[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 77 (Tuesday, May 19, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H3363-H3365]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     SCIENCE PRIZE COMPETITIONS ACT

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 1162) to make technical changes to provisions 
authorizing prize competitions under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1162

       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 ``Science Prize Competitions 
     Act''.

     SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO PRIZE COMPETITIONS.

       Section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation 
     Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (c)--
       (A) by inserting ``competition'' after ``section, a 
     prize'';
       (B) by inserting ``types'' after ``following''; and
       (C) in paragraph (4), by striking ``prizes'' and inserting 
     ``prize competitions'';
       (2) in subsection (f)--
       (A) by striking ``in the Federal Register'' and inserting 
     ``on a publicly accessible Government website, such as 
     www.challenge.gov,''; and
       (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ``prize'' and inserting 
     ``cash prize purse'';
       (3) in subsection (g), by striking ``prize'' and inserting 
     ``cash prize purse'';
       (4) in subsection (h), by inserting ``prize'' before 
     ``competition'' both places it appears;
       (5) in subsection (i)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ``prize'' before 
     ``competition'';
       (B) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``prize'' before 
     ``competition'' both places it appears;
       (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
       (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
     paragraph:
       ``(3) Waiver.--An agency may waive the requirement under 
     paragraph (2). The annual report under subsection (p) shall 
     include a list of such waivers granted during the preceding 
     fiscal year, along with a detailed explanation of the reasons 
     for granting the waivers.'';
       (6) in subsection (k)--
       (A) in paragraph (2)(A), by inserting ``prize'' before 
     ``competition''; and
       (B) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``prize'' before 
     ``competitions'' both places it appears;
       (7) in subsection (l), by striking all after ``may enter 
     into'' and inserting ``a grant, contract, cooperative 
     agreement, or other agreement with a private sector for-
     profit or nonprofit entity to administer the prize 
     competition, subject to the provisions of this section.'';
       (8) in subsection (m)--
       (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
       ``(1) In general.--Support for a prize competition under 
     this section, including financial support for the design and 
     administration of a prize competition or funds for a cash 
     prize purse, may consist of Federal appropriated funds and 
     funds provided by private sector for-profit and nonprofit 
     entities. The head of an agency may accept funds from other 
     Federal agencies, private sector for-profit entities, and 
     nonprofit entities, to be available to the extent provided by 
     appropriations Acts, to support such prize competitions. The 
     head of an agency may not give any special consideration to 
     any private sector for-profit or nonprofit entity in return 
     for a donation.'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``prize awards'' and 
     inserting ``cash prize purses'';
       (C) in paragraph (3)(A)--
       (i) by striking ``No prize'' and inserting ``No prize 
     competition''; and
       (ii) by striking ``the prize'' and inserting ``the cash 
     prize purse'';
       (D) in paragraph (3)(B), by striking ``a prize'' and 
     inserting ``a cash prize purse'';
       (E) in paragraph (3)(B)(i), by inserting ``competition'' 
     after ``prize'';
       (F) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ``a prize'' and 
     inserting ``a cash prize purse''; and
       (G) in paragraph (4)(B), by striking ``cash prizes'' and 
     inserting ``cash prize purses'';
       (9) in subsection (n), by inserting ``for both for-profit 
     and nonprofit entities,'' after ``contract vehicle'';
       (10) in subsection (o)(1), by striking ``or providing a 
     prize'' and insert ``a prize competition or providing a cash 
     prize purse''; and
       (11) in subsection (p)(2)--
       (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``cash prizes'' both 
     places it occurs and inserting ``cash prize purses''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
       ``(G) Plan.--A description of crosscutting topical areas 
     and agency-specific mission needs that may be the strongest 
     opportunities for prize competitions during the upcoming 2 
     fiscal years.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Beyer) each will 
control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on H.R. 1162, 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. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  H.R. 1162, the Science Prize Competitions Act, promotes increased 
utilization of prize competitions within the Federal Government.

[[Page H3364]]

  I want to thank the ranking member of the Oversight Subcommittee, Mr. 
Beyer, for introducing this legislation. I also thank the bipartisan 
cosponsors, which include the vice chair of the Oversight Subcommittee, 
Mr. Bill Johnson, as well as the full committee ranking member, Ms. 
Eddie Bernice Johnson.
  Prize competitions help spur innovation. They give innovators 
incentives to produce groundbreaking, outside-the-box ideas. Used 
effectively, prize competitions can be a tool to generate revolutionary 
results that wouldn't happen otherwise.
  For example, after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, the X Prize 
Foundation sponsored a competition to elicit new oil removal 
technologies that needed to be better than state of the art. With the 
incentive of a million-dollar prize for first place, the winning team 
designed technology capable of extracting 89 percent of the oil from 
the water.
  Thanks to the incentives provided by the competition, the winner, in 
a few months, blew the competition and the then best available oil 
skimmers out of the water.
  Another example of a novel idea for a prize involves the Head Health 
Challenge. This is a joint effort by the National Football League, 
Under Armour, General Electric, and the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology to produce ``viable materials that will result in 
increased safety and protection for athletes, the warfighter, and 
civilians.''
  This is a competition that could yield a solution that would benefit 
a diverse section of the population, from athletes to soldiers.
  H.R. 1162 makes important changes to the prize competitions section 
of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980. It better 
defines the role of the private sector in various aspects of prize 
competitions. H.R. 1162 will have a positive impact on science prize 
competitions, which have bipartisan support.
  A letter from the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy proclaims the values of such competitions by stating:

       This report details the remarkable benefits the Federal 
     Government has reaped from more than 400 prize competitions 
     and challenges implemented by over 72 agencies to date, the 
     steps the administration has taken to establish a lasting 
     foundation for use of the COMPETES prize authority, and 
     detailed examples from fiscal year 2014 of how the COMPETES 
     prize authority is increasing the number of agencies that use 
     prizes to achieve their missions more efficiently and 
     effectively.

  Again, I want to thank Mr. Beyer of Virginia and Mr. Johnson of Ohio 
for introducing this bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I would like to thank two Texans, Chairman Smith and Ranking Member 
Johnson, for their leadership on this important issue and remind them 
that Samuel Houston and Stephen Austin were both born in Virginia. I 
also would like to thank my esteemed colleague, the gentleman from Ohio 
(Mr. Johnson) for cosponsoring.
  The 2010 COMPETES reauthorization granted all Federal agencies the 
authority to hold prize competitions as an incentive for scientific and 
technological innovations.
  This authority supports agencies' increased use of prizes to 
incentivize more high-risk, high-reward research and reach out to a new 
audience of researchers and innovators across all areas of science and 
technology.
  Prize competitions go back at least 300 years, to the 1714 Longitude 
Prize offered by the British Government to develop a practical method 
to precisely measure a ship's longitude. The 1919 Orteig Prize spurred 
Charles Lindbergh to make the first transatlantic flight. Of course, it 
took 8 years from the prize to the flight itself.
  In more recent years, prize competitions have accelerated 
technological development for space exploration, public health, 
automobiles, lighting, and much more. Many of these competitions have 
been privately sponsored, but several have been sponsored by our 
Federal agencies, including NASA, DARPA, and the Department of Energy.
  Prize competitions have also proven to be an effective tool to 
invigorate our Nation's brightest innovators from all corners. They 
allow our science agencies to case a wide net to draw in new talent.
  I think one of the most interesting facts is that NASA found that 
over 80 percent of NASA prize competitors have never before responded 
to NASA or other government requests for proposals. We are bringing in 
our best and brightest to solve these problems.
  If we are to continue leading the world in science and technology, we 
must draw up on all of our Nation's talent, whether they are 
researchers in a university lab, owners of a technology start-up, or 
independent innovators working in their own garages.
  Imagine if more of our Federal science agencies took full advantage 
of the potential of prizes to address some of our Nation's most 
pressing technological challenges. How might the world be changed in 
2025 from a prize offered today?
  Private organizations have spent years perfecting the design of prize 
competitions to address big challenges. We hope that our science 
agencies will see this same success, and we must continue to support 
Federal agencies as they implement this authority.
  The legislation we are considering today addresses some real and some 
perceived hurdles in the 2010 authority that were identified once 
agencies began to implement prize competitions.
  It also aligns the terminology with the industry standard to 
eliminate any confusion in the interpretation of the law. These are 
technical amendments, which should make it easier for all agencies to 
make full use of the 2010 authority. In trying to rebalance our Federal 
budget, we have had to make very hard choices about where to cut 
funding, including in R&D programs.
  While prize competitions should never be used as an excuse to cut our 
investments in R&D, prizes do allow the Federal Government to continue 
to fund high-reward research with minimal risk to the taxpayer. They 
are another valuable tool for agencies to deploy to meet their critical 
mission responsibilities.
  I am proud to cosponsor this bill and ask my colleagues for their 
support. I am very grateful for the chairman for his bipartisan 
leadership on this issue.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Virginia for reminding me that 
Stephen Austin and Samuel Houston were born in Virginia, and I have to 
confess, I have a number of ancestors who came from Virginia as well, 
and I am told one of them may have even been the Governor of Virginia, 
but that is as much as I am going to say about the great Commonwealth 
tonight.
  I will say that I have no other requests for time; and I, again, 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe I misspoke. I would love to acknowledge my 
colleague from Illinois.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Does the gentleman from Virginia ask 
unanimous consent to reclaim his time?
  Mr. BEYER. Yes, Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim my 
time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Virginia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I just was going to say I concur and 
agree to yield to the gentleman from Illinois as well.
  Mr. BEYER. As I slowly develop my mastery of this parliamentary 
procedure, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
  Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Beyer for yielding and for his 
introduction, his authorship of this bill on prize competitions.
  I want to add my voice in strong support of this bill. I have long 
been a strong supporter of prize competitions to spur innovation not as 
a substitute for Federal grants in other aid, but as an additional 
tool.
  Back in 2007, I wrote language in the Energy Independence and 
Security Act that directed DOE to create a hydrogen energy prize, a 
competition now called the H-Prize that is currently ongoing and, 
hopefully, will yield some results

[[Page H3365]]

in innovation in using hydrogen as a transportation fuel.
  In the 2010 COMPETES bill, I added language to that bill that 
authorized prize competitions at the National Science Foundation. I 
believe that these prize competitions are an excellent way to unlock 
the innovative potential of researchers, the private sector, and even 
hobbyists working in a garage, all while protecting taxpayer dollars.
  This bill will clarify prize competition authority so that more 
agencies of the Federal Government will be able to run competitions. It 
is a good bill. I thank Mr. Beyer, again, for introducing it; I thank 
Chairman Smith for moving it and Ranking Member Johnson for moving it.
  I urge my colleagues to support it.
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 1162, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________