[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 103 (Thursday, June 18, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2965-S2966]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 5875. Mr. McCORMICK (for himself and Mr. Hickenlooper) submitted
an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 X, insert the following:
SEC. 10__. NATIONAL COMMISSION ON ROBOTICS.
(a) Establishment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an
independent commission to be known as the ``Commission on
American Leadership in Robotics'' (in this section referred
to as the ``Commission'').
(2) Purpose.--The Commission shall--
(A) examine robotics as it pertains to interstate and
foreign commerce, economic competitiveness, and national
security; and
(B) make recommendations relating thereto to the
appropriate congressional committees.
(b) Membership.--
(1) Number and appointment.--The Commission shall be
composed of 18 members appointed as follows:
(A) Three members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
Representatives.
(B) Three members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
House of Representatives.
(C) Three members appointed by the Majority Leader of the
Senate.
(D) Three members appointed by the Minority Leader of the
Senate.
(E) Six members appointed by the President of the United
States.
(2) Deadline for appointment.--Members shall be appointed
to the Commission by not later than 45 days after the date on
which the Commission is established under subsection (a).
(3) Effect of lack of appointment by appointment date.--If
one or more appointments under paragraph (1) are not made by
the appointment date specified in paragraph (2), the
authority to make such appointment or appointments shall
expire, and the number of members of the Commission shall be
reduced to the number of appointments made to the Commission
as of that date.
(4) Qualifications.--Members of the Commission shall be
individuals who are recognized experts and have appropriate
professional experience in matters relating to any of the
following:
(A) Robotics.
(B) Applications, or potential applications, of robotics by
the private sector or public sector.
(C) Impacts of robotics on economic competitiveness,
including economics, international trade, or supply chain
analysis.
(c) Chair and Vice Chair.--
(1) Chair.--The Majority Leader of the Senate and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives shall jointly
designate one member of the Commission to serve as Chair of
the Commission.
(2) Vice chair.--The Minority Leader of the Senate and the
Minority Leader of the House of Representatives shall jointly
designate one member of the Commission to serve as Vice Chair
of the Commission.
(d) Period of Appointment and Vacancies.--
(1) Period of appointment.--Members shall be appointed for
the life of the Commission.
(2) Vacancies.--A vacancy in the Commission shall not
affect its powers and shall be filled in the same manner as
the original appointment was made.
(e) Scope and Duties.--
(1) In general.--The Commission shall carry out a review of
advances in robotics.
(2) Considerations.--In carrying out the review under
paragraph (1), the Commission shall consider the methods,
means, and policies necessary to advance the development of
robotics by the United States to comprehensively address the
economic competitiveness and national security needs of the
United States.
(3) Scope of the review.--In conducting the review under
paragraph (1), the Commission shall consider the following:
(A) The competitiveness of the United States in robotics,
including matters related to the domestic marketplace for
robotics and private sector and public sector applications of
robotics in the United States.
(B) Means and methods for the United States to assert and
maintain a technological advantage in robotics, specifically
in the deployment of robotics in industrial, retail, and
commercial sectors in the United States.
(C) International developments and trends, including
foreign actions and policies to advance robotics.
(D) Means by which to foster greater emphasis and
investments in robotics to stimulate strategic partnerships
in robotics with industry, the public, and academic
institutions, to the extent that such efforts have material
application related to economic competitiveness and
manufacturing.
(E) Workforce incentives and programs to attract and
recruit leading talent in robotics, including in associated
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, to
the extent that such efforts relate to economic
competitiveness in robotics.
(F) The global and domestic supply chain for robotics,
including any supply chain risks or dependencies, and
policies to increase the manufacturing of robotics in the
United States.
(G) Any other matters the Commission determines appropriate
related to robotics.
(f) Commission Report and Recommendations.--
(1) Interim report.--Not later than one year after the date
on which the Commission is established under subsection (a),
the Commission shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees and the President an interim report on the status
of the review by the Commission under subsection (e),
including a discussion of any interim recommendations.
(2) Final report.--Not later than two years after the date
on which the Commission is established under subsection (a),
the Commission shall submit to the appropriate congressional
committees and the President a final report on the findings
of the Commission and such recommendations as the Commission
may have for action by Congress and the Federal Government.
(g) Government Cooperation.--
(1) Cooperation.--In carrying out its duties under this
section, the Commission shall receive the full and timely
cooperation of the Secretary and the heads of other relevant
Federal departments and agencies in providing the Commission
with analysis, briefings, and other information necessary for
the fulfillment of such duties.
(2) Liaison.--The Secretary shall designate at least one
officer or employee of the Department to serve as a liaison
officer between the Secretary and the Commission.
(3) Detailees authorized.--The Secretary and the heads of
other relevant Federal departments and agencies may provide,
and the Commission may accept and employ, personnel detailed
from the Department and such other Federal departments and
agencies, as the case may be, without reimbursement.
(4) Facilitation of certain services.--
(A) Independent, nongovernmental institute.--Not later than
45 days after the date on which the Commission is established
under subsection (a), the Secretary may make available to the
Commission the services of an independent, nongovernmental
institute described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, and exempt from tax under section
501(a) of such Code, that has recognized credentials and
expertise in economic competitiveness and technology in order
to facilitate the discharge of the duties of the Commission
under this section.
(B) Federally funded research and development center.--On
request of the Commission, the Secretary shall make available
to the Commission the services of a federally funded research
and development center that is covered by a sponsoring
agreement of the Department in order to enhance the efforts
of the Commission to discharge its duties under this section.
(5) Other services.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary may provide to the
Commission, on a nonreimbursable basis, such administrative
services, funds, staff, facilities, and other support
services as are necessary for the discharge of the duties of
the Commission under this section.
(B) Other agencies.--In addition to any support provided
under subparagraph (A), the heads of other relevant Federal
departments and agencies may provide to the Commission such
services, funds, facilities, staff, and other support as such
heads determine advisable and as may be authorized by law.
(h) Staff.--
(1) Status as federal employees.--Notwithstanding the
requirements of section 2105 of title 5, United States Code,
including the required supervision under subsection
[[Page S2966]]
(a)(3) of such section, a member of the Commission shall be
considered to be a Federal employee.
(2) Executive director.--The Commission shall appoint and
fix the rate of basic pay for an Executive Director in
accordance with section 3161(d) of title 5, United States
Code.
(3) Pay.--The Executive Director, with the approval of the
Commission, may appoint and fix the rate of basic pay for
additional personnel as staff of the Commission in accordance
with section 3161(d) of title 5, United States Code.
(i) Personal Services.--
(1) Authority to procure.--The Commission may--
(A) procure the services of experts or consultants (or of
organizations of experts or consultants) in accordance with
the provisions of section 3109 of title 5, United States
Code; and
(B) pay in connection with such services travel expenses of
individuals, including transportation and per diem in lieu of
subsistence, while such individuals are traveling from their
homes or places of business to duty stations.
(2) Maximum daily pay rates.--The daily rate paid an expert
or consultant procured pursuant to paragraph (1) may not
exceed the daily rate paid a person occupying a position at
level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of
title 5, United States Code.
(j) Authority To Accept Gifts.--
(1) In general.--The Commission may accept, use, and
dispose of gifts or donations of services, goods, and
property from non-Federal entities for the purposes of aiding
and facilitating the work of the Commission.
(2) Exclusion of money.--The authority under paragraph (1)
does not extend to gifts of money.
(3) Documentation and conflicts.--Gifts accepted under the
authority under paragraph (1) shall be documented, and
conflicts of interest or the appearance of conflicts of
interest shall be avoided.
(4) Application of rules.--Subject to the authority in this
section, members of the Commission shall otherwise comply
with rules set forth by the Select Committee on Ethics of the
Senate and the Committee on Ethics of the House of
Representatives governing employees of the Senate and the
House of Representatives, respectively.
(k) Legislative Advisory Committee.--The Commission shall
operate as a legislative advisory committee.
(l) Contracting Authority.--The Commission may acquire such
administrative supplies and equipment as necessary for
Commission use to the extent funds are available.
(m) Use of Federal Government Information.--The Commission
may secure directly from any Federal department or agency
such information as the Commission considers necessary to
discharge its duties. Upon such request of the Chair of the
Commission, the head of such Federal department or agency
shall furnish such information to the Commission.
(n) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United
States mail in the same manner and under the same conditions
as Federal departments and agencies.
(o) Space for Use of Commission.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date on
which the Commission is established under subsection (a), the
Administrator of General Services, in consultation with the
Commission, shall identify and make available suitable excess
space within the Federal space inventory to house the
operations of the Commission.
(2) Lease.--If the Administrator is not able to make
suitable excess space available within the 30-day period
under paragraph (1), the Commission may lease space to the
extent funds are available.
(p) Removal of Members.--
(1) In general.--A member may be removed from the
Commission for cause by the individual serving in the
position responsible for the original appointment of such
member under subsection (b)(1), if notice has first been
provided to such member of the cause for such removal and
such removal is voted and agreed upon by \3/4\ of the members
serving.
(2) Vacancy.--A vacancy created by removal under paragraph
(1) shall not affect the powers of the Commission, and shall
be filled in the same manner as the original appointment was
made.
(q) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate 18 months
after the date on which the Commission submits the final
report required under subsection (f)(2).
(r) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and
the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of
Representatives.
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Commerce.
(3) Robotics.--The term ``robotics'' includes each of the
following:
(A) Programmable multifunctional mechanical devices
designed to move material, parts, tools, or specialized
devices through variable programmed motions to perform a
variety of tasks.
(B) Programmed actuated mechanisms with a degree of
autonomy to perform locomotion, manipulation, or positioning.
(C) Automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose
manipulators, programmable in three or more axes, which can
be either fixed in place or fixed to a mobile platform for
use in automation applications in an industrial environment.
(D) Machines that--
(i) can sense their environment;
(ii) have the capacity to process the information they
sense; and
(iii) are organized to act directly upon their environment.
(E) Mechanical devices that are capable of locomotion,
navigation, or movement on the ground, and operate at a
distance from one or more operators or supervisors based on
commands or in response to sensor data, or through any
combination thereof, and that may also be referred to as
``unmanned ground vehicle systems''.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Commerce.
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