[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 194 (Thursday, November 4, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S7856]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4301. Mr. BLUMENTHAL submitted an amendment intended to be 
proposed to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be 
proposed to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal 
year 2022 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 end of subtitle D of title VIII, add the following:

     SEC. 844. PILOT PROGRAM ON DEFENSE INNOVATION OPEN TOPICS.

       (a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
     of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, in 
     coordination with the Under Secretary of Defense for Research 
     and Engineering, the Secretary of the Air Force, Secretary of 
     the Army, and the Secretary of the Navy, shall establish 
     defense innovation open topic activities using the Small 
     Business Innovation Research Program in order to--
       (1) increase the transition of commercial technology to the 
     Department of Defense;
       (2) expand the small business nontraditional defense 
     industrial base;
       (3) increase commercialization derived from defense 
     investments;
       (4) increase diversity and participation among self-
     certified small-disadvantaged businesses, minority-owned 
     businesses, and disabled veteran-owned businesses; and
       (5) expand the ability for qualifying small businesses to 
     propose technology solutions to meet defense needs.
       (b) Frequency.--The Department of Defense and the military 
     services shall conduct not less than one open topic 
     announcement per fiscal year.
       (c) Briefing.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     teh enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
     provide the congressional defense committees a briefing on 
     the establishment of the program required by subsection (a).
       (d) Termination.--The pilot program authorized in 
     subsection (a) shall terminate on October 1, 2025.
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