[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 62 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H2222-H2227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  0950
ADVANCING AMERICA'S NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND 
                        DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2012

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 3834) to amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to 
authorize activities for support of networking and information 
technology research, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.

[[Page H2223]]

  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3834

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Advancing America's 
     Networking and Information Technology Research and 
     Development Act of 2012''.

     SEC. 2. PROGRAM PLANNING AND COORDINATION.

       (a) Periodic Reviews.--Section 101 of the High-Performance 
     Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(d) Periodic Reviews.--The agencies identified in 
     subsection (a)(3)(B) shall--
       ``(1) periodically assess the contents and funding levels 
     of the Program Component Areas and restructure the Program 
     when warranted, taking into consideration any relevant 
     recommendations of the advisory committee established under 
     subsection (b); and
       ``(2) ensure that the Program includes large-scale, long-
     term, interdisciplinary research and development activities, 
     including activities described in section 104.''.
       (b) Development of Strategic Plan.--Section 101 of such Act 
     (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended further by adding after 
     subsection (d), as added by subsection (a) of this Act, the 
     following new subsection:
       ``(e) Strategic Plan.--
       ``(1) In general.--The agencies identified in subsection 
     (a)(3)(B), working through the National Science and 
     Technology Council and with the assistance of the National 
     Coordination Office described under section 102, shall 
     develop, within 12 months after the date of enactment of the 
     Advancing America's Networking and Information Technology 
     Research and Development Act of 2012, and update every 3 
     years thereafter, a 5-year strategic plan to guide the 
     activities described under subsection (a)(1).
       ``(2) Contents.--The strategic plan shall specify near-term 
     and long-term objectives for the Program, the anticipated 
     time frame for achieving the near-term objectives, the 
     metrics to be used for assessing progress toward the 
     objectives, and how the Program will--
       ``(A) foster the transfer of research and development 
     results into new technologies and applications for the 
     benefit of society, including through cooperation and 
     collaborations with networking and information technology 
     research, development, and technology transition initiatives 
     supported by the States;
       ``(B) encourage and support mechanisms for 
     interdisciplinary research and development in networking and 
     information technology, including through collaborations 
     across agencies, across Program Component Areas, with 
     industry, with Federal laboratories (as defined in section 4 
     of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 
     U.S.C. 3703)), and with international organizations;
       ``(C) address long-term challenges of national importance 
     for which solutions require large-scale, long-term, 
     interdisciplinary research and development;
       ``(D) place emphasis on innovative and high-risk projects 
     having the potential for substantial societal returns on the 
     research investment;
       ``(E) strengthen all levels of networking and information 
     technology education and training programs to ensure an 
     adequate, well-trained workforce; and
       ``(F) attract more women and underrepresented minorities to 
     pursue postsecondary degrees in networking and information 
     technology.
       ``(3) National research infrastructure.--The strategic plan 
     developed in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be 
     accompanied by milestones and roadmaps for establishing and 
     maintaining the national research infrastructure required to 
     support the Program, including the roadmap required by 
     subsection (a)(2)(E).
       ``(4) Recommendations.--The entities involved in developing 
     the strategic plan under paragraph (1) shall take into 
     consideration the recommendations--
       ``(A) of the advisory committee established under 
     subsection (b); and
       ``(B) of the stakeholders whose input was solicited by the 
     National Coordination Office, as required under section 
     102(b)(3).
       ``(5) Report to congress.--The Director of the National 
     Coordination Office shall transmit the strategic plan 
     required under paragraph (1) to the advisory committee, the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
     of the House of Representatives.''.
       (c) Additional Responsibilities of Director.--Section 
     101(a)(2) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(2)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ``education,'' before 
     ``and other activities'';
       (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) and (F) as 
     subparagraphs (F) and (G), respectively; and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new 
     subparagraph:
       ``(E) encourage and monitor the efforts of the agencies 
     participating in the Program to allocate the level of 
     resources and management attention necessary to ensure that 
     the strategic plan under subsection (e) is developed and 
     executed effectively and that the objectives of the Program 
     are met;''.
       (d) Advisory Committee.--Section 101(b)(1) of such Act (15 
     U.S.C. 5511(b)(1)) is amended--
       (1) after the first sentence, by inserting the following: 
     ``The co-chairs of the advisory committee shall meet the 
     qualifications of committee membership and may be members of 
     the President's Council of Advisors on Science and 
     Technology.''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking ``high-performance'' 
     and inserting ``high-end''.
       (e) Report.--Section 101(a)(3) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5511(a)(3)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (C)--
       (A) by striking ``is submitted,'' and inserting ``is 
     submitted, the levels for the previous fiscal year,''; and
       (B) by striking ``each Program Component Area;'' and 
     inserting ``each Program Component Area and research area 
     supported in accordance with section 104;'';
       (2) in subparagraph (D)--
       (A) by striking ``each Program Component Area,'' and 
     inserting ``each Program Component Area and research area 
     supported in accordance with section 104,'';
       (B) by striking ``is submitted,'' and inserting ``is 
     submitted, the levels for the previous fiscal year,''; and
       (C) by striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
       (3) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (G); 
     and
       (4) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new 
     subparagraphs:
       ``(E) include a description of how the objectives for each 
     Program Component Area, and the objectives for activities 
     that involve multiple Program Component Areas, relate to the 
     objectives of the Program identified in the strategic plan 
     required under subsection (e);
       ``(F) include--
       ``(i) a description of the funding required by the National 
     Coordination Office to perform the functions specified under 
     section 102(b) for the next fiscal year by category of 
     activity;
       ``(ii) a description of the funding required by such Office 
     to perform the functions specified under section 102(b) for 
     the current fiscal year by category of activity; and
       ``(iii) the amount of funding provided for such Office for 
     the current fiscal year by each agency participating in the 
     Program; and''.
       (f) Definition.--Section 4 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5503) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (7) as 
     paragraphs (2) through (8), respectively;
       (2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 
     the following new paragraph:
       ``(1) `cyber-physical systems' means physical or engineered 
     systems whose networking and information technology functions 
     and physical elements are deeply integrated and are actively 
     connected to the physical world through sensors, actuators, 
     or other means to perform monitoring and control 
     functions;'';
       (3) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated, by striking 
     ``high-performance computing'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information technology'';
       (4) in paragraph (4), as so redesignated--
       (A) by striking ``high-performance computing'' and 
     inserting ``networking and information technology''; and
       (B) by striking ``supercomputer'' and inserting ``high-end 
     computing'';
       (5) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by striking 
     ``network referred to as'' and all that follows through the 
     semicolon and inserting ``network, including advanced 
     computer networks of Federal agencies and departments;''; and
       (6) in paragraph (7), as so redesignated, by striking 
     ``National High-Performance Computing Program'' and inserting 
     ``networking and information technology research and 
     development program''.

     SEC. 3. LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

       Title I of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended by adding 
     at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 104. LARGE-SCALE RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL 
                   IMPORTANCE.

       ``(a) In General.--The Program shall encourage agencies 
     identified in section 101(a)(3)(B) to support large-scale, 
     long-term, interdisciplinary research and development 
     activities in networking and information technology directed 
     toward application areas that have the potential for 
     significant contributions to national economic 
     competitiveness and for other significant societal benefits. 
     Such activities, ranging from basic research to the 
     demonstration of technical solutions, shall be designed to 
     advance the development of research discoveries. The advisory 
     committee established under section 101(b) shall make 
     recommendations to the Program for candidate research and 
     development areas for support under this section.
       ``(b) Characteristics.--
       ``(1) In general.--Research and development activities 
     under this section shall--
       ``(A) include projects selected on the basis of 
     applications for support through a competitive, merit-based 
     process;
       ``(B) involve collaborations among researchers in 
     institutions of higher education and industry, and may 
     involve nonprofit research institutions and Federal 
     laboratories, as appropriate;
       ``(C) when possible, leverage Federal investments through 
     collaboration with related State initiatives; and
       ``(D) include a plan for fostering the transfer of research 
     discoveries and the results of technology demonstration 
     activities, including from institutions of higher education 
     and Federal laboratories, to industry for commercial 
     development.
       ``(2) Cost-sharing.--In selecting applications for support, 
     the agencies shall give special consideration to projects 
     that include cost sharing from non-Federal sources.
       ``(3) Agency collaboration.--If 2 or more agencies 
     identified in section 101(a)(3)(B), or other appropriate 
     agencies, are working on large-scale research and development 
     activities in the same area of national importance, then such 
     agencies shall strive to collaborate through joint 
     solicitation and selection of applications for support and 
     subsequent funding of projects.
       ``(4) Interdisciplinary research centers.--Research and 
     development activities under this section may be supported 
     through interdisciplinary research centers that are organized 
     to investigate basic research questions and carry out

[[Page H2224]]

     technology demonstration activities in areas described in 
     subsection (a). Research may be carried out through existing 
     interdisciplinary centers, including those authorized under 
     section 7024(b)(2) of the America COMPETES Act (Public Law 
     110 69; 42 U.S.C. 1862o 10).''.

     SEC. 4. CYBER-PHYSICAL SYSTEMS.

       (a) Additional Program Characteristics.--Section 101(a)(1) 
     of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(1)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``and'' after the 
     semicolon;
       (2) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:
       ``(J) provide for increased understanding of the scientific 
     principles of cyber-physical systems and improve the methods 
     available for the design, development, and operation of 
     cyber-physical systems that are characterized by high 
     reliability, safety, and security; and
       ``(K) provide for research and development on human-
     computer interactions, visualization, and big data.''.
       (b) Task Force.--Title I of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511) is 
     amended further by adding after section 104, as added by 
     section 3 of this Act, the following new section:

     ``SEC. 105. UNIVERSITY/INDUSTRY TASK FORCE.

       ``(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of the Advancing America's Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012, 
     the Director of the National Coordination Office shall 
     convene a task force to explore mechanisms for carrying out 
     collaborative research and development activities for cyber-
     physical systems, including the related technologies required 
     to enable these systems, through a consortium or other 
     appropriate entity with participants from institutions of 
     higher education, Federal laboratories, and industry.
       ``(b) Functions.--The task force shall--
       ``(1) develop options for a collaborative model and an 
     organizational structure for such entity under which the 
     joint research and development activities could be planned, 
     managed, and conducted effectively, including mechanisms for 
     the allocation of resources among the participants in such 
     entity for support of such activities;
       ``(2) propose a process for developing a research and 
     development agenda for such entity, including guidelines to 
     ensure an appropriate scope of work focused on nationally 
     significant challenges and requiring collaboration and to 
     ensure the development of related scientific and 
     technological milestones;
       ``(3) define the roles and responsibilities for the 
     participants from institutions of higher education, Federal 
     laboratories, and industry in such entity;
       ``(4) propose guidelines for assigning intellectual 
     property rights and for the transfer of research results to 
     the private sector; and
       ``(5) make recommendations for how such entity could be 
     funded from Federal, State, and non-governmental sources.
       ``(c) Composition.--In establishing the task force under 
     subsection (a), the Director of the National Coordination 
     Office--
       ``(1) shall appoint an equal number of individuals with 
     knowledge and expertise in cyber-physical systems from--
       ``(A) institutions of higher education, including minority-
     serving institutions and community colleges; and
       ``(B) industry; and
       ``(2) may appoint not more than 2 individuals from Federal 
     laboratories.
       ``(d) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of the Advancing America's Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012, 
     the Director of the National Coordination Office shall 
     transmit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science, 
     Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a 
     report describing the findings and recommendations of the 
     task force.
       ``(e) Termination.--The task force shall terminate upon 
     transmittal of the report required under subsection (d).
       ``(f) Compensation.--Members of the task force shall serve 
     without compensation.''.

     SEC. 5. CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES FOR RESEARCH.

       Title I of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended further by 
     adding after section 105, as added by section 4(b) of this 
     Act, the following new section:

     ``SEC. 106. CLOUD COMPUTING SERVICES FOR RESEARCH.

       ``(a) Interagency Working Group.--Not later than 180 days 
     after the date of enactment of the Advancing America's 
     Networking and Information Technology Research and 
     Development Act of 2012, the Director of the National 
     Coordination Office, working through the National Science and 
     Technology Council, shall convene an interagency working 
     group to examine--
       ``(1) the research and development needed--
       ``(A) to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of cloud 
     computing environments;
       ``(B) to increase the trustworthiness of cloud applications 
     and infrastructure; and
       ``(C) to enhance the foundations of cloud architectures, 
     programming models, and interoperability; and
       ``(2) the potential use of cloud computing for federally-
     funded science and engineering research, including issues 
     around funding mechanisms and policies for the use of cloud 
     computing services for such research.
       ``(b) Consultation.--In carrying out the tasks in 
     paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), the working group 
     shall consult with academia, industry, Federal laboratories, 
     and other relevant organizations and institutions, as 
     appropriate.
       ``(c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of the Advancing America's Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012, 
     the Director of the National Coordination Office shall 
     transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
     describing the findings and any recommendations of the 
     working group.
       ``(d) Termination.--The interagency working group shall 
     terminate upon transmittal of the report required under 
     subsection (c).''.

     SEC. 6. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE.

       Section 102 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5512) is amended to read 
     as follows:

     ``SEC. 102. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE.

       ``(a) Office.--The Director shall continue a National 
     Coordination Office with a Director and full-time staff.
       ``(b) Functions.--The National Coordination Office shall--
       ``(1) provide technical and administrative support to--
       ``(A) the agencies participating in planning and 
     implementing the Program, including such support as needed in 
     the development of the strategic plan under section 101(e); 
     and
       ``(B) the advisory committee established under section 
     101(b);
       ``(2) serve as the primary point of contact on Federal 
     networking and information technology activities for 
     government organizations, academia, industry, professional 
     societies, State computing and networking technology 
     programs, interested citizen groups, and others to exchange 
     technical and programmatic information;
       ``(3) solicit input and recommendations from a wide range 
     of stakeholders during the development of each strategic plan 
     required under section 101(e) through the convening of at 
     least 1 workshop with invitees from academia, industry, 
     Federal laboratories, and other relevant organizations and 
     institutions;
       ``(4) conduct public outreach, including the dissemination 
     of findings and recommendations of the advisory committee, as 
     appropriate; and
       ``(5) promote access to and early application of the 
     technologies, innovations, and expertise derived from Program 
     activities to agency missions and systems across the Federal 
     Government and to United States industry.
       ``(c) Source of Funding.--
       ``(1) In general.--The operation of the National 
     Coordination Office shall be supported by funds from each 
     agency participating in the Program.
       ``(2) Specifications.--The portion of the total budget of 
     such Office that is provided by each agency for each fiscal 
     year shall be in the same proportion as each such agency's 
     share of the total budget for the Program for the previous 
     fiscal year, as specified in the report required under 
     section 101(a)(3).''.

     SEC. 7. IMPROVING NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 
                   EDUCATION.

       Section 201(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5521(a)) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as 
     paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(2) the National Science Foundation shall use its 
     existing programs, in collaboration with other agencies, as 
     appropriate, to improve the teaching and learning of 
     networking and information technology at all levels of 
     education and to increase participation in networking and 
     information technology fields, including by women and 
     underrepresented minorities;''.

     SEC. 8. CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.

       (a) Section 3.--Section 3 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5502) is 
     amended--
       (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
     ``high-performance computing'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information technology'';
       (2) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``high-performance computing'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information technology'';
       (B) in subparagraphs (A), (F), and (G), by striking ``high-
     performance computing'' each place it appears and inserting 
     ``networking and information technology''; and
       (C) in subparagraph (H), by striking ``high-performance'' 
     and inserting ``high-end''; and
       (3) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) by striking ``high-performance computing and'' and 
     inserting ``networking and information technology and''; and
       (B) by striking ``high-performance computing network'' and 
     inserting ``networking and information technology''.
       (b) Title I.--The heading of title I of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5511) is amended by striking ``HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING'' 
     and inserting ``NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY''.
       (c) Section 101.--Section 101 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5511) 
     is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
     COMPUTING'' and inserting ``NETWORKING AND INFORMATION 
     TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT'';
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in the subsection heading, by striking ``National High-
     Performance Computing'' and inserting ``Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development'';
       (B) in paragraph (1) of such subsection--
       (i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
     ``National High-Performance Computing Program'' and inserting 
     ``networking

[[Page H2225]]

     and information technology research and development 
     program'';
       (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing, including networking'' and inserting ``networking 
     and information technology'';
       (iii) in subparagraphs (B) and (G), by striking ``high-
     performance'' each place it appears and inserting ``high-
     end''; and
       (iv) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing and networking'' and inserting ``high-end 
     computing, distributed, and networking''; and
       (C) in paragraph (2) of such subsection--
       (i) in subparagraphs (A) and (C)--

       (I) by striking ``high-performance computing'' each place 
     it appears and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''; and
       (II) by striking ``development, networking,'' each place it 
     appears and inserting ``development,''; and

       (ii) in subparagraphs (F) and (G), as redesignated by 
     section 2(c)(1) of this Act, by striking ``high-performance'' 
     each place it appears and inserting ``high-end'';
       (3) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph 
     (A), by striking ``high-performance computing'' both places 
     it appears and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''; and
       (B) in paragraph (2), in the second sentence, by striking 
     ``2'' and inserting ``3''; and
       (4) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''.
       (d) Section 201.--Section 201(a)(1) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5521(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and all that follows through ``networking;'' and 
     inserting ``networking and information research and 
     development;''.
       (e) Section 202.--Section 202(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5522(a)) is amended by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''.
       (f) Section 203.--Section 203(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5523(a)(1)) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing and networking'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information technology''; and
       (2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ``high-performance'' 
     and inserting ``high-end''.
       (g) Section 204.--Section 204 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5524) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
       (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing systems and networks'' and inserting ``networking 
     and information technology systems and capabilities'';
       (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``interoperability of 
     high-performance computing systems in networks and for common 
     user interfaces to systems'' and inserting ``interoperability 
     and usability of networking and information technology 
     systems''; and
       (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''; and
       (2) in subsection (b)--
       (A) in the heading, by striking ``High-Performance 
     Computing and Network'' and inserting ``Networking and 
     Information Technology''; and
       (B) by striking ``sensitive''.
       (h) Section 205.--Section 205(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5525(a)) is amended by striking ``computational'' and 
     inserting ``networking and information technology''.
       (i) Section 206.--Section 206(a) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5526(a)) is amended by striking ``computational research'' 
     and inserting ``networking and information technology 
     research''.
       (j) Section 207.--Section 207(b) of such Act (15 U.S.C. 
     5527(b)) is amended by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and inserting ``networking and information 
     technology''.
       (k) Section 208.--Section 208 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 5528) 
     is amended--
       (1) in the section heading, by striking ``HIGH-PERFORMANCE 
     COMPUTING'' and inserting ``NETWORKING AND INFORMATION 
     TECHNOLOGY''; and
       (2) in subsection (a)--
       (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``High-performance 
     computing and associated'' and inserting ``Networking and 
     information'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing'' and inserting ``networking and information 
     technologies'';
       (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ``high-performance'' and 
     inserting ``high-end'';
       (D) in paragraph (4), by striking ``high-performance 
     computers and associated'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information''; and
       (E) in paragraph (5), by striking ``high-performance 
     computing and associated'' and inserting ``networking and 
     information''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hall) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on H.R. 3834, as amended, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As a sponsor of H.R. 3834, the Advancing America's Networking and 
Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012, I rise 
today in strong support of this legislation.
  Before I delve into the details of the bill, however, I want to thank 
the Speaker and the majority leader for their leadership in putting 
together a cybersecurity task force to address our serious 
cybersecurity challenges. This task force, led by Representative Mac 
Thornberry, provided a compass point and set the direction for all the 
bills we're considering this week.
  The Science Committee started our cybersecurity early in Congress, so 
I was very pleased to see the task force embrace both Mr. McCaul's 
bills, H.R. 2096 and H.R. 3834, as necessary steps to improve U.S. 
cybersecurity.
  I would like to also thank my Texas colleague, Ranking Member 
Johnson, my neighbor, for joining me in cosponsoring H.R. 3834, which 
updates the NITRD Program. This program is an important component of 
our Nation's cybersecurity efforts, and it is critical to our overall 
networking and information technology research and development in 
general. It's a product of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
and represents and coordinates the Federal Government's nearly $4 
billion R&D investment in unclassified networking, computing, software, 
cybersecurity, and related information technologies.
  The bill before us today updates the underlying high-performance 
computing statute that has been in place for 20 years and codifies the 
work the National Coordination Office already undertakes. Specifically, 
H.R. 3834 improves program statistic planning and coordination; it 
rebalances R&D portfolios to focus less on short-term goals and more on 
long-scale, long-term interdisciplinary research; it updates research 
to reflect newer technologies like ``big data'' and ``cyberphysical'' 
systems. It also convenes an interagency working group to identify gaps 
in cloud computing research and examines the potential for using the 
cloud for federally funded research and codifies and emphasizes the 
role of the National Coordination Office.
  Networking and information technology includes a broad range of 
technologies from smartphones to cloud computing. These innovations 
stem from numerous disciplines and have led to advances in search-and-
rescue robots, unmanned aerial vehicles, near real-time weather 
forecasting, devices for assisted living, and computer-based education 
and training. R&D in this field seeks to minimize and prevent 
disruptions to critical infrastructure like power grids and emergency 
communication systems. This essential R&D is part of the reason that 
the House Republican Cybersecurity Task Force identified this program 
as important to our Nation.
  Other cybersecurity efforts undertaken by NITRD agencies include 
research to detect, prevent, resist, respond to, and recover from 
actions that compromise or threaten the availability, ingenuity, or 
security of computer and network basic systems.
  Currently, 15 Federal agencies are contributing members of NITRD, 
with an additional 20 or so participating in the program. Coordination 
among these agencies increases the overall effectiveness and 
productivity of our Nation's networking and information technology and 
cybersecurity R&D, leverages our strength, avoids duplication, and 
improves interoperability of R&D products. More importantly, in 
networking and information technology, R&D supports and boosts U.S. 
competitiveness, enhances national security, and helps strengthen the 
economy through the creation of high-level jobs.
  H.R. 3834 is essentially the same bill that the House passed twice in 
the last Congress only to see it languish in the Senate. I urge passage 
of this measure once again and hope that the Senate will act 
accordingly. As with all cybersecurity bills before us today, H.R. 3834 
enjoys the support of numerous industry supporters and technology 
stakeholders.
  With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such 
time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 3834, the Advancing America's Networking 
and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2012.

[[Page H2226]]

  H.R. 3834 is a good bipartisan bill which I was pleased to join 
Chairman Hall in introducing. It is largely based on the 2009 House-
passed bill that was introduced by then-Chairman Gordon and Ranking 
Member Hall. But the current bill also includes some updates from the 
2009 bill that appropriately reflect changes to the networking and 
information technology landscape, as well as policy and management 
recommendations made by an outside panel of experts charged with 
evaluating the NITRD Program.
  The NITRD Program, as it is known, involves the collaboration of 15 
Federal research and development agencies, each contributing its own 
unique expertise. To ensure that we make the most effective use of our 
Federal R&D resources and remain a leader in these fields, H.R. 3834 
requires that all 15 agencies come together to develop and periodically 
update a strategic plan for Federal investments in NIT R&D.
  H.R. 3834 calls for increased support for large-scale, long-term 
interdisciplinary research in NIT that will help us tackle national 
challenges such as improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our 
health care and energy-delivery systems. The bill also promotes 
partnerships between the Federal Government, academia, and industry to 
foster technology transfer.
  In particular, I would like to highlight this bill's role in ensuring 
that the education of a future NIT workforce remains an important 
component of the NITRD Program.
  I am hearing every day from small and large companies alike that the 
demand for skilled American IT professionals is higher than the supply. 
We hear the same message from university faculty who tell us that 
computer science graduates are snatched up the moment they graduate 
even while we're in the midst of a recession. This gap between supply 
and demand exists, despite the fact that these jobs are among the 
highest paying and most stable jobs out there.
  It is imperative that we encourage more young Americans to pursue 
studies in NIT fields. In particular, because of the stark gender and 
racial gaps that we see in computer science programs, it is imperative 
that we encourage more young women and students of color to enter these 
fields. We simply cannot afford to ignore more than 50 percent of our 
Nation's brainpower.

                              {time}  1000

  H.R. 3834 doesn't go quite as far as I'd like it to go in addressing 
these education challenges, but it still sends an important message 
about the need to educate more of our students in NIT fields and 
provide the necessary authority for the agencies to play an appropriate 
role here.
  Finally, since this is Cyber Week, I would be remiss not to mention 
that the NITRD Program serves as a coordinating and planning umbrella 
for all unclassified Federal cybersecurity R&D. Our committee addressed 
specific needs in cybersecurity R&D in a separate bill just considered 
today, but in doing so, we made sure that both the intellectual and 
financial resources for cybersecurity R&D are appropriately integrated 
into the rest of the Federal NIT portfolio. Information security R&D 
should not take place in its own silo. It bears on all network and 
information technologies.
  In closing, NIT technologies cut across every sector of our economy 
and our national defense infrastructure. Our relatively modest 20-year 
investment in the NITRD Program has contributed immeasurably to our 
economic and national security by enabling innovation and job creation 
in NIT and providing American students with the skills to fulfill these 
jobs. Let's authorize this program today and ensure it remains strong.
  I want to thank my friend, Chairman Hall, and his staff, especially 
Mele Williams, for working so collaboratively and openly with us on 
this good bipartisan bill. I'd also like to thank my staff, and in 
particular Dahlia Sokolov, for their hard work on the bill, and I urge 
my colleagues to support H.R. 3834.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Illinois (Mrs. Biggert).
  Mrs. BIGGERT. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in today in support of H.R. 3834, also known as 
the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act, 
or NITRD.
  This program provides critical support and coordination for some of 
the most promising research and development on the computing horizon, 
namely, protection for our cybernetworks and the next generation of 
supercomputing, known as exascale.
  Information technology research plays a critical role in U.S. 
economic strength. According to the Council on Competitiveness, our 
country's ability to outcompete other nations will be determined by our 
ability to outcompute.
  American scientists, businesses, and manufacturing already use 
computing technologies to accelerate the pace of research on everything 
from new energy sources, new medicine, intellectual property, and 
national security. By passing this bill today, we maintain our 
leadership and focus in technology innovation and information security.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to 
the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3834, Advancing 
America's NITRD Act of 2012.
  I would like to thank Chairman Hall and Ranking Member Johnson for 
their important work on this bipartisan legislation. It's been nearly 3 
years since we last reauthorized and updated the NITRD Program. I was a 
cosponsor of that bill in 2009, and while the Senate never acted on it, 
I'm hopeful that this will be a first step in taking action this year.
  The NITRD Program evolved from the High-Performance Computing Act of 
1991, which funded the development of Mosaic, the first commercial Web 
browser, which made the Internet user friendly and facilitated the 
cyber-revolution in the 1990s. This innovation was created by a team of 
programmers at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at 
the University of Illinois. Marc Andreessen, one of the lead 
programmers on this project and founder of Netscape, summed up the 
importance of Federal investment in this research saying: ``If it had 
been left to private industry, it wouldn't have happened, at least, not 
until years later.''
  Innovative breakthroughs like the Mosaic Web browser changed their 
everyday lives and established the United States as a world leader in 
networking and information technologies. But today we find ourselves in 
a world in which we can no longer take U.S. supremacy for granted. We 
must make measured choices to prioritize cutting-edge, large-scale R&D 
and effective technology transfer policies to focus on the most 
advanced areas of network and information technology.
  H.R. 3834 achieves these ends through the development of a 
coordinated Federal R&D investment strategy. This bill requires Federal 
agencies and the NSTC to develop 5-year plans specifying near- and 
long-term objectives and to assess and evaluate progress periodically 
to ensure we maintain U.S. leadership in these fields.
  In order to guarantee groundbreaking advancements, the strategic 
plans will be required to encourage innovative and high-risk research 
projects that address long-term challenges of national importance. The 
increasingly complex challenges we face require sophisticated solutions 
that will draw not just on expertise from across economic fields, but 
across the public and private sectors as well. This legislation 
encourages collaboration among universities, industries, nonprofit 
research institutions, and Federal laboratories to tackle our biggest 
challenges and provides impetus needed to spur research on high-risk 
areas that might otherwise not be taken up.
  We also need to be cognizant of how the R&D we fund will actually 
impact and benefit our economy and our society. While basic research is 
critical, the effective transfer of the results of research into 
products, companies, and jobs is necessary for our Nation to remain a 
leader in networking and information technology. This bill promotes 
effective technology transfer policies by requiring strategic plans and 
large-scale research projects to incorporate plans and policies that 
promote commercialization.

[[Page H2227]]

  It is vital that we get our scientific development out of the lab and 
into the marketplace. We've put a lot of investment into our labs. We 
need to make sure that this provides the economic engine of growth for 
our Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation will focus our scientific community 
through innovative, large-scale, and collaborative R&D. We need to 
remain a leader in networking in information technologies. This is a 
good bipartisan bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. I urge passage of the bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL. I would like to point out that our efforts on this bill 
have been really a true illustration of the bipartisan work which the 
Science Committee and this Congress is capable of.
  I believe Ms. Johnson will attest that our staffs have worked well 
together to ensure this measure reflects good policy for our Nation's 
networking and information technology. I want to thank her, and I want 
to thank her staff for their work on this bill.
  Additionally, I would also like to thank Chairman Brooks as chairman 
of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee for his leadership 
on the bill, and Mrs. Biggert for her many years of championing this 
issue.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 3834, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, and many thanks to my good friend 
and fellow Texan, Ralph Hall, for bringing H.R. 3834 to the House floor 
as part of cyber-week.
  Just about every aspect of our lives is somehow connected to the 
internet in one way or another. My hometown of San Antonio is often 
referred to as ``Cyber-City USA,'' due to the work of the Air Force, 
private industry, and the University of Texas at San Antonio's 
Institute for Cybersecurity.
  Cyber-crimes risk our personal finances, proprietary business 
information, and national security know-how. Hackers have sought to 
physically damage our air traffic control system, DoD and NASA 
satellites, and electrical grid.
  Hackers from a variety of countries, especially China and Russia, as 
well as those working inside the United States, cause a great deal of 
damage to our nation's economy and national security. The GAO reported 
this week that cyberattacks on the federal government have exploded by 
680 percent in the past five years.
  The NITRD program is a unique collaboration among Federal research 
and development agencies that coordinate Federal R&D projects to 
advance information technologies such as computing, networking, and 
software, while avoiding duplication of efforts. One of the primary 
goals of the NITRD program is to accelerate development and deployment 
of these technologies to maintain American leadership in the IT field. 
The NITRD program was first authorized in 1991, and the House 
Republican Task Force on Cybersecurity, chaired by my Texas colleague, 
Mac Thornberry, identified it as in need of an update.
  This is a good bill for which I thank Science, Space and Technology 
Chairman Ralph Hall and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson for 
bringing to the floor. I urge my colleagues to support it.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 3834, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. HALL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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