[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 199 (Monday, December 4, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6090-H6092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  DOE AND NSF INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ACT

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 2980) to provide for Department of Energy and National Science 
Foundation research and development coordination, and for other 
purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2980

       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 ``DOE and NSF Interagency 
     Research Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 
                   RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this section 
     referred to as the ``Secretary'') and the Director of the 
     National Science Foundation (in this section referred to as 
     the ``Director'') shall carry out cross-cutting and 
     collaborative research and development activities focused on 
     the joint advancement of Department of Energy and National 
     Science Foundation mission requirements and priorities.
       (b) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Secretary and the 
     Director shall coordinate the activities under subsection (a) 
     through the establishment of a memorandum of understanding, 
     or other appropriate interagency agreement. Such memorandum 
     or agreement, as the case may be, shall require the use of a 
     competitive, merit-reviewed

[[Page H6091]]

     process, which considers applications from Federal agencies, 
     National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, non-
     profit institutions, and other appropriate entities.
       (c) Coordination.--In carrying out the activities under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary and the Director may--
       (1) conduct collaborative research in a variety of focus 
     areas, such as--
       (A) basic plasma science and engineering, including 
     applications in astrophysics, materials science, fusion 
     science, and accelerator science;
       (B) fundamental biological and computational science and 
     engineering, including computational neuroscience and 
     neuromorphic computing, including in collaboration with the 
     program authorized under section 306 of the Department of 
     Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18644);
       (C) modeling and simulation, machine learning, artificial 
     intelligence, data assimilation, large-scale data analytics, 
     predictive analysis, and advanced computational, storage, and 
     networking capabilities in order to optimize algorithms for 
     purposes related to energy and climate;
       (D) quantum information sciences, including quantum 
     computing and quantum network infrastructure, including in 
     collaboration with the programs authorized under sections 403 
     and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 
     8853 and 8854);
       (E) energy and materials science and engineering, including 
     artificial photosynthesis, plasma, solar fuels, and fusion, 
     including in collaboration with the programs authorized under 
     sections 303 and 307 of the Department of Energy Research and 
     Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18641 and 18645), and section 973 
     of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16313);
       (F) advanced manufacturing technologies, including 
     efficient storage systems and alternatives to high-
     temperature processing, for the purposes of optimizing energy 
     consumption, including in collaboration with the program 
     authorized under section 975 of the Department of Energy 
     Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 16315);
       (G) microelectronics, including novel chip architectures, 
     memory systems, and interconnects; and
       (H) advanced physics, including high energy and particle 
     physics, accelerator research and development, and high 
     performance computational tools, including in collaboration 
     with the programs authorized under section 303 of the 
     Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 
     18641);
       (2) promote collaboration, open community-based 
     development, and data and information sharing between Federal 
     agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher 
     education, nonprofit institutions, and other appropriate 
     entities by providing the necessary access and secure data 
     and information transfer capabilities;
       (3) support research infrastructure, including new 
     facilities and equipment, as the Secretary and Director 
     determine necessary; and
       (4) organize education, training, and research initiatives 
     relating to STEM education and workforce development, 
     including--
       (A) internships, fellowships, and other research or work-
     based learning opportunities;
       (B) educational programming for students at all levels, 
     especially experiential and project-based learning 
     opportunities; and
       (C) professional development opportunities for educators 
     and researchers.
       (d) Agreements.--In carrying out the activities under 
     subsection (a), the Secretary and the Director are authorized 
     to--
       (1) carry out reimbursable agreements between the 
     Department of Energy, the National Science Foundation, and 
     other entities in order to maximize the effectiveness of 
     research and development; and
       (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies, as 
     appropriate.
       (e) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the 
     enactment of this section, the Secretary and the Director 
     shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
     Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report 
     detailing the following:
       (1) Interagency coordination between each Federal agency 
     involved in the research and development activities carried 
     out under this section.
       (2) Potential opportunities to expand the technical 
     capabilities of the Department of Energy and the National 
     Science Foundation.
       (3) Collaborative research achievements.
       (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial successes.
       (5) Continuation of coordination activities between the 
     Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.
       (f) Research Security.--The activities authorized under 
     this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with 
     subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, 
     Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as division B of 
     Public Law 117-167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.).

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H.R. 2980, the bill now under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Oklahoma?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2980, the DOE and NSF 
Interagency Research Act. This bill supports the longstanding 
partnership between the Department of Energy and the National Science 
Foundation, allowing them to work on cutting-edge and research 
technology challenges.
  DOE is our Nation's largest supporter of basic research in the 
physical sciences, while NSF is the backbone of the collaborative 
research environment between government and academia.
  Together, they can tackle some of the Nation's toughest challenges in 
physics, quantum information sciences, artificial intelligence, and 
material science.
  The bill enhances both DOE and NSF's capacities and leverages each 
other's investments in research and development, maximizing the impact 
of our taxpayer dollars.
  There has never been a more important time for this kind of 
breakthrough research. The Chinese Communist Party has made no secret 
of their goal to surpass us as the world leader in science and 
technology.
  They are attempting to outspend us, out-educate us, and outpace us in 
everything from quantum computing to advanced manufacturing.
  They know that the Nation that leads the way in technological 
development sets the rules of the road and determines how that 
technology will be used.
  We simply cannot afford to live in a world where China is 
technologically ahead of us. It is bad for our economy and dangerous 
for our national security.
  We must ensure our investments in research and development go as far 
as possible. This bill helps us to do that.
  By authorizing the collaboration between DOE and NSF, we are 
maximizing our return on investments and ensuring we can stay on the 
cutting edge of technological development.
  I thank my colleagues, Representatives Stevens and Baird, for 
introducing this important legislation and shepherding it through the 
Science Committee where it passed unanimously.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan bill introduced by 
Ms. Stevens and Mr. Baird authorizing collaborative research between 
the Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation in 
critical areas of our national competitiveness.
  It builds on the longstanding partnership between these agencies to 
leverage each other's investments and expertise in a wide range of 
fields, including quantum science, artificial intelligence, fusion 
energy, and advanced manufacturing.
  Alongside these research partnerships, it also authorizes 
collaborative initiatives in education and training and development of 
a strong STEM workforce. We will not be able to succeed unless we have 
the talented workforce to get the job done.
  Lastly, it promotes secure data and information transfer capabilities 
between both agencies to develop a shared, agile data ecosystem.
  In a time when many emerging technologies are on our doorstep, it is 
important that we empower our leading science agencies to work with 
each other to capture these interdisciplinary opportunities.
  Both NSF and DOE have an extensive history of joint activities such 
as support for the development of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a 
world-class tool for scientific discovery in astronomy.
  The DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act strengthens the legislative 
foundation that was set in the CHIPS and Science Act, and this enables 
both agencies to foster a more collaborative

[[Page H6092]]

research environment to maximize their collective impacts on our 
Nation.
  Mr. Speaker, for all of these reasons, I strongly urge all of my 
colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, the Science Committee is blessed to have 
many talented Members of Congress dedicated to science and our future.
  One of them is one of the coauthors of this bill, a senior Member of 
the committee and a talented Member of Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlewoman 
from Michigan (Ms. Stevens).
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Lofgren for her very 
kind and generous words. I can only hope that my constituents in 
Michigan hear the praise from the ranking member from the great State 
of California for the work that we do together on the Science 
Committee.
  Certainly, it is a sincere privilege to be also joined on the floor 
today with our chairman, Mr. Lucas, as he reminded us with the TRANQ 
legislation that Ms. Caraveo and Mr. Williams will be the first Members 
of the freshman class to get a bill signed into law for this term in 
Congress.
  It wasn't all too long ago when Dr. Baird and myself shared that same 
distinction for the Building Blocks of STEM Act, the bill that we 
passed through the Science Committee, through the House floor, and 
alongside our colleagues in the Senate, getting it signed into law 
on December 24th, 2019.

  Suffice it to say, Dr. Baird and I were not at the White House for 
the signing of the Building Blocks of STEM Act.
  Today, Dr. Baird and I are pleased to offer the DOE and NSF Research 
Interagency Act to the House floor, a bill that has already passed 
through the Science Committee.
  The Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation 
represent some of our Nation's most cutting-edge research activities, 
as has been shared by our committee leadership, supporting the 
innovation that we require to solve our most pressing issues and remain 
competitive on the world stage.
  The DOE and NSF employees, in particular, are not necessarily in two 
buildings that are right next to each other. They are in a similar 
geographic area, but they do not share building space.
  The employees and the funded researchers are world-renowned 
scientific minds, and they are pushing on the door of what we think is 
possible.
  They are making science fiction a reality every single day, and we 
encourage and implore their activities to proliferate, to manifest, and 
to continue to come together, particularly on the heels of the CHIPS 
and Science Act, a bill that many of us, including myself on the 
Science Committee, helped to author and pass through into law just a 
little over a year ago.
  If we are going to achieve the goals of the CHIPS and Science Act 
without the full funding, particularly for the NSF, we need this 
legislation. We need the interagency efforts of DOE and NSF to come 
together.
  We will continue to promote cross functionality of research if it is 
with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in fusion science, or if it 
is combining the DOE's expertise in computational sciences, including 
the scientific potential of the fastest supercomputers in the world.
  What NSF is doing with artificial intelligence and machine learning 
will continue to be key to unlocking the metrics needed to create safe 
and trustworthy AI applications so the United States can continue to 
lead in this innovation sector.
  Combining NSF's material science expertise, which the United States 
is in a phenomenal race to lead on, with the work being done across the 
Department of Energy and the Ames National Laboratory on critical 
minerals will be key not only to untangling our supply chains but in 
creating a circular economy that promotes worker safety and 
environmental protections while securing our economic prosperity, 
energy independence, and national security for decades to come.
  Lastly, combining the work that both agencies are doing with quantum 
technologies will be key to unlocking the potential of this 
revolutionary emerging technology, including for our manufacturers and 
applications for cybersecurity.
  These are just some of the examples of the amazing potential that 
fostering a partnership between the Department of Energy and the 
National Science Foundation will mean for our Nation and the next 
generation, proving once again that Federal sciences are the key to our 
Nation's future.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to 
support this bill to push forward our Nation's scientific ecosystem and 
bolster our competitiveness on the world stage.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am 
prepared to close.
  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, once again, I rise in support of H.R. 2980, 
the DOE and NSF Interagency Research Act.
  This will accelerate U.S. competitiveness in emerging technology 
areas and key economic sectors while enabling taxpayer dollars to be 
used more efficiently, allowing more to be done with less.
  I appreciate all the work done by my colleagues, Representatives 
Stevens and Baird, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  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 Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2980, 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.

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