLE IV--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

Sec. 401. Short title.
Sec. 402. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 403. Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology.
Sec. 404. Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
Sec. 405. Emergency communication and tracking technologies research 
              initiative.
Sec. 406. Broadening participation.
Sec. 407. NIST Fellowships.
Sec. 408. Green manufacturing and construction.
Sec. 409. Definitions.

  TITLE V--SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS SUPPORT 
                                PROGRAMS

                SUBTITLE A--NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

Sec. 501. Short title.
Sec. 502. Definitions.
Sec. 503. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 504. National Science Board administrative amendments.
Sec. 505. National Center for Science and Engineering statistics.
Sec. 506. National Science Foundation manufacturing research and 
              education.
Sec. 507. National Science Board report on mid-scale instrumentation.
Sec. 508. Partnerships for innovation.
Sec. 509. Sustainable chemistry basic research.
Sec. 510. Graduate student support.
Sec. 511. Robert Noyce teacher scholarship program.
Sec. 512. Undergraduate broadening participation program.
Sec. 513. Research experiences for high school students.
Sec. 514. Research experiences for undergraduates.
Sec. 515. STEM industry internship programs.
Sec. 516. Cyber-enabled learning for national challenges.
Sec. 517. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
Sec. 518. Sense of the Congress regarding the science, technology, 
              engineering, and mathematics talent expansion program.
Sec. 519. Sense of the Congress regarding the National Science 
              Foundation's contributions to basic research and 
              education.
Sec. 520. Academic technology transfer and commercialization of 
              university research.
Sec. 521. Study to develop improved impact-on-society metrics.
Sec. 522. NSF grants in support of sponsored post-doctoral fellowship 
              programs.
Sec. 523. Collaboration in planning for stewardship of large-scale 
              facilities.
Sec. 524. Cloud computing research enhancement.
Sec. 525. Tribal colleges and universities program.
Sec. 526. Broader impacts review criterion.
Sec. 527. Twenty-first century graduate education.

                SUBTITLE B--STEM-TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM

Sec. 551. Purpose.
Sec. 552. Program requirements.
Sec. 553. Grant program.
Sec. 554. Grant oversight and administration.
Sec. 555. Definitions.
Sec. 556. Authorization of appropriations.

                          TITLE VI--INNOVATION

Sec. 601. Office of innovation and entrepreneurship.
Sec. 602. Federal loan guarantees for innovative technologies in 
              manufacturing.
Sec. 603. Regional innovation program.
Sec. 604. Study on economic competitiveness and innovative capacity of 
              United States and development of national economic 
              competitiveness strategy.
Sec. 605. Promoting use of high-end computing simulation and modeling 
              by small- and medium-sized manufacturers.

                       TITLE VII--NIST GREEN JOBS

Sec. 701. Short title.
Sec. 702. Findings.
Sec. 703. National Institute of Standards and Technology competitive 
              grant program.

                     TITLE VIII--GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 801. Government Accountability Office review.
Sec. 802. Salary restrictions.
Sec. 803. Additional research authorities of the FCC.

                     TITLE IX--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Sec. 901. Science, engineering, and mathematics education programs.
Sec. 902. Energy research programs.
Sec. 903. Basic research.
Sec. 904. Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy.

                           TITLE X--EDUCATION

Sec. 1001. References
Sec. 1002. Repeals and conforming amendments.
Sec. 1003. Authorizations of appropriations and matching requirement.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Director.--In title I, the term ``Director'' means the 
     Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
       (2) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means the academic and 
     professional disciplines of science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics.

     SEC. 3. BUDGETARY IMPACT STATEMENT.

       The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of 
     complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go-Act of 2010, shall 
     be determined by reference to the latest statement titled 
     ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' for this Act, 
     submitted for printing in the Congressional Record by the 
     Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, provided that such 
     statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.

            TITLE I--OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY

     SEC. 101. COORDINATION OF FEDERAL STEM EDUCATION.

       (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish a 
     committee under the National Science and Technology Council, 
     including the Office of Management and Budget, with the 
     responsibility to coordinate Federal programs and activities 
     in support of STEM education, including at the National 
     Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic 
     and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Education, 
     and all other Federal agencies that have programs and 
     activities in support of STEM education.
       (b) Responsibilities.--The committee established under 
     subsection (a) shall--
       (1) coordinate the STEM education activities and programs 
     of the Federal agencies;
       (2) coordinate STEM education activities and programs with 
     the Office of Management and Budget;
       (3) encourage the teaching of innovation and 
     entrepreneurship as part of STEM education activities;
       (4) review STEM education activities and programs to ensure 
     they are not duplicative of similar efforts within the 
     Federal government;
       (5) develop, implement through the participating agencies, 
     and update once every 5 years a 5-year STEM education 
     strategic plan, which shall--
       (A) specify and prioritize annual and long-term objectives;
       (B) specify the common metrics that will be used to assess 
     progress toward achieving the objectives;
       (C) describe the approaches that will be taken by each 
     participating agency to assess the effectiveness of its STEM 
     education programs and activities; and
       (D) with respect to subparagraph (A), describe the role of 
     each agency in supporting programs and activities designed to 
     achieve the objectives; and
       (6) establish, periodically update, and maintain an 
     inventory of federally sponsored STEM education programs and 
     activities, including documentation of assessments of the 
     effectiveness of such programs and activities and rates of 
     participation by women, underrepresented minorities, and 
     persons in rural areas in such programs and activities.
       (b) Responsibilities of OSTP.--The Director shall encourage 
     and monitor the efforts of the participating agencies to 
     ensure that the strategic plan under subsection (b)(5) is 
     developed and executed effectively and that the objectives of 
     the strategic plan are met.
       (c) Report.--The Director shall transmit a report annually 
     to Congress at the time of the President's budget request 
     describing the plan required under subsection (b)(5). The 
     annual report shall include--

[[Page H8825]]

       (1) a description of the STEM education programs and 
     activities for the previous and current fiscal years, and the 
     proposed programs and activities under the President's budget 
     request, of each participating Federal agency;
       (2) the levels of funding for each participating Federal 
     agency for the programs and activities described under 
     paragraph (1) for the previous fiscal year and under the 
     President's budget request;
       (3) an evaluation of the levels of duplication and 
     fragmentation of the programs and activities described under 
     paragraph (1);
       (4) except for the initial annual report, a description of 
     the progress made in carrying out the implementation plan, 
     including a description of the outcome of any program 
     assessments completed in the previous year, and any changes 
     made to that plan since the previous annual report; and
       (5) a description of how the participating Federal agencies 
     will disseminate information about federally supported 
     resources for STEM education practitioners, including teacher 
     professional development programs, to States and to STEM 
     education practitioners, including to teachers and 
     administrators in schools that meet the criteria described in 
     subsection (c)(1)(A) and (B) of section 3175 of the 
     Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act (42 
     U.S.C. 7381j(c)(1)(A) and (B)).

     SEC. 102. COORDINATION OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING RESEARCH AND 
                   DEVELOPMENT.

       (a) Interagency Committee.--The Director shall establish or 
     designate a Committee on Technology under the National 
     Science and Technology Council. The Committee shall be 
     responsible for planning and coordinating Federal programs 
     and activities in advanced manufacturing research and 
     development.
       (b) Responsibilities of Committee.--The Committee shall--
       (1) coordinate the advanced manufacturing research and 
     development programs and activities of the Federal agencies;
       (2) establish goals and priorities for advanced 
     manufacturing research and development that will strengthen 
     United States manufacturing;
       (3) work with industry organizations, Federal agencies, and 
     Federally Funded Research and Development Centers not 
     represented on the Committee, to identify and reduce 
     regulatory, logistical, and fiscal barriers within the 
     Federal government and State governments that inhibit United 
     States manufacturing;
       (4) facilitate the transfer of intellectual property and 
     technology based on federally supported university research 
     into commercialization and manufacturing;
       (5) identify technological, market, or business challenges 
     that may best be addressed by public-private partnerships, 
     and are likely to attract both participation and primary 
     funding from industry;
       (6) encourage the formation of public-private partnerships 
     to respond to those challenges for transition to United 
     States manufacturing; and
       (7) develop, and update every 5 years, a strategic plan to 
     guide Federal programs and activities in support of advanced 
     manufacturing research and development, which shall--
       (A) specify and prioritize near-term and long-term research 
     and development objectives, the anticipated time frame for 
     achieving the objectives, and the metrics for use in 
     assessing progress toward the objectives;
       (B) specify the role of each Federal agency in carrying out 
     or sponsoring research and development to meet the objectives 
     of the strategic plan;
       (C) describe how the Federal agencies and Federally Funded 
     Research and Development Centers supporting advanced 
     manufacturing research and development will foster the 
     transfer of research and development results into new 
     manufacturing technologies and United States based 
     manufacturing of new products and processes for the benefit 
     of society to ensure national, energy, and economic security;
       (D) describe how Federal agencies and Federally Funded 
     Research and Development Centers supporting advanced 
     manufacturing research and development will strengthen all 
     levels of manufacturing education and training programs to 
     ensure an adequate, well-trained workforce;
       (E) describe how the Federal agencies and Federally Funded 
     Research and Development Centers supporting advanced 
     manufacturing research and development will assist small- and 
     medium-sized manufacturers in developing and implementing new 
     products and processes; and
       (F) take into consideration the recommendations of a wide 
     range of stakeholders, including representatives from diverse 
     manufacturing companies, academia, and other relevant 
     organizations and institutions.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit the 
     strategic plan developed under subsection (b)(7) to the 
     Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 
     and the House of Representatives Committee on Science and 
     Technology, and shall transmit subsequent updates to those 
     committees as appropriate.

     SEC. 103. INTERAGENCY PUBLIC ACCESS COMMITTEE.

       (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish a working 
     group under the National Science and Technology Council with 
     the responsibility to coordinate Federal science agency 
     research and policies related to the dissemination and long-
     term stewardship of the results of unclassified research, 
     including digital data and peer-reviewed scholarly 
     publications, supported wholly, or in part, by funding from 
     the Federal science agencies.
       (b) Responsibilities.--The working group shall--
       (1) identify the specific objectives and public interests 
     that need to be addressed by any policies coordinated under 
     (a);
       (2) take into account inherent variability among Federal 
     science agencies and scientific disciplines in the nature of 
     research, types of data, and dissemination models;
       (3) coordinate the development or designation of standards 
     for research data, the structure of full text and metadata, 
     navigation tools, and other applications to maximize 
     interoperability across Federal science agencies, across 
     science and engineering disciplines, and between research 
     data and scholarly publications, taking into account existing 
     consensus standards, including international standards;
       (4) coordinate Federal science agency programs and 
     activities that support research and education on tools and 
     systems required to ensure preservation and stewardship of 
     all forms of digital research data, including scholarly 
     publications;
       (5) work with international science and technology 
     counterparts to maximize interoperability between United 
     States based unclassified research databases and 
     international databases and repositories;
       (6) solicit input and recommendations from, and collaborate 
     with, non-Federal stakeholders, including the public, 
     universities, nonprofit and for-profit publishers, libraries, 
     federally funded and non federally funded research 
     scientists, and other organizations and institutions with a 
     stake in long term preservation and access to the results of 
     federally funded research;
       (7) establish priorities for coordinating the development 
     of any Federal science agency policies related to public 
     access to the results of federally funded research to 
     maximize the benefits of such policies with respect to their 
     potential economic or other impact on the science and 
     engineering enterprise and the stakeholders thereof;
       (8) take into consideration the distinction between 
     scholarly publications and digital data;
       (9) take into consideration the role that scientific 
     publishers play in the peer review process in ensuring the 
     integrity of the record of scientific research, including the 
     investments and added value that they make; and
       (10) examine Federal agency practices and procedures for 
     providing research reports to the agencies charged with 
     locating and preserving unclassified research.
       (c) Patent or Copyright Law.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to undermine any right under the provisions of 
     title 17 or 35, United States Code.
       (d) Application with Existing Law.--Nothing defined in 
     section (b) shall be construed to affect existing law with 
     respect to Federal science agencies' policies related to 
     public access.
       (e) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit a 
     report to Congress describing--
       (1) the specific objectives and public interest identified 
     under (b)(1);
       (2) any priorities established under subsection (b)(7);
       (3) the impact the policies described under (a) have had on 
     the science and engineering enterprise and the stakeholders, 
     including the financial impact on research budgets;
       (4) the status of any Federal science agency policies 
     related to public access to the results of federally funded 
     research; and
       (5) how any policies developed or being developed by 
     Federal science agencies, as described in subsection (a), 
     incorporate input from the non-Federal stakeholders described 
     in subsection (b)(6).
       (f) Federal Science Agency Defined.--For the purposes of 
     this section, the term ``Federal science agency'' means any 
     Federal agency with an annual extramural research expenditure 
     of over $100,000,000.

     SEC. 104. FEDERAL SCIENTIFIC COLLECTIONS.

       (a) Management of Scientific Collections.--The Office of 
     Science and Technology Policy shall develop policies for the 
     management and use of Federal scientific collections to 
     improve the quality, organization, access, including online 
     access, and long-term preservation of such collections for 
     the benefit of the scientific enterprise. In developing those 
     policies the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall 
     consult, as appropriate, with--
       (1) Federal agencies with such collections; and
       (2) representatives of other organizations, institutions, 
     and other entities not a part of the Federal Government that 
     have a stake in the preservation, maintenance, and 
     accessibility of such collections, including State and local 
     government agencies, institutions of higher education, 
     museums, and other entities engaged in the acquisition, 
     holding, management, or use of scientific collections.
       (b) Clearinghouse.--The Office of Science and Technology 
     Policy, in consultation with relevant Federal agencies, shall 
     ensure the development of an online clearinghouse for 
     information on the contents of and access to Federal 
     scientific collections.
       (c) Disposal of Collections.--The policies developed under 
     subsection (a) shall--
       (1) require that, before disposing of a scientific 
     collection, a Federal agency shall--
       (A) conduct a review of the research value of the 
     collection; and
       (B) consult with researchers who have used the collection, 
     and other potentially interested parties, concerning--
       (i) the collection's value for research purposes; and
       (ii) possible additional educational uses for the 
     collection; and
       (2) include procedures for Federal agencies to transfer 
     scientific collections they no longer need to researchers at 
     institutions or other entities qualified to manage the 
     collections.
       (d) Cost Projections.--The Office of Science and Technology 
     Policy, in consultation with

[[Page H8826]]

     relevant Federal agencies, shall develop a common set of 
     methodologies to be used by Federal agencies for the 
     assessment and projection of costs associated with the 
     management and preservation of their scientific collections.
       (e) Scientific Collection Defined.--In this section, the 
     term ``scientific collection'' means a set of physical 
     specimens, living or inanimate, created for the purpose of 
     supporting science and serving as a long-term research asset, 
     rather than for their market value as collectibles or their 
     historical, artistic, or cultural significance, and, as 
     appropriate and feasible, the associated specimen data and 
     materials.

     SEC. 105. PRIZE COMPETITIONS.

       (a) In General.--The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 
     Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3701 et seq.) is amended by adding at 
     the end the following:

     ``SEC. 24. PRIZE COMPETITIONS.

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Agency.--The term `agency' means a Federal agency.
       ``(2) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director of 
     the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
       ``(3) Federal agency.--The term `Federal agency' has the 
     meaning given under section 4, except that term shall not 
     include any agency of the legislative branch of the Federal 
     Government.
       ``(4) Head of an agency.--The term `head of an agency' 
     means the head of a Federal agency.
       ``(b) In General.--Each head of an agency, or the heads of 
     multiple agencies in cooperation, may carry out a program to 
     award prizes competitively to stimulate innovation that has 
     the potential to advance the mission of the respective 
     agency.
       ``(c) Prizes.--For purposes of this section, a prize may be 
     one or more of the following:
       ``(1) A point solution prize that rewards and spurs the 
     development of solutions for a particular, well-defined 
     problem.
       ``(2) An exposition prize that helps identify and promote a 
     broad range of ideas and practices that may not otherwise 
     attract attention, facilitating further development of the 
     idea or practice by third parties.
       ``(3) Participation prizes that create value during and 
     after the competition by encouraging contestants to change 
     their behavior or develop new skills that may have beneficial 
     effects during and after the competition.
       ``(4) Such other types of prizes as each head of an agency 
     considers appropriate to stimulate innovation that has the 
     potential to advance the mission of the respective agency.
       ``(d) Topics.--In selecting topics for prize competitions, 
     the head of an agency shall consult widely both within and 
     outside the Federal Government, and may empanel advisory 
     committees.
       ``(e) Advertising.--The head of an agency shall widely 
     advertise each prize competition to encourage broad 
     participation.
       ``(f) Requirements and Registration.--For each prize 
     competition, the head of an agency shall publish a notice in 
     the Federal Register announcing--
       ``(1) the subject of the competition;
       ``(2) the rules for being eligible to participate in the 
     competition;
       ``(3) the process for participants to register for the 
     competition;
       ``(4) the amount of the prize; and
       ``(5) the basis on which a winner will be selected.
       ``(g) Eligibility.--To be eligible to win a prize under 
     this section, an individual or entity--
       ``(1) shall have registered to participate in the 
     competition under any rules promulgated by the head of an 
     agency under subsection (f);
       ``(2) shall have complied with all the requirements under 
     this section;
       ``(3) in the case of a private entity, shall be 
     incorporated in and maintain a primary place of business in 
     the United States, and in the case of an individual, whether 
     participating singly or in a group, shall be a citizen or 
     permanent resident of the United States; and
       ``(4) may not be a Federal entity or Federal employee 
     acting within the scope of their employment.
       ``(h) Consultation With Federal Employees.--An individual 
     or entity shall not be deemed ineligible under subsection (g) 
     because the individual or entity used Federal facilities or 
     consulted with Federal employees during a competition if the 
     facilities and employees are made available to all 
     individuals and entities participating in the competition on 
     an equitable basis.
       ``(i) Liability.--
       ``(1) In general.--
       ``(A) Definition.--In this paragraph, the term `related 
     entity' means a contractor or subcontractor at any tier, and 
     a supplier, user, customer, cooperating party, grantee, 
     investigator, or detailee.
       ``(B) Liability.--Registered participants shall be required 
     to agree to assume any and all risks and waive claims against 
     the Federal Government and its related entities, except in 
     the case of willful misconduct, for any injury, death, 
     damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits, whether 
     direct, indirect, or consequential, arising from their 
     participation in a competition, whether the injury, death, 
     damage, or loss arises through negligence or otherwise.
       ``(2) Insurance.--Participants shall be required to obtain 
     liability insurance or demonstrate financial responsibility, 
     in amounts determined by the head of an agency, for claims 
     by--
       ``(A) a third party for death, bodily injury, or property 
     damage, or loss resulting from an activity carried out in 
     connection with participation in a competition, with the 
     Federal Government named as an additional insured under the 
     registered participant's insurance policy and registered 
     participants agreeing to indemnify the Federal Government 
     against third party claims for damages arising from or 
     related to competition activities; and
       ``(B) the Federal Government for damage or loss to 
     Government property resulting from such an activity.
       ``(3) Exception.--The head of an agency may not require a 
     participant to waive claims against the administering entity 
     arising out of the unauthorized use or disclosure by the 
     agency of the intellectual property, trade secrets, or 
     confidential business information of the participant.
       ``(j) Intellectual Property.--
       ``(1) Prohibition on the government acquiring intellectual 
     property rights.--The Federal Government may not gain an 
     interest in intellectual property developed by a participant 
     in a competition without the written consent of the 
     participant.
       ``(2) Licenses.--The Federal Government may negotiate a 
     license for the use of intellectual property developed by a 
     participant for a competition.
       ``(k) Judges.--
       ``(1) In general.--For each competition, the head of an 
     agency, either directly or through an agreement under 
     subsection (l), shall appoint one or more qualified judges to 
     select the winner or winners of the prize competition on the 
     basis described under subsection (f). Judges for each 
     competition may include individuals from outside the agency, 
     including from the private sector.
       ``(2) Restrictions.--A judge may not--
       ``(A) have personal or financial interests in, or be an 
     employee, officer, director, or agent of any entity that is a 
     registered participant in a competition; or
       ``(B) have a familial or financial relationship with an 
     individual who is a registered participant.
       ``(3) Guidelines.--The heads of agencies who carry out 
     competitions under this section shall develop guidelines to 
     ensure that the judges appointed for such competitions are 
     fairly balanced and operate in a transparent manner.
       ``(4) Exemption from faca.--The Federal Advisory Committee 
     Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to any committee, board, 
     commission, panel, task force, or similar entity, created 
     solely for the purpose of judging prize competitions under 
     this section.
       ``(l) Administering the Competition.--The head of an agency 
     may enter into an agreement with a private, nonprofit entity 
     to administer a prize competition, subject to the provisions 
     of this section.
       ``(m) Funding.--
       ``(1) In general.--Support for a prize competition under 
     this section, including financial support for the design and 
     administration of a prize or funds for a monetary prize 
     purse, may consist of Federal appropriated funds and funds 
     provided by the private sector for such cash prizes. The head 
     of an agency may accept funds from other Federal agencies to 
     support such competitions. The head of an agency may not give 
     any special consideration to any private sector entity in 
     return for a donation.
       ``(2) Availability of funds.--Notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law, funds appropriated for prize awards under 
     this section shall remain available until expended. No 
     provision in this section permits obligation or payment of 
     funds in violation of section 1341 of title 31, United States 
     Code.
       ``(3) Amount of prize.--
       ``(A) Announcement.--No prize may be announced under 
     subsection (f) until all the funds needed to pay out the 
     announced amount of the prize have been appropriated or 
     committed in writing by a private source.
       ``(B) Increase in amount.--The head of an agency may 
     increase the amount of a prize after an initial announcement 
     is made under subsection (f) only if--
       ``(i) notice of the increase is provided in the same manner 
     as the initial notice of the prize; and
       ``(ii) the funds needed to pay out the announced amount of 
     the increase have been appropriated or committed in writing 
     by a private source.
       ``(4) Limitation on amount.--
       ``(A) Notice to congress.--No prize competition under this 
     section may offer a prize in an amount greater than 
     $50,000,000 unless 30 days have elapsed after written notice 
     has been transmitted to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 
     and Technology of the House of Representatives.
       ``(B) Approval of head of agency.--No prize competition 
     under this section may result in the award of more than 
     $1,000,000 in cash prizes without the approval of the head of 
     an agency.
       ``(n) General Service Administration Assistance.--Not later 
     than 180 days after the date of the enactment of the America 
     COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, the General Services 
     Administration shall provide government wide services to 
     share best practices and assist agencies in developing 
     guidelines for issuing prize competitions. The General 
     Services Administration shall develop a contract vehicle to 
     provide agencies access to relevant products and services, 
     including technical assistance in structuring and conducting 
     prize competitions to take maximum benefit of the marketplace 
     as they identify and pursue prize competitions to further the 
     policy objectives of the Federal Government.
       ``(o) Compliance With Existing Law.--
       ``(1) In General.-- The Federal Government shall not, by 
     virtue of offering or providing a prize under this section, 
     be responsible for compliance by registered participants in a 
     prize competition with Federal law, including licensing, 
     export control, and nonproliferation laws, and related 
     regulations.

[[Page H8827]]

       ``(2) Other prize authority.--Nothing in this section 
     affects the prize authority authorized by any other provision 
     of law.
       ``(p) Annual Report.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than March 1 of each year, the 
     Director shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science 
     and Technology of the House of Representatives a report on 
     the activities carried out during the preceding fiscal year 
     under the authority in subsection (b).
       ``(2) Information included.--The report for a fiscal year 
     under this subsection shall include, for each prize 
     competition under subsection (b), the following:
       ``(A) Proposed goals.--A description of the proposed goals 
     of each prize competition.
       ``(B) Preferable method.--An analysis of why the 
     utilization of the authority in subsection (b) was the 
     preferable method of achieving the goals described in 
     subparagraph (A) as opposed to other authorities available to 
     the agency, such as contracts, grants, and cooperative 
     agreements.
       ``(C) Amount of cash prizes.--The total amount of cash 
     prizes awarded for each prize competition, including a 
     description of amount of private funds contributed to the 
     program, the sources of such funds, and the manner in which 
     the amounts of cash prizes awarded and claimed were allocated 
     among the accounts of the agency for recording as obligations 
     and expenditures.
       ``(D) Solicitations and evaluation of submissions.--The 
     methods used for the solicitation and evaluation of 
     submissions under each prize competition, together with an 
     assessment of the effectiveness of such methods and lessons 
     learned for future prize competitions.
       ``(E) Resources.--A description of the resources, including 
     personnel and funding, used in the execution of each prize 
     competition together with a detailed description of the 
     activities for which such resources were used and an 
     accounting of how funding for execution was allocated among 
     the accounts of the agency for recording as obligations and 
     expenditures.
       ``(F) Results.--A description of how each prize competition 
     advanced the mission of the agency concerned.''.
       (b) Repeal of space act limitation.--Section 314(a) of the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (42 U.S.C. 2459f-1 
     is amended by striking ``The Administration may carry out a 
     program to award prizes only in conformity with this 
     section.''.

        TITLE II--NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

     SEC. 201. NASA'S CONTRIBUTION TO INNOVATION AND 
                   COMPETITIVENESS.

       It is the sense of Congress that a renewed emphasis on 
     technology development would enhance current mission 
     capabilities and enable future missions, while encouraging 
     NASA, private industry, and academia to spur innovation. 
     NASA's Innovative Partnership Program is a valuable mechanism 
     to accelerate technology maturation and encourage the 
     transfer of technology into the private sector.

     SEC. 202. NASA'S CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION.

       (a) Sense Of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     NASA is uniquely positioned to interest students in science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics, not only by the 
     example it sets, but through its education programs.
       (b) Educational Program Goals.--NASA shall develop and 
     maintain educational programs--
       (1) to carry out and support research based programs and 
     activities designed to increase student interest and 
     participation in STEM, including students from minority and 
     underrepresented groups;
       (2) to improve public literacy in STEM;
       (3) that employ proven strategies and methods for improving 
     student learning and teaching in STEM;
       (4) to provide curriculum support materials and other 
     resources that--
       (A) are designed to be integrated with comprehensive STEM 
     education;
       (B) are aligned with national science education standards;
       (C) promote the adoption and implementation of high-quality 
     education practices that build toward college and career-
     readiness; and
       (5) to create and support opportunities for enhanced and 
     ongoing professional development for teachers using best 
     practices that improve the STEM content and knowledge of the 
     teachers, including through programs linking STEM teachers 
     with STEM educators at the higher education level.

     SEC. 203. ASSESSMENT OF IMPEDIMENTS TO SPACE SCIENCE AND 
                   ENGINEERING WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT FOR MINORITY 
                   AND UNDERREPRESENTED GROUPS AT NASA.

       (a) Assessment.--The Administrator shall enter into an 
     arrangement for an independent assessment of any impediments 
     to space science and engineering workforce development for 
     minority and underrepresented groups at NASA, including 
     recommendations on--
       (1) measures to address such impediments;
       (2) opportunities for augmenting the impact of space 
     science and engineering workforce development activities and 
     for expanding proven, effective programs; and
       (3) best practices and lessons learned, as identified 
     through the assessment, to help maximize the effectiveness of 
     existing and future programs to increase the participation of 
     minority and underrepresented groups in the space science and 
     engineering workforce at NASA.
       (b) Report.--A report on the assessment carried out under 
     subsection (a) shall be transmitted to the House of 
     Representatives Committee on Science and Technology and the 
     Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation not 
     later than 15 months after the date of enactment of this Act.
       (c) Implementation.--To the extent practicable, the 
     Administrator shall take all necessary steps to address any 
     impediments identified in the assessment.

     SEC. 204. INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION'S CONTRIBUTION TO 
                   NATIONAL COMPETITIVENESS ENHANCEMENT.

       (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
     that the International Space Station represents a valuable 
     and unique national asset which can be utilized to increase 
     educational opportunities and scientific and technological 
     innovation which will enhance the Nation's economic security 
     and competitiveness in the global technology fields of 
     endeavor. If the period for active utilization of the 
     International Space Station is extended to at least the year 
     2020, the potential for such opportunities and innovation 
     would be increased. Efforts should be made to fully realize 
     that potential.
       (b) Evaluation and Assessment of NASA's Interagency 
     Contribution.--Pursuant to the authority provided in title II 
     of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-69), the 
     Administrator shall evaluate and, where possible, expand 
     efforts to maximize NASA's contribution to interagency 
     efforts to enhance science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics education capabilities, and to enhance the 
     Nation's technological excellence and global competitiveness. 
     The Administrator shall identify these enhancements in the 
     annual reports required by section 2001(e) of that Act (42 
     U.S.C. 16611a(e)).
       (c) Report to the Congress.--Within 120 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall provide to 
     the House of Representatives Committee on Science and 
     Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation a report on the assessment made pursuant to 
     subsection (a). The report shall include--
       (1) a description of current and potential activities 
     associated with utilization of the International Space 
     Station which are supportive of the goals of educational 
     excellence and innovation and competitive enhancement 
     established or reaffirmed by this Act, including a summary of 
     the goals supported, the number of individuals or 
     organizations participating in or benefiting from such 
     activities, and a summary of how such activities might be 
     expanded or improved upon;
       (2) a description of government and private partnerships 
     which are, or may be, established to effectively utilize the 
     capabilities represented by the International Space Station 
     to enhance United States competitiveness, innovation and 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; 
     and
       (3) a summary of proposed actions or activities to be 
     undertaken to ensure the maximum utilization of the 
     International Space Station to contribute to fulfillment of 
     the goals and objectives of this Act, and the identification 
     of any additional authority, assets, or funding that would be 
     required to support such activities.

     SEC. 205. STUDY OF POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL ORBITAL PLATFORM 
                   PROGRAM IMPACT ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, 
                   ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS.

       (a) In General.--Section 1003 of the National Aeronautics 
     and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 
     18421) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 1003. STUDY OF POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL ORBITAL PLATFORM 
                   PROGRAM IMPACT ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, 
                   ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS.

       ``A fundamental and unique capability of NASA is in 
     stimulating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
     education in the United States. In ensuring maximum use of 
     that capability, the Administrator shall carry out a study 
     to--
       ``(1) identify the benefits of and lessons learned from 
     ongoing and previous NASA orbital student programs including, 
     at a minimum, the Get Away Special (GAS) and Earth Knowledge 
     Acquired by Middle School Students (EarthKAM) programs, on 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education;
       ``(2) assess the potential impacts on science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics education of a program that 
     would facilitate the development of scientific and 
     educational payloads involving United States students and 
     educators and the flights of those payloads on commercially 
     available orbital platforms, when available and operational, 
     with the goal of providing frequent and regular payload 
     launches;
       ``(3) identify NASA expertise, such as NASA science, 
     engineering, payload development, and payload operations, 
     that could be made available to facilitate a science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics program using 
     commercial orbital platforms; and
       ``(4) identify the issues that would need to be addressed 
     before NASA could properly assess the merits and feasibility 
     of the program described in paragraph (2).''.
       (c) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on October 12, 2010.

     SEC. 206. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
     Administrator of NASA.
       (2) NASA.--The term ``NASA'' means the National Aeronautics 
     and Space Administration.

       TITLE III--NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

     SEC. 301. OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
                   PROGRAM.

       Section 4001 of the America COMPETES Act (33 U.S.C. 893) is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The 
     Administrator''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Oceanic and Atmospheric Research and Development 
     Program.--The Administrator shall implement programs and 
     activities--

[[Page H8828]]

       ``(1) to identify emerging and innovative research and 
     development priorities to enhance United States 
     competitiveness, support development of new economic 
     opportunities based on NOAA research, observations, 
     monitoring modeling, and predictions that sustain ecosystem 
     services;
       ``(2) to promote United States leadership in oceanic and 
     atmospheric science and competitiveness in the applied uses 
     of such knowledge, including for the development and 
     expansion of economic opportunities; and
       ``(3) to advance ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and 
     atmospheric research and development, including potentially 
     transformational research, in collaboration with other 
     relevant Federal agencies, academic institutions, the private 
     sector, and nongovernmental programs, consistent with NOAA's 
     mission to understand, observe, and model the Earth's 
     atmosphere and biosphere, including the oceans, in an 
     integrated manner.
       ``(c) Report.--No later than 12 months after the date of 
     enactment of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
     2010, the Administrator, in consultation with the National 
     Science Foundation or other such agencies with mature 
     transformational research portfolios, shall develop and 
     submit a report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee 
     on Science and Technology that describes NOAA's strategy for 
     enhancing transformational research in its research and 
     development portfolio to increase United States 
     competitiveness in oceanic and atmospheric science and 
     technology. The report shall--
       ``(1) define `transformational research';
       ``(2) identify emerging and innovative areas of research 
     and development where transformational research has the 
     potential to make significant and revolutionary -advancements 
     in both understanding and U.S. science leadership;
       ``(3) describe how transformational research priorities are 
     identified and appropriately -balanced in the context of 
     NOAA's broader research portfolio;
       ``(4) describe NOAA's plan for developing a competitive 
     peer review and priority-setting -process, funding 
     mechanisms, performance and evaluation measures, and 
     transition-to-operation guidelines for transformational 
     research; and
       ``(5) describe partnerships with other agencies involved in 
     transformational research.''.

     SEC. 302. OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE EDUCATION PROGRAMS.

       Section 4002 of the America COMPETES Act (33 U.S.C. 893a) 
     is amended--
       (1) by striking ``the agency.'' in subsection (a) and 
     inserting ``agency, with consideration given to the goal of 
     promoting the participation of individuals from 
     underrepresented groups in STEM fields and in promoting the 
     acquisition and retention of highly qualified and motivated 
     young scientists to complement and supplement workforce 
     needs.'';
       (2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (c) as subsections 
     (c) and (d), respectively;
       (3) by inserting after subsection (a) the following:
       ``(b) Educational Program Goals.--The education programs 
     developed by NOAA shall, to the extent applicable--
       ``(1) carry out and support research based programs and 
     activities designed to increase student interest and 
     participation in STEM;
       ``(2) improve public literacy in STEM;
       ``(3) employ proven strategies and methods for improving 
     student learning and teaching in STEM;
       ``(4) provide curriculum support materials and other 
     resources that--
       ``(A) are designed to be integrated with comprehensive STEM 
     education;
       ``(B) are aligned with national science education 
     standards; and
       ``(C) promote the adoption and implementation of high-
     quality education practices that build toward college and 
     career-readiness; and
       ``(5) create and support opportunities for enhanced and 
     ongoing professional development for teachers using best 
     practices that improves the STEM content and knowledge of the 
     teachers, including through programs linking STEM teachers 
     with STEM educators at the higher education level.'';
       (4) by striking ``develop'' in subsection (c), as 
     redesignated, and inserting ``maintain''; and
       (5) by adding at the end thereof the following:
       ``(e) STEM defined.--In this section, the term `STEM' means 
     the academic and professional disciplines of science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics.''.

     SEC. 303. WORKFORCE STUDY.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Commerce, in cooperation 
     with the Secretary of Education, shall request the National 
     Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on the scientific 
     workforce in the areas of oceanic and atmospheric research 
     and development. The study shall investigate--
       (1) whether there is a shortage in the number of 
     individuals with advanced degrees in oceanic and atmospheric 
     sciences who have the ability to conduct high quality 
     scientific research in physical and chemical oceanography, 
     meteorology, and atmospheric modeling, and related fields, 
     for government, nonprofit, and private sector entities;
       (2) what Federal programs are available to help facilitate 
     the education of students hoping to pursue these degrees;
       (3) barriers to transitioning highly qualified oceanic and 
     atmospheric scientists into Federal civil service scientist 
     career tracks;
       (4) what institutions of higher education, the private 
     sector, and the Congress could do to increase the number of 
     individuals with such post baccalaureate degrees;
       (5) the impact of an aging Federal scientist workforce on 
     the ability of Federal agencies to conduct high quality 
     scientific research; and
       (6) what actions the Federal government can take to assist 
     the transition of highly qualified scientists into Federal 
     career scientist positions and ensure that the experiences of 
     retiring Federal scientists are adequately documented and 
     transferred prior to retirement from Federal service.
       (b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Commerce and the 
     Secretary of Education shall consult with the heads of other 
     Federal agencies and departments with oceanic and atmospheric 
     expertise or authority in preparing the specifications for 
     the study.
       (c) Report.--No later than 18 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce and the 
     Secretary of Education shall transmit a joint report to each 
     committee of Congress with jurisdiction over the programs 
     described in 4002(b) of the America COMPETES Act (33 U.S.C. 
     893a(b)), as amended by section 302 of this Act, detailing 
     the findings and recommendations of the study and setting 
     forth a prioritized plan to implement the recommendations.
       (d) Program and Plan.--The Administrator of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall evaluate the 
     National Academy of Sciences study and develop a workforce 
     program and plan to institutionalize the Administration's 
     Federal science career pathways and address aging workforce 
     issues. The program and plan shall be developed in 
     consultation with the Administration's cooperative institutes 
     and other academic partners to identify and implement 
     programs and mechanisms to ensure that--
       (1) sufficient highly qualified scientists are able to 
     transition into Federal career scientist positions in the 
     Administration's laboratories and programs; and
       (2) the technical and management experiences of senior 
     employees are documented and transferred before leaving 
     Federal service.

        TITLE IV--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

     SEC. 401. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 402. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Fiscal Year 2011.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Commerce $918,900,000 for the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology for fiscal year 2011.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $584,500,000 shall be authorized for scientific and 
     technical research and services laboratory activities;
       (B) $124,800,000 shall be authorized for the construction 
     and maintenance of facilities; and
       (C) $209,600,000 shall be authorized for industrial 
     technology services activities, of which--
       (i) $141,100,000 shall be authorized for the Manufacturing 
     Extension Partnership program under sections 25 and 26 of 
     such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l), of which not more than 
     $5,000,000 shall be for the competitive grant program under 
     section 25(f) of such Act; and
       (ii) $10,000,000 shall be authorized for the Malcolm 
     Baldrige National Quality Award program under section 17 of 
     the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3711a).
       (b) Fiscal Year 2012.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Commerce $970,800,000 for the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology for fiscal year 2012.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $661,100,000 shall be authorized for scientific and 
     technical research and services laboratory activities;
       (B) $84,900,000 shall be authorized for the construction 
     and maintenance of facilities; and
       (C) $224,800,000 shall be authorized for industrial 
     technology services activities, of which--
       (i) $155,100,000 shall be authorized for the Manufacturing 
     Extension Partnership program under sections 25 and 26 of 
     such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l), of which not more than 
     $5,000,000 shall be for the competitive grant program under 
     section 25(f) of such Act; and
       (ii) $10,300,000 shall be authorized for the Malcolm 
     Baldrige National Quality Award program under section 17 of 
     the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3711a).
       (c) Fiscal Year 2013.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Secretary of Commerce $1,039,709,000 for the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology for fiscal year 2013.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $676,700,000 shall be authorized for scientific and 
     technical research and services laboratory activities;
       (B) $121,300,000 shall be authorized for the construction 
     and maintenance of facilities; and
       (C) $241,709,000 shall be authorized for industrial 
     technology services activities, of which--
       (i) $165,100,000 shall be authorized for the Manufacturing 
     Extension Partnership program under sections 25 and 26 of 
     such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l), of which not more than 
     $5,000,000 shall be for the competitive grant program under 
     section 25(f) of such Act; and
       (ii) $10,609,000 shall be authorized for the Malcolm 
     Baldrige National Quality Award program under section 17 of 
     the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3711a).

     SEC. 403. UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR STANDARDS AND 
                   TECHNOLOGY.

       (a) Establishment.--The National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology Act is amended by inserting after section 3 the 
     following:

[[Page H8829]]

     ``SEC. 4. UNDER SECRETARY OF COMMERCE FOR STANDARDS AND 
                   TECHNOLOGY.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There shall be in the Department of 
     Commerce an Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 
     Technology (in this section referred to as the `Under 
     Secretary').
       ``(b) Appointment.--The Under Secretary shall be appointed 
     by the President by and with the advice and consent of the 
     Senate.
       ``(c) Compensation.--The Under Secretary shall be 
     compensated at the rate in effect for level III of the 
     Executive Schedule under section 5314 of title 5, United 
     States Code.
       ``(d) Duties.--The Under Secretary shall serve as the 
     Director of the Institute and shall perform such duties as 
     required of the Director by the Secretary under this Act or 
     by law.
       ``(e) Applicability.--The individual serving as the 
     Director of the Institute on the date of enactment of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization 
     Act of 2010 shall also serve as the Under Secretary until 
     such time as a successor is appointed under subsection 
     (b).''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Title 5, united states code.--
       (A) Level iii.--Section 5314 of title 5, United States 
     Code, is amended by inserting before the item ``Associate 
     Attorney General'' the following:
       ``Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology, 
     who also serves as Director of the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology.''.
       (B) Level iv.--Section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, 
     is amended by striking ``Director, National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce.''.
       (2) National institute of standards and technology act.--
     Section 5 of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 274) is amended by striking the 
     first, fifth, and sixth sentences.

     SEC. 404. MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP.

       (a) Community College Support.--Section 25(a) of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
     278k(a)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon in paragraph 
     (4);
       (2) by striking ``Institute.'' in paragraph (5) and 
     inserting ``Institute; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(6) providing to community colleges information about the 
     job skills needed in small- and medium-sized manufacturing 
     businesses in the regions they serve.''.
       (b) Innovative Services Initiative.--Section 25 of such Act 
     (15 U.S.C. 278k) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(g) Innovative Services Initiative.--
       ``(1) Establishment.--The Director shall establish, within 
     the Centers program under this section, an innovative 
     services initiative to assist small- and medium-sized 
     manufacturers in--
       ``(A) reducing their energy usage, greenhouse gas 
     emissions, and environmental waste to improve profitability;
       ``(B) accelerating the domestic commercialization of new 
     product technologies, including components for renewable 
     energy and energy efficiency systems; and
       ``(C) identification of and diversification to new markets, 
     including support for transitioning to the production of 
     components for renewable energy and energy efficiency 
     systems.
       ``(2) Market demand.--The Director may not undertake any 
     activity to accelerate the domestic commercialization of a 
     new product technology under this subsection unless an 
     analysis of market demand for the new product technology has 
     been conducted.''.
       (c) Reports.--Section 25 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k), as 
     amended by subsection (b), is further amended by adding at 
     the end the following:
       ``(h) Reports.--
       ``(1) In general.--In submitting the 3-year programmatic 
     planning document and annual updates under section 23, the 
     Director shall include an assessment of the Director's 
     governance of the program established under this section.
       ``(2) Criteria.--In conducting the assessment, the Director 
     shall use the criteria established pursuant to the Malcolm 
     Baldrige National Quality Award under section 17(d)(1)(C) of 
     the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3711a(d)(1)(C)).''.
       (d) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program 
     Cost-Sharing.--Section 25(c) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(c)) 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(7) Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of 
     the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
     Authorization Act of 2010, the Comptroller General shall 
     submit to Congress a report on the cost share requirements 
     under the program. The report shall--
       ``(A) discuss various cost share structures, including the 
     cost share structure in place prior to such date of 
     enactment, and the effect of such cost share structures on 
     individual Centers and the overall program; and
       ``(B) include recommendations for how best to structure the 
     cost share requirement to provide for the long-term 
     sustainability of the program.''.
       ``(8) If consistent with the recommendations in the report 
     transmitted to Congress under paragraph (7), the Secretary 
     shall alter the cost structure requirements specified under 
     paragraph (3)(B) and (5) provided that the modification does 
     not increase the cost share structure in place before the 
     date of enactment of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act 
     of 2010, or allow the Secretary to provide a Center more than 
     50 percent of the costs incurred by that Center.''.
       (e) Advisory Board.--Section 25(e)(4) of such Act (15 
     U.S.C. 278k(e)(4)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(4) Federal advisory committee act applicability.--
       ``(A) In general.--In discharging its duties under this 
     subsection, the MEP Advisory Board shall function solely in 
     an advisory capacity, in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
     Committee Act.
       ``(B) Exception.--Section 14 of the Federal Advisory 
     Committee Act shall not apply to the MEP Advisory Board.'.
       (f) Designation of Program.--
       (1) In general.--Section 25 of the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k), as amended by 
     subsection (c), is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(i) Designation.--
       ``(1) Hollings manufacturing extension partnership.--The 
     program under this section shall be known as the `Hollings 
     Manufacturing Extension Partnership'.
       ``(2) Hollings manufacturing extension centers.--The 
     Regional Centers for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology 
     created and supported under subsection (a) shall be known as 
     the `Hollings Manufacturing Extension Centers' (in this Act 
     referred to as the `Centers').''.
       (2) Conforming amendment to consolidated appropriations 
     act, 2005.--Division B of title II of the Consolidated 
     Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108-447; 118 Stat. 2879; 
     15 U.S.C. 278k note) is amended under the heading 
     ``industrial technology services'' by striking ``2007: 
     Provided further, That'' and all that follows through 
     ``Extension Centers.'' and inserting ``2007.''.
       (3) Technical amendments.--
       (A) Section 25(a) of the National Institute of Standards 
     and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(a)) is amended in the 
     matter preceding paragraph (1) by striking ``Regional Centers 
     for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology'' and inserting 
     ``regional centers for the transfer of manufacturing 
     technology''.
       (B) Section 25 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k), as amended by 
     subsection (f), is further amended by adding at the end the 
     following:
       ``(j) Community College Defined.--In this section, the term 
     `community college' means an institution of higher education 
     (as defined under section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 
     of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) at which the highest degree that 
     is predominately awarded to students is an associate's 
     degree.''.
       (h) Evaluation of Obstacles Unique to Small 
     Manufacturers.--Section 25 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k), as 
     amended by subsection (g), is further amended by adding at 
     the end the following:
       ``(k) Evaluation of Obstacles Unique to Small 
     Manufacturers.--The Director shall--
       ``(1) evaluate obstacles that are unique to small 
     manufacturers that prevent such manufacturers from 
     effectively competing in the global market;
       ``(2) implement a comprehensive plan to train the Centers 
     to address such obstacles; and
       ``(3) facilitate improved communication between the Centers 
     to assist such manufacturers in implementing appropriate, 
     targeted solutions to such obstacles.''.
       (i) NIST Act Amendment.--Section 25(f)(3) of the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
     278k(f)(3)) is amended by striking ``Director of the Centers 
     program,'' and inserting ``Director of the Hollings MEP 
     program,''.

     SEC. 405. EMERGENCY COMMUNICATION AND TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES 
                   RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

       (a) Establishment.--The Director shall establish a research 
     initiative to support the development of emergency 
     communication and tracking technologies for use in locating 
     trapped individuals in confined spaces, such as underground 
     mines, and other shielded environments, such as high-rise 
     buildings or collapsed structures, where conventional radio 
     communication is limited.
       (b) Activities.--In order to carry out this section, the 
     Director shall work with the private sector and appropriate 
     Federal agencies to--
       (1) perform a needs assessment to identify and evaluate the 
     measurement, technical standards, and conformity assessment 
     needs required to improve the operation and reliability of 
     such emergency communication and tracking technologies;
       (2) support the development of technical standards and 
     conformance architecture to improve the operation and 
     reliability of such emergency communication and tracking 
     technologies; and
       (3) incorporate and build upon existing reports and studies 
     on improving emergency communications.
       (c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit to Congress 
     and make publicly available a report describing the 
     assessment performed under subsection (b)(1) and making 
     recommendations about research priorities to address gaps in 
     the measurement, technical standards, and conformity 
     assessment needs identified by the assessment.

     SEC. 406. BROADENING PARTICIPATION.

       (a) Research Fellowships.--Section 18 of the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-1) 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(c) Underrepresented Minorities.--In evaluating 
     applications for fellowships under this section, the Director 
     shall give consideration to the goal of promoting the 
     participation of underrepresented minorities in research 
     areas supported by the Institute.''.
       (b) Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.--Section 19 of such 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 278g-2) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

[[Page H8830]]

     ``In evaluating applications for fellowships under this 
     section, the Director shall give consideration to the goal of 
     promoting the participation of underrepresented minorities in 
     research areas supported by the Institute.''.
       (c) Teacher Development.--Section 19A(c) of such Act (15 
     U.S.C. 278g-2a(c)) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following: ``The Director shall give special consideration to 
     an application from a teacher from a high-need school, as 
     defined in section 200 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1021).''.

     SEC. 407. NIST FELLOWSHIPS.

       (a) Post-Doctoral Fellowship Program.--Section 19 of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
     278g-2) is amended by striking ``, in conjunction with the 
     National Academy of Sciences,''.
       (b) Research Fellowships.--Section 18(a) of that Act (15 
     USC 278g-1(a)) is amended by striking ``up to 1.5 percent of 
     the''.
       (c) Commerce, Science, and Technology Fellowship Program.--
     Section 5163(d) of the Omnibus Trade and Competition Act of 
     1988 (15 U.S.C. 1533) is repealed.

     SEC. 408. GREEN MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION.

       The Director shall carry out a green manufacturing and 
     construction initiative--
       (1) to develop accurate sustainability metrics and 
     practices for use in manufacturing;
       (2) to advance the development of standards, including high 
     performance green building standards, and the creation of an 
     information infrastructure to communicate sustainability 
     information about suppliers; and
       (3) to move buildings toward becoming high performance 
     green buildings, including improving energy performance, 
     service life, and indoor air quality of new and retrofitted 
     buildings through validated measurement data.

     SEC. 409. DEFINITIONS.

       In this title:
       (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
       (2) Federal agency.--The term ``Federal agency'' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler 
     Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).
       (3) High performance green building.--The term ``high 
     performance green building'' has the meaning given that term 
     by section 401(13) of the Energy Independence and Security 
     Act of 2009 (42 U.S.C. 17061(13)).

  TITLE V--SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS SUPPORT 
                                PROGRAMS

                SUBTITLE A--NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

     SEC. 501. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``National Science 
     Foundation Authorization Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 502. DEFINITIONS.

       In this subtitle:
       (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.
       (2) EPSCoR.--The term ``EPSCoR'' means the Experimental 
     Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
       (3) Foundation.--The term ``Foundation'' means the National 
     Science Foundation established under section 2 of the 
     National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1861).
       (4) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given 
     such term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)).
       (5) 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.
       (6) United States.--The term ``United States'' means 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, and any other 
     territory or possession of the United States.

     SEC. 503. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) Fiscal Year 2011.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Foundation $7,424,400,000 for fiscal year 2011.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $5,974,782,000 shall be made available to carry 
     research and related activities;
       (B) $937,850,000 shall be made available for education and 
     human resources;
       (C) $164,744,000 shall be made available for major research 
     equipment and facilities construction;
       (D) $327,503,000 shall be made available for agency 
     operations and award management;
       (E) $4,803,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     the National Science Board; and
       (F) $14,718,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     Inspector General.
       (b) Fiscal Year 2012.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Foundation $7,800,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $6,234,281,000 shall be made available to carry 
     research and related activities;
       (B) $978,959,000 shall be made available for education and 
     human resources;
       (C) $225,544,000 shall be made available for major research 
     equipment and facilities construction;
       (D) $341,676,000 shall be made available for agency 
     operations and award management;
       (E) $4,808,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     the National Science Board; and
       (F) $14,732,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     Inspector General.
       (c) Fiscal Year 2013.--
       (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Foundation $8,300,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.
       (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
     paragraph (1)--
       (A) $6,637,849,000 shall be made available to carry 
     research and related activities;
       (B) $1,041,762,000 shall be made available for education 
     and human resources;
       (C) $236,764,000 shall be made available for major research 
     equipment and facilities construction;
       (D) $363,670,000 shall be made available for agency 
     operations and award management;
       (E) $4,906,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     the National Science Board; and
       (F) $15,049,000 shall be made available for the Office of 
     Inspector General.

     SEC. 504. NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Staffing at the National Science Board.--Section 4(g) 
     of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 
     1863(g)) is amended by striking ``not more than 5''.
       (b) National Science Board Reports.--Section 4(j)(2) of the 
     National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 
     1863(j)(2)) is amended by inserting ``within the authority of 
     the Foundation (or otherwise as requested by the Congress or 
     the President)'' after ``individual policy matters''.
       (c) Board Adherence to Sunshine Act.--Section 15(a)(2) of 
     the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 
     U.S.C. 1862n-5(a)(2)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``The Board'' and inserting ``To ensure 
     transparency of the Board's entire decision-making process, 
     including deliberations on Board business occurring within 
     its various subdivisions, the Board''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following: ``The preceding 
     requirement will apply to meetings of the full Board, 
     whenever a quorum is present; and to meetings of its 
     subdivisions, whenever a quorum of the subdivision is 
     present.''.

     SEC. 505. NATIONAL CENTER FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 
                   STATISTICS.

       (a) Establishment.--There is established within the 
     Foundation a National Center for Science and Engineering 
     Statistics that shall serve as a central Federal 
     clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, 
     and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, 
     technology, and research and development.
       (b) Duties.--In carrying out subsection (a) of this 
     section, the Director, acting through the Center shall--
       (1) collect, acquire, analyze, report, and disseminate 
     statistical data related to the science and engineering 
     enterprise in the United States and other nations that is 
     relevant and useful to practitioners, researchers, 
     policymakers, and the public, including statistical data on--
       (A) research and development trends;
       (B) the science and engineering workforce;
       (C) United States competitiveness in science, engineering, 
     technology, and research and development; and
       (D) the condition and progress of United States STEM 
     education;
       (2) support research using the data it collects, and on 
     methodologies in areas related to the work of the Center; and
       (3) support the education and training of researchers in 
     the use of large-scale, nationally representative data sets.
       (c) Statistical Reports.--The Director or the National 
     Science Board, acting through the Center, shall issue 
     regular, and as necessary, special statistical reports on 
     topics related to the national and international science and 
     engineering enterprise such as the biennial report required 
     by section 4(j)(1) of the National Science Foundation Act of 
     1950 (42 U.S.C. 1863(j)(1)) on indicators of the state of 
     science and engineering in the United States.

     SEC. 506. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION MANUFACTURING RESEARCH 
                   AND EDUCATION.

       (a) Manufacturing Research.--The Director shall carry out a 
     program to award merit-reviewed, competitive grants to 
     institutions of higher education to support fundamental 
     research leading to transformative advances in manufacturing 
     technologies, processes, and enterprises that will support 
     United States manufacturing through improved performance, 
     productivity, sustainability, and competitiveness. Research 
     areas may include--
       (1) nanomanufacturing;
       (2) manufacturing and construction machines and equipment, 
     including robotics, automation, and other intelligent 
     systems;
       (3) manufacturing enterprise systems;
       (4) advanced sensing and control techniques;
       (5) materials processing; and
       (6) information technologies for manufacturing, including 
     predictive and real-time models and simulations, and virtual 
     manufacturing.
       (b) Manufacturing Education.--In order to help ensure a 
     well-trained manufacturing workforce, the Director shall 
     award grants to strengthen and expand scientific and 
     technical education and training in advanced manufacturing, 
     including through the Foundation's Advanced Technological 
     Education program.

     SEC. 507. NATIONAL SCIENCE BOARD REPORT ON MID-SCALE 
                   INSTRUMENTATION.

       (a) Mid-scale Research Instrumentation Needs.--The National 
     Science Board shall evaluate the needs, across all 
     disciplines supported by the Foundation, for mid-scale 
     research instrumentation that falls between the instruments 
     funded by the Major Research Instrumentation program and the 
     very large projects funded by the Major Research Equipment 
     and Facilities Construction program.

[[Page H8831]]

       (b) Report on Mid-scale Research Instrumentation Program.--
     Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the National Science Board shall submit to Congress a 
     report on mid-scale research instrumentation at the 
     Foundation. At a minimum, this report shall include--
       (1) the findings from the Board's evaluation of 
     instrumentation needs required under subsection (a), 
     including a description of differences across disciplines and 
     Foundation research directorates;
       (2) a recommendation or recommendations regarding how the 
     Foundation should set priorities for mid-scale 
     instrumentation across disciplines and Foundation research 
     directorates;
       (3) a recommendation or recommendations regarding the 
     appropriateness of expanding existing programs, including the 
     Major Research Instrumentation program or the Major Research 
     Equipment and Facilities Construction program, to support 
     more instrumentation at the mid-scale;
       (4) a recommendation or recommendations regarding the need 
     for and appropriateness of a new, Foundation-wide program or 
     initiative in support of mid-scale instrumentation, including 
     any recommendations regarding the administration of and 
     budget for such a program or initiative and the appropriate 
     scope of instruments to be funded under such a program or 
     initiative; and
       (5) any recommendation or recommendations regarding other 
     options for supporting mid-scale research instrumentation at 
     the Foundation.

     SEC. 508. PARTNERSHIPS FOR INNOVATION.

       (a) In General.--The Director shall carry out a program to 
     award merit-reviewed, competitive grants to institutions of 
     higher education to establish and to expand partnerships that 
     promote innovation and increase the impact of research by 
     developing tools and resources to connect new scientific 
     discoveries to practical uses.
       (b) Partnerships.--
       (1) In general.--To be eligible for funding under this 
     section, an institution of higher education must propose 
     establishment of a partnership that--
       (A) includes at least one private sector entity; and
       (B) may include other institutions of higher education, 
     public sector institutions, private sector entities, and 
     nonprofit organizations.
       (2) Priority.--In selecting grant recipients under this 
     section, the Director shall give priority to partnerships 
     that include one or more institutions of higher education and 
     at least one of the following:
       (A) A minority serving institution.
       (B) A primarily undergraduate institution.
       (C) A 2-year institution of higher education.
       (c) Program.--Proposals funded under this section shall 
     seek--
       (1) to increase the impact of the most promising research 
     at the institution or institutions of higher education that 
     are members of the partnership through knowledge transfer or 
     commercialization;
       (2) to increase the engagement of faculty and students 
     across multiple disciplines and departments, including 
     faculty and students in schools of business and other 
     appropriate non-STEM fields and disciplines in knowledge 
     transfer activities;
       (3) to enhance education and mentoring of students and 
     faculty in innovation and entrepreneurship through networks, 
     courses, and development of best practices and curricula;
       (4) to strengthen the culture of the institution or 
     institutions of higher education to undertake and participate 
     in activities related to innovation and leading to economic 
     or social impact;
       (5) to broaden the participation of all types of 
     institutions of higher education in activities to meet STEM 
     workforce needs and promote innovation and knowledge 
     transfer; and
       (6) to build lasting partnerships with local and regional 
     businesses, local and State governments, and other relevant 
     entities.
       (d) Additional Criteria.--In selecting grant recipients 
     under this section, the Director shall also consider the 
     extent to which the applicants are able to demonstrate 
     evidence of institutional support for, and commitment to--
       (1) achieving the goals of the program as described in 
     subsection (c);
       (2) expansion to an institution-wide program if the initial 
     proposal is not for an institution-wide program; and
       (3) sustaining any new innovation tools and resources 
     generated from funding under this program.
       (e) Limitation.--No funds provided under this section may 
     be used to construct or renovate a building or structure.

     SEC. 509. SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY BASIC RESEARCH.

       The Director shall establish a Green Chemistry Basic 
     Research program to award competitive, merit-based grants to 
     support research into green and sustainable chemistry which 
     will lead to clean, safe, and economical alternatives to 
     traditional chemical products and practices. The research 
     program shall provide sustained support for green chemistry 
     research, education, and technology transfer through--
       (1) merit-reviewed competitive grants to individual 
     investigators and teams of investigators, including, to the 
     extent practicable, young investigators, for research;
       (2) grants to fund collaborative research partnerships 
     among universities, industry, and nonprofit organizations;
       (3) symposia, forums, and conferences to increase outreach, 
     collaboration, and dissemination of green chemistry advances 
     and practices; and
       (4) education, training, and retraining of undergraduate 
     and graduate students and professional chemists and chemical 
     engineers, including through partnerships with industry, in 
     green chemistry science and engineering.

     SEC. 510. GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT.

       (a) Finding.--The Congress finds that--
       (1) the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
     Traineeship program is an important program for training the 
     next generation of scientists and engineers in team-based 
     interdisciplinary research and problem solving, and for 
     providing them with the many additional skills, such as 
     communication skills, needed to thrive in diverse STEM 
     careers; and
       (2) the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
     Traineeship program is no less valuable to the preparation 
     and support of graduate students than the Foundation's 
     Graduate Research Fellowship program.
       (b) Equal Treatment of IGERT and GRF.--Beginning in fiscal 
     year 2011, the Director shall increase or, if necessary, 
     decrease funding for the Foundation's Integrative Graduate 
     Education and Research Traineeship program (or any program by 
     which it is replaced) at least at the same rate as it 
     increases or decreases funding for the Graduate Research 
     Fellowship program.
       (c) Support for Graduate Student Research From the Research 
     Account.--For each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2013, at 
     least 50 percent of the total Foundation funds allocated to 
     the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship 
     program and the Graduate Research Fellowship program shall 
     come from funds appropriated for Research and Related 
     Activities.
       (d) Cost of Education Allowance for GRF Program.--Section 
     10 of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 
     1869) is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``The 
     Foundation is authorized''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(b) Amount.--The Director shall establish for each year 
     the amount to be awarded for scholarships and fellowships 
     under this section for that year. Each such scholarship and 
     fellowship shall include a cost of education allowance of 
     $12,000, subject to any restrictions on the use of cost of 
     education allowance as determined by the Director.''.

     SEC. 511. ROBERT NOYCE TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM.

       (a) Matching Requirement.--Section 10A(h)(1) of the 
     National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 
     U.S.C. 1862n-1a(h)(1)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(1) In general.--An eligible entity receiving a grant 
     under this section shall provide, from non-Federal sources, 
     to carry out the activities supported by the grant--
       ``(A) in the case of grants in an amount of less than 
     $1,500,000, an amount equal to at least 30 percent of the 
     amount of the grant, at least one half of which shall be in 
     cash; and
       ``(B) in the case of grants in an amount of $1,500,000 or 
     more, an amount equal to at least 50 percent of the amount of 
     the grant, at least one half of which shall be in cash.''.
       (b) Retiring STEM Professionals.--Section 10A(a)(2)(A) of 
     the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 
     U.S.C. 1862n-1a(a)(2)(A)) is amended by inserting ``including 
     retiring professionals in those fields,'' after ``mathematics 
     professionals,''.

     SEC. 512 UNDERGRADUATE BROADENING PARTICIPATION PROGRAM.

       The Foundation shall continue to support the Historically 
     Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program, the 
     Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program, 
     the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program, and Hispanic-
     serving institutions as separate programs.

     SEC. 513. RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

       The Director shall permit specialized STEM high schools 
     conducting research to participate in major data collection 
     initiatives from universities, corporations, or government 
     labs under a research grant from the Foundation, as part of 
     the research proposal.

     SEC. 514. RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES.

       (a) Research Sites.--The Director shall award grants, on a 
     merit-reviewed, competitive basis, to institutions of higher 
     education, nonprofit organizations, or consortia of such 
     institutions and organizations, for sites designated by the 
     Director to provide research experiences for 6 or more 
     undergraduate STEM students for sites designated at primarily 
     undergraduate institutions of higher education and 10 or more 
     undergraduate STEM students for all other sites, with 
     consideration given to the goal of promoting the 
     participation of individuals identified in section 33 or 34 
     of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 
     U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b). The Director shall ensure that--
       (1) at least half of the students participating in a 
     program funded by a grant under this subsection at each site 
     shall be recruited from institutions of higher education 
     where research opportunities in STEM are limited, including 
     2-year institutions;
       (2) the awards provide undergraduate research experiences 
     in a wide range of STEM disciplines;
       (3) the awards support a variety of projects, including 
     independent investigator-led projects, interdisciplinary 
     projects, and multi-institutional projects (including virtual 
     projects);
       (4) students participating in each program funded have 
     mentors, including during the academic year to the extent 
     practicable, to help connect the students' research 
     experiences to the overall academic course of study and to 
     help students achieve success in courses of study leading to 
     a baccalaureate degree in a STEM field;
       (5) mentors and students are supported with appropriate 
     salary or stipends; and
       (6) student participants are tracked, for employment and 
     continued matriculation in STEM

[[Page H8832]]

     fields, through receipt of the undergraduate degree and for 
     at least 3 years thereafter.
       (b) Inclusion of Undergraduates in Standard Research 
     Grants.--The Director shall require that every recipient of a 
     research grant from the Foundation proposing to include 1 or 
     more students enrolled in certificate, associate, or 
     baccalaureate degree programs in carrying out the research 
     under the grant shall request support, including stipend 
     support, for such undergraduate students as part of the 
     research proposal itself rather than as a supplement to the 
     research proposal, unless such undergraduate participation 
     was not foreseeable at the time of the original proposal.

     SEC. 515. STEM INDUSTRY INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--The Director may award grants, on a 
     competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to institutions of higher 
     education, or consortia thereof, to establish or expand 
     partnerships with local or regional private sector entities, 
     for the purpose of providing undergraduate students with 
     integrated internship experiences that connect private sector 
     internship experiences with the students' STEM coursework. 
     The partnerships may also include industry or professional 
     associations.
       (b) Internship Program.--The grants awarded under section 
     (a) may include internship programs in the manufacturing 
     sector.
       (c) Use of Grant Funds.--Grants under this section may be 
     used--
       (1) to develop and implement hands-on learning 
     opportunities;
       (2) to develop curricula and instructional materials 
     related to industry, including the manufacturing sector;
       (3) to perform outreach to secondary schools;
       (4) to develop mentorship programs for students with 
     partner organizations; and
       (5) to conduct activities to support awareness of career 
     opportunities and skill requirements.
       (d) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the 
     Director shall give priority to institutions of higher 
     education or consortia thereof that demonstrate significant 
     outreach to and coordination with local or regional private 
     sector entities and Regional Centers for the Transfer of 
     Manufacturing Technology established by section 25(a) of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
     278k(a)) in developing academic courses designed to provide 
     students with the skills or certifications necessary for 
     employment in local or regional companies.
       (c) Outreach to Rural Communities.--The Foundation shall 
     conduct outreach to institutions of higher education and 
     private sector entities in rural areas to encourage those 
     entities to participate in partnerships under this section.
       (d) Cost-share.--The Director shall require a 50 percent 
     non-Federal cost-share from partnerships established or 
     expanded under this section.
       (e) Restriction.--No Federal funds provided under this 
     section may be used--
       (1) for the purpose of providing stipends or compensation 
     to students for private sector internships unless private 
     sector entities match 75 percent of such funding; or
       (2) as payment or reimbursement to private sector entities, 
     except for institutions of higher education.
       (f) Report.--Not less than 3 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit a report to 
     Congress on the number and total value of awards made under 
     this section, the number of students affected by those 
     awards, any evidence of the effect of those awards on 
     workforce preparation and jobs placement for participating 
     students, and an economic and ethnic breakdown of the 
     participating students.

     SEC. 516. CYBER-ENABLED LEARNING FOR NATIONAL CHALLENGES.

       The Director shall, in consultation with appropriate 
     Federal agencies, identify ways to use cyber-enabled learning 
     to create an innovative STEM workforce and to help retrain 
     and retain our existing STEM workforce to address national 
     challenges, including national security and competitiveness, 
     and use technology to enhance or supplement laboratory based 
     learning.

     SEC. 517. EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE 
                   RESEARCH.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
       (1) The National Science Foundation Act of 1950 stated, 
     ``it shall be an objective of the Foundation to strengthen 
     research and education in the sciences and engineering, 
     including independent research by individuals, throughout the 
     United States, and to avoid undue concentration of such 
     research and education,'';
       (2) National Science Foundation funding remains highly 
     concentrated, with 27 States and 2 jurisdictions, taken 
     together, receiving only about 10 percent of all NSF research 
     funding; each of these States received only a fraction of one 
     percent of Foundation's research dollars each year;
       (3) the Nation requires the talent, expertise, and research 
     capabilities of all States in order to prepare sufficient 
     numbers of scientists and engineers, remain globally 
     competitive and support economic development.
       (b) Continuation of Program.--The Director shall continue 
     to carry out EPSCoR, with the objective of helping the 
     eligible States to develop the research infrastructure that 
     will make them more competitive for Foundation and other 
     Federal research funding. The program shall continue to 
     increase as the National Science Foundation funding 
     increases.
       (c) Congressional Reports.--The Director shall report to 
     the appropriate committees of Congress on an annual basis, 
     using the most recent available data--
       (1) the total amount made available, by State, under 
     EPSCoR;
       (2) the amount of co-funding made available to EPSCoR 
     States;
       (3) the total amount of National Science Foundation funding 
     made available to all institutions and entities within EPSCoR 
     States; and
       (4) efforts and accomplishments to more fully integrate the 
     29 EPSCoR jurisdictions in major activities and initiatives 
     of the Foundation.
       (d) Coordination of EPSCoR and Similar Federal Programs.--
       (1) Another finding.--The Congress finds that a number of 
     Federal agencies have programs, such as Experimental Programs 
     to Stimulate Competitive Research and the National Institutes 
     of Health Institutional Development Award program, designed 
     to increase the capacity for and quality of science and 
     technology research and training at academic institutions in 
     States that historically have received relatively little 
     Federal research and development funding.
       (2) Coordination required.--The EPSCoR Interagency 
     Coordinating Committee, chaired by the National Science 
     Foundation, shall--
       (A) coordinate EPSCoR and Federal EPSCoR-like programs to 
     maximize the impact of Federal support for building 
     competitive research infrastructure, and in order to achieve 
     an integrated Federal effort;
       (B) coordinate agency objectives with State and 
     institutional goals, to obtain continued non-Federal support 
     of science and technology research and training;
       (C) develop metrics to assess gains in academic research 
     quality and competitiveness, and in science and technology 
     human resource development;
       (D) conduct a cross-agency evaluation of EPSCoR and other 
     Federal EPSCoR-like programs and accomplishments, including 
     management, investment, and metric-measuring strategies 
     implemented by the different agencies aimed to increase the 
     number of new investigators receiving peer-reviewed funding, 
     broaden participation, and empower knowledge generation, 
     dissemination, application, and national research and 
     development competitiveness;
       (E) coordinate the development and implementation of new, 
     novel workshops, outreach activities, and follow-up mentoring 
     activities among EPSCoR or EPSCoR-like programs for colleges 
     and universities in EPSCoR States and territories in order to 
     increase the number of proposals submitted and successfully 
     funded and to enhance statewide coordination of EPSCoR and 
     Federal EPSCoR-like programs;
       (F) coordinate the development of new, innovative 
     solicitations and programs to facilitate collaborations, 
     partnerships, and mentoring activities among faculty at all 
     levels in non-EPSCoR and EPSCoR States and jurisdictions;
       (G) conduct an evaluation of the roles, responsibilities 
     and degree of autonomy that program officers or managers (or 
     the equivalent position) have in executing EPSCoR programs at 
     the different Federal agencies and the impacts these 
     differences have on the number of EPSCoR State and 
     jurisdiction faculty participating in the peer review process 
     and the percentage of successful awards by individual EPSCoR 
     State jurisdiction and individual researcher; and
       (H) conduct a survey of colleges and university faculty at 
     all levels regarding their knowledge and understanding of 
     EPSCoR, and their level of interaction with and knowledge 
     about their respective State or Jurisdictional EPSCoR 
     Committee.
       (3) Meetings and reports.--The Committee shall meet at 
     least twice each fiscal year and shall submit an annual 
     report to the appropriate committees of Congress describing 
     progress made in carrying out paragraph (2).
       (e) Federal Agency Reports.--Each Federal agency that 
     administers an EPSCoR or Federal EPSCoR-like program shall 
     submit to the OSTP as part of its Federal budget submission--
       (1) a description of the program strategy and objectives;
       (2) a description of the awards made in the previous year, 
     including--
       (A) the percentage of reviewers and number of new reviewers 
     from EPSCoR States;
       (B) the percentage of new investigators from EPSCoR States;
       (C) the number of programs or large collaborator awards 
     involving a partnership of organizations and institutions 
     from EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR States; and
       (3) an analysis of the gains in academic research quality 
     and competitiveness, and in science and technology human 
     resource development, achieved by the program in the last 
     year.
       (f) National Academy of Sciences Study.--
       (1) In general.--The Director shall contract with the 
     National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on all 
     Federal agencies that administer an Experimental Program to 
     Stimulate Competitive Research or a program similar to the 
     Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.
       (2) Matters to be addressed.--The study conducted under 
     paragraph (1) shall include the following:
       (A) A delineation of the policies of each Federal agency 
     with respect to the awarding of grants to EPSCoR States.
       (B) The effectiveness of each program.
       (C) Recommendations for improvements for each agency to 
     achieve EPSCoR goals.
       (D) An assessment of the effectiveness of EPSCoR States in 
     using awards to develop science and engineering research and 
     education, and science and engineering infrastructure within 
     their States.
       (E) Such other issues that address the effectiveness of 
     EPSCoR as the National Academy of Sciences considers 
     appropriate.

     SEC. 518. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING THE SCIENCE, 
                   TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS TALENT 
                   EXPANSION PROGRAM.

       It is the sense of the Congress that--

[[Page H8833]]

       (1) the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
     Talent Expansion Program established by the National Science 
     Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 continues to be an 
     effective program to increase the number of students, who are 
     citizens or permanent residents of the United States, 
     receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established 
     or emerging fields within science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics, and its authorization continues;
       (2) the strategies employed continue to strengthen 
     mentoring and tutoring between faculty and students and 
     provide students with information and exposure to potential 
     career pathways in science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics areas;
       (3) this highly competitive program awarded 145 Program 
     implementation awards and 12 research projects in the first 6 
     years of operations; and
       (4) the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
     Talent Expansion Program should continue to be supported by 
     the National Science Foundation.

     SEC. 519. SENSE OF THE CONGRESS REGARDING THE NATIONAL 
                   SCIENCE FOUNDATION'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO BASIC 
                   RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.

       (a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
       (1) the National Science Foundation is an independent 
     Federal agency created by Congress in 1950 to, among other 
     things, promote the progress of science, to advance the 
     national health, prosperity, and welfare, and to secure the 
     national defense;
       (2) the Foundation is the funding source for approximately 
     20 percent of all federally supported basic research 
     conducted by America's colleges and universities, and is the 
     major source of Federal backing for mathematics, computer 
     science and other sciences;
       (3) the America COMPETES Act of 2007 helped rejuvenate our 
     focus on increasing basic research investment in the physical 
     sciences, strengthening educational opportunities in the 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and 
     developing a robust innovation infrastructure; and
       (4) reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act should 
     continue a robust investment in basic research and education 
     and preserve the essence of the original Act by increasing 
     the investment focus on science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics basic research and education as a national 
     priority.
       (b) Sense of the Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress 
     that--
       (1) the National Science Foundation is the finest 
     scientific foundation in the world, and is a vital agency 
     that must support basic research needed to advance the United 
     States into the 21st century;
       (2) the National Science Foundation should focus Federal 
     research and development resources primarily in the areas of 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics basic 
     research and education; and
       (3) the National Science Foundation should strive to ensure 
     that federally-supported research is of the finest quality, 
     is ground breaking, and answers questions or solves problems 
     that are of utmost importance to society at large.

     SEC. 520. ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND COMMERCIALIZATION 
                   OF UNIVERSITY RESEARCH.

       (a) In General.--Any institution of higher education (as 
     such term is defined in section 101(A) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) that receives 
     National Science Foundation research support and has received 
     at least $25,000,000 in total Federal research grants in the 
     most recent fiscal year shall keep, maintain, and report 
     annually to the National Science Foundation the universal 
     record locator for a public website that contains information 
     concerning its general approach to and mechanisms for 
     transfer of technology and the commercialization of research 
     results, including--
       (1) contact information for individuals and university 
     offices responsible for technology transfer and 
     commercialization;
       (2) information for both university researchers and 
     industry on the institution's technology licensing and 
     commercialization strategies;
       (3) success stories, statistics, and examples of how the 
     university supports commercialization of research results;
       (4) technologies available for licensing by the university 
     where appropriate; and
       (5) any other information deemed by the institution to be 
     helpful to companies with the potential to commercialize 
     university inventions.
       (b) NSF Website.--The National Science Foundation shall 
     create and maintain a website accessible to the public that 
     links to each website mentioned under (a).
       (c) Trade Secret Information.--Notwithstanding subsection 
     (a), an institution shall not be required to reveal 
     confidential, trade secret, or proprietary information on its 
     website.

     SEC. 521. STUDY TO DEVELOP IMPROVED IMPACT-ON-SOCIETY 
                   METRICS.

       (a) In General.--Within 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall contract with the National Academy of 
     Sciences to initiate a study to evaluate, develop, or improve 
     metrics for measuring the potential impact-on-society, 
     including--
       (1) the potential for commercial applications of research 
     studies funded in whole or in part by grants of financial 
     assistance from the Foundation or other Federal agencies;
       (2) the manner in which research conducted at, and 
     individuals graduating from, an institution of higher 
     education contribute to the development of new intellectual 
     property and the success of commercial activities;
       (3) the quality of relevant scientific and international 
     publications; and
       (4) the ability of such institutions to attract external 
     research funding.
       (b) Report.--Within 1 year after initiating the study 
     required by subsection (a), the Director shall submit a 
     report to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation and the House of Representatives Committee on 
     Science and Technology setting forth the Director's findings, 
     conclusions, and recommendations.

     SEC. 522. NSF GRANTS IN SUPPORT OF SPONSORED POST-DOCTORAL 
                   FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS.

       The Director of the National Science Foundation may utilize 
     funds appropriated to carry out grants to institutions of 
     higher education (as such term is defined in section 101(a) 
     of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) to 
     provide financial support for post-graduate research in 
     fields with potential commercial applications to match, in 
     whole or in part, any private sector grant of financial 
     assistance to any post-doctoral program in such a field of 
     study.

     SEC. 523. COLLABORATION IN PLANNING FOR STEWARDSHIP OF LARGE-
                   SCALE FACILITIES.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the Foundation should, in its planning for construction 
     and stewardship of large facilities, coordinate and 
     collaborate with other Federal agencies, including the 
     Department of Energy's Office of Science, to ensure that 
     joint investments may be made when practicable;
       (2) in particular, the Foundation should ensure that it 
     responds to recommendations by the National Academy of 
     Sciences and working groups convened by the National Science 
     and Technology Council regarding such facilities and 
     opportunities for partnership with other agencies in the 
     design and construction of such facilities; and
       (3) for facilities in which research in multiple 
     disciplines will be possible, the Director should include 
     multiple units within the Foundation during the planning 
     process.

     SEC. 524. CLOUD COMPUTING RESEARCH ENHANCEMENT.

       (a) Research Focus Area.--The Director may support a 
     national research agenda in key areas affected by the 
     increased use of public and private cloud computing, 
     including--
       (1) new approaches, techniques, technologies, and tools 
     for--
       (A) optimizing the effectiveness and efficiency of cloud 
     computing environments; and
       (B) mitigating security, identity, privacy, reliability, 
     and manageability risks in cloud-based environments, 
     including as they differ from traditional data centers;
       (2) new algorithms and technologies to define, assess, and 
     establish large-scale, trustworthy, cloud-based 
     infrastructures;
       (3) models and advanced technologies to measure, assess, 
     report, and understand the performance, reliability, energy 
     consumption, and other characteristics of complex cloud 
     environments; and
       (4) advanced security technologies to protect sensitive or 
     proprietary information in global-scale cloud environments.
       (b) Establishment.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director shall initiate a review 
     and assessment of cloud computing research opportunities and 
     challenges, including research areas listed in subsection 
     (a), as well as related issues such as--
       (A) the management and assurance of data that are the 
     subject of Federal laws and regulations in cloud computing 
     environments, which laws and regulations exist on the date of 
     enactment of this Act;
       (B) misappropriation of cloud services, piracy through 
     cloud technologies, and other threats to the integrity of 
     cloud services;
       (C) areas of advanced technology needed to enable trusted 
     communications, processing, and storage; and
       (D) other areas of focus determined appropriate by the 
     Director.
       (2) Unsolicited proposals.--The Director may accept 
     unsolicited proposals that review and assess the issues 
     described in paragraph (1). The proposals may be judged 
     according to existing criteria of the National Science 
     Foundation.
       (c) Report.--The Director shall provide an annual report 
     for not less than 5 consecutive years to Congress on the 
     outcomes of National Science Foundation investments in cloud 
     computing research, recommendations for research focus and 
     program improvements, or other related recommendations. The 
     reports, including any interim findings or recommendations, 
     shall be made publicly available on the website of the 
     National Science Foundation.
       (d) NIST Support.--The Director of the National Institute 
     of Standards and Technology shall--
       (1) collaborate with industry in the development of 
     standards supporting trusted cloud computing infrastructures, 
     metrics, interoperability, and assurance; and
       (2) support standards development with the intent of 
     supporting common goals.

     SEC. 525. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Director shall continue to support a 
     program to award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed 
     basis to tribal colleges and universities (as defined in 
     section 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
     1059c), including institutions described in section 317 of 
     such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d), to enhance the quality of 
     undergraduate STEM education at such institutions and to 
     increase the retention and graduation rates of Native 
     American students pursuing associate's or baccalaureate 
     degrees in STEM.
       (b) Program Components.--Grants awarded under this section 
     shall support--

[[Page H8834]]

       (1) activities to improve courses and curriculum in STEM;
       (2) faculty development;
       (3) stipends for undergraduate students participating in 
     research; and
       (4) other activities consistent with subsection (a), as 
     determined by the Director.
       (c) Instrumentation.--Funding provided under this section 
     may be used for laboratory equipment and materials.

     SEC. 526. BROADER IMPACTS REVIEW CRITERION.

       (a) Goals.--The Foundation shall apply a Broader Impacts 
     Review Criterion to achieve the following goals:
       (1) Increased economic competitiveness of the United 
     States.
       (2) Development of a globally competitive STEM workforce.
       (3) Increased participation of women and underrepresented 
     minorities in STEM.
       (4) Increased partnerships between academia and industry.
       (5) Improved pre-K-12 STEM education and teacher 
     development.
       (6) Improved undergraduate STEM education.
       (7) Increased public scientific literacy.
       (8) Increased national security.
       (b) Policy.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop and 
     implement a policy for the Broader Impacts Review Criterion 
     that--
       (1) provides for educating professional staff at the 
     Foundation, merit review panels, and applicants for 
     Foundation research grants on the policy developed under this 
     subsection;
       (2) clarifies that the activities of grant recipients 
     undertaken to satisfy the Broader Impacts Review Criterion 
     shall--
       (A) to the extent practicable employ proven strategies and 
     models and draw on existing programs and activities; and
       (B) when novel approaches are justified, build on the most 
     current research results;
       (3) allows for some portion of funds allocated to broader 
     impacts under a research grant to be used for assessment and 
     evaluation of the broader impacts activity;
       (4) encourages institutions of higher education and other 
     nonprofit education or research organizations to develop and 
     provide, either as individual institutions or in partnerships 
     thereof, appropriate training and programs to assist 
     Foundation-funded principal investigators at their 
     institutions in achieving the goals of the Broader Impacts 
     Review Criterion as described in subsection (a); and
       (5) requires principal investigators applying for 
     Foundation research grants to provide evidence of 
     institutional support for the portion of the investigator's 
     proposal designed to satisfy the Broader Impacts Review 
     Criterion, including evidence of relevant training, programs, 
     and other institutional resources available to the 
     investigator from either their home institution or 
     organization or another institution or organization with 
     relevant expertise.

     SEC. 527. TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY GRADUATE EDUCATION.

       (a) In General.--The Director shall award grants, on a 
     competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to institutions of higher 
     education to implement or expand research-based reforms in 
     master's and doctoral level STEM education that emphasize 
     preparation for diverse careers utilizing STEM degrees, 
     including at diverse types of institutions of higher 
     education, in industry, and at government agencies and 
     research laboratories.
       (b) Uses of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under 
     this section may include--
       (1) creation of multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary 
     courses or programs for the purpose of improved student 
     instruction and research in STEM;
       (2) expansion of graduate STEM research opportunities to 
     include interdisciplinary research opportunities and research 
     opportunities in industry, at Federal laboratories, and at 
     international research institutions or research sites;
       (3) development and implementation of future faculty 
     training programs focused on improved instruction, mentoring, 
     assessment of student learning, and support of undergraduate 
     STEM students;
       (4) support and training for graduate students to 
     participate in instructional activities beyond the 
     traditional teaching assistantship, and especially as part of 
     ongoing educational reform efforts, including at pre-K-12 
     schools, and primarily undergraduate institutions;
       (5) creation, improvement, or expansion of innovative 
     graduate programs such as science master's degree programs;
       (6) development and implementation of seminars, workshops, 
     and other professional development activities that increase 
     the ability of graduate students to engage in innovation, 
     technology transfer, and entrepreneurship;
       (7) development and implementation of seminars, workshops, 
     and other professional development activities that increase 
     the ability of graduate students to effectively communicate 
     their research findings to technical audiences outside of 
     their own discipline and to nontechnical audiences;
       (8) expansion of successful STEM reform efforts beyond a 
     single academic unit to other STEM academic units within an 
     institution or to comparable academic units at other 
     institutions; and
       (9) research on teaching and learning of STEM at the 
     graduate level related to the proposed reform effort, 
     including assessment and evaluation of the proposed reform 
     activities and research on scalability and sustainability of 
     approaches to reform.
       (c) Partnership.--An institution of higher education may 
     partner with one or more other nonprofit education or 
     research organizations, including scientific and engineering 
     societies, for the purposes of carrying out the activities 
     authorized under this section.
       (d) Selection Process.--
       (1) Applications.--An institution of higher education 
     seeking a grant under this section shall submit an 
     application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and 
     containing such information as the Director may require. The 
     application shall include, at a minimum--
       (A) a description of the proposed reform effort;
       (B) in the case of applications that propose an expansion 
     of a previously implemented reform effort at the applicant's 
     institution or at other institutions, a description of the 
     previously implemented reform effort;
       (C) evidence of institutional support for, and commitment 
     to, the proposed reform effort, including long-term 
     commitment to implement successful strategies from the 
     current reform effort beyond the academic unit or units 
     included in the grant proposal or to disseminate successful 
     strategies to other institutions; and
       (D) a description of the plans for assessment and 
     evaluation of the grant proposed reform activities.
       (2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients 
     under this section, the Director shall consider at a 
     minimum--
       (A) the likelihood of success in undertaking the proposed 
     effort at the institution submitting the application, 
     including the extent to which the faculty, staff, and 
     administrators of the institution are committed to making the 
     proposed institutional reform a priority of the participating 
     academic unit or units;
       (B) the degree to which the proposed reform will contribute 
     to change in institutional culture and policy such that a 
     greater value is placed on preparing graduate students for 
     diverse careers utilizing STEM degrees;
       (C) the likelihood that the institution will sustain or 
     expand the reform beyond the period of the grant; and
       (D) the degree to which scholarly assessment and evaluation 
     plans are included in the design of the reform effort.

                SUBTITLE B--STEM-TRAINING GRANT PROGRAM

     SEC. 551. PURPOSE.

       The purpose of this subtitle is to replicate and implement 
     programs at institutions of higher education that provide 
     integrated courses of study in science, technology, 
     engineering, or mathematics, and teacher education, that lead 
     to a baccalaureate degree in science, technology, 
     engineering, or mathematics with concurrent teacher 
     certification.

     SEC. 552. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

       The Director shall replicate and implement undergraduate 
     degree programs under this subtitle that--
       (1) are designed to recruit and prepare students who pursue 
     a baccalaureate degree in science, technology, engineering, 
     or mathematics to become certified as elementary and 
     secondary teachers;
       (2) require the education department (or its equivalent) 
     and the departments or division responsible for preparation 
     of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics majors 
     at an institution of higher education to collaborate in 
     establishing and implementing the program at that 
     institution;
       (3) require students participating in the program to enter 
     the program through a field-based course and to continue to 
     complete field-based courses supervised by master teachers 
     throughout the program;
       (4) hire sufficient teachers so that the ratio of students 
     to master teachers in the program does not exceed 100 to 1;
       (5) include instruction in the use of scientifically-based 
     instructional materials and methods, assessments, pedagogical 
     content knowledge (including the interaction between 
     mathematics and science), the use of instructional 
     technology, and how to incorporate State and local standards 
     into the classroom curriculum;
       (6) restrict to students participating in the program those 
     courses that are specifically designed for the needs of 
     teachers of science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics; and
       (7) require students participating in the program to 
     successfully complete a final evaluation of their teaching 
     proficiency, based on their classroom teaching performance, 
     conducted by multiple trained observers, and a portfolio of 
     their accomplishments.

     SEC. 553. GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--The Director shall establish a grant 
     program to support programs at institutions of higher 
     education to carry out the purpose of this subtitle.
       (b) Geographical Considerations.--In the administration of 
     this subtitle, the Director shall take such steps as may be 
     necessary to ensure that grants are equitably distributed 
     across all regions of the United States, taking into account 
     population density and other geographic and demographic 
     considerations.
       (c) Amount of Grant.--Subject to the requirements of 
     subsection (d), the Director may award grants annually on a 
     competitive basis to institutions of higher education in the 
     amount of $2,000,000, per institution of which--
       (1) $1,500,000 shall be used--
       (A) to design, implement, and evaluate a program that meets 
     the requirements of section 552;
       (B) to employ master teachers at the institution to oversee 
     field experiences;
       (C) to provide a stipend to mentor teachers participating 
     in the program; and
       (D) to support curriculum development and implementation 
     strategies for science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics content courses taught through the program; and
       (2) up to $500,000 shall be set aside by the grantee for 
     technical support and evaluation services from the 
     institution whose programs will be replicated.
       (d) Eligibility.--To be eligible to apply for a grant under 
     this section, an institution of higher education shall--

[[Page H8835]]

       (1) include former secondary school science, technology, 
     engineering, or mathematics master teachers as faculty in its 
     science department for this program;
       (2) grant terminal degrees in science, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics; and
       (3) have a process to be used in establishing partnerships 
     with local educational agencies for placement of 
     participating students in their field experiences, including 
     a process for identifying mentor teachers working in local 
     schools to supervise classroom field experiences in 
     cooperation with university-based master teachers;
       (4) maintain policies allowing flexible entry to the 
     program throughout the undergraduate coursework;
       (5) require that master teachers employed by the 
     institution will supervise field experiences of students in 
     the program;
       (6) require that the program complies with State 
     certification or licensing requirements and the requirements 
     under section 9101(23) of the Elementary and Secondary 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801(23)) for highly 
     qualified teachers;
       (7) develop during the course of the grant a plan for long-
     term support and assessment of its graduates, which shall 
     include--
       (A) induction support for graduates in their first one to 
     two years of teaching;
       (B) systems to determine the teaching status of graduates 
     and thereby determine retention rates; and
       (C) methods to analyze the achievement of students taught 
     by graduates, and methods to analyze classroom practices of 
     graduates; and
       (8) be able upon completion of the grant at the end of 5 
     years to fund essential program costs, including salaries of 
     master teachers and other necessary personnel, from recurring 
     university budgets.
       (e) Application Requirements.--An institution of higher 
     education seeking a grant under the program shall submit an 
     application to the Director in such form, at such time, and 
     containing such information and assurances as the Director 
     may require, including--
       (1) a description of the current rate at which individuals 
     majoring in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
     become certified as elementary and secondary teachers;
       (2) a description for the institution's plan for increasing 
     the numbers of students enrolled in and graduating from the 
     program supported under this subtitle;
       (3) a description of the institution's capacity to develop 
     a program in which individuals majoring in science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics can become certified 
     as elementary and secondary teachers;
       (4) identification of the organizational unit within the 
     department or division of arts and sciences or the science 
     department at the institution that will adopt teacher 
     certification for elementary and secondary teachers as its 
     primary mission;
       (5) identification of core faculty within the department or 
     division of arts and sciences or the science department at 
     the institution to champion teacher preparation in their 
     departments by teaching courses dedicated to preparing future 
     elementary and secondary school teachers, helping create new 
     degree plans, advising prospective students within their 
     major, and assisting as needed with program administration;
       (6) identification of core faculty in the education 
     department or its equivalent at the institution to champion 
     teacher preparation by creating and teaching courses specific 
     to the preparation of science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics and working closely with colleagues in the 
     department or division of arts and sciences or the science 
     department; and
       (7) a description of involving practical, field-based 
     experience in teaching and degree plans enabling students to 
     graduate in 4 years with a major in science, technology, 
     engineering, or mathematics and elementary or secondary 
     school teacher certification.
       (f) Matching Requirement.--An institution of higher 
     education may not receive a grant under this section unless 
     it provides, from non-federal sources, to carry out the 
     activities supported by the grant, an amount that is not less 
     than--
       (1) 35 percent of the amount of the grant for the first 
     fiscal year of the grant;
       (2) 55 percent of the amount of the grant for the second 
     and third fiscal years of the grant; and
       (3) 75 percent of the amount of the grant for the fourth 
     and fifth fiscal years of the grant.
       (g) Guidance.--Within 90 days after the date of enactment 
     of this Act, the Director shall initiate a proceeding to 
     promulgate guidance for the administration of the grant 
     program established under subsection (a).

     SEC. 554. GRANT OVERSIGHT AND ADMINISTRATION.

       (a) In General.--The Director may execute a contract for 
     program oversight and fiscal management with an organization 
     at an institution of higher education, a non-profit 
     organization, or other entity that demonstrates capacity for 
     and experience in--
       (1) replicating 1 or more similar programs at regional or 
     national levels;
       (2) providing programmatic and technical implementation 
     assistance for the program;
       (3) performing data collection and analysis to ensure 
     proper implementation and continuous program improvement; and
       (4) providing accountability for results by measuring and 
     monitoring achievement of programmatic milestones.
       (b) Oversight Responsibilities.--
       (1) Mandatory duties.--If the Director executes a contract 
     under subsection (a) with an organization for program 
     oversight and fiscal management, the organization shall--
       (A) ensure that a grant recipient faithfully replicates and 
     implements the program or programs for which the grant is 
     awarded;
       (B) ensure that grant funds are used for the purposes 
     authorized and that a grant recipient has a system in place 
     to track and account for all Federal grant funds provided;
       (C) provide technical assistance to grant recipients;
       (D) collect and analyze data and report to the Director 
     annually on the effects of the program on--
       (i) the progress of participating students in achieving 
     teaching competence and teaching certification;
       (ii) the participation of students in the program by major, 
     compared with local and State needs on secondary teachers by 
     discipline; and
       (iii) the participation of students in the program by 
     demographic subgroup;
       (E) collect and analyze data and report to the Director 
     annually on the effects of the program on the academic 
     achievement of elementary and secondary school students 
     taught by graduates of programs funded by grants under this 
     subtitle; and
       (F) submit an annual report to the Director demonstrating 
     compliance with the requirements of subparagraphs (A) through 
     (E).
       (2) Discretionary duties.--At the request of the Director, 
     the organization under contract under subsection (a) may 
     assist the Director in evaluating grant applications.
       (c) Reports to Congress.--The Director shall submit a copy 
     of the annual report required by subsection (b)(1)(F) to the 
     Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, 
     the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
     Pensions, the House of Representatives Committee on Science 
     and Technology, and the House of Representatives Committee on 
     Education and Labor.

     SEC. 555. DEFINITIONS.

       In this subtitle:
       (1) Field-based course.--The term ``field-based course'' 
     means a course of instruction offered by an institution of 
     higher education that includes a requirement that students 
     teach a minimum of 3 lessons or sequences of lessons to 
     elementary or secondary students.
       (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
     ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given 
     that term by section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
     (20 U.S.C. 1001).
       (3) Master teacher.--The term ``master teacher'' means an 
     individual--
       (A) who has been awarded a master's or doctoral degree by 
     an institution of higher education;
       (B) whose graduate coursework included courses in 
     mathematics, science, computer science, or engineering;
       (C) who has at least 3 years teaching experience in K-12 
     settings; and
       (D) whose teaching has been recognized for exceptional 
     accomplishments in educating students, or is demonstrated to 
     have resulted in improved student achievement.
       (4) Mentor teacher.--The term ``mentor teacher'' means an 
     elementary or secondary school classroom teacher who assists 
     with the training of students participating in a field-based 
     course.
       (5) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
     the National Science Foundation.

     SEC. 556. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       There are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to 
     carry out this subtitle $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
     2011 through 2013.

                          TITLE VI--INNOVATION

     SEC. 601. OFFICE OF INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.

       The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), as amended by section 106 of this Act, 
     is amended by adding at the end the following:

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

       ``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish an Office 
     of Innovation and Entrepreneurship 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;
       ``(4) 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
       ``(5) any other duties as determined by the Secretary.
       ``(c) Advisory Committee.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship to 
     provide advice to the Secretary on carrying out subsection 
     (b).''.

     SEC. 602. FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEES FOR INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES 
                   IN MANUFACTURING.

       The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), as amended by section 601, is further 
     amended by adding at the end the following:

[[Page H8836]]

     ``SEC. 26. FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEES FOR INNOVATIVE 
                   TECHNOLOGIES IN MANUFACTURING.

       ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish a 
     program to provide loan guarantees for obligations to small- 
     or medium-sized manufacturers for the use or production of 
     innovative technologies.
       ``(b) Eligible Projects.--A loan guarantee may be made 
     under the program only for a project that re-equips, expands, 
     or establishes a manufacturing facility in the United 
     States--
       ``(1) to use an innovative technology or an innovative 
     process in manufacturing;
       ``(2) to manufacture an innovative technology product or an 
     integral component of such a product; or
       ``(3) to commercialize an innovative product, process, or 
     idea that was developed by research funded in whole or in 
     part by a grant from the Federal government.
       ``(c) Eligible Borrower.--A loan guarantee may be made 
     under the program only for a borrower who is a small- or 
     medium-sized manufacturer, as determined by the Secretary 
     under the criteria established pursuant to subsection (l).
       ``(d) Limitation on Amount.--A loan guarantee shall not 
     exceed an amount equal to 80 percent of the obligation, as 
     estimated at the time at which the loan guarantee is issued.
       ``(e) Limitations on Loan Guarantee.--No loan guarantee 
     shall be made unless the Secretary determines that--
       ``(1) there is a reasonable prospect of repayment of the 
     principal and interest on the obligation by the borrower;
       ``(2) the amount of the obligation (when combined with 
     amounts available to the borrower from other sources) is 
     sufficient to carry out the project;
       ``(3) the obligation is not subordinate to other financing;
       ``(4) the obligation bears interest at a rate that does not 
     exceed a level that the Secretary determines appropriate, 
     taking into account the prevailing rate of interest in the 
     private sector for similar loans and risks; and
       ``(5) the term of an obligation requires full repayment 
     over a period not to exceed the lesser of--
       ``(A) 30 years; or
       ``(B) 90 percent of the projected useful life, as 
     determined by the Secretary, of the physical asset to be 
     financed by the obligation.
       ``(f) Defaults.--
       ``(1) Payment by secretary.--
       ``(A) In general.--If a borrower defaults (as defined in 
     regulations promulgated by the Secretary and specified in the 
     loan guarantee) on the obligation, the holder of the loan 
     guarantee shall have the right to demand payment of the 
     unpaid amount from the Secretary.
       ``(B) Payment required.--Within such period as may be 
     specified in the loan guarantee or related agreements, the 
     Secretary shall pay to the holder of the loan guarantee the 
     unpaid interest on and unpaid principal of the obligation as 
     to which the borrower has defaulted, unless the Secretary 
     finds that there was no default by the borrower in the 
     payment of interest or principal or that the default has been 
     remedied.
       ``(C) Forbearance.--Nothing in this subsection precludes 
     any forbearance by the holder of the obligation for the 
     benefit of the borrower which may be agreed upon by the 
     parties to the obligation and approved by the Secretary.
       ``(2) Subrogation.--
       ``(A) In general.--If the Secretary makes a payment under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall be subrogated to the 
     rights, as specified in the loan guarantee, of the recipient 
     of the payment or related agreements including, if 
     appropriate, the authority (notwithstanding any other 
     provision of law)--
       ``(i) to complete, maintain, operate, lease, or otherwise 
     dispose of any property acquired pursuant to such loan 
     guarantee or related agreement; or
       ``(ii) to permit the borrower, pursuant to an agreement 
     with the Secretary, to continue to pursue the purposes of the 
     project if the Secretary determines that such an agreement is 
     in the public interest.
       ``(B) Superiority of rights.--The rights of the Secretary, 
     with respect to any property acquired pursuant to a loan 
     guarantee or related agreements, shall be superior to the 
     rights of any other person with respect to the property.
       ``(3) Notification.--If the borrower defaults on an 
     obligation, the Secretary shall notify the Attorney General 
     of the default.
       ``(g) Terms and Conditions.--A loan guarantee under this 
     section shall include such detailed terms and conditions as 
     the Secretary determines appropriate--
       ``(1) to protect the interests of the United States in the 
     case of default; and
       ``(2) to have available all the patents and technology 
     necessary for any person selected, including the Secretary, 
     to complete and operate the project.
       ``(h) Consultation.--In establishing the terms and 
     conditions of a loan guarantee under this section, the 
     Secretary shall consult with the Secretary of the Treasury.
       ``(i) Fees.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall charge and collect 
     fees for loan guarantees in amounts the Secretary determines 
     are sufficient to cover applicable administrative expenses.
       ``(2) Availability.--Fees collected under this subsection 
     shall--
       ``(A) be deposited by the Secretary into the Treasury of 
     the United States; and
       ``(B) remain available until expended, subject to such 
     other conditions as are contained in annual appropriations 
     Acts.
       ``(3) Limitation.--In charging and collecting fees under 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take into consideration 
     the amount of the obligation.
       ``(j) Records.--
       ``(1) In general.--With respect to a loan guarantee under 
     this section, the borrower, the lender, and any other 
     appropriate party shall keep such records and other pertinent 
     documents as the Secretary shall prescribe by regulation, 
     including such records as the Secretary may require to 
     facilitate an effective audit.
       ``(2) Access.--The Secretary and the Comptroller General of 
     the United States, or their duly authorized representatives, 
     shall have access to records and other pertinent documents 
     for the purpose of conducting an audit.
       ``(k) Full Faith and Credit.--The full faith and credit of 
     the United States is pledged to the payment of all loan 
     guarantees issued under this section with respect to 
     principal and interest.
       ``(l) Regulations.--The Secretary shall issue final 
     regulations before making any loan guarantees under the 
     program. The regulations shall include--
       ``(1) criteria that the Secretary shall use to determine 
     eligibility for loan guarantees under this section, 
     including--
       ``(A) whether a borrower is a small- or medium-sized 
     manufacturer; and
       ``(B) whether a borrower demonstrates that a market exists 
     for the innovative technology product, or the integral 
     component of such a product, to be manufactured, as evidenced 
     by written statements of interest from potential purchasers;
       ``(2) criteria that the Secretary shall use to determine 
     the amount of any fees charged under subsection (i), 
     including criteria related to the amount of the obligation;
       ``(3) policies and procedures for selecting and monitoring 
     lenders and loan performance; and
       ``(4) any other policies, procedures, or information 
     necessary to implement this section.
       ``(m) Audit.--
       ``(1) Annual independent audits.--The Secretary shall enter 
     into an arrangement with an independent auditor for annual 
     evaluations of the program under this section.
       ``(2) Comptroller general review.--The Comptroller General 
     of the United States shall conduct a biennial review of the 
     Secretary's execution of the program under this section.
       ``(3) Report.--The results of the independent audit under 
     paragraph (1) and the Comptroller General's review under 
     paragraph (2) shall be provided directly to the Committee on 
     Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and 
     the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate.
       ``(n) Report to Congress.--Concurrent with the submission 
     to Congress of the President's annual budget request in each 
     year after the date of enactment of the America COMPETES 
     Reauthorization Act of 2010, the Secretary shall transmit to 
     the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate a report containing a summary of 
     all activities carried out under this section.
       ``(o) Coordination and Nonduplication.--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 loan 
     guarantee programs within the Federal Government.
       ``(p) MEP Centers.--The Secretary may use centers 
     established under section 25 of the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k) to provide 
     information about the program established under this section 
     and to conduct outreach to potential borrowers, as 
     appropriate.
       ``(q) Minimizing Risk.--The Secretary shall promulgate 
     regulations and policies to carry out this section in 
     accordance with Office of Management and Budget Circular No. 
     A-129, entitled `Policies for Federal Credit Programs and 
     Non-Tax Receivables', as in effect on the date of enactment 
     of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010.
       ``(r) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     no loan guarantee shall be made under this section unless the 
     borrower agrees to use a federally-approved electronic 
     employment eligibility verification system to verify the 
     employment eligibility of--
       ``(1) all persons hired during the contract term by the 
     borrower to perform employment duties within the United 
     States; and
       ``(2) all persons assigned by the borrower to perform work 
     within the United States on the project.
       ``(s) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Cost.--The term `cost' has the meaning given such 
     term under section 502 of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 
     1990 (2 U.S.C. 661a).
       ``(2) Innovative process.--The term `innovative process' 
     means a process that is significantly improved as compared to 
     the process in general use in the commercial marketplace in 
     the United States at the time the loan guarantee is issued.
       ``(3) Innovative technology.--The term `innovative 
     technology' means a technology that is significantly improved 
     as compared to the technology in general use in the 
     commercial marketplace in the United States at the time the 
     loan guarantee is issued.
       ``(4) Loan guarantee.--The term `loan guarantee' has the 
     meaning given such term in section 502 of the Federal Credit 
     Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661a). The term includes a loan 
     guarantee commitment (as defined in section 502 of such Act 
     (2 U.S.C. 661a)).
       ``(5) Obligation.--The term `obligation' means the loan or 
     other debt obligation that is guaranteed under this section.
       ``(6) Program.--The term `program' means the loan guarantee 
     program established in subsection (a).
       ``(t) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000 for each of fiscal 
     years 2011 through 2013 to provide the cost of loan 
     guarantees under this section.''.

[[Page H8837]]

     SEC. 603. REGIONAL INNOVATION PROGRAM.

       The Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3701 et seq.), as amended by section 602, is further 
     amended by adding at the end thereof the following:

     ``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 and science and research parks.
       `(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) Use and application of research and information 
     program.--To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 
     shall ensure that activities funded under this subsection use 
     and apply any relevant research, best practices, and metrics 
     developed under the program established in subsection (c).
       ``(c) Science and Research Park Development Grants.--
       ``(1) In general.--As part of the program established under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary may award grants for the 
     development of feasibility studies and plans for the 
     construction of new science parks or the renovation or 
     expansion of existing science parks.
       ``(2) Limitation on amount of grants.--The amount of a 
     grant awarded under this subsection may not exceed $750,000.
       ``(3) Award.--
       ``(A) Competition required.--The Secretary shall award 
     grants under this subsection pursuant to a full and open 
     competition.
       ``(B) Geographic dispersion.--In conducting a competitive 
     process, the Secretary shall consider the need to avoid undue 
     geographic concentration among any one category of States 
     based on their predominant rural or urban character as 
     indicated by population density.
       ``(C) Selection criteria.--The Secretary shall publish the 
     criteria to be utilized in any competition for the selection 
     of recipients of grants under this subsection, which shall 
     include requirements relating to the--
       ``(i) effect the science park will have on regional 
     economic growth and development;
       ``(ii) number of jobs to be created at the science park and 
     the surrounding regional community each year during its first 
     3 years;
       ``(iii) funding to be required to construct, renovate or 
     expand the science park during its first 3 years;
       ``(iv) amount and type of financing and access to capital 
     available to the applicant;
       ``(v) types of businesses and research entities expected in 
     the science park and surrounding regional community;
       ``(vi) letters of intent by businesses and research 
     entities to locate in the science park;
       ``(vii) capability to attract a well trained workforce to 
     the science park;
       ``(viii) the management of the science park during its 
     first 5 years;
       ``(ix) expected financial risks in the construction and 
     operation of the science park and the risk mitigation 
     strategy;
       ``(x) physical infrastructure available to the science 
     park, including roads, utilities, and telecommunications;
       ``(xi) utilization of energy-efficient building technology 
     including nationally recognized green building design 
     practices, renewable energy, cogeneration, and other methods 
     that increase energy efficiency and conservation;
       ``(xii) consideration to the transformation of military 
     bases affected by the base realignment and closure process or 
     the redevelopment of existing buildings, structures, or 
     brownfield sites that are abandoned, idled, or underused into 
     single or multiple building facilities for science and 
     technology companies and institutions;
       ``(xiii) ability to collaborate with other science parks 
     throughout the world;
       ``(xiv) consideration of sustainable development practices 
     and the quality of life at the science park; and
       ``(xv) other such criteria as the Secretary shall 
     prescribe.
       ``(4) Allocation constraints.--The Secretary may not 
     allocate less than one-third of the total grant funding 
     allocated under this section for any fiscal year to grants 
     under subsection (b) or this subsection without written 
     notification to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, 
     and Transportation and the House of Representatives 
     Committees on Science and Technology and on Energy and 
     Commerce.
       ``(d) Loan Guarantees for Science Park Infrastructure.--
       ``(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary 
     may guarantee up to 80 percent of the loan amount for 
     projects for the construction or expansion, including 
     renovation and modernization, of science park infrastructure.
       ``(2) Limitations on guarantee amounts.--The maximum amount 
     of loan principal guaranteed under this subsection may not 
     exceed--
       ``(A) $50,000,000 with respect to any single project; and
       ``(B) $300,000,000 with respect to all projects.
       ``(3) Selection of guarantee recipients.--The Secretary 
     shall select recipients of loan guarantees under this 
     subsection based upon the ability of the recipient to 
     collateralize the loan amount through bonds, equity, 
     property, and such other things of values as the Secretary 
     shall deem necessary. Recipients of grants under subsection 
     (c) are not eligible for a loan guarantee during the period 
     of the grant. To the extent that the Secretary determines it 
     to be feasible, the Secretary may select recipients of 
     guarantee assistance in accord with a competitive process 
     that takes into account the factors set out in subsection 
     (c)(3)(C) of this section.
       ``(4) Terms and conditions for loan guarantees.--The loans 
     guaranteed under this subsection shall be subject to such 
     terms and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, except 
     that--
       ``(A) the final maturity of such loans made or guaranteed 
     may not exceed the lesser of--
       ``(i) 30 years; or
       ``(ii) 90 percent of the useful life of any physical asset 
     to be financed by the loan;
       ``(B) a loan guaranteed under this subsection may not be 
     subordinated to another debt contracted by the borrower or to 
     any other claims against the borrowers in the case of 
     default;
       ``(C) a loan may not be guaranteed under this subsection 
     unless the Secretary determines that the lender is 
     responsible and that provision is made for servicing the loan 
     on reasonable terms and in a manner that adequately protects 
     the financial interest of the United States;
       ``(D) a loan may not be guaranteed under this subsection 
     if--
       ``(i) the income from the loan is excluded from gross 
     income for purposes of chapter 1 of the Internal Revenue Code 
     of 1986; or
       ``(ii) the guarantee provides significant collateral or 
     security, as determined by the Secretary in coordination with 
     the Secretary of the Treasury, for other obligations the 
     income from which is so excluded;
       ``(E) any guarantee provided under this subsection shall be 
     conclusive evidence that--
       ``(i) the guarantee has been properly obtained;
       ``(ii) the underlying loan qualified for the guarantee; and
       ``(iii) absent fraud or material misrepresentation by the 
     holder, the guarantee is presumed to be valid, legal, and 
     enforceable;
       ``(F) the Secretary may not extend credit assistance unless 
     the Secretary has determined that there is a reasonable 
     assurance of repayment; and
       ``(G) new loan guarantees may not be committed except to 
     the extent that appropriations of budget authority to cover 
     their costs are made in advance, as required under section 
     504 of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990 (2 U.S.C. 661c).
       ``(5) Payment of losses.--
       ``(A) In general.--If, as a result of a default by a 
     borrower under a loan guaranteed under

[[Page H8838]]

     this subsection, after the holder has made such further 
     collection efforts and instituted such enforcement 
     proceedings as the Secretary may require, the Secretary 
     determines that the holder has suffered a loss, the Secretary 
     shall pay to the holder the percentage of the loss specified 
     in the guarantee contract. Upon making any such payment, the 
     Secretary shall be subrogated to all the rights of the 
     recipient of the payment. The Secretary shall be entitled to 
     recover from the borrower the amount of any payments made 
     pursuant to any guarantee entered into under this section.
       ``(B) Enforcement of rights.--The Attorney General shall 
     take such action as may be appropriate to enforce any right 
     accruing to the United States as a result of the issuance of 
     any guarantee under this section.
       ``(C) Forbearance.--Nothing in this section may be 
     construed to preclude any forbearance for the benefit of the 
     borrower which may be agreed upon by the parties to the 
     guaranteed loan and approved by the Secretary, if budget 
     authority for any resulting subsidy costs (as defined in 
     section 502(5) of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990) is 
     available.
       ``(6) Evaluation of credit risk.--
       ``(A) The Secretary shall periodically assess the credit 
     risk of new and existing direct loans or guaranteed loans.
       ``(B) Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
     enactment of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
     2010, the Comptroller General of the United States shall--
       ``(i) conduct a review of the subsidy estimates for the 
     loan guarantees under this section; and
       ``(ii) submit to Congress a report on the review conducted 
     under this paragraph.
       ``(7) Termination.--A loan may not be guaranteed under this 
     section after September 30, 2013.
       ``(8) Authorization of appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated $7,000,000 for each of fiscal 
     years 2011 through 2013 for the cost (as defined in section 
     502(5) of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990) of 
     guaranteeing $300,000,000 in loans under this section, such 
     sums to remain available until expended.
       ``(e) 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) or (c) and any loan guarantee under 
     subsection (d) into the program established under this 
     subsection.
       ``(f) 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.
       ``(g) 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.
       ``(h) 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) Science park.--The term `Science park' means a 
     property-based venture, which has--
       ``(A) master-planned property and buildings designed 
     primarily for private-public research and development 
     activities, high technology and science-based companies, and 
     research and development support services;
       ``(B) a contractual or operational relationship with one or 
     more science- or research-related institution of higher 
     education or governmental or non-profit research 
     laboratories;
       ``(C) a primary mission to promote research and development 
     through industry partnerships, assisting in the growth of new 
     ventures and promoting innovation-driven economic 
     development;
       ``(D) a role in facilitating the transfer of technology and 
     business skills between researchers and industry teams; and
       ``(E) a role in promoting technology-led economic 
     development for the community or region in which the science 
     park is located. A science park may be owned by a 
     governmental or not-for-profit entity, but it may enter into 
     partnerships or joint ventures with for-profit entities for 
     development or management of specific components of the park.
       ``(3) 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.
       ``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--Except as provided 
     in subsection (d)(8), there are authorized to be appropriated 
     $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013 to 
     carry out this section (other than for loan guarantees under 
     subsection (d)).''.

     SEC. 604. STUDY ON ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AND INNOVATIVE 
                   CAPACITY OF UNITED STATES AND DEVELOPMENT OF 
                   NATIONAL ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS STRATEGY.

       (a) Study.--
       (1) In general.--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) Matters covered.--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.

[[Page H8839]]

       (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) Consultation.--
       (A) In general.--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) In general.--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) Composition.--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) Exemption from faca.--The Federal Advisory Committee 
     Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the advisory board 
     established under clause (i).
       (b) Strategy.--
       (1) In general.--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) Elements.--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) Report.--
       (1) In general.--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) Elements.--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).

     SEC. 605. PROMOTING USE OF HIGH-END COMPUTING SIMULATION AND 
                   MODELING BY SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED 
                   MANUFACTURERS.

       (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
       (1) the utilization of high-end computing simulation and 
     modeling by large-scale government contractors and Federal 
     research entities has resulted in substantial improvements in 
     the development of advanced manufacturing technologies; and
       (2) such simulation and modeling would also benefit small- 
     and medium-sized manufacturers in the United States if such 
     manufacturers were to deploy such simulation and modeling 
     throughout their manufacturing chains.
       (b) Policy.--It is the policy of the United States to take 
     all effective measures practicable to ensure that Federal 
     programs and policies encourage and contribute to the use of 
     high-end computing simulation and modeling in the United 
     States manufacturing sector.
       (c) Study.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in 
     consultation with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of 
     the Office of Science and Technology Policy, shall carry out, 
     through an interagency consulting process, a study of the 
     barriers to the use of high-end computing simulation and 
     modeling by small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the 
     United States.
       (2) Factors.--In carrying out the study required by 
     paragraph (1), the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation 
     with the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the Office 
     of Science and Technology Policy, shall consider the 
     following:
       (A) The access of small- and medium-sized manufacturers in 
     the United States to high-performance computing facilities 
     and resources.
       (B) The availability of software and other applications 
     tailored to meet the needs of such manufacturers.
       (C) Whether such manufacturers employ or have access to 
     individuals with appropriate expertise for the use of such 
     facilities and resources.
       (D) Whether such manufacturers have access to training to 
     develop such expertise.
       (E) The availability of tools and other methods to such 
     manufacturers to understand and manage the costs and risks 
     associated with transitioning to the use of such facilities 
     and resources.
       (3) Report.--Not later than 270 days after the commencement 
     of the study required by paragraph (1), the Secretary of 
     Commerce shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Energy 
     and the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
     Policy, submit to Congress a report on such study. Such 
     report shall include such recommendations for such 
     legislative or administrative action as the Secretary of 
     Commerce considers appropriate in light of the study to 
     increase the utilization of high-end computing simulation and 
     modeling by small- and medium-sized manufacturers in the 
     United States.
       (d) Authorization of Demonstration and Pilot Programs.--As 
     part of the study required by subsection (c)(1), the 
     Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, and the 
     Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy may 
     carry out such demonstration or pilot programs as either 
     Secretary or the Director considers appropriate to gather 
     experiential data to evaluate the feasibility and 
     advisability of a specific program or policy initiative to 
     reduce barriers to the utilization of high-end computer 
     modeling and simulation by small- and medium-sized 
     manufacturers in the United States.

                       TITLE VII--NIST GREEN JOBS

     SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE.

       This title may be cited as the ``NIST Grants for Energy 
     Efficiency, New Job Opportunities, and Business Solutions Act 
     of 2010'' or the ``NIST GREEN JOBS Act of 2010''.

     SEC. 702. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Over its 20-year existence, the Hollings Manufacturing 
     Extension Partnership has proven its value to manufacturers 
     as demonstrated by the resulting impact on jobs and the 
     economies of all 50 States and the Nation as a whole.
       (2) The Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership has 
     helped thousands of companies reinvest in themselves through 
     process improvement and business growth initiatives leading 
     to more sales, new markets, and the adoption of technology to 
     deliver new products and services.
       (3) Manufacturing is an increasingly important part of the 
     construction sector as the industry moves to the use of more 
     components and factory built sub-assemblies.
       (4) Construction practices must become more efficient and 
     precise if the United States is to construct and renovate its 
     building stock to reduce related carbon emissions to levels 
     that are consistent with combating global warming.
       (5) Many companies involved in construction are small, 
     without access to innovative manufacturing techniques, and 
     could benefit from the type of training and business analysis 
     activities that the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 
     Partnership routinely provides to the Nation's manufacturers 
     and their supply chains.
       (6) Broadening the competitiveness grant program under 
     section 25(f) of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(f)) could help develop and 
     diffuse knowledge necessary to capture a large portion of the 
     estimated $100 billion or more in energy savings if buildings 
     in the United States met the level and quality of energy 
     efficiency now found in buildings in certain other countries.
       (7) It is therefore in the national interest to expand the 
     capabilities of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 
     Partnership to be supportive of the construction and green 
     energy industries.

     SEC. 703. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY 
                   COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Section 25(f)(3) of the National Institute 
     of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(f)(3)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``to develop'' in the first sentence and 
     inserting ``to add capabilities to the MEP program, including 
     the development of''; and
       (2) by striking the last sentence and inserting ``Centers 
     may be reimbursed for costs incurred under the program. These 
     themes--
       ``(A) shall be related to projects designed to increase the 
     viability both of traditional manufacturing sectors and other 
     sectors, such as construction, that increasingly rely on 
     manufacturing through the use of manufactured components and 
     manufacturing techniques, including supply chain integration 
     and quality management;
       ``(B) shall be related to projects related to the transfer 
     of technology based on the technological needs of 
     manufacturers and available technologies from institutions of 
     higher education, laboratories, and other technology 
     producing entities; and
       ``(C) may extend beyond these traditional areas to include 
     projects related to construction industry modernization.''.
       (b) Selection.--Section 25(f)(5) of the National Institute 
     of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(f)(5)) is 
     amended to read as follows:
       ``(5) Selection.--
       ``(A) In general.--Awards under this section shall be peer 
     reviewed and competitively awarded. The Director shall 
     endeavor to select at least one proposal in each of the 9 
     statistical divisions of the United States (as designated by 
     the Bureau of the Census). The Director shall select 
     proposals to receive awards that will--
       ``(i) create jobs or train newly hired employees;
       ``(ii) promote technology transfer and commercialization of 
     environmentally focused materials, products, and processes;
       ``(iii) increase energy efficiency; and
       ``(iv) improve the competitiveness of industries in the 
     region in which the Center or Centers are located.

[[Page H8840]]

       ``(B) Additional selection criteria.--The Director may 
     select proposals to receive awards that will--
       ``(i) encourage greater cooperation and foster partnerships 
     in the region with similar Federal, State, and locally funded 
     programs to encourage energy efficiency and building 
     technology; and
       ``(ii) collect data and analyze the increasing connection 
     between manufactured products and manufacturing techniques, 
     the future of construction practices, and the emerging 
     application of products from the green energy industries.''.
       (c) Other Modifications.--Section 25(f) of the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(f)) 
     is amended--
       (1) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(7) Duration.--Awards under this section shall last no 
     longer than 3 years.
       ``(8) Eligible participants.--In addition to manufacturing 
     firms eligible to participate in the Centers program, awards 
     under this subsection may be used by the Centers to assist 
     small- or medium-sized construction firms. Centers may be 
     reimbursed under the program for working with such eligible 
     participants.
       ``(9) Authorization of appropriations.--In addition to any 
     amounts otherwise authorized or appropriated to carry out 
     this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
     Secretary of Commerce $7,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 
     2011 through 2013 to carry out this subsection.''.

                     TITLE VIII--GENERAL PROVISIONS

     SEC. 801. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW.

       Not later than May 31, 2013, the Comptroller General of the 
     United States shall submit a report to the Senate Committee 
     on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the House of 
     Representatives Committee on Science and Technology that 
     evaluates the status of the programs authorized in this Act, 
     including the extent to which such programs have been funded, 
     implemented, and are contributing to achieving the goals of 
     the Act.

     SEC. 802. SALARY RESTRICTIONS.

       (a) Obscene Matter on Federal Property.--None of the funds 
     authorized under this Act may be used to pay the salary of 
     any individual who is convicted of violating section 1460 of 
     title 18, United States Code.
       (b) Use of Federal Computers for Child Pornography or 
     Exploitation of Minors.--None of the funds authorized under 
     this Act may be used to pay the salary of any individual who 
     is convicted of a violation of section 2252 of title 18, 
     United States Code.

     SEC. 803. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AUTHORITIES OF THE FCC.

       Title I of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 151 et 
     seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 12. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH AUTHORITIES OF THE FCC.

       ``In order to carry out the purposes of this Act, the 
     Commission may--
       ``(1) undertake research and development work in connection 
     with any matter in relation to which the Commission has 
     jurisdiction; and
       ``(2) promote the carrying out of such research and 
     development by others, or otherwise to arrange for such 
     research and development to be carried out by others.''.

                     TITLE IX--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

     SEC. 901. SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION 
                   PROGRAMS.

       (a) In General.--Sections 3171, 3175, and 3191 of the 
     Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act (42 
     U.S.C. 7381h, 7381j, 7381p) are repealed.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations for Summer 
     Institutes.--Section 3185(f) of the Department of Energy 
     Science Education Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381n(f)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 
     2013.''.
       (c) Conforming Amendments.--
       (1) Subpart B of the Department of Energy Science Education 
     Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381g et seq.) is amended by 
     striking chapters 1, 2, and 5 (42 U.S.C. 7381h, 7381j, 
     7381p).
       (2) Section 3195 of the Department of Energy Science 
     Education Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381r) is amended by 
     striking ``chapters 1, 3, and 4'' each place it appears and 
     inserting ``chapters 3 and 4''.

     SEC. 902. ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAMS.

       (a) Nuclear Science Talent Program.--Section 5004(f) of the 
     America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16532(f)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) $9,800,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(E) $10,100,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(F) $10,400,000 for fiscal year 2013.''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) $8,240,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(E) $8,500,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(F) $8,750,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.
       (b) Hydrocarbon Systems Science Talent Program.--Section 
     5005 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16533) is 
     amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)(2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (B) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(J) hydrocarbon spill response and remediation.''; and
       (2) in subsection (f)(1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'';
       (B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(D) $9,800,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(E) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(F) $10,400,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.
       (c) Early Career Awards.--Section 5006(h) of the America 
     COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16534(h)) is amended by striking 
     ``2010'' and inserting ``2013''.
       (d) Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) Graduate 
     Fellowship Program.--Section 5009(f) of the America COMPETES 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 16536(f)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) $20,600,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(5) $21,200,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(6) $21,900,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.
       (e) Distinguished Scientist Program.--Section 5011(j) of 
     the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16537(j)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(4) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(5) $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(6) $33,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.

     SEC. 903. BASIC RESEARCH.

       Section 971(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 
     16311(b)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) $5,247,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(6) $5,614,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(7) $6,007,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.''.

     SEC. 904. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-ENERGY.

       Section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ``subsection (m)(1)'' 
     and inserting ``subsection (n)(1)'';
       (2) in subsection (c)(2)(A), by inserting ``and applied'' 
     after ``advances in fundamental'';
       (3) in subsection (e)--
       (A) in paragraph (3)--
       (i) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(C) research and development of advanced manufacturing 
     process and technologies for the domestic manufacturing of 
     novel energy technologies; and''; and
       (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon at the end;
       (B) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at the end and 
     inserting ``; and''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(5) pursuant to subsection (c)(2)(C)--
       ``(A) ensuring that applications for funding disclose the 
     extent of current and prior efforts, including monetary 
     investments as appropriate, in pursuit of the technology area 
     for which funding is being requested;
       ``(B) adopting measures to ensure that, in making awards, 
     program managers adhere to the purposes of subsection 
     (c)(2)(C); and
       ``(C) providing as part of the annual report required by 
     subsection (h)(1) a summary of the instances of and reasons 
     for ARPA-E funding projects in technology areas already being 
     undertaken by industry.'';
       (4) by redesignating subsections (f) through (m) as 
     subsections (g) through (n), respectively;
       (5) by inserting after subsection (e) the following:
       ``(f) Awards.--In carrying out this section, the Director 
     may provide awards in the form of grants, contracts, 
     cooperative agreements, cash prizes, and other 
     transactions.'';
       (6) in subsection (g) (as redesignated by paragraph (4))--
       (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs 
     (2) and (3), respectively;
       (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as redesignated by 
     subparagraph (A)) the following:
       ``(1) In general.--The Director shall establish and 
     maintain within ARPA-E a staff with sufficient qualifications 
     and expertise to enable ARPA-E to carry out the 
     responsibilities of ARPA-E under this section in conjunction 
     with other operations of the Department.'';
       (C) in paragraph (2) (as redesignated by subparagraph 
     (A))--
       (i) in the paragraph heading, by striking ``Program 
     managers'' and inserting ``Program directors'';
       (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``program managers 
     for each of'' and inserting ``program directors for'';
       (iii) in subparagraph (B)--

       (I) in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking 
     ``program manager'' and inserting ``program director'';
       (II) in clause (iv), by striking ``, with advice under 
     subsection (j) as appropriate,'';
       (III) by redesignating clauses (v) and (vi) as clauses (vi) 
     and (viii), respectively;
       (IV) by inserting after clause (iv) the following:

       ``(v) identifying innovative cost-sharing arrangements for 
     ARPA-E projects, including through use of the authority 
     provided under section 988(b)(3) of the Energy Policy Act of 
     2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352(b)(3));'';

       (V) in clause (vi) (as redesignated by subclause (III)), by 
     striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon; and

[[Page H8841]]

       (VI) by inserting after clause (vi) (as redesignated by 
     subclause (III)) the following:

       ``(vii) identifying mechanisms for commercial application 
     of successful energy technology development projects, 
     including through establishment of partnerships between 
     awardees and commercial entities; and'';
       (iv) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``not more than'' 
     after ``shall be''; and
       (D) in paragraph (3) (as redesignated by subparagraph 
     (A))--
       (i) in subparagraph (A)--

       (I) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' after the semicolon 
     at the end; and
       (II) by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following:

       ``(ii) fix the basic pay of such personnel at a rate to be 
     determined by the Director at rates not in excess of Level II 
     of the Executive Schedule (EX-II) without regard to the civil 
     service laws; and
       ``(iii) pay any employee appointed under this subpart 
     payments in addition to basic pay, except that the total 
     amount of additional payments paid to an employee under this 
     subpart for any 12-month period shall not exceed the least of 
     the following amounts:

       ``(I) $25,000.
       ``(II) The amount equal to 25 percent of the annual rate of 
     basic pay of the employee.
       ``(III) The amount of the limitation that is applicable for 
     a calendar year under section 5307(a)(1) of title 5, United 
     States Code.'';

       (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``not less than 70, 
     and not more than 120,'' and inserting ``not more than 120'';
       (7) in subsection (h)(2) (as redesignated by paragraph 
     (4))--
       (A) by striking ``2008'' and inserting ``2010''; and
       (B) by striking ``2011'' and inserting''2013'';
       (8) by striking subsection (j) (as redesignated by 
     paragraph (4)) and inserting the following:
       ``(j) Federal Demonstration of Technologies.--The Director 
     shall seek opportunities to partner with purchasing and 
     procurement programs of Federal agencies to demonstrate 
     energy technologies resulting from activities funded through 
     ARPA-E.'';
       (9) in subsection (l) (as redesignated by paragraph (4))--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``4 years'' and 
     inserting'' 6 years''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``, and the manner in 
     which those lessons may apply to the operation of other 
     programs of the Department'' after ``ARPA-E''; and
       (10) in subsection (n) (as redesignated by paragraph (4))--
       (A) in paragraph (2)--
       (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon at the end;
       (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (iii) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(C) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2011;
       ``(D) $306,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and
       ``(E) $312,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.'';
       (B) by striking paragraph (4);
       (C) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4); and
       (D) in paragraph (4)(B) (as redesignated by subparagraph 
     (C))--
       (i) by striking ``2.5 percent'' and inserting ``5 
     percent''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``, consistent with the goal described in 
     subsection (c)(2)(D) and within the responsibilities of 
     program directors described in subsection (g)(2)(B)(vii)'' 
     after ``outreach activities''.

                           TITLE X--EDUCATION

     SEC. 1001. REFERENCES.

       Except as otherwise expressly provided, wherever in this 
     title an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an 
     amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provision, the 
     reference shall be considered to be made to a section or 
     other provision of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 110-
     69).

     SEC. 1002. REPEALS AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Repeals.--The following provisions of the Act are 
     repealed:
       (1) Section 6001 (20 U.S.C. 9801).
       (2) Part III of subtitle A of title VI (20 U.S.C. 9841).
       (3) Subtitle B of title VI (20 U.S.C. 9851 et seq.)
       (4) Subtitle C of title VI (20 U.S.C. 9861 et seq.).
       (5) Subtitle E of title VI (20 U.S.C. 9881 et seq.).
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--The Act is amended--
       (1) by redesignating section 6002 (20 U.S.C. 9802) as 
     section 6001;
       (2) by redesignating subtitle D of title VI (20 U.S.C. 
     9871) as subtitle B of title VI; and
       (3) by redesignating section 6401 (20 U.S.C. 9871) as 
     section 6201.

     SEC. 1003. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS AND MATCHING 
                   REQUIREMENT.

       (a) Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow.--Section 6116 (20 
     U.S.C. 9816) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 6116. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     part $4,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013, 
     of which--
       ``(1) $2,000,000 shall be available to carry out section 
     6113 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013; and
       ``(2) $2,000,000 shall be available to carry out section 
     6114 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013.''.
       (b) Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate 
     Programs and Matching Requirement.--Section 6123 (20 U.S.C. 
     9833) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (h)(1)--
       (A) by striking ``100'' and inserting ``50''; and
       (B) by striking ``200'' and inserting ``100''; and
       (2) by striking subsection (l) and inserting the following:
       ``(l) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 2013.''.
       (c) Alignment of Education Programs.--Section 6201(j), as 
     redesignated by section 1002(b)(3), is amended to read as 
     follows:
       ``(j) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
     $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012.''.

                            Motion to Concur

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Mr. Gordon of Tennessee moves that the House concur in the 
     Senate amendment to H.R. 5116.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1781, the 
motion shall be debatable for 1 hour, equally divided and controlled by 
the chair and ranking minority member of the Committee on Science and 
Technology.
  The gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hall) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.

                              {time}  1340


                             General Leave

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and 
extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 
5116.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  On October 12, 2005, in response to a bipartisan request by the 
Science and Technology Committee and some of our colleagues in the 
Senate, Lamar Alexander and Jeff Bingaman, the National Academies 
released their report, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.'' The 
distinguished panel painted a very scary picture. The report made it 
clear that, without action, the future was bleak for our children and 
grandchildren. This report was, without question, a call to arms.
  September of this year, Norm Augustine released, ``Rising Above the 
Gathering Storm, Revisited: Rapidly Approaching Category 5.'' The 
updated report highlights progress that has been made in the past 5 
years, including enactment of the original America COMPETES Act, but he 
underscores that America's competitive position in the world now faces 
greater challenges and that research investments are even more critical 
today.
  The message from the report is clear: We need to double-down on our 
investments in science and technology. The worst thing we could do 
would be to downshift while the rest of the world kicks it into high 
gear.
  As chairman of the Gathering Storm Committee and former chairman and 
CEO of Lockheed Martin, Norm Augustine said, in all the years he was an 
aircraft engineer and dealing with the common dilemma of trying to make 
an overweight aircraft fly, the solution was never to lop off an 
engine. Science funding is the engine of a knowledge-based economy. If 
we remove it, our economy will crash and burn.
  More than half of our economic growth since World War II can be 
attributed to development and adoption of new technologies. These 
investments are the path towards sustained economic recovery and growth 
and the path toward prosperity for the next 50 years. There is an 
undeniable relationship between investment in R&D and the creation of 
jobs, the creation of companies, and economic growth.
  The Science Coalition, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of the 
Nation's leading research universities, released a report entitled, 
``Sparking Economic Growth: How Federally Funded University Research 
Creates Innovation, New Companies and Jobs.'' This report tells the 
stories of 100 companies, including Google, Cisco, SAS, Genentech, 
Orbital Sciences, Sun Power, Medtronic, Hewlett Packard, and many 
others, that were all created based on research funded with Federal 
dollars.

[[Page H8842]]

  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable, the National 
Association of Manufacturers, the Council on Competitiveness, and the 
Task Force on American Innovation all understand the benefits to U.S. 
companies of making a sustained commitment to research and STEM 
education. We have a huge opportunity before us to make progress toward 
that goal.
  While there have been concessions made in light of the economic 
environment, this bill preserves the intent of the ``Rising Above the 
Gathering Storm'' report and the original COMPETES. It keeps our basic 
research agencies on a doubling path. It continues to invest in high-
risk, high-reward energy technology development. It will help improve 
STEM education, and it will help unleash the American spirit of 
innovation. COMPETES is, and will continue to be, a bipartisan, 
bicameral effort about which every Member can feel proud.
  I applaud all of the people who have worked on this bill, including 
all the members of the Science and Technology Committee and my dear 
friend, Ralph Hall. This has been a team effort, across the aisle and 
across the Capitol.
  I also want to take a moment to extend a sincere and heartfelt thank 
you to the staff of the Committee on Science and Technology, both 
minority and majority. Their tireless efforts in crafting the House 
version of this legislation, working through the tough spots, and 
shepherding it to final passage today deserves special acknowledgment. 
Without them, this reauthorization of COMPETES would not have been 
possible.
  We are all familiar with the legions of smart, talented professionals 
who grace the corridors of this institution, and I am sure each of us 
is impressed on a regular basis with the knowledge and expertise of the 
staff we work with most closely. However, I am always amazed by the 
wealth of knowledge lodged with the staff of the Science and Technology 
Committee. I simply can't say enough about the staff's talent, insight, 
and institutional knowledge. Their hard work has made the Science 
Committee more productive, and it has made me a better chairman.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud that, in the two terms that I have had the 
privilege to lead the Science and Technology Committee, the committee 
has had 151 bills and resolutions pass the House, all with bipartisan 
support. But there is nothing that I am more proud of than the America 
COMPETES Act. There is nothing that we have done that will have deeper, 
longer lasting, and more positive impacts on our Nation than this bill.

  I cannot think of anything I would rather be doing, on what is likely 
my final act on this House floor after 26 years of service, than 
sending this bill to the President's desk. It's important to me 
personally because I have a 9-year-old daughter, and if we do not want 
our children and grandchildren to inherit a national standard of living 
less than their parents, a reversal of the American Dream, we need to 
support research, foster innovation, and improve education.
  The business community has urged us to pass this bill to support 
research, foster innovation, and improve education. The academic 
community has urged us to pass this bill to support research, foster 
innovation, and improve education. The scientific community has urged 
us to pass this bill to support research, foster innovation, and 
improve education. And every one of our colleagues in the Senate has 
agreed that this bill needs to be sent to the President's desk so the 
U.S. can support research, foster innovation, and improve education and 
create 21st century jobs.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with the business community, the 
academic community, the scientific community, and to send a strong 
message that the U.S. must maintain its scientific and economic 
leadership.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a very 
robust basic research and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  This COMPETES Act is back again. It's been here before, and it's 
living proof that Billy Graham was right when he said you can hate the 
sin but love the sinner. I'm fond of Bart Gordon, have worked with him. 
We're going to miss him when he leaves here. But I've never really 
liked to have a great bill like COMPETES with so much piled on it, so 
many hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars piled on it that has 
never really been debated on either floor.
  I've stated on this floor a lot of times this year, I remain 
committed to the goals of the original America COMPETES. Unfortunately, 
the Senate omnibus language before us today includes a hodgepodge of so 
many extraneous measures that it is indeed most surprising that we are 
considering this 5 days before Christmas. Like the House-passed 
version, it continues to take us off track from what he set out to do, 
in a bipartisan fashion, more than 5 years ago.
  In 2007, Congress responded to the recommendations of many experts 
that the Federal Government must increase its investment in basic 
research and in science and math education by developing the America 
COMPETES Act. The principles behind the legislation were sound, 
bipartisan, and well-understood.
  When COMPETES first passed, our budget deficit was projected at $160 
billion, and the national debt was $8 trillion. Sadly, today, just 3 
years later, the deficit's projected not $160 billion but $1.5 
trillion, and the national debt is over $13 trillion, a 60 percent 
increase in less than 3 years. This dramatic collapse in our fiscal 
condition demands that we get spending under control and work harder 
than ever to patronize taxpayer dollars.
  Before I delve into the depths of the bill, let me discuss the 
process that brought us to this point.
  The Senate negotiated amongst themselves and hotlined a bill, then 
passed it via unanimous consent, that is much different than the bill 
reported out of even the Senate conference committee back in July. The 
report on that bill was not filed until December 10, and we didn't see 
the actual text of the amendment before us until last Friday, this past 
Friday. We still don't have a complete CBO cost estimate.

                              {time}  1350

  Now as we are under a closed rule, we are considering a measure that 
the Senate has spoken on; but the House as a body, both Democrats and 
Republicans alike, are having to either accept or reject the Senate's 
desire in whole, with no opportunity to offer amendments. This is not 
the way the American people want us to do their business.
  They told us in November that they want us to do things differently, 
and this lame duck Congress is going against those wishes and denying 
us opportunity to carefully review the items in this $46 billion 
amendment.
  Men who are much smarter than me and whom I greatly respect, like 
Norm Augustine and Peter O'Donnell, Jr., have encouraged me to support 
this bill. But, Mr. Speaker, it is hard for me to say that I just can't 
support this version of COMPETES. If this Senate COMPETES amendment is 
defeated today, I pledge as the incoming chairman of the Science and 
Technology Committee to reintroduce the good, fiscally responsible 
pieces of this comprehensive legislation agency by agency and issue by 
issue, giving each individual piece the opportunity to be reviewed and 
voted on by every Member.
  Science and technology are the fundamental movers of our economy, and 
if we want to remain globally competitive, this bill should be 
considered in smaller pieces and not on the last day of a lame duck 
congressional session.
  Yes, our friends in the Senate have made it a 3-year reauthorization 
bill, and, yes, they have nearly cut the cost in half; but this $46 
billion bill still contains $7.4 billion in new spending.
  My good friend and chairman of the committee will tell you that the 
Senate stripped a number of provisions from the version previously 
passed and trimmed the bill considerably. I, too, think the Senate 
missed an opportunity to retain some of the House-passed language, 
particularly language to assist institutions serving our Nation's 
veterans and those with disabilities, and language to eliminate pay for 
Federal employees officially disciplined for viewing, downloading, or 
exchanging pornography on their work computers.
  Unfortunately, it also does not include two bipartisan interagency 
bills

[[Page H8843]]

that passed the House as standalone legislation, bills that would 
reauthorize our Nation's nanotechnology program and our networking 
information technology R&D program, NITRD.
  On the other hand, I am heartened to see that the Senate removed a 
number of expensive and in many cases duplicative initiatives added by 
the House both in committee and on the floor: among them energy hubs, a 
clean energy consortium, never-before-funded STEM programs at the 
Department of Education, a laboratory science program, and a decades-
old infrastructure construction program at the National Science 
Foundation.
  Alas, it is the items that they did not remove or have not removed on 
their own, without our input, that cause me the most heartburn. I still 
have great concern that we are authorizing ARPA-E to the tune of $900 
million. This program was never voted on by the House or Senate outside 
of a conference report, nor has it ever received appropriate funding 
outside of the stimulus bill. Yet we are going to authorize $900 
million to a program that focuses on late-stage technology development 
and commercialization activities often already supported by the private 
sector. The amendment before us also keeps and expands a loan guarantee 
program to build or renovate science parks and develop ``regional 
innovation clusters,'' alters the MEP program for NIST to make grants 
to construction and green energy companies, and puts NSF in the 
business of replicating university programming for future STEM 
teachers.
  Mr. Speaker, correct me if I'm wrong, but America COMPETES is about 
making this Nation more competitive and ensuring that our basic 
research agencies have the funding they need to pursue the unknown and 
scientific and engineering breakthroughs that propel us into the 
future. It is not about turning these agencies into infrastructure 
contractors and leaders or oracles, for that matter, who pick winners 
and losers.
  As much as I want to support COMPETES and see NSF, NIST, and the DOE 
Office of Science reauthorized, I simply can't support this version.
  Just like I stated when the House took up the measure on all three 
previous occasions, this measure continues to be far too expensive, 
particularly in light of the new and duplicative programs it creates. 
Further, we have not had the opportunity to give proper oversight to 
the programs we put in motion in the first COMPETES before authorizing 
new, additional programs. And, unfortunately, this bill still goes way 
beyond the goals and direction of the original America COMPETES, taking 
us from good, solid fundamental research and much too far into the 
world of commercialization, which many of us on this side of the aisle 
do not believe is the proper role of the Federal Government.
  I want to again thank Bart Gordon for the good services he's rendered 
and for the good service he'll render as a civilian over in the great 
State of Tennessee.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski), the chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Research and Science Education.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, as unemployment remains painfully high, 
and we see our students falling behind in math and science, Americans 
are asking: What can be done to make our future better?
  Although today's bill won't gain big headlines, it is a critical step 
forward. This approach to research, education, and innovation will lead 
to a better prepared and better educated domestic workforce and an 
economy built for long-term success.
  I am particularly grateful for the leadership of Chairman Bart 
Gordon, the driving force behind the original COMPETES bill and this 
reauthorization. He has accomplished much in his 26 years in Congress 
and has fought tirelessly to make Congress and all Americans realize 
that science and engineering advancements mean economic growth.
  As a former college professor, an engineer, and an advocate for 
American manufacturing, I firmly believe that this bill will help 
create jobs and ensure a higher standard of living for future 
generations.
  Much of the National Science Foundation title of this bill comes from 
my bill in the Research and Science Education Subcommittee. Although 
not as much as I would like to see, this compromise authorizes a 
steady, responsible increase in research and STEM education funding and 
properly emphasizes commercialization. The bill also includes language 
based on the GENIUS Act I introduced with Frank Wolf to authorize 
offering cash prizes for solutions to our most difficult scientific 
problems.
  Perhaps most important are the provisions that will help reinvigorate 
American manufacturing, including the newly created NSF manufacturing 
research program, and an initiative to help smaller manufacturers 
reduce costs and increase quality through high-performance computing.
  The bill calls for a national competitiveness strategy that includes 
some elements from my National Manufacturing Strategy Act that the 
House passed this past summer.
  I urge my colleagues to join me not only in voting for this today, 
but also fighting to fully fund it. If we want to maintain our economic 
strength, we cannot shortchange critical investments made in this bill 
for our people or for our research infrastructure. I urge passage of 
this bill, and I want to especially thank Chairman Bart Gordon for all 
of his work in Congress and all that he has accomplished. This bill is 
a great testament to his leadership.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. I did 
not expect to speak, and I do not have any prepared comments or notes; 
but I am going to speak on issues of science which I feel qualified to 
speak on because I am a scientist, specifically a nuclear physicist. I 
also want to make it clear I have never received any grant money from 
the NSF. When I did research, I was supported by the Federal Government 
directly through the Department of Energy or by the U.S. Navy.
  The Federal Government plays an important role in guiding the economy 
of our Nation. Much of that role is carried forth by the National 
Science Foundation and some of the other funding agencies.
  Let me just give one specific example which I am very familiar with 
because it is related to my area of research. My good friend, Charlie 
Townes, who won a Nobel Prize for developing the laser, discovered some 
years ago that he could make a maser--microwave amplification by 
stimulated emission of radiation. He decided he could do it with 
microwaves, and he could do it with light.
  So he developed a laser and won the Nobel Prize. How much money did 
he get from the Federal Government for his research, I don't really 
know, but I would guess probably not more than $50,000. How much has 
that contributed to the economy of this Nation? Billions and billions 
of dollars. Just look at the laser industry and the use of lasers today 
in so many ways--a huge payoff on government investment in research.

                              {time}  1400

  Also, we tend to fund the National Institutes of Health with a 
healthy amount every year because we are very interested in improving 
health. How many in this body know that some of the greatest 
discoveries in health were done by physicists, many of whom were 
supported by the National Science Foundation? X rays, how would we get 
along without x rays? Discovered by a physicist, a gentleman by the 
name of Rontgen in Germany. What about the MRI? The basic concepts 
developed by physicists. The same for the CAT scan. The basic idea was 
developed by physicists--not by doctors, not by M.D.'s, but physicists 
doing basic research. And that's what the National Science Foundation 
is all about, and that's what keeps our economy stimulated in this 
Nation.
  We have a great deal to fear from the nation of China. China is 
investing huge amounts of money and is training more engineers and 
scientists far more than we are producing. They are spending a lot of 
money on research. And if we wonder why they are doing better than we 
are in the Nation's economy, it is largely because they are supporting 
the people who contribute to the development of technology, science, et 
cetera.
  Now, I worked on this issue several years ago. I do not claim credit 
for the

[[Page H8844]]

COMPETES Act. But I did work with Sherry Boehlert, a Congressman who 
was chairing the Science Committee; Frank Wolf, who was the chair of 
the Appropriations Committee dealing with science, and at the 
suggestion of Frank Wolf, I arranged for a meeting with the White 
House. I tried to meet with President Bush. Instead, I met with the 
Director of the Office of Management and Budget. And over breakfast, I 
explained, in far more detail than I can do here, precisely what this 
country needed if we are going to compete in the international 
marketplace. And the Director of Management and Budget said afterwards, 
You sold me, but where are we going to get the money? I said, I have 
ideas for that, too, and presented my ideas.
  Out of that, in the next State of the Union speech, President George 
W. Bush developed the idea of the COMPETES Act. And it was a delight to 
work with the White House, with the President and with the Office of 
Management and Budget in developing the COMPETES Act.
  Now, I know some of you are concerned about some aspects of the 
COMPETES Act as it is before us today. I share some of those concerns 
but certainly not all of them. But the basic point here is that, if we 
do not act, we are letting down the manufacturers of America.
  I was here for the debate on the rule, and I noticed a gentleman from 
Oklahoma commenting against this act, we should not be supporting this 
sort of thing. That is very easy to say if you are representing a State 
where you simply drill holes in the ground and pull out money in the 
form of oil. Michigan does not have that. Michigan has to work very, 
very hard to manufacture cars that will sell to the public and get its 
money, and we all know what has happened there over the last few years.
  I think it's very important that we recognize we are not going to 
compete successfully in the international marketplace unless we invest 
more money in research, research which is then used by manufacturers to 
develop new products and to make money and provide jobs.
  I strongly urge us to pass this bill. I know it has shortcomings. 
There are a lot of things I am not happy with either. But the 
Republicans are taking over next year, and we can then proceed to write 
the bill precisely the way we want it. But I urge that we do not kill 
this bill at this time but, rather, that we pass it.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, let me first congratulate Dr. 
Ehlers on a stellar congressional career. His contribution to the 
Science Committee was enormous, and he will be missed. And having spent 
as much time as I have on the Science Committee, you develop affection 
for the committee, for the people, for the Members, and for the staff.
  So it is with, really, gratitude that I know that the gentlelady from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) is going to be the ranking member in 
the coming 112th Congress, and I yield to her 5 minutes.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I do rise in support 
of H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. And I am proud 
to say that I have worked with Dr. Ehlers, with our incoming chairman, 
Mr. Hall, as well as our outgoing chairman.
  We all know that the reauthorization of America COMPETES is to ensure 
that our future is more prosperous than our past. It is about ensuring 
America's memories are honored by investing in dreams that are even 
higher. The legislation before the U.S. Congress today is a message, a 
message that makes America understand that we are not here just to 
compete but to lead the 21st century.
  As a member of the House Science and Technology Committee for over 18 
years, I am proud to be an author of this bipartisan legislation. As it 
returns from the Senate, it is not the same bill that we sent over. But 
nothing is perfect around here, and we are not headed in the future to 
be perfect. But we must stand up and make sure that our 
responsibilities to our country and to our future will be intact. 
Therefore, I will support this legislation and hope that we can improve 
it at another time.
  I am eager to serve with Mr. Hall, as ranking member on the 
committee, and I hope that we can continue to look at what this country 
needs to do to educate its young people so that we can be in the 
future. We are losing ground, and I hope that we will find ways to 
regain it. I have in mind to try to bring with the chairman a group of 
CEOs, superintendents, teachers together around the table so we can all 
understand what we must do to educate our young people for the future 
if we want to be anywhere near competing with the rest of the world.
  I am pleased that this bill reauthorized the Noyce Teacher 
Scholarship Program, a program which I helped to shape. This program 
helps to prepare thousands of qualified new teachers and provides 
current teachers with academic and development courses. Every bit of 
our research shows that that's one of our major problems. We have 
teachers teaching courses where they have never majored. Seventy 
percent of them, as a matter of fact, in this country are teaching 
courses where they never majored.
  It is never going to be what we want as long as we have teachers 
teaching math, science, engineering that have never majored in it in 
college. We have to have teachers who are more prepared. And as women 
and minorities continue to be underrepresented in the sciences, it is 
unfortunate that the Senate chose to cut out the Fulfilling the 
Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act. I have 
sponsored that for two sessions. I will again. I do not believe that 
we, as a Nation, can compete ever with ignoring the fact that 50 
percent of its brainpower is left behind. I am pleased that this bill 
does prohibit the consolidation of programs that serve minority 
institutions and students in the National Science Foundation.
  We must be proactive. We have more work to ensure that all Americans 
are afforded the same chance to compete in the 21st century. It is not 
an in-your-face. It is not a civil rights act. It is to make sure that 
the majority of the students in this Nation become prepared to save 
this Nation.
  We cannot sit around and think that it is going to happen without 
effort. We need to help our schools around the Nation to elevate their 
math and science programs so that they can achieve the standard 
exemplified by the School of Science and Engineering at Townview, a 
high school in my district, in Dallas, Texas, which is rated one of the 
best public schools in the Nation. But that's only 20 percent of the 
students in the District. We must make sure that that quality of 
education is offered to all of our students.
  I want to commend Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member, soon-to-be 
chairman, Mr. Hall for their hard work on the legislation. And I 
believe that if nothing else gels us as a committee, looking out for 
our young people and the future of our Nation will become a real goal 
to achieve because it represents what is bipartisan; it represents a 
concerted effort to create a more competitive science and engineering 
workforce.
  I support this bill, Mr. Speaker. It is not perfect. But we have got 
to move on and look to the future.

                              {time}  1410

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I say to my colleague who will be 
working side by side with me for the next 2 years, my neighbor from 
Dallas and Rockwall County, that I appreciate her, look forward to 
working with her. She was the very first person, when I switched 
parties, to call me and say it didn't matter one iota to her. I've 
always appreciated her for that, and I still do and I will.
  And thank you, Dr. Ehlers, a man who's always educated for us. That's 
his thrust, and he's done a good job. But for him, we'd have gone the 
wrong way a lot of times.
  I now yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun).
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the 
Senate amendment to H.R. 5116, the American COMPETES Reauthorization 
Act of 2010.
  But before sharing my views on this COMPETES reauthorization, I want 
to take this opportunity to share my frustration and express the 
frustration of my constituents. I know that I'm not alone in the view 
that working on consequential pieces of legislation in a lame duck 
session, outside of the proper legislative process, is simply wrong.

[[Page H8845]]

In fact, it could be argued that it's unconstitutional.
  The 20th amendment of the Constitution moved the start date of new 
Congresses from March to January to stop exactly what we're doing here 
today, passing important legislation in a lame duck session. In 1932, 
Democratic Representative Wilburn Cartwright of Oklahoma stated, ``This 
amendment will free Congress of the dead hand of the so-called lame 
duck.'' Sadly, he could not have been more wrong.
  The Democrats are using this lame duck session to continue pursuing 
their rejected agenda. This is no different than a CEO being fired and 
continuing to make major decisions for the company that he was just 
fired from for another 2 months. We must stop this end-run around the 
electoral process and the U.S. Constitution by prohibiting further lame 
duck legislation.
  Now, this COMPETES reauthorization is the perfect example of why we 
need to end lame duck legislation. It contains reckless spending and 
misguided policy initiatives. The closed-door process through which it 
was developed is irresponsible at a time when the Federal deficit has 
ballooned to $1.5 trillion, and our national debt will soon eclipse $14 
trillion. These unprecedented figures are not deterring our Democratic 
colleagues from authorizing over $45 billion of spending, $7 billion of 
which is new spending in this bill.
  Beyond the out-of-control spending, a clear shift in policy 
priorities away from those envisioned in the original COMPETES process 
now exists in this bill.
  When the National Academy of Sciences unveiled the ``Gathering 
Storm'' report in 2005, it identified funding for long-term basic 
research as the top priority for science and technology. Today's 
reauthorization emphasizes late-stage technology commercialization 
activities and beyond to manufacturing and construction activities, 
priorities that should not be the responsibility of the Federal 
Government.
  For example, title VI of this bill creates a loan guarantee program 
to stabilize innovative manufacturing, a loan guarantee program to 
subsidize construction and renovation of research parks, and a vaguely 
defined regional innovation program to support grants to create 
innovation clusters as well as construct and renovate research parks.
  Finally, I want to note my disappointment associated with the process 
on this bill. Many Republican amendments that were incorporated in the 
House-passed bill were changed or deleted without any Member 
consultation. This was the case with an amendment I offered prohibiting 
any lobbying effort associated with the activities authorized in the 
bill.
  This bill spends money that we don't have on things we don't need 
and, in some cases, on things the government simply should not be 
involved in. It is the product of backroom dealings that excluded House 
Republicans, and it simply should not pass at this late stage of 111th 
Congress.
  I urge opposition to this bill. I urge a ``no'' vote.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, for the purposes of a unanimous 
consent request, I yield to a very important contributor to this bill, 
the gentleman from California (Mr. Miller), chairman of the Education 
and Labor Committee.
  (Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California asked and was given permission to 
revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the chairman for yielding, 
and I thank him for all of his work on this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act.
  This legislation makes strategic and smart investments in students 
pursuing degrees in the science, technology, engineering or math 
fields.
  It continues the Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which encourages 
students studying in STEM fields to earn a teaching credential and 
enter the classroom.
  It makes changes to encourage more colleges and universities to 
participate in these programs.
  This will ensure we have prepared teachers in our nation's science 
and mathematics classrooms to educate and inspire the next generation 
of engineers and entrepreneurs.
  The COMPETES Act also continues funding for the Advanced Placement 
and International Baccalaureate programs--programs that set high 
standards and give students the advanced skills they need for the 
workforce of tomorrow.
  This legislation couldn't come at a more important time. It invests 
in our future competitiveness at a time when our global reputation is 
not where it should be.
  Over just the past few years we have begun to reinvigorate and awaken 
the American drive to innovate, but we have much further to go.
  Earlier this month, the results of the 2009 Program for International 
Student Assessment showed that the United States ranks average, or 17th 
out of the 33 other industrialized nations.
  The difference between the countries at the top of these rankings and 
the U.S. is that the countries that are outperforming us have made 
developing the best education system in the world a national goal.
  They've recognized that the strength of their economy will be 
inextricably tied to the strength of their education system in the 21st 
century.
  It is time we decide as a nation that we can no longer afford to stay 
just average.
  By passing this legislation, we will continue our efforts to 
strengthen the STEM fields. We will improve our global competitiveness 
and our economic stability.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu), the subcommittee chairman on Technology 
and Innovation, someone who made a great contribution to this bill.
  Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this reauthorization 
bill, and I want to just point out to my friend from Georgia that not 
everything that one is opposed to is unconstitutional. And I share the 
gentleman's concern about this lame duck session. And if the gentleman 
wanted to propose a constitutional amendment to move our swearing-in 
date to the first Tuesday in November, perhaps his concerns would be 
addressed. But pending that, we have a lot of legitimate activity for 
very, very important legislation. And I can think of no greater tribute 
to the outgoing chairman, Mr. Gordon, and Mr. Hall, who has worked with 
the chairman for a long time on this legislation, than the passage of 
this bill.
  I'm particularly proud of the contribution that my subcommittee, the 
Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, has made to this legislation, 
because long-term investment in innovation is absolutely crucial to our 
Nation's global competitiveness, and we have a responsibility to 
support the kind of economic environment that empowers our Nation's 
private sector to innovate and create high-wage, private-sector jobs.
  The bipartisan legislation that we are considering today will 
strengthen our Nation's economic competitiveness by helping to create 
an environment that encourages innovation and which facilitates growth.
  As the chairman rightfully pointed out, innovation accounted for 
greater than 50 percent of U.S. GDP growth from World War II to the 
year 2000, and innovation can help America grow our way out of our 
current anemic economic state.
  Among other things, the bill makes crucial investments in the 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which will help us better address 
the needs of our Nation's small and medium-sized manufacturers.
  The bill will also help ensure that students and trainees will have 
what is necessary to secure a good-paying job in their own community by 
requiring MEP centers to work with community colleges to train for the 
skills needed by local manufacturers.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Halvorson). The time of the gentleman 
has expired.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 
seconds.
  Mr. WU. This is great legislation. The chairman has done a great job, 
and I urge passage.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to our 
resident authority on nuclear energy, the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Garamendi).
  Mr. GARAMENDI. I want to commend you, Mr. Chairman, for an 
extraordinary piece of work, and Ranking Member Hall and the other 
members

[[Page H8846]]

of the committee. I came to this committee halfway through the year, 
and I was absolutely amazed and delighted to see the intensity of 
discussions--35 separate hearings.
  And my colleague from Georgia who thinks we ought to put this off, I 
cannot imagine leaving a job half done--not half done, but 99 percent 
done, and then let it go after all the work that's been put together 
here.
  This is a good bill. I don't ever like what the other House does to 
my legislation, and I'm sure all of us feel the same way. But what I'd 
like to point out here in this bill is that there are basically five 
things that this Nation needs to do if we're going to succeed 
economically: best education, best research, make the things that come 
from that research, have the infrastructure, and then be international.

                              {time}  1420

  This is about three of those things, three very important things. The 
education, the STEM education is in this legislation. Without it, we 
will never be able to compete. And we ought not wait until next year to 
get that going.
  Secondly, with regard to the research, it is fundamental. I come from 
California, the great Silicon Valley and all of those new technologies 
come from the research at the universities in the surrounding area. 
This legislation promotes that research agenda across the Nation, not 
just in California, but at every other research institution throughout 
the United States.
  And finally, there is a major piece of this legislation that talks 
about making it in America. If we are going to have a strong middle 
class, a strong economy, we must once again make it in America. This 
legislation provides some fundamental elements necessary for us to do 
that. For example, the loan guarantee that was degraded just a few 
moments ago is exceedingly important because that's the valley of 
death. How does an entrepreneur, how does a new business get through 
the valley of death? That's what this is about.
  This legislation also provides a way in which we can coordinate our 
manufacturing expertise. With that, we ought to pass this bill and 
acknowledge the enormous amount of work that was done over the last 
Congress.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to the 
amount of time that is remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Tennessee has 12\1/2\ 
minutes remaining and the gentleman from Texas has 13 minutes 
remaining.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards), who has been a very active and 
articulate member of our committee.
  Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Thank you to the chairman for your 
leadership and your vision. I rise today in strong support of the work 
that you have put in on America COMPETES. It's legislation that's going 
to usher in a new era of scientific and economic leadership and 
prosperity for the country.
  In particular, I want to highlight an amendment I authored that will 
give special consideration to high-needs schools and underrepresented 
teachers and minorities when determining STEM fellowship grants. My 
colleagues, we often come together to discuss the importance of 
education, laying the groundwork for economic prosperity. And here, 
America COMPETES is an important step forward to laying that 
foundation, to ensuring that opportunities provided in this legislation 
will be available to all of our young people, regardless of race or 
economic circumstance.
  This is a game changer; not a Hail Mary pass but a playoff strategy 
for the future and for the long term success of our children. And we 
need all of these players on the field. So today let's put our shared 
sentiments into action, send America COMPETES to the President's desk 
so we can continue to generate economic competitiveness, creating high-
wage jobs, and educating and preparing all our young people for the 
future.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to another 
active member of our committee from Michigan (Mr. Peters), who has been 
very active particularly in advanced vehicle technology.
  Mr. PETERS. Madam Speaker, the America COMPETES Act supports American 
manufacturing, innovation, and global competitiveness. COMPETES 
recognizes the challenges facing America's 21st century manufacturers, 
as well as the importance of a healthy manufacturing base. The bill 
includes new manufacturing loan guarantees, improved research and 
development, and strengthens the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
program. The bill also places a much-needed emphasis on science 
education, from grade schools to the university level. We need a highly 
educated workforce to create the next advanced vehicle technology or 
innovative product that will produce more high-quality jobs in America.
  COMPETES also supports innovation clusters around the country and 
creates a focus on innovation within our Federal programs and agencies. 
America simply cannot afford to sacrifice its innovative edge to 
growing economies like China and India. The investments made by 
COMPETES are critical to America's long-term economic health, and I 
hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this bipartisan 
legislation.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), who has brought his energy 
expertise to our committee.
  Mr. TONKO. I rise today in support of the America COMPETES Act, a 
debate that has continued for many months, and negotiations have 
followed, and we are finally one step away from this bipartisan 
victory. This legislation will create prosperity through science and 
innovation, reassert our economic and technological leadership 
throughout the world, and give future generations greater opportunity 
to achieve the American dream for decades to come.
  I have seen firsthand the impact science and innovation can have on 
our communities. Recently, the Albany, New York, area in my district 
was named the third fastest high-tech job market in the country. This 
growth, coupled with today's legislation, is vital if the capital 
region of New York and the rest of our Nation are to continue on a path 
toward an innovation economy that, quote, ``Makes It In America.''
  We must also educate the next generation of mathematicians and 
scientists. This bill does that by providing opportunities for STEM 
students to participate in hands-on scientific research.
  Finally, I would like to thank Chairman Gordon for his leadership on 
this issue. Without his tireless work and that of the committee staff, 
along with Ranking Member Hall, we would not be here today.
  Mr. Chair, you and your leadership will be sorely missed, and I wish 
you all the best.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to an 
alumnus of our committee, the gentlelady from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  (Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, let me personally thank you 
for your leadership and continued focus on important issues here in 
this Congress.
  I rise today to celebrate and to thank the chairman of the Science 
Committee, Chairman Gordon, for his years of commitment and intensity 
as it relates to the importance of this work. I also add my 
appreciation to Chairman-elect Hall, whom I have worked with, as I did 
Congressman Gordon, for some 12 years on the Science Committee. And 
once on the Science Committee, one can never leave its values and its 
importance.
  As I sat on the Science Committee in the end of the 20th century, I 
always said that science was the work of the 21st century. And although 
bills are not perfect, and this bill that has come over from the other 
body is not, it is where we need to go. And I would simply remind my 
colleagues of the history of the Model T. When Henry Ford

[[Page H8847]]

developed the Model T, that technology generated into an enormous 
industry in the United States that created new technology and millions 
of jobs, I might say.
  And so here we are today with a great need to reignite, restart our 
manufacturing journey. And I am delighted that this bill has seen the 
vision of getting elementary, middle school, high school students 
involved in the sciences. That's where our Achilles' heels are. That's 
where the vision comes to invent things, to make things to develop the 
next generation of jobs. And so it establishes an interagency with a 
STEM education coordination committee. It provides an interagency 
committee for coordination of manufacturing R&D.
  And to listen to my colleagues talk about subsidies--do they realize 
that every country around the world is subsidizing their manufacturing 
to make them more competitive, to have a greater competitive edge? 
There is nothing wrong with creating jobs for America.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield the lady 2 more minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. There is nothing wrong with us subsidizing 
good work, good science, the opportunity for jobs. I don't know what 
the structure was. Maybe I will go and research what happened with 
Henry Ford. I saw in those days he put together his family pennies, he 
made the Model T, and here we are today. But we live in a different 
economy. We live in a changing time of the dollar. And we live in a 
time when other countries have no shame in subsidizing business.

                              {time}  1430

  We were on the floor earlier today where Germany is subsidizing 
Airbus. That is their right. But the question is, What are we doing to 
promote manufacturing?
  This reauthorizes the National Science Foundation. It authorizes 
grants and manufacturing, research and education. That is a good thing. 
It authorizes program grants for 21st-century graduate education, as 
well as authorizing a program dealing with research for undergraduates. 
That is exciting. Innovation is part of what happens here. Then, of 
course, it authorizes research experiences for high school students as 
part of the research grants.
  So, overall, I guess my bottom line is I am ready to go. I am excited 
about the opportunities in the 21st century. I want us making things 
again, whether it is submarines, whether it is airplanes, whether it is 
new technology for our military personnel, whether or not it is a new 
space shuttle, a CEV. I want us to make things again. That is how you 
put people back to work. That is how you keep people's minds churning: 
What is the next invention we can get? There is no shame to subsidizing 
this work. And I am delighted that not only are we doing that, but we 
are expanding the manufacturing loan guarantee program to permit loan 
guarantees to small and medium-sized manufacturers.
  I tell you, my colleagues, these companies are out here waiting. They 
want to get going. There is limited opportunity for access to credit; 
and I can tell you, they are excited about this opportunity. Government 
not involved in helping a country go forward in manufacturing? Whoever 
heard of that. That is what everybody is doing. It is time for us to 
stand up as well.
  So let me thank you, Chairman Gordon, for your service. I know you 
are going on to great things. Thank you for allowing me to share some 
time with you on the Science Committee, and the same to Chairman Hall. 
Again, vote for this.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5116 to invest in innovation through 
research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United 
States, and for other purposes.
  This legislation is crucial to our efforts to keep America number one 
by investing in modernizing our Nation's manufacturing, spurring 
American innovation through basic Research and Development, R&D, and 
high-risk, high-reward clean energy research, and strengthening math 
and science education to prepare students for the good jobs of the 21st 
century.
  Today, we consider the Senate amendment to the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act, H.R. 5116, which passed the Senate by unanimous 
consent on Friday.
  The Senate Amendment:
  Keeps our Nation on a path to double funding for basic scientific 
research, which is crucial to some of our most innovative 
breakthroughs;
  Creates jobs with innovative technology loan guarantees for small and 
mid-sized manufacturers and Regional Innovation Clusters to expand 
scientific and economic collaboration;
  Promotes high-risk high-reward research to pioneer cutting edge 
discoveries through ARPA-E and promotes job creation in clean energy; 
and
  Creates the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by 
improving science, math, technology, and engineering education at all 
levels
  This bill:
  Is a fiscally responsible compromise that reduces the authorization 
from 5 to 3 years, reducing the cost, and repeals the original COMPETES 
programs that have not been funded. The Bowles-Simpson deficit 
commission singled out basic scientific research as a long-term gain 
for the budget, as it is vital to our Nation's scientific and economic 
leadership. The bill also bans the use of funds to pay the salary of 
Federal employees convicted of looking at pornography on Federal 
property.
  The bill is supported by the Chamber of Commerce, National 
Association of Manufacturers, Business Roundtable, TechAmerica, 
TechNet, American Association for the Advancement of Science, National 
Venture Capital Association, Information Technology Industry Council, 
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, and Association of 
American Universities.
  It is imperative for us to demonstrate our firm commitment to 
creating economic prosperity and maintaining the status of the United 
States as a worldwide leader in science and technology throughout the 
decades to come, and to give future generations a greater opportunity 
to achieve the American Dream. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to join 
me in supporting the passage of this important legislation.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to our 
example of the benefits of STEM education, the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Holt).
  Mr. HOLT. I thank the chairman.
  Madam Speaker, for decades, it's been clear that our investments in 
scientific research and education underwrite our national prosperity, 
yet we've continued to underinvest in these economic drivers. The 
National Academy issued a call for action 5 years ago with ``Rising 
Above the Gathering Storm,'' and Congress responded by holding a number 
of national town meetings arranged by then-Minority Leader Pelosi and 
then passing the America COMPETES Act under the chairmanship of 
Chairman Gordon. That legislation is now set to expire, and the 
National Academies has issued an update on our progress. It is an 
ominous warning. It says bluntly: ``Our Nation's outlook has 
worsened.''
  Now, as a Member who has conducted NSF-funded research and who 
continually argues that our economic health depends on investment and 
research, I would have preferred the more robust funding authorization 
levels passed by this House earlier this year. However, this 
legislation does maintain a 10-year doubling path for funding for our 
basic research agencies.
  I am especially pleased that the bill requires the development of a 
comprehensive national competitiveness and innovation strategy, a 
provision I wrote. The nations that are outcompeting us already have 
national innovation strategies in place. We should too. To guarantee a 
secure economic future for our children and in our Nation, we must not 
fail to provide robust funding for the programs in this legislation.
  I want to commend Chairman Gordon for writing and taking action on 
this legislation. It is another part of a good legacy of his 
distinguished career.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (H.R 5116). Our investments in scientific 
research and education underwrite our national prosperity and success. 
Economists attribute over half of the growth in our gross domestic 
product (GDP) since World War II to progress in science and technology. 
Yet for decades, we have underinvested in our nation's tools for 
advancing innovation and competitiveness. In 2005, the National 
Academies issued a call for action in the Rising Above the Gathering 
Storm report. Two years later, following a series of national town 
halls arranged by the then Majority Leader Pelosi, Congress responded 
by implementing many of the report's recommendations in the America 
COMPETES Act.

[[Page H8848]]

  Yet now we are faced with the impending expiration of the COMPETES 
Act, and the National Academies has released an update on our progress 
since the original Rising Above the Gathering Storm report. It tells us 
that we have not done enough. It says bluntly, ``Our nation's outlook 
has worsened.'' Other countries are implementing many of the changes 
suggested five years ago while we continue to hold back on the 
necessary investments to rebuild, restructure, and renew our national 
innovation infrastructure. The reauthorization of the America COMPETES 
Act is essential if we are to maintain our competitive edge in the 
global economy.
  Basic research is a powerful source of new and unexpected discoveries 
that can transform our economy. While I would have preferred the more 
robust funding authorization levels passed by the House earlier this 
year, this legislation maintains a 10-year doubling path for funding at 
our nation's basic research agencies--the National Science Foundation 
(NSF), the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST), and 
the Department of Energy's Office of Science. These funds support 
fundamental research in every discipline, maintain our national 
laboratories, and provide vital training for the next generation of 
scientists and engineers. The dividends from our investments in 
research and development are the breakthroughs that yield new 
industries, drive job growth, and sustain our future economic and 
technological competitiveness.
  The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act includes a number of new 
programs and initiatives to foster innovation. The Regional Innovation 
Program will help create and expand science parks and Regional 
Innovation Clusters to leverage collaboration between businesses, 
academic institutions, and other participants to facilitate the 
transfer of technologies from the laboratory to the commercial sector. 
The Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Department of 
Commerce will accelerate the commercialization of research and 
development by identifying ways to overcome existing barriers and 
providing access to relevant data and technical assistance. The 
legislation authorizes the Partnerships for Innovation program to help 
move research out of the lab and into the marketplace by strengthening 
ties between institutions of higher education and private sector 
entities.
  Additional assistance for manufacturers and other businesses would 
promote the adoption of new technologies and improve productivity. The 
legislation requires NSF to support research in transformative advances 
in manufacturing, and it ensures that the Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership (MEP) program will inform regional community colleges of 
the skill sets needed by local manufacturers. A newly established 
Innovative Services Initiative will assist small- and medium-sized 
manufacturers in implementing energy and waste reduction technologies, 
including renewable energy systems. A loan guarantee program will allow 
manufacturers to access capital for the installation of innovative 
technologies and processes that will help increase their efficiency and 
maintain their competitiveness. A new interagency committee under the 
National Science and Technology Council will establish goals and 
coordinate federal programs in advanced manufacturing research and 
development.

  To preserve our leadership in scientific and technical fields and 
strengthen our competitiveness in the twenty-first century economy, the 
U.S. must continue to produce the world's best scientists, and we must 
ensure that every student is exposed to the fundamentals of science, 
technology, engineering, and math, STEM. The America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act will establish an interagency committee to 
coordinate federal STEM education programs and report to Congress 
annually on implementation of the STEM education strategic plan. 
Updates to the NSF's Robert Noyce Scholarship program will allow more 
schools to participate and more qualified STEM educators to reach high-
need schools. Undergraduates will have more opportunities to 
participate in research, and support for graduate students will be 
strengthened. Women and minorities remain underrepresented in STEM 
fields, and this legislation continues programs to help expand the STEM 
talent pool and increase the diversity of our nation's future 
scientists.
  In the energy field, this legislation reauthorizes programs at the 
Department of Energy's Office of Science, which is the nation's largest 
supporter of physical sciences research. In addition, the 
reauthorization of the Advanced Research Projects agency for Energy, 
ARPA-E, which is modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research 
Projects Agency, DARPA, will help us pursue high-risk, high-reward 
energy technology develop that might not receive support otherwise.
  Finally, I am pleased that this legislation incorporates two 
provisions that I offered and the House passed when it considered a 
previous version of this bill. The first requires the working group 
responsible for coordinating policies related to the dissemination and 
long-term stewardship of unclassified federally funded research to take 
into consideration the importance of peer-review and the role of 
scientific publishers in the peer-review process.
  The second requires the Secretary of Commerce to prepare a 
comprehensive national competitiveness and innovation strategy. For 
decades, U.S. leadership in science, technology, engineering, and 
innovation was unquestionable. But we cannot pretend this is a given. 
In 2009, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found 
that among 40 major nations or regions, the U.S. ranks sixth in overall 
innovation and competitiveness. More importantly, over the last decade, 
every one of our competitors has improved their innovation capacity 
faster than us. Each of the five nations ranked by ITIF as ``out-
competing'' the U.S. already has a national competitiveness or 
innovation strategy in place. All together, at least thirty other 
countries have implemented plans to boost their economic 
competitiveness through innovation and technological development. The 
United States has yet to put forward a similarly comprehensive roadmap 
for success. Our competitors are making plans to grow their economies 
by competing in the global marketplace. We should be too.
  The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act makes long overdue 
investments in the foundations of our national innovation system. It 
will create jobs in both the short- and long- term, support 
manufacturers and businesses in commercializing new technologies, help 
us pursue a clean energy economy, improve STEM education, and 
strengthen our international competitiveness. Yet authorizing the 
programs in this legislation is only the first step in keeping the 
United States competitive. To guarantee a secure economic future for 
our children and for our nation, we must not fail to provide robust 
funding for these programs. Even as we face budgetary challenges and 
political pressure, we must ensure that our scientists, engineers, 
innovators, and entrepreneurs have the tools and resources they need to 
renew our economy and help us truly rise above the gathering storm. I 
commend the United States Senate for taking action on this bill, and I 
urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to our great 
majority leader and my great friend, Steny Hoyer.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Maryland is recognized.
  Mr. HOYER. Thank you very much, Speaker Halvorson. I appreciate your 
presiding over this historic piece of legislation.
  I want to thank my friend Bart Gordon. Chairman Gordon has been an 
extraordinary leader of this committee, an extraordinary member of the 
Energy and Commerce Committee; and in both of those venues he has 
focused on making sure that America could in fact compete and compete 
successfully and be the great Nation it has been, is now, and will 
continue to be as long as we keep investing in that which grows an 
economy--education, science, mathematics and engineering.
  I know that he has worked with some of the great industrial leaders 
of our Nation on this legislation. Mr. Augustine comes to mind. We're 
very proud of him in Maryland.
  But I want you to know how proud I am of Bart Gordon. He said that I 
was one of his close friends. I think Bart Gordon is one of my closest 
friends, not just in Congress, but in life. He and I have been here for 
a long time together.
  The good news is the ranking--used to be Democrat, now Republican--
Ralph Hall, is also a very close and dear friend of mine whom I have 
known all of my service here. He and I came together in the same class. 
He is a very good friend of Bob Slagle, who is a good friend of mine as 
well, and I want to thank him for his service to our country.
  The America COMPETES Act expands support for research and 
development, helping the United States to remain the world's innovation 
leader. It creates jobs for the short-term and lays a foundation for 
long-term prosperity. That is its key, of course. And it is an 
important part of the Make It In America agenda, a series of important 
bills designed to help America regain its manufacturing strength.
  Let me say just a word about Make It In America. We heard a lot about 
made in America, things that were made yesterday in America, things 
that we did in the past. Make It In America is about what we are going 
to do in the future.

[[Page H8849]]

  Make It In America is a non-ideological, non-party, nonpartisan 
premise; and that premise is shared widely by the American public: that 
if we are going to be successful in the future and continue to grow our 
economy, it is going to be in part because we make it in America; we 
make things in America, we manufacture things in America, we grow it in 
America, and we sell it abroad. Our products, whether they be hard 
products or soft products, we sell them throughout the world.
  America is the innovative center of the world, one of the 
enterprising nations of the world. We invent things, innovate and bring 
to scale. Strike that. We don't bring them to scale often enough.
  Andy Grove, who was one of the co-founders of Intel, wrote an 
excellent article in the New Yorker. I tell my friends on the 
Republican side and on the Democratic side, this is an issue that can 
bring us together to make America better, to grow America, to provide 
the kinds of jobs that Americans need.
  Make It In America not only means manufacturing in America, but that 
we make it, that we succeed, that people believe and have the 
confidence that there will be an American economy which will provide 
them with jobs and they will be able to provide for themselves and 
their families. This is a significant step in making sure that America 
makes it in America.
  One of the things that Andy Grove said in his article in the New 
Yorker was that the problem we have is innovation, invention, 
enterprise exists here more than any other place in the world; but what 
we are doing is we are inventing, innovating and enterprising, and then 
we are taking it overseas to take it to scale, to manufacture it.

  The Kindle, I bought a Kindle for my grandson last Christmas, about 
$185. About 40 to 45 of those dollars are U.S. The rest is overseas. 
Andy Grove's premise is if we do that, what is essentially going to 
happen over the years is the innovators and the ``enterprisers'' and 
the inventors are going to follow where we're making it, whether it's 
in China or any other place. America, we cannot let that happen. This 
bill is a critical step in ensuring America's prosperity and job 
creating capacity in the long term.
  Bart Gordon, congratulations to you. You will leave here in a few 
days. You will not be a Member of the Congress of the United States. 
You will never leave here in the sense you will always be in our 
hearts, and you are going to be on this floor, and we're going to see 
you regularly. But you will leave an extraordinary legacy for your 
country for decades and a century to come in this bill.
  The bill establishes innovative technology and Federal loan 
guarantees for small and medium-sized manufacturers. Make It In 
America. Those loans will help American businesses respond to the needs 
of a changing economy, increase productivity, and keep pace with 
overseas competition.
  Further, the COMPETES Act makes important investments in science, 
technology, engineering and math, as I said earlier, because helping 
our children excel in these fields is absolutely crucial to our 
economic competitiveness.

                              {time}  1440

  Finally, the bill strengthens the crucial national Science 
Foundation, which funds cutting-edge research in fields from computer 
science and mathematics to genomics. That's our future. America does it 
well. Let's do it here. Let's make sure that we're investing so that 
that will be the future as well as the present.
  Federal support for research and innovation is one of the best 
investments we can make. Federal support helped create GPS, the 
computer mouse, computer-aided design, and the Internet; and there's no 
telling the ways in which it might shape our lives in the years to 
come. But, surely, there is no doubt that shape it, it will. And that's 
why we must invest. I urge my colleagues to boost American innovation 
by supporting this bill.
  I end again as I started, by congratulating Bart Gordon, my good 
friend, an individual who's given so much to his country for so long, 
an individual that makes us proud to be his colleague and who has given 
added luster to service in this House by his own service.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, we sometimes throw the term 
``friend'' around here a lot. I do thank very much the majority leader 
for his friendship.
  I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the cochair of the New Dems, who are our 
leaders in innovation policy, the gentleman from Wisconsin, Mr. Ron 
Kind.
  (Mr. KIND asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, as one of the co-chairs of the New 
Democratic Coalition, I rise in strong support of the reauthorization 
of the America COMPETES Act and commend the chairman of the Science 
Committee, our good friend and colleague, Mr. Gordon, for his tenacious 
focus on making sure that America COMPETES gets reauthorized in this 
session of Congress and working with the Senate in the waning days of 
this session to get it done. And we're sorely going to miss his 
leadership on this subject, as well as the leadership of our colleague 
from the State of Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), who has given tremendous 
guidance on what it means for the United States to remain the most 
innovative and creative Nation in the world.
  And that's what America COMPETES is all about. It's answering the 
question of whether or not we will remain the most innovative and on 
the cutting edge of scientific, medical, technological, and 
manufacturing discoveries and breakthroughs or whether we will continue 
our slide in second-rate status compared to other nations in the 
investments that we are seeing taking place overseas.
  It builds on seminal studies by the National Academy of Sciences' 
``Rising Above the Gathering Storm,'' and even before that, the John 
Glenn Commission, ``Before it's Too Late,'' warning us of the peril of 
losing our innovation and competitiveness if we continue to underinvest 
in those crucial STEM studies of science, technology, engineering, and 
math, or the investments we have to make in basic and applied research, 
which we accomplish in this bill through the National Science 
Foundation; National Institute of Science and Technology; the ARPA-E 
program at the Department of Energy; new programs now at NOAA and NASA; 
and now directing the Department of Commerce to come up after 1 year 
with an actionable plan of how all this comes together.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentleman 2 minutes.
  Mr. KIND. I thank my colleague for yielding me the time.
  It really speaks to the question many Americans have on their minds 
as we continue our slow emergence of the worse economic recession since 
the Great Depression, and that is where are we going as a Nation 
economically and how are we going to get there. America COMPETES Act is 
a part of that equation of not only spurring the innovation that we 
need in this country, but helping to make sure that we make those 
products in this country, along with the good-paying jobs that come 
from it.
  Will this be the end of the innovation agenda? I think not. But it's 
an important step forward--one that received huge bipartisan support in 
the previous Congress with 357 of our colleagues supporting the 
original authorization of America COMPETES.
  I commend former President Bush and current President Obama for 
recognizing the need for this type of legislation and all of the 
members on the Science and Education Committee that had a tremendous 
say in the product that's before us today. It's worthy of our support; 
but, more importantly, it's worthy of a great Nation and a great 
economy that we can build upon.
  I encourage my colleagues to support the America COMPETES 
reauthorization and the work that we have before us.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, may I inquire how much time I 
have remaining.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Tennessee has 3\1/2\ 
minutes remaining.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, on many occasions I have

[[Page H8850]]

heard speaker Nancy Pelosi talk about the future of our Nation. And 
when she talks about the future of our Nation, she says there's three 
things we need to do: science, science, science. She believes it. She 
has led us in that direction.
  I yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
Nancy Pelosi.
  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for 
his kind words. More especially, I thank him for his great leadership. 
Few people who have served in this Congress and outside the Congress 
have done more to promote that ``science, science, science'' agenda 
than Bart Gordon.
  Sadly, for Mr. Gordon, this will be the last bill that he will bring 
to the floor. I want to take the occasion to thank him for his 
tremendous leadership as chair of the Science and Technology Committee 
and for being a leader on these issues. When the report came out about 
the gathering storm, he was the first to say we need to not only 
respond to it, but he had already taken initiatives, recognizing what 
would be in that report, seeing what was happening to science, 
technology, engineering, math, and all the rest of it in our country. 
His departure from the Congress is a loss for us, but I know he takes 
with him this passion that he has for science. It is something that has 
served our country well in the Congress, and I know he will continue to 
do so outside the Congress.
  So, Mr. Gordon, thank you for your tremendous leadership. I know I 
speak for everyone here when I say it is an honor to call you 
colleague, and that today would be a day, toward the end of the 
session, that we would be taking up your bill--this is your bill, Mr. 
Chairman.
  On these occasions I am reminded, Madam Speaker, that nearly 50 years 
ago, in launching the initiative to send a man to the Moon and back 
safely within 10 years, President Kennedy summed up America's common 
commitment to innovation and competitiveness when he said, ``The vows 
of this Nation can be fulfilled only if we are first, and therefore we 
intend to be first. Our leadership in science and in industry, our 
hopes for peace and security, our obligations to ourselves, as well as 
others, all require us to make this effort.''
  Since then, Americans have lived up to those words. Science and 
technological innovation have formed the backbone of our progress as a 
people and our prosperity as a Nation. And today we have the 
opportunity to play one more part in that same tradition to support the 
COMPETES Act, to reaffirm our leadership in science and technology, to 
keep America first.
  Again, few have done more for this Congress than Chairman Bart 
Gordon, who recognized the urgency of this challenge early on and has 
never stopped fighting to keep science and technology at the top of our 
agenda. And to the distinguished ranking member, one of the beauties of 
this agenda, this innovation agenda, is there's really nothing partisan 
about it. It isn't ideological. It's scientific. It is about keeping 
America number one and using the best resources technologically in our 
country to have us be competitive in the world economy.
  In acting to update and extend the COMPETES Act, we will spur 
innovation, invest in cutting-edge research, modernize manufacturing, 
and increase opportunity. You know the provisions. Others have spoken 
to them. The gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Kind) has talked about the 
importance of the STEM--education, science, technology, engineering and 
math--and how important that is not only to the fulfillment of our 
students but to competitiveness internationally and the success of our 
economy.
  With this bill, we will lay the foundation for new industries that 
provide good jobs for our workers; that open new markets for our 
American products; that offer more students, more young people, and 
entrepreneurs a better chance to live out the American Dream.

                              {time}  1450

  Simply put, we will continue to ``rise above the gathering storm'' 
and keep America number one.
  The COMPETES Act is a central component of our innovation agenda, 
rolled out by Democrats 5 years ago to ensure our Nation's economic 
competitiveness around the globe and double basic research funding.
  Yes, as has been mentioned, the COMPETES Act was signed by President 
Bush and now will be signed by President Obama; but I wish to 
acknowledge that it was only when we got into the Recovery Act that we 
were able to get the substantial funding to move forward with these 
initiatives. We had a little downpayment before that, but we got 
serious about our commitment in the Recovery Act.
  As part of that effort, again, we passed the Recovery Act, investing 
$17 billion for basic research and $19 billion to promote the adoption 
of health IT. We dedicated $11 billion to improve our smart grid 
capabilities and provided more than $7 billion to expand broadband 
access nationwide. It is very important for us to do so in rural areas. 
Through a series of actions, the Democrat-led Congress has extended 
broadband to rural and underserved areas, invested in clean energy jobs 
and energy independence, and helped spur the development of new 
technologies.
  The America COMPETES Act builds on that record of achievement. This 
bill is about good-paying jobs for American workers, strong American 
leadership in the global economy, an investment in America's students, 
and long-term prosperity for America's families and businesses.
  As I have said, as was mentioned by Mr. Kind, this bill passed the 
first time with overwhelming bipartisan support. I think the majority 
of Republicans voted for the bill the first time it was put forth, and 
now we are reauthorizing it.
  What we are doing today is about echoing President Kennedy's call 
once more to fulfill the vows of our Nation, to make the effort to 
strengthen America's future, to be first. In voting ``aye'' today, we 
can come together for innovation, for competitiveness, and for our 
prosperity. I urge all of my colleagues to support the reauthorization 
of the America COMPETES Act.
  As I close, I once again want to salute Chairman Bart Gordon for his 
tremendous, tremendous leadership. He has a wealth of knowledge, a 
depth of understanding, a boundless commitment to the future.
  Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa).
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to 
support the Senate amendment to H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act.
  Chairman Bart Gordon and Congressman Ralph Hall, I commend you for 
bringing this legislation to the floor.
  More than ever, our Nation must invest in the scientific and 
technological building blocks that bolster American competitiveness in 
a 21st century global economy. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act 
of 2010 achieves this and more by fostering innovation, supporting 
manufacturers and industry, preparing a STEM workforce, and creating 
jobs. This bill takes bold steps in broadening the participation of 
underrepresented minorities and women in the STEM fields.
  I want to recognize Representatives Eddie Bernice Johnson, Ben Ray 
Lujan, Silvestre Reyes, the Diversity and Innovation Caucus, and other 
members of the Tri-Caucus for their outstanding leadership in 
championing diversity issues in the reauthorization of this act.
  As Subcommittee chairman for Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and 
Competitiveness, I am pleased that America COMPETES will more fully 
integrate our Nation's minority-serving institutions into research 
partnerships and Federal programs and promote the inclusion and success 
of minorities in the STEM fields. Establishing strong regional 
university and industry partnerships in research and innovation at the 
National Science Foundation will spur economic growth and connect 
students to high-tech jobs.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Texas.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. This bill will expand undergraduate research 
opportunities

[[Page H8851]]

for women, minorities, and persons with disabilities at the National 
Science Foundation. Hands-on learning experiences are key to improving 
the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in the STEM 
fields and in preparing a new generation of scientists who will 
contribute to our Nation's technological innovation and 
competitiveness.
  This bill complements our work on the Student Aid and Fiscal 
Responsibility Act, known as SAFRA, enacted as part of the Health Care 
and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and our efforts to improve 
science and math literacy in our Nation's public schools.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support the Senate amendment to H.R. 
5116.
  Again, I compliment our chairman, Bart Gordon, for his tremendous 
leadership.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, I reiterate that I remain committed to the underlying 
goals of the America COMPETES Act, and believe that we ought to 
continue to prioritize investments in basic science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics--STEM research and development.
  These long-term investments, coupled with policies that reduce tax 
burdens, streamline Federal regulations, and balance the Federal budget 
are necessary steps for our Nation to remain competitive in the global 
marketplace. I hope my colleagues will join with me in seeking to do 
just that when the 112th Congress convenes.
  In the meantime, I thank everybody involved; but for the reasons I 
have previously outlined, I must regretfully oppose this amendment.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Speaker, in closing, let me just once 
again thank the members and staff on a bicameral, bipartisan basis who 
have done so much to bring this excellent piece of legislation to the 
floor.
  I doubt there has ever been a piece of legislation that has had as 
much outward support for the business community, the academic 
community, the scientific community. It is a good bill. It is going to 
help move our country forward.
  Mr. GARAMENDI. Madam Speaker, I spoke on the House floor in strong 
support of the COMPETES Reauthorization. I wish to reinforce these 
comments. America is in a Global Race to innovate. COMPETES propels us 
forward, helping us win this race through smart investments. 
Improvements in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
education will result in an educated workforce, who will develop the 
technology of the future. A strengthening of our research capacity is 
inherently valuable and will pay huge dividends when this knowledge is 
leveraged towards technological development. COMPETES helps turn these 
lab bench discoveries into products that we can buy and sell on the 
market. By strengthening American manufacturing, COMPETES helps us to 
make it in America again. Improvements in R&D will grow America's 
economy and increase our ability to export our products around the 
world.
  I express strong support for the COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 
2010, H.R. 5116.
  Mr. DINGELL. Madam Speaker, as a cosponsor of the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act, I rise today in strong support of this 
legislation, and I commend the United States Senate for passing this 
legislation before the end of 111th Congress. Today's consideration 
shows Congress's commitment to ensuring our children and grandchildren 
receive the education they need to compete in a global marketplace in 
the 21st Century.
  While our country and our children have not lost the spirit of 
innovation and creativity, we have in recent years watched as our 
country has fallen woefully behind in educating our children. Passage 
of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act will help to reverse this 
trend by making the strong investments necessary in research, education 
and manufacturing.
  This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes our basic research programs, 
making needed increased investments in the National Science Foundation, 
the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology and laying the groundwork for doubling the 
authorized funding levels for these programs. Funding through these 
programs has been critical to hundreds of the faculty, staff, 
scientists and investigators in my district who rely on opportunities 
from these agencies to support their research. America COMPETES also 
reauthorizes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, which 
has made great efforts at developing the energy technology of the 
future.
  The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act investment in research 
cannot be fulfilled without a renewed focus in our education system on 
STEM education. H.R. 5116 will coordinate STEM education across the 
federal government to increase and bolster effective programs, increase 
graduate fellowships at NSF and DOE, support research and internship 
opportunities for high school and undergraduate students in STEM 
fields, and encourage students to enter into the education system as 
teachers to continue to build the next generation of scientists, 
educators, and researchers.
  And of particular importance to my district, the America COMPETES 
legislation will provide critically needed help to our small- and 
medium-sized manufacturers who have been hard hit by the financial 
downturn. In order to improve competitiveness and access to capital, 
America COMPETES will create a new program that will provide Innovative 
Technology Federal Loan Guarantees for these manufacturers. To help 
manufacturers modernize and green their manufacturing practices, this 
legislation directs NIST to develop sustainability metrics and 
practices for manufacturers. To ensure manufacturers have a well-
trained workforce, this legislation directs NSF to award competitive 
grants to strengthen and expand scientific and technical education and 
training in advanced manufacturing practices. To continue the success 
of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program centers, this 
legislation will also reduce the cost share contribution, ensuring 
access to invaluable assistance that increases technological 
capabilities, institutes green or lean manufacturing techniques, and 
promotes increased sales.
  Madam Speaker, I believe strongly that it is our moral duty to 
prepare our children and grandchildren with the education and training 
necessary to be successful in a highly competitive, and increasingly 
globalized marketplace. By allowing our education system to fall behind 
our peers, we have slipped in this duty. The America COMPETES 
legislation will once again put us on the path towards a strengthened 
education system, and a talented and competitive workforce that will 
continue the high-risk, high-reward research, innovations and 
technology development that this country is renowned for. The America 
COMPETES Reauthorization Act will allow the United States to truly 
compete with our neighbors abroad, which is why I urge my colleagues to 
vote ``yes''.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5116, 
the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010.
  I commend Chairman Gordon for his leadership in developing this 
important legislation, passing it through the House, and working with 
our colleagues in the Senate to move the measure forward.
  In 2005, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released its landmark 
report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which recommended Congress 
and the administration more heavily invest in science education, 
research, and technology to preserve the U.S. role as the world leader 
in innovation.
  In response to this report, Congress passed the America COMPETES Act 
with bipartisan support in 2007.
  In the three years since COMPETES was signed into law, we have made 
great strides in innovation, education, and technology.
  However, a 2010 follow-up report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, 
Revisited, clearly indicates the U.S. remains at risk of falling behind 
in developing and patenting new technology; publishing cutting edge 
research; training the next generation of scientists and engineers; and 
maintaining the most competitive workforce in the world.
  H.R. 5116 builds upon the accomplishments of the 2007 America 
COMPETES in a fiscally responsible manner.
  The bill reauthorizes ongoing federal research and development 
programs for three years at a lower authorization level than what the 
House passed in May, creates opportunities for innovation in the 
private sector through programs like ARPA-E, and trains the most 
innovative, competitive workforce in the world.
  In addition, I am pleased the bill contains important investments in 
two STEM education programs.
  First, the bill invests in community colleges and other two-year 
institutions of higher education by building connections between 
community colleges and Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, other 
institutions of higher education, research institutions, and regional 
innovation hubs. These investments will ensure that students have the 
job training necessary to secure good-paying jobs in their communities 
and manufacturers have a workforce with the right skill set to promote 
innovation.
  Second, the bill ensures the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) STEM 
education programs mirror the important research being conducted by the 
agency on carbon capture

[[Page H8852]]

and sequestration (CCS) technology, the future of coal-powered energy; 
which is the nation's most abundant and affordable energy source and a 
vital part of Illinois' economy. Including CCS in DOE's STEM education 
programming will ensure that we continue to expand deployment of this 
important technology and train a new generation of CCS scientists.
  I urge my colleagues to support the Senate Amendment to H.R. 5116.
  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I regret that illness prevents me from 
casting my vote in favor of H.R. 5116 today, but I would like to 
express my strong support for H.R 5116, America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010, for the record.
  I commend Chairman Bart Gordon and the other members of the Science 
and Technology Committee, on which I am proud to have once served, for 
the hard work and thoughtful consideration that went into this bill.
  The America COMPETES Act of 2007 significantly bolstered American 
innovation, the most fundamental hope for sustainable economic growth 
and competitiveness in the United States and a critical driver of the 
economy in my Silicon Valley district. It helped drive new research and 
its commercialization, encouraged the creation of a more dynamic 
business environment, and made improvements to science, technology, 
engineering and math (STEM) education that are important for our 
nation's long term economic health.
  It is critical that we sustain proper support for scientific research 
and STEM education, or our ability to compete in the global economy 
will be put in jeopardy. As the Business Roundtable noted in its 
Roadmap for Growth, a new report released last week, investing in 
scientific research and math and science education will create 
sustained, long-term economic competiveness and growth. That is why I 
am proud to support H.R. 5116, which authorizes those much needed 
investments.
  Although the Senate's amendment to H.R. 5116 is a significantly 
trimmed down version of the House bill, it maintains the key principles 
of investment and innovation, ensuring America remains competitive in 
the 21st century global economy.
  I am pleased that the bill includes provisions to ensure coordination 
of federal STEM education activities by elevating an existing committee 
under the National Science and Technology (NSTC). Providing this 
coordinating mechanism for the federal STEM education programs is long 
overdue.
  According to the Academic Competitiveness Council's (ACC) report, in 
2006 the U.S. sponsored 105 STEM education programs at more than a 
dozen different federal agencies. These programs devoted approximately 
$3.12 billion to STEM education activities spanning pre- kindergarten 
through postgraduate education and outreach. The report notes that many 
of these agencies do not share information or work collaboratively on 
similar programs, demonstrating a need for better coordination.
  The STEM education coordination provisions of this bill are similar 
to those included in my own bill, the Enhancing Science, Technology, 
Engineering, and Mathematics Education (E-STEM) Act, H.R. 2710. Both 
bills seek to ensure that the various agencies involved in STEM 
education efforts are aware of what is being done and what has already 
been done elsewhere so agencies can strategically invest in programs 
and activities.
  Again, I congratulate the Science and Technology Committee and 
Chairman Gordon for their work on this bill. I urge my colleagues to 
support this important legislation to ensure that our nation leads the 
world in innovation and science and technology.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise to support the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act.
  As the United States faces increasing competition in the global 
economy, we will only maintain our advantage by fostering our ability 
to innovate. America COMPETES makes the investments necessary to ensure 
that we remain at the cutting edge of research and development.
  The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act is a comprehensive approach 
to invest in education, research, and small business to grow America's 
innovation economy. By providing resources for basic research, 
facilitating the use of new technologies by American manufacturers, and 
training a new generation of science, technology, math, and engineering 
(STEM) workers, we can create good, sustainable jobs at home and ensure 
that the United States remains competitive.
  The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act creates a path to double 
basic research funding at NSF, NIST, and DOE's Office of Science over 
the next ten years. It supports important programs to expand American 
energy technology and fosters regional innovation clusters and research 
parks for economic development across the country. And it coordinates 
STEM education activities across the Federal Government so we can focus 
resources on our most effective programs.
  Madam Speaker, every dollar that we invest in science and technology 
pays dividends in economic growth and ensures that the United States 
remains at the forefront of discovery. I thank Chairman Gordon for his 
work on this issue and urge my colleagues to vote to pass this bill.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. All time for debate has expired.
  Pursuant to House Resolution 1781, the previous question is ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further proceedings on this 
motion will be postponed.

                          ____________________