[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 162 (Thursday, November 14, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Page S8052]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mrs. Gillibrand, and Mr. Markey):
  S. 1705. A bill to provide a Federal charter for the National Fab Lab 
Network, a national network of local digital fabrication facilities 
providing community access to advanced manufacturing tools for learning 
skills, developing inventions, creating businesses, and producing 
personalized products; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1705

       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 ``National Fab Lab Network Act 
     of 2013''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innovations are 
     critical to the economic and national security of the United 
     States.
       (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United States in 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will 
     require a diverse population with the skills, interest, and 
     access to tools required to advance these fields.
       (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in communications 
     and computation provided individuals with the Internet and 
     personal computers, a digital revolution in fabrication will 
     allow anyone to make almost anything, anywhere.
       (4) Fab labs like the Center for Bits and Atoms at the 
     Massachusetts Institute of Technology provide a model for a 
     new kind of national laboratory that links local facilities 
     for advanced manufacturing to expand access and empower 
     communities.
       (5) A coordinated national public-private partnership will 
     be the most effective way to accelerate the provision of this 
     infrastructure for learning skills, developing inventions, 
     creating businesses, and producing personalized products.

     SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``fab lab'' means a facility--
       (A) equipped with an integrated suite of fabrication tools 
     to convert digital designs into functional physical things 
     and scanning tools to convert physical things into digital 
     designs; and
       (B) available for a range of individual and collaborative 
     educational, commercial, creative, and social purposes, based 
     on guidelines established by the NFLN relating to sustainable 
     operation; and
       (2) the term ``NFLN'' means the National Fab Lab Network.
       (b) Federal Charter.--The National Fab Lab Network is a 
     federally charted nonprofit corporation, which shall 
     facilitate the creation of a national network of local fab 
     labs and serve as a resource to assist stakeholders with the 
     effective operation of fab labs.
       (c) Membership and Organization.--
       (1) In general.--Eligibility for membership in the NFLN and 
     the rights and privileges of members shall be as provided in 
     the constitution and bylaws of the NFLN. The Board of 
     Directors, officers, and other employees of the NFLN, and 
     their powers and duties, shall be provided in the bylaws of 
     the NFLN.
       (2) Board of directors.--The Board of Directors of the NFLN 
     shall include--
       (A) the Director of the Fab Foundation;
       (B) members of the manufacturing sector and entrepreneurial 
     community; and
       (C) leaders in science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics education.
       (3) Coordination.--When appropriate, the NFLN should work 
     with Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers of the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Small 
     Business Administration, and other agencies of the Federal 
     Government to provide additional resources to fab lab users.
       (d) Functions.--The NFLN shall--
       (1) serve as the coordinating body for the creation of a 
     national network of local fab labs in the United States;
       (2) provide a first point of contact for organizations and 
     communities seeking to create fab labs, providing 
     information, assessing suitability, advising on the lab 
     lifecycle, and maintaining descriptions of prospective and 
     operating sites;
       (3) link funders and sites with operational entities that 
     can source and install fab labs, provide training, assist 
     with operations, account for spending, and assess impact;
       (4) perform outreach for individuals and communities on the 
     benefits available through the NFLN;
       (5) facilitate use of the NFLN in synergistic programs, 
     such as workforce training, job creation, research broader 
     impacts, and the production of civic infrastructure; and
       (6) offer transparency in the management, governance, and 
     operation of the NFLN.
       (e) Purposes.--In carrying out its functions, the NFLN's 
     purposes and goals shall be to--
       (1) create a national network of connected local fab labs 
     to empower individuals and communities in the United States; 
     and
       (2) foster the use of distributed digital fabrication tools 
     to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills, 
     increase invention and innovation, create businesses and 
     jobs, and fulfill needs.
       (f) Funding.--The NFLN may accept gifts from private 
     individuals, corporations, government agencies, or other 
     organizations.
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