[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Page S5042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 2786. Mr. BROWN (for himself and Mr. Vance) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to authorize 
appropriations for fiscal year 2025 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 title II, insert the following:

     SEC. ___. USE OF PARTNERSHIP INTERMEDIARIES TO PROMOTE 
                   DEFENSE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.

       (a) In General.--Chapter 303 of title 10, United States 
     Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     section:

     ``Sec. 4128. Use of partnership intermediaries to promote 
       defense research and education.

       ``(a) In General.--Subject to the approval of the Secretary 
     of Defense or the head of another department or agency of the 
     Federal Government concerned, the head of a Federal 
     laboratory or research center may--
       ``(1) enter into a contract, memorandum of understanding, 
     or other transaction with a partnership intermediary that 
     provides for the partnership intermediary to perform services 
     for the Department of Defense that increase the likelihood of 
     success in the conduct of cooperative or joint activities of 
     the laboratory or center with industry or academic 
     institutions; and
       ``(2) pay the Federal costs of such contract, memorandum or 
     understanding, or other transaction out of funds made 
     available for the support of the technology transfer function 
     of the laboratory or center.
       ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Term `Federal laboratory or research center' means--
       ``(A) a Federal laboratory; or
       ``(B) a federally funded research and development center 
     that is not a laboratory.
       ``(2) The term `laboratory' has the meaning given that term 
     in section 12(d)(2) the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
     Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3710a(d)(2)).
       ``(3) The term `partnership intermediary' means an agency 
     of a State or local government, or a nonprofit entity that--
       ``(A) assists, counsels, advises, evaluates, or otherwise 
     cooperates with industry or academic institutions that need 
     or can make demonstrably productive use of technology-related 
     assistance from a Federal laboratory or research center;
       ``(B) facilitates technology transfer or transition from 
     industry or academic institutions to a Federal laboratory or 
     research center;
       ``(C) assists and facilitates workforce development in 
     critical technology areas for prototyping or technology 
     transition activities to fulfill unmet needs of a Federal 
     laboratory or research center; or
       ``(D) assists and facilitates improvements to intellectual 
     property owned by the Federal laboratory or research center, 
     such as improvements to the quality, value, flexibility, 
     utility, or complexity of such intellectual property.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendments.--Section 4124 of title 10, 
     United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (f); and
       (2) by redesignating subsections (g) and (h) as subsections 
     (f) and (g), respectively.
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