[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 125 (Tuesday, July 25, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Page S4200]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 269. Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Rounds, Mr. Brown, Ms. Collins, 
Mr. Carper, Mr. Coons, Mr. Whitehouse, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Cortez Masto, 
and Ms. Hirono) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him 
to the bill H.R. 2810, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2018 
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in Subtitle B of title II, insert 
     the following:

     SEC. ___. REAUTHORIZATION OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
                   ESTABLISHED PROGRAM TO STIMULATE COMPETITIVE 
                   RESEARCH.

       (a) Modification of Program Objectives.--Subsection (b) of 
     section 257 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 1995 (Public Law 103-337; 10 U.S.C. 2358 note) is 
     amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as paragraphs 
     (2) and (3), respectively;
       (2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as redesignated by 
     paragraph (1), the following new paragraph (1):
       ``(1) To increase the number of university researchers in 
     eligible States capable of performing science and engineering 
     research responsive to the needs of the Department of 
     Defense.''; and
       (3) in paragraph (2), as redesignated by paragraph (1), by 
     inserting ``relevant to the mission of the Department of 
     Defense and'' after ``that is''.
       (b) Modification of Program Activities.--Subsection (c) of 
     such section is amended--
       (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); and
       (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following new 
     paragraph (3):
       ``(3) To provide assistance to science and engineering 
     researchers at institutions of higher education in eligible 
     States through collaboration between Department of Defense 
     laboratories and such researchers.''.
       (c) Modification of Eligibility Criteria for State 
     Participation.--Subsection (d) of such section is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ``in areas relevant 
     to the mission of the Department of Defense'' after 
     ``programs''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(3) The Under Secretary shall not remove a designation of 
     a State under paragraph (2) because the State exceeds the 
     funding levels specified under subparagraph (A) of such 
     paragraph unless the State has exceeded such funding levels 
     for at least two consecutive years.''.
       (d) Modification of Name.--
       (1) In general.--Such section is amended--
       (A) in subsections (a) and (e) by striking ``Experimental'' 
     each place it appears and inserting ``Established''; and
       (B) in the section heading, by striking ``experimental'' 
     and inserting ``established''.
       (2) Clerical amendment.--Such Act is amended, in the table 
     of contents in section 2(b), by striking the item relating to 
     section 257 and inserting the following new item:

``Sec. 257. Defense established program to stimulate competitive 
              research.''.
       (3) Conforming amendment.--Section 307 of the 1997 
     Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recovery from 
     Natural Disasters, and for Overseas Peacekeeping Efforts, 
     Including Those in Bosnia (Public Law 105-18) is amended by 
     striking ``Experimental'' and inserting ``Established''.
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