[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3656-3664]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE AMENDMENTS ACT OF 2009

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 554) to authorize activities for support of 
nanotechnology research and development, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 554

       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 ``National Nanotechnology 
     Initiative Amendments Act of 2009''.

     SEC. 2. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.

       The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 7501 et seq.) is amended--
       (1) by striking section 2(c)(4) and inserting the following 
     new paragraph:
       ``(4) develop, within 12 months after the date of enactment 
     of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 
     2009, and update every 3 years thereafter, a strategic plan 
     to guide the activities described under subsection (b) that 
     specifies near-term and long-term objectives for the Program, 
     the anticipated time frame for achieving the near-term 
     objectives, and the metrics to be used for assessing progress 
     toward the objectives, and that describes--
       ``(A) how the Program will move results out of the 
     laboratory and into applications for the benefit of society, 
     including through cooperation and collaborations with 
     nanotechnology research, development, and technology 
     transition initiatives supported by the States;
       ``(B) how the Program will encourage and support 
     interdisciplinary research and development in nanotechnology; 
     and
       ``(C) proposed research in areas of national importance in 
     accordance with the requirements of section 5 of the National 
     Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009;'';
       (2) in section 2--
       (A) in subsection (d)--
       (i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
     paragraphs (2) through (6), respectively; and
       (ii) by inserting the following new paragraph before 
     paragraph (2), as so redesignated by clause (i) of this 
     subparagraph:
       ``(1) the Program budget, for the previous fiscal year, for 
     each agency that participates in the Program, including a 
     breakout of spending for the development and acquisition of 
     research facilities and instrumentation, for each program 
     component area, and for all activities pursuant to subsection 
     (b)(10);''; and
       (B) by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
       ``(e) Standards Setting.--The agencies participating in the 
     Program shall support the activities of committees involved 
     in the development of standards for nanotechnology and may 
     reimburse the travel costs of scientists and engineers who 
     participate in activities of such committees.'';
       (3) by striking section 3(b) and inserting the following 
     new subsection:
       ``(b) Funding.--(1) The operation of the National 
     Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall be supported by 
     funds from each agency participating in the Program. The 
     portion of such Office's total budget provided by each agency 
     for each fiscal year shall be in the same proportion as the 
     agency's share of the total budget for the Program for the 
     previous fiscal year, as specified in the report required 
     under section 2(d)(1).
       ``(2) The annual report under section 2(d) shall include--
       ``(A) a description of the funding required by the National 
     Nanotechnology Coordination Office to perform the functions 
     specified under subsection (a) for the next fiscal year by 
     category of activity, including the funding required to carry 
     out the requirements of section 2(b)(10)(D), subsection (d) 
     of this section, and section 5;
       ``(B) a description of the funding required by such Office 
     to perform the functions specified under subsection (a) for 
     the current fiscal year by category of activity, including 
     the funding required to carry out the requirements of 
     subsection (d); and
       ``(C) the amount of funding provided for such Office for 
     the current fiscal year by each agency participating in the 
     Program.'';
       (4) by inserting at the end of section 3 the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(d) Public Information.--(1) The National Nanotechnology 
     Coordination Office shall develop and maintain a database 
     accessible by the public of projects funded under the 
     Environmental, Health, and Safety, the Education and Societal 
     Dimensions, and the Nanomanufacturing program component 
     areas, or any successor program component areas, including a 
     description of each project, its source of funding by agency, 
     and its funding history. For the Environmental, Health, and 
     Safety program component area, or any successor program 
     component area, projects shall be grouped by major objective 
     as defined by the research plan required under section 3(b) 
     of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 
     2009. For the Education and Societal Dimensions program 
     component area, or any successor program component area, the 
     projects shall be grouped in subcategories of--
       ``(A) education in formal settings;
       ``(B) education in informal settings;
       ``(C) public outreach; and
       ``(D) ethical, legal, and other societal issues.
       ``(2) The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall 
     develop, maintain, and publicize information on 
     nanotechnology facilities supported under the Program, and 
     may include information on nanotechnology facilities 
     supported by the States, that are accessible for use by 
     individuals from academic institutions and from industry. The 
     information shall include at a minimum the terms and 
     conditions for the use of each facility, a description of the 
     capabilities of the instruments and equipment available for 
     use at the facility, and a description of the technical 
     support available to assist users of the facility.'';
       (5) in section 4(a)--
       (A) by striking ``or designate'';
       (B) by inserting ``as a distinct entity'' after ``Advisory 
     Panel''; and
       (C) by inserting at the end ``The Advisory Panel shall form 
     a subpanel with membership having specific qualifications 
     tailored to enable it to carry out the requirements of 
     subsection (c)(7).'';
       (6) in section 4(b)--
       (A) by striking ``or designated'' and ``or designating''; 
     and
       (B) by adding at the end the following: ``At least one 
     member of the Advisory Panel shall be an individual employed 
     by and representing a minority-serving institution.'';
       (7) by amending section 5 to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 5. TRIENNIAL EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL 
                   NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.

       ``(a) In General.--The Director of the National 
     Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall enter into an 
     arrangement with the National Research Council of the 
     National Academy of Sciences to conduct a triennial review of 
     the Program. The Director shall ensure that the arrangement 
     with the National Research Council is concluded in order to 
     allow sufficient time for the reporting requirements of 
     subsection (b) to be satisfied. Each triennial review shall 
     include an evaluation of the--
       ``(1) research priorities and technical content of the 
     Program, including whether the allocation of funding among 
     program component areas, as designated according to section 
     2(c)(2), is appropriate;
       ``(2) effectiveness of the Program's management and 
     coordination across agencies and disciplines, including an 
     assessment of the effectiveness of the National 
     Nanotechnology Coordination Office;
       ``(3) Program's scientific and technological 
     accomplishments and its success in transferring technology to 
     the private sector; and
       ``(4) adequacy of the Program's activities addressing 
     ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate societal 
     concerns, including human health concerns.
       ``(b) Evaluation To Be Transmitted to Congress.--The 
     National Research Council shall document the results of each 
     triennial

[[Page 3657]]

     review carried out in accordance with subsection (a) in a 
     report that includes any recommendations for ways to improve 
     the Program's management and coordination processes and for 
     changes to the Program's objectives, funding priorities, and 
     technical content. Each report shall be submitted to the 
     Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office, 
     who shall transmit it to the Advisory Panel, the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the 
     Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
     Representatives not later than September 30 of every third 
     year, with the first report due September 30, 2010.
       ``(c) Funding.--Of the amounts provided in accordance with 
     section 3(b)(1), the following amounts shall be available to 
     carry out this section:
       ``(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 2010.
       ``(2) $500,000 for fiscal year 2011.
       ``(3) $500,000 for fiscal year 2012.''; and
       (8) in section 10--
       (A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
       ``(2) Nanotechnology.--The term `nanotechnology' means the 
     science and technology that will enable one to understand, 
     measure, manipulate, and manufacture at the nanoscale, aimed 
     at creating materials, devices, and systems with 
     fundamentally new properties or functions.''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(7) Nanoscale.--The term `nanoscale' means one or more 
     dimensions of between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers.''.

     SEC. 3. SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.

       (a) Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of 
     Nanotechnology.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
     Technology Policy shall designate an associate director of 
     the Office of Science and Technology Policy as the 
     Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnology. The 
     Coordinator shall be responsible for oversight of the 
     coordination, planning, and budget prioritization of 
     activities required by section 2(b)(10) of the 21st Century 
     Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 
     7501(b)(10)). The Coordinator shall, with the assistance of 
     appropriate senior officials of the agencies funding 
     activities within the Environmental, Health, and Safety and 
     the Education and Societal Dimensions program component areas 
     of the Program, or any successor program component areas, 
     ensure that the requirements of such section 2(b)(10) are 
     satisfied. The responsibilities of the Coordinator shall 
     include--
       (1) ensuring that a research plan for the environmental, 
     health, and safety research activities required under 
     subsection (b) is developed, updated, and implemented and 
     that the plan is responsive to the recommendations of the 
     subpanel of the Advisory Panel established under section 4(a) 
     of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)), as amended by this Act;
       (2) encouraging and monitoring the efforts of the agencies 
     participating in the Program to allocate the level of 
     resources and management attention necessary to ensure that 
     the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate 
     societal concerns related to nanotechnology, including human 
     health concerns, are addressed under the Program, including 
     the implementation of the research plan described in 
     subsection (b); and
       (3) encouraging the agencies required to develop the 
     research plan under subsection (b) to identify, assess, and 
     implement suitable mechanisms for the establishment of 
     public-private partnerships for support of environmental, 
     health, and safety research.
       (b) Research Plan.--
       (1) In general.--The Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of 
     Nanotechnology shall convene and chair a panel comprised of 
     representatives from the agencies funding research activities 
     under the Environmental, Health, and Safety program component 
     area of the Program, or any successor program component area, 
     and from such other agencies as the Coordinator considers 
     necessary to develop, periodically update, and coordinate the 
     implementation of a research plan for this program component 
     area. In developing and updating the plan, the panel convened 
     by the Coordinator shall solicit and be responsive to 
     recommendations and advice from--
       (A) the subpanel of the Advisory Panel established under 
     section 4(a) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and 
     Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)), as amended by this Act; 
     and
       (B) the agencies responsible for environmental, health, and 
     safety regulations associated with the production, use, and 
     disposal of nanoscale materials and products.
       (2) Development of standards.--The plan required under 
     paragraph (1) shall include a description of how the Program 
     will help to ensure the development of--
       (A) standards related to nomenclature associated with 
     engineered nanoscale materials;
       (B) engineered nanoscale standard reference materials for 
     environmental, health, and safety testing; and
       (C) standards related to methods and procedures for 
     detecting, measuring, monitoring, sampling, and testing 
     engineered nanoscale materials for environmental, health, and 
     safety impacts.
       (3) Components of plan.--The plan required under paragraph 
     (1) shall, with respect to activities described in paragraphs 
     (1) and (2)--
       (A) specify near-term research objectives and long-term 
     research objectives;
       (B) specify milestones associated with each near-term 
     objective and the estimated time and resources required to 
     reach each milestone;
       (C) with respect to subparagraphs (A) and (B), describe the 
     role of each agency carrying out or sponsoring research in 
     order to meet the objectives specified under subparagraph (A) 
     and to achieve the milestones specified under subparagraph 
     (B);
       (D) specify the funding allocated to each major objective 
     of the plan and the source of funding by agency for the 
     current fiscal year; and
       (E) estimate the funding required for each major objective 
     of the plan and the source of funding by agency for the 
     following 3 fiscal years.
       (4) Transmittal to congress.--The plan required under 
     paragraph (1) shall be submitted not later than 60 days after 
     the date of enactment of this Act to the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the 
     Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
     Representatives.
       (5) Updating and appending to report.--The plan required 
     under paragraph (1) shall be updated annually and appended to 
     the report required under section 2(d) of the 21st Century 
     Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 
     7501(d)).
       (c) Nanotechnology Partnerships.--
       (1) Establishment.--As part of the program authorized by 
     section 9 of the National Science Foundation Authorization 
     Act of 2002, the Director of the National Science Foundation 
     shall provide 1 or more grants to establish partnerships as 
     defined by subsection (a)(2) of that section, except that 
     each such partnership shall include 1 or more businesses 
     engaged in the production of nanoscale materials, products, 
     or devices. Partnerships established in accordance with this 
     subsection shall be designated as ``Nanotechnology Education 
     Partnerships''.
       (2) Purpose.--Nanotechnology Education Partnerships shall 
     be designed to recruit and help prepare secondary school 
     students to pursue postsecondary level courses of instruction 
     in nanotechnology. At a minimum, grants shall be used to 
     support--
       (A) professional development activities to enable secondary 
     school teachers to use curricular materials incorporating 
     nanotechnology and to inform teachers about career 
     possibilities for students in nanotechnology;
       (B) enrichment programs for students, including access to 
     nanotechnology facilities and equipment at partner 
     institutions, to increase their understanding of nanoscale 
     science and technology and to inform them about career 
     possibilities in nanotechnology as scientists, engineers, and 
     technicians; and
       (C) identification of appropriate nanotechnology 
     educational materials and incorporation of nanotechnology 
     into the curriculum for secondary school students at one or 
     more organizations participating in a Partnership.
       (3) Selection.--Grants under this subsection shall be 
     awarded in accordance with subsection (b) of such section 9, 
     except that paragraph (3)(B) of that subsection shall not 
     apply.
       (d) Undergraduate Education Programs.--
       (1) Activities supported.--As part of the activities 
     included under the Education and Societal Dimensions program 
     component area, or any successor program component area, the 
     Program shall support efforts to introduce nanoscale science, 
     engineering, and technology into undergraduate science and 
     engineering education through a variety of interdisciplinary 
     approaches. Activities supported may include--
       (A) development of courses of instruction or modules to 
     existing courses;
       (B) faculty professional development; and
       (C) acquisition of equipment and instrumentation suitable 
     for undergraduate education and research in nanotechnology.
       (2) Course, curriculum, and laboratory improvement 
     authorization.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
     the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry out 
     activities described in paragraph (1) through the Course, 
     Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement program from amounts 
     authorized under section 7002(c)(2)(B) of the America 
     COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
       (3) Advanced technology education authorization.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the National 
     Science Foundation to carry out activities described in 
     paragraph (1) through the Advanced Technology Education 
     program from amounts authorized under section 7002(c)(2)(B) 
     of the America COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
       (e) Interagency Working Group.--The National Science and 
     Technology Council shall establish under the Nanoscale 
     Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee an 
     Education Working Group to coordinate, prioritize, and plan 
     the educational activities supported under the Program.

[[Page 3658]]

       (f) Societal Dimensions in Nanotechnology Education 
     Activities.--Activities supported under the Education and 
     Societal Dimensions program component area, or any successor 
     program component area, that involve informal, precollege, or 
     undergraduate nanotechnology education shall include 
     education regarding the environmental, health and safety, and 
     other societal aspects of nanotechnology.
       (g) Remote Access to Nanotechnology Facilities.--(1) 
     Agencies supporting nanotechnology research facilities as 
     part of the Program shall require the entities that operate 
     such facilities to allow access via the Internet, and support 
     the costs associated with the provision of such access, by 
     secondary school students and teachers, to instruments and 
     equipment within such facilities for educational purposes. 
     The agencies may waive this requirement for cases when 
     particular facilities would be inappropriate for educational 
     purposes or the costs for providing such access would be 
     prohibitive.
       (2) The agencies identified in paragraph (1) shall require 
     the entities that operate such nanotechnology research 
     facilities to establish and publish procedures, guidelines, 
     and conditions for the submission and approval of 
     applications for the use of the facilities for the purpose 
     identified in paragraph (1) and shall authorize personnel who 
     operate the facilities to provide necessary technical support 
     to students and teachers.

     SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

       (a) Prototyping.--
       (1) Access to facilities.--In accordance with section 
     2(b)(7) of 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and 
     Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(7)), the agencies 
     supporting nanotechnology research facilities as part of the 
     Program shall provide access to such facilities to companies 
     for the purpose of assisting the companies in the development 
     of prototypes of nanoscale products, devices, or processes 
     (or products, devices, or processes enabled by 
     nanotechnology) for determining proof of concept. The 
     agencies shall publicize the availability of these facilities 
     and encourage their use by companies as provided for in this 
     section.
       (2) Procedures.--The agencies identified in paragraph (1)--
       (A) shall establish and publish procedures, guidelines, and 
     conditions for the submission and approval of applications 
     for use of nanotechnology facilities;
       (B) shall publish descriptions of the capabilities of 
     facilities available for use under this subsection, including 
     the availability of technical support; and
       (C) may waive recovery, require full recovery, or require 
     partial recovery of the costs associated with use of the 
     facilities for projects under this subsection.
       (3) Selection and criteria.--In cases when less than full 
     cost recovery is required pursuant to paragraph (2)(C), 
     projects provided access to nanotechnology facilities in 
     accordance with this subsection shall be selected through a 
     competitive, merit-based process, and the criteria for the 
     selection of such projects shall include at a minimum--
       (A) the readiness of the project for technology 
     demonstration;
       (B) evidence of a commitment by the applicant for further 
     development of the project to full commercialization if the 
     proof of concept is established by the prototype; and
       (C) evidence of the potential for further funding from 
     private sector sources following the successful demonstration 
     of proof of concept.

     The agencies may give special consideration in selecting 
     projects to applications that are relevant to important 
     national needs or requirements.
       (b) Use of Existing Technology Transfer Programs.--
       (1) Participating agencies.--Each agency participating in 
     the Program shall--
       (A) encourage the submission of applications for support of 
     nanotechnology related projects to the Small Business 
     Innovation Research Program and the Small Business Technology 
     Transfer Program administered by such agencies; and
       (B) through the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office 
     and within 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
     submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
     Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and 
     Technology of the House of Representatives--
       (i) the plan described in section 2(c)(7) of the 21st 
     Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 
     U.S.C. 7501(c)(7)); and
       (ii) a report specifying, if the agency administers a Small 
     Business Innovation Research Program and a Small Business 
     Technology Transfer Program--

       (I) the number of proposals received for nanotechnology 
     related projects during the current fiscal year and the 
     previous 2 fiscal years;
       (II) the number of such proposals funded in each year;
       (III) the total number of nanotechnology related projects 
     funded and the amount of funding provided for fiscal year 
     2004 through fiscal year 2008; and
       (IV) a description of the projects identified in accordance 
     with subclause (III) which received private sector funding 
     beyond the period of phase II support.

       (2) National institute of standards and technology.--The 
     Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology in carrying out the requirements of section 28 of 
     the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
     U.S.C. 278n) shall--
       (A) in regard to subsection (d) of that section, encourage 
     the submission of proposals for support of nanotechnology 
     related projects; and
       (B) in regard to subsection (g) of that section, include a 
     description of how the requirement of subparagraph (A) of 
     this paragraph is being met, the number of proposals for 
     nanotechnology related projects received, the number of such 
     proposals funded, the total number of such projects funded 
     since the beginning of the Technology Innovation Program, and 
     the outcomes of such funded projects in terms of the metrics 
     developed in accordance with such subsection (g).
       (3) TIP advisory board.--The TIP Advisory Board established 
     under section 28(k) of the National Institute of Standards 
     and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278n(k)), in carrying out its 
     responsibilities under subsection (k)(3), shall provide the 
     Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology with--
       (A) advice on how to accomplish the requirement of 
     paragraph (2)(A) of this subsection; and
       (B) an assessment of the adequacy of the allocation of 
     resources for nanotechnology related projects supported under 
     the Technology Innovation Program.
       (c) Industry Liaison Groups.--An objective of the Program 
     shall be to establish industry liaison groups for all 
     industry sectors that would benefit from applications of 
     nanotechnology. The Nanomanufacturing, Industry Liaison, and 
     Innovation Working Group of the National Science and 
     Technology Council shall actively pursue establishing such 
     liaison groups.
       (d) Coordination With State Initiatives.--Section 2(b)(5) 
     of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development 
     Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(5)) is amended to read as follows:
       ``(5) ensuring United States global leadership in the 
     development and application of nanotechnology, including 
     through coordination and leveraging Federal investments with 
     nanotechnology research, development, and technology 
     transition initiatives supported by the States;''.

     SEC. 5. RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.

       (a) In General.--The Program shall include support for 
     nanotechnology research and development activities directed 
     toward application areas that have the potential for 
     significant contributions to national economic 
     competitiveness and for other significant societal benefits. 
     The activities supported shall be designed to advance the 
     development of research discoveries by demonstrating 
     technical solutions to important problems in such areas as 
     nano-electronics, energy efficiency, health care, and water 
     remediation and purification. The Advisory Panel shall make 
     recommendations to the Program for candidate research and 
     development areas for support under this section.
       (b) Characteristics.--
       (1) In general.--Research and development activities under 
     this section shall--
       (A) include projects selected on the basis of applications 
     for support through a competitive, merit-based process;
       (B) involve collaborations among researchers in academic 
     institutions and industry, and may involve nonprofit research 
     institutions and Federal laboratories, as appropriate;
       (C) when possible, leverage Federal investments through 
     collaboration with related State initiatives; and
       (D) include a plan for fostering the transfer of research 
     discoveries and the results of technology demonstration 
     activities to industry for commercial development.
       (2) Procedures.--Determination of the requirements for 
     applications under this subsection, review and selection of 
     applications for support, and subsequent funding of projects 
     shall be carried out by a collaboration of no fewer than 2 
     agencies participating in the Program. In selecting 
     applications for support, the agencies shall give special 
     consideration to projects that include cost sharing from non-
     Federal sources.
       (3) Interdisciplinary research centers.--Research and 
     development activities under this section may be supported 
     through interdisciplinary nanotechnology research centers, as 
     authorized by section 2(b)(4) of the 21st Century 
     Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 
     7501(b)(4)), that are organized to investigate basic research 
     questions and carry out technology demonstration activities 
     in areas such as those identified in subsection (a).
       (c) Report.--Reports required under section 2(d) of the 
     21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 
     U.S.C. 7501(d)) shall include a description of research and 
     development areas supported in accordance with this section, 
     including the same budget information as is required for 
     program component areas under paragraphs (1) and (2) of such 
     section 2(d).

     SEC. 6. NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH.

       (a) Research Areas.--The Nanomanufacturing program 
     component area, or any successor program component area, 
     shall include research on--

[[Page 3659]]

       (1) development of instrumentation and tools required for 
     the rapid characterization of nanoscale materials and for 
     monitoring of nanoscale manufacturing processes; and
       (2) approaches and techniques for scaling the synthesis of 
     new nanoscale materials to achieve industrial-level 
     production rates.
       (b) Green Nanotechnology.--Inter-
     diciplinary research centers supported under the Program in 
     accordance with section 2(b)(4) of the 21st Century 
     Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 
     7501(b)(4)) that are focused on nanomanufacturing research 
     and centers established under the authority of section 
     5(b)(3) of this Act shall include as part of the activities 
     of such centers--
       (1) research on methods and approaches to develop 
     environmentally benign nanoscale products and nanoscale 
     manufacturing processes, taking into consideration relevant 
     findings and results of research supported under the 
     Environmental, Health, and Safety program component area, or 
     any successor program component area;
       (2) fostering the transfer of the results of such research 
     to industry; and
       (3) providing for the education of scientists and engineers 
     through interdisciplinary studies in the principles and 
     techniques for the design and development of environmentally 
     benign nanoscale products and processes.
       (c) Review of Nanomanufacturing Research and Research 
     Facilities.--
       (1) Public meeting.--Not later than 12 months after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the National Nanotechnology 
     Coordination Office shall sponsor a public meeting, including 
     representation from a wide range of industries engaged in 
     nanoscale manufacturing, to--
       (A) obtain the views of participants at the meeting on--
       (i) the relevance and value of the research being carried 
     out under the Nanomanufacturing program component area of the 
     Program, or any successor program component area; and
       (ii) whether the capabilities of nanotechnology research 
     facilities supported under the Program are adequate--

       (I) to meet current and near-term requirements for the 
     fabrication and characterization of nanoscale devices and 
     systems; and
       (II) to provide access to and use of instrumentation and 
     equipment at the facilities, by means of networking 
     technology, to individuals who are at locations remote from 
     the facilities; and

       (B) receive any recommendations on ways to strengthen the 
     research portfolio supported under the Nanomanufacturing 
     program component area, or any successor program component 
     area, and on improving the capabilities of nanotechnology 
     research facilities supported under the Program.
     Companies participating in industry liaison groups shall be 
     invited to participate in the meeting. The Coordination 
     Office shall prepare a report documenting the findings and 
     recommendations resulting from the meeting.
       (2) Advisory panel review.--The Advisory Panel shall review 
     the Nanomanufacturing program component area of the Program, 
     or any successor program component area, and the capabilities 
     of nanotechnology research facilities supported under the 
     Program to assess--
       (A) whether the funding for the Nanomanufacturing program 
     component area, or any successor program component area, is 
     adequate and receiving appropriate priority within the 
     overall resources available for the Program;
       (B) the relevance of the research being supported to the 
     identified needs and requirements of industry;
       (C) whether the capabilities of nanotechnology research 
     facilities supported under the Program are adequate--
       (i) to meet current and near-term requirements for the 
     fabrication and characterization of nanoscale devices and 
     systems; and
       (ii) to provide access to and use of instrumentation and 
     equipment at the facilities, by means of networking 
     technology, to individuals who are at locations remote from 
     the facilities; and
       (D) the level of funding that would be needed to support--
       (i) the acquisition of instrumentation, equipment, and 
     networking technology sufficient to provide the capabilities 
     at nanotechnology research facilities described in 
     subparagraph (C); and
       (ii) the operation and maintenance of such facilities.

     In carrying out its assessment, the Advisory Panel shall take 
     into consideration the findings and recommendations from the 
     report required under paragraph (1).
       (3) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Advisory Panel shall submit to the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the 
     House of Representatives a report on its assessment required 
     under paragraph (2), along with any recommendations and a 
     copy of the report prepared in accordance with paragraph (1).

     SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act, terms that are defined in section 10 of the 
     21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 
     U.S.C. 7509) have the meaning given those terms in that 
     section.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 554, the bill now 
under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Tennessee?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  H.R. 554 is a bipartisan bill which I and Ranking Member Hall jointly 
introduced along with 20 additional Democratic and Republican 
cosponsors. H.R. 554 is the same legislation that the House passed by 
an overwhelming majority of 407-6 votes in the last Congress. I urge my 
colleagues to again support this legislation as it will strengthen our 
Nation's competitiveness in the rapidly advancing field of 
nanotechnology.
  I want to begin by thanking my colleague Mr. Hall for working with me 
to craft this legislation. I also want to thank Dr. Baird and Dr. 
Ehlers, who have both been instrumental in the development of this 
bill. As well, I want to thank a former staff director, Jim Wilson, who 
recently retired but who played a major role in putting this bill 
together.
  Finally, I want to thank all of the members of the Science and 
Technology Committee on both sides of the aisle for their contributions 
to this bill and for helping to move it expeditiously and unanimously 
through the committee last year, and I want to thank them for their 
support of the legislation again this year.
  I would like to spend just a few moments reminding my colleagues as 
to why nanotechnology is important to the Nation and why we bring this 
bill before the House for approval today.
  The term ``revolutionary technology'' has become a cliche, but 
nanotechnology truly is revolutionary. We stand at the threshold of an 
age in which materials and devices can be fashioned atom by atom to 
satisfy very specific design requirements. Nanotechnology-based 
applications that were not even imagined a decade ago are being 
developed today in our universities and in companies across the 
country. The range of potential applications for nanotechnology is 
broad, and it will have enormous consequence in electronics, materials, 
energy transformation, and storage, as well as in medicine and health. 
Indeed, the scope of this technology is so broad as to leave virtually 
no product untouched.
  The Science and Technology Committee recognized that promise of 
nanotechnology early on, holding our first hearing a decade ago to 
review the Federal activities in the field. In 2003, the committee was 
subsequently instrumental in the development and in the enactment of 
the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, which 
authorized the multi-agency National Nanotechnology Initiative, or the 
NNI, as it is called.
  The NNI supports productive, cooperative research efforts across a 
spectrum of disciplines, and it is establishing a network of national 
facilities for the support of nanoscale research and development. The 
NNI now receives funding from 13 agencies, and it had a budget of $1.5 
billion in fiscal year 2008, which represents a doubling of the budget 
over 5 years.
  The cooperation and planning process among the participating agencies 
has been largely effective. Therefore, H.R. 554 does not substantially 
alter the NNI, but makes adjustments to some of the priorities of the 
program, and it strengthens one of its core components--environmental 
and safety research.
  Nanotechnology is advancing rapidly. Currently, at least 800 products 
contain

[[Page 3660]]

nanoscale materials. The successful development of nanotechnology-
related products can only occur if the potential downsides of the 
technology are addressed from the beginning and in a straightforward 
and open way.
  We know too well that negative public perceptions about the safety of 
a technology can have serious consequences for its acceptance and use. 
This has been the case with nuclear power and with genetically modified 
foods. From the beginning, the NNI has included research to understand 
the environmental and safety aspects of nanotechnology, and last year, 
the NNI formally developed a strategy for nanotechnology-related 
environmental and safety research. However, a National Academies 
assessment found the strategy inadequate ``to gain public acceptance 
and realize the promise of nanotechnology.''
  H.R. 554 addresses this concern by requiring that the NNI agencies 
develop a plan for the environmental and safety research component of 
the program, which includes explicit near-term and long-term goals, 
which specifies the funding required to reach those goals, which 
identifies the role of each participating agency, and which includes a 
roadmap for implementation.
  The bill also assigns responsibility to a senior official at the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy to oversee this planning and 
implementation process and to ensure the agencies allocate the 
resources necessary to carry it out. A well-designed, adequately funded 
and effectively executed research program in this area is the essential 
first step to ensuring that sound science guides the formulation of 
regulatory rules and requirements. It will reduce the current 
uncertainty that inhibits the commercial development of nanotechnology, 
and it will provide a sound basis for future rulemaking.
  Another key component of H.R. 554 that I want to highlight involves 
provisions in the bill aimed at capturing the economic benefits of 
nanotechnology. In 2007, $60 billion nano-enabled products were sold, 
and it is predicted that the number will rise to $2.6 trillion by 2014. 
Too often, the U.S. has been the leader in basic research, pushing the 
frontiers of science and technology, but has failed to commercialize 
those discoveries. To that end, H.R. 554 strengthens public-private 
partnerships by encouraging the creation of industry liaison groups to 
foster nanotechnology transfer and to help guide the NNI research 
agenda. The bill also promotes the use of nanotechnology research 
facilities to assist companies in the development of prototypes.
  Additionally, to increase the relevance and value of NNI, the bill 
authorizes large-scale, focused, multi-agency research and development 
initiatives in areas of national need. For example, such efforts could 
be organized around developing a replacement for the silicon-based 
transistor or by developing new nanotechnology-based devices for 
harvesting solar energy.
  Lastly, the legislation addresses future STEM workforce needs by 
supporting the development of undergraduate courses in nanotechnology 
fields and by creating education partnerships between nanotechnology 
companies and secondary schools.
  Mr. Speaker, nanotechnology will soon touch the lives of all 
Americans. It is already in our cell phones, cosmetics, paints, and 
refrigerators. It will soon help to protect the lives of our police 
officers and military servicemen, and it is showing promise in the 
treatment of cancer and in promoting wound healing. There is no doubt 
that the potential for this technology is vast.
  The bill before us today has the support of many business, 
professional and higher education associations that recognize that H.R. 
554 will enhance America's efforts in nanotechnology research and 
development, ensuring that nanotechnology is developed in a safe and 
environmentally benign way and ensuring that the Nation reaps the 
benefits of our research investment.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend this bipartisan legislation to my colleagues, 
and urge their support for its passage by the House.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today, of course, in support 
of H.R. 554, the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments of 2009.
  This initiative was first named in the 2001 budget request, and it 
was made a priority by the previous administration. Last year, we 
created a necessary and responsible reauthorization bill for this 
important program. The House took an already good statute and improved 
it just a bit to streamline some administrative issues and to ensure 
that areas such as nanomanufacturing, education and environmental 
health and safety are adequately recognized. Unfortunately, the Senate 
did not act on it prior to adjournment, so we will try it again with 
the same bill this year.
  Just what is ``nanotechnology,'' and why is it important?
  Well, according to the NNI Web site, ``Encompassing nanoscale 
science, engineering and technology, nanotechnology involves imaging, 
measuring, modeling, and manipulating matter . . . at dimensions 
between 1 and 100 nanometers.''
  Now, a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. To put it into 
perspective, this piece of paper that I am reading from is 100,000-
nanometers thick. It is 100,000 nanometers. The fact that our 
scientists and engineers can create and manipulate matter on that small 
of a scale to be used in electronic, biomedical, pharmaceutical, 
cosmetic, energy, catalytic, and materials applications is mind 
boggling. It is the kind of research and technology that makes the 
United States the leader in innovation.
  It is important that we continue to make this area of research a 
national priority. There are numerous examples of nanotechnology being 
used today. Not only is it being used to create clean, secure energy, 
but its uses range from stain-free clothing to glare-resistant eyewear 
to car bumpers to improved tennis balls. Nanotechnology is also being 
utilized to cut down on drug counterfeiting and to improve computer 
capacity. The list is long, and the potential for nanotechnology at 
this time is endless.
  Once again, I am pleased to join Chairman Gordon. He is a good 
chairman to work with. As well, the overwhelming majority of our 
committee members are good folks on both sides of the aisle. We do work 
together, and I am honored to be an original cosponsor of the NNI 
Amendments Act of 2009. This has been a bipartisan effort from the 
beginning. While we have made some changes to the program, I believe 
that, by and large, we have continued to give the NNI and all of the 
Federal agencies involved with it the flexibility needed to do their 
work without being overly prescriptive.
  I support this measure, and I encourage my colleagues to do the same. 
Likewise, I hope my friends in the Senate will do a better job this 
year and will soon follow suit.
  I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1245

  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and ranking 
member, Mr. Hall.
  I yield now 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski).
  Mr. LIPINSKI. I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 554, reauthorizing the 
National Nanotechnology Initiative, the NNI.
  I want to commend Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for their 
hard work in crafting this important bill and thank all of the Members 
on both sides of the aisle and the Science and Technology Committee for 
their hard work last year on quickly doing a great job getting this 
done, getting it to the floor where we passed it. Now, hopefully this 
year, as we move quickly--we're off to a quick start thanks to Chairman 
Gordon. We can finally get this reauthorization done this year.
  I really firmly believe that nanotech represents one of the most 
important--if not the most important--technological keys to improving 
our Nation's future economic growth and improving our way of life.
  Now, a lot of people don't know what nanotech is. I want to really 
thank

[[Page 3661]]

Ranking Member Hall for his great and impressive tutorial he gave on 
what nanotech is. It may be one of the most important things that 
people could learn from listening to the floor today.
  Nanotech is the next industrial revolution. It is so critical that we 
take the necessary steps in this reauthorization so that our country 
remains on the cutting edge of this revolution.
  Nanotech has the potential to deliver many revolutionary advances, 
from energy efficient, low-emission ``green'' manufacturing systems, to 
inexpensive portable water purification systems that provide universal 
access to safe water.
  Nanotechnology has the potential to impact every sector of our 
economy. In just 6 years, the global market for nanoscale materials and 
products is expected to reach $2.6 trillion and to be incorporated into 
15 percent of the global manufacturing output.
  The NNI has been effective in supporting productive, cooperative 
research efforts across a wide spectrum of disciplines. The Initiative 
has established a network of state-of-the-art national facilities that 
are conducting groundbreaking work in nanoscale research and 
development. These centers of excellence have helped the U.S. lead the 
world in development and expansion of nanotechnology, leadership that 
has been vital to economic development and essential to the creation of 
innovative jobs leading to a stronger and more competitive America.
  My home State of Illinois is one of the leaders in nanotech research. 
Many universities and businesses have become deeply invested through 
programs like the NNI. For example, my alma mater, Northwestern 
University, houses the Institute for Nanotechnology, which supports 
research and facilitates collaboration in solving major problems such 
as finding more precise ways to deliver chemotherapy, along with other 
medical applications of nanotech.
  The Institute includes the Center for Nanofabrication and Molecular 
Self-Assembly, a multimillion-dollar research facility and one of the 
first federally funded centers of its kind. It helps foster 
partnerships to encourage researchers and entrepreneurs to become 
involved in this cutting-edge field, creating jobs and potential for 
entirely new industries.
  Now, the reauthorization of the NNI includes three significant 
adjustments. First, it strengthens the planning and implementation of 
research on environmental health and safety aspects of nanotech 
ensuring that possible unintended impacts of nanotech products will not 
defeat the enormous promise of this technology. We need to make sure 
that people are confident in nanotech, and we need to make sure we can 
be confident in the safety of nanotech. That's one of the critical 
things that this reauthorization does with the NNI.
  Second, it requires the NNI to place increased emphasis on technology 
transfer, which entails moving basic research results out of the lab 
and into commercial products. From my own experience in Illinois with 
our national labs and research universities, I know that technology 
transfer is not simple, but it is an important part of ensuring that 
R&D investments serve the public. Remember, we, the American people, 
are making these investments. We need to do everything we can that we 
have technology transfers, that everything that is found, everything 
developed, is something that we can bring to market.
  And finally, this reauthorization creates new education programs to 
attract secondary school students to science and technology studies and 
to help prepare the nanotechnology workforce of tomorrow. As a former 
educator and as chairman of the Research and Science Education 
Subcommittee, I understand the vital role of education in promoting the 
success of individual Americans, and more broadly, the economic 
competitiveness of our Nation.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.
  Mr. LIPINSKI. The field of nanotechnology holds great promise for our 
future, and it's critical that we do all that we can to help ensure 
that America leads the way in nanotech innovation. H.R. 554 will place 
the U.S. in a key position to drive technology breakthroughs and go 
even further to ensuring our long-term competitiveness in the global 
economic marketplace.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 
554, move this authorization forward and get this done this year so we 
can keep America moving forward on the cutting edge of this new 
revolution.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman 
from Missouri (Mr. Blunt).
  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And let 
me say to start with that I am in complete agreement, as approximately 
407 of our Members-plus will be with the gentleman from Texas, the 
gentleman from Tennessee, and the gentleman from Illinois. I appreciate 
the work Mr. Gordon and Mr. Hall have done to get this bill to the 
floor.
  In fact, Missouri State University, right next to my home in 
Springfield, has a leading project going on in nanotechnology. I think 
it is important. I was one of those 407 people that voted for this bill 
last year. I expect a vote for this bill today.
  And as Mr. Cohen earlier said, as a Member of the minority, I want to 
talk about what we're not doing on the floor today. I want to talk 
about the fact that somewhere, while we're out here debating a bill 
where we'll spend $1 million a year that's already passed the House 
last year, 407-6, somewhere in this building--and that's significant 
because I don't know where it is and I don't think the Republican 
conferees, all two of them, know either--somewhere in this building, 
meetings are going on to decide how we spend $800 billion.
  For $800 billion, if I could use the analogy that Mr. Hall used, if 
the thickness of this paper is 100,000 nanometers, the thickness of 
this paper is 100,000 nanometers, if you stacked these pieces of paper 
one on top of each other, 27\1/2\ feet high, you'd be at 800 billion 
nanometers.
  So if pieces of paper represented $100,000, you'd have to be 27\1/2\ 
feet high to be to $800 billion. This is a huge amount of money. And 
later, if greater experts than me at nanotechnology figure out that 
it's only 26 feet, it's still a lot of money. It's $800 billion.
  Last year when we worked together on a stimulus package--not the case 
this year--we said, the Speaker said, I said, others said, a stimulus 
package has to be timely, it has to be targeted, it has to be 
temporary. And I'd advance the idea that this is none of those. It's 
certainly not timely. Alice Rivlin said the other day--this is the 
former budget director for President Clinton--no more than one out of 
ten of these dollars can be spent this year. There are some other 
estimates that, well, maybe it's as high as two out of ten.
  So my question is, why are we spending the other 80 or 90 percent as 
if it was a stimulus package as opposed to just something somebody in 
this building wants to do and in fact is going to do for a long time 
which comes to targeted.
  I'd also suggest that more than anything else, this bill is a 
collection of what the new majority has wanted to do for a decade. I 
believe I could go through the debates of the House over the last 10 
years and find virtually every single thing in this bill having been 
proposed some time during the last 10 years and we didn't do it because 
sometimes because the majority thought it was a bad idea, often because 
the majority at that time, the other side, my side, thought we just 
simply couldn't afford it.
  And temporary? The last dollar to be spent in that bill wherever it's 
being developed is spent in 2019. Not timely, not temporary, not 
targeted. And if you're measuring it in money, lots of nanometers of 
money. In fact, the bill that we think we saw earlier the size of, the 
total cost per page of that bill was over $7 million. The total cost 
per word, rather, was $7 million. The total cost per page was $1.2 
billion.
  One thing the Congress will do in all likelihood this week is set a 
record

[[Page 3662]]

that won't be challenged for a long time in how fast we can spend how 
much money. We're going to make nanotechnology look like it's an old 
science compared to the new technology of spending money.
  So while we're debating this bill that absolutely will pass, that 
there is virtually unanimous agreement on, some group of people in the 
majority of the House and Senate is deciding what that big bill is 
going to look like. And believe me, most of us will have no idea what's 
in it the day we vote for it. It will be impossible to know, and only 
over the next 6 months when the American people find out what's in that 
bill, will Members of Congress begin to wish that they had not voted 
for the bill today and taken the time this kind of spending deserves.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.
  I want to just make my friend from Missouri feel better and let him 
know that at 3 o'clock today there is a bicameral, bipartisan 
conference that will be held. And so I just wanted to give him that 
comfort.
  And now I want to yield the balance of my time to the gentlelady from 
Pennsylvania (Mrs. Dahlkemper), a very active and important member of 
the Science and Technology Committee.
  Mrs. DAHLKEMPER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 554, 
the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act.
  This legislation strengthens and provides transparency to Federal 
research and development efforts in understanding both the risks and 
promise associated with nanotechnology. While wanting to learn and 
apply advancements in nanotechnology to some of our Nation's most 
pressing challenges, we must also ensure that we are aware of any 
safety risks associated with the technology.
  In the field of health care, one of the most promising developments 
in cancer treatments involve the placement of carbon nanotubes in 
cancerous tumors, subjecting them to radiowaves, which heat the cancer 
cells to the point of destruction yet spare the surrounding healthy 
cells. This unique treatment was conceived by my constituent John 
Kanzius and is now in active development.
  I am pleased that this bill strengthens the public-private 
partnerships as this will help us leverage private sector investments 
underway in our communities for projects such as this.
  H.R. 554 reaffirms our Nation's commitment to harnessing the promise 
of nanotechnology research for advancements in health care and beyond, 
while also strengthening our commitment to safety in all Federal 
research and development.
  I am particularly proud to support this bill and urge my colleagues' 
support.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Colonel Pitts, 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
  Mr. PITTS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 554 and the importance of 
nanotechnology. It's a very important part of our economy. It's an 
important part of health care. Our stimulus bill has a lot of things to 
do with our economy that this could be a part of. And so I'm glad we're 
taking time to recognize the importance of this.
  An hour ago, we stood here honoring one of our colleagues, John 
Dingell, and his service as chairman of the Energy and Commerce 
Committee. And I just want to say he served with dignity. He was always 
fair to the minority. It was a pleasure to serve with him as chairman.
  And the Energy and Commerce Committee is one of the three committees 
that has jurisdiction over this stimulus, this massive stimulus bill 
that's coming up later this week.
  The gentleman from Tennessee mentioned there is a bipartisan 
conference today at 3 o'clock on this bill. The problem is there are 
only two Republicans. Not one Republican from Energy and Commerce, 
which has jurisdiction over a lot of this bill, is on this conference 
committee.

                              {time}  1300

  We spent 12 hours a week ago in marking up this bill, and then our 
amendments were promptly stripped out of the bill.
  Debate has been limited. Literally in this case, we're not even given 
a seat at the table, with a Republican Member of this important 
committee of jurisdiction being included in the conference committee 
and negotiating the final bill.
  We're barreling full steam ahead, railroading through Congress a 
trillion dollar massive spending bill that is masquerading as an 
economic stimulus bill, and I think on a day when we honor good men 
like John Dingell and his service, the kind of governance he has 
provided for so many years in this institution and with this committee 
that has jurisdiction, that it would be appropriate that we govern 
differently.
  And I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentlelady from North Carolina (Ms. 
Foxx) 2 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. I thank the ranking member.
  I am sure from hearing the speakers on the other side that this 
nanotechnology bill is worthwhile and that what we have gotten from 
nanotechnology in the past are very good results. But what we have to 
be looking at right now, because the major issue before us and before 
the people in this country is what's going to happen in this so-called 
stimulus bill.
  I got a call a little while ago from a lady who wanted to know if 
what she had heard on the radio was true, that part of this bill is 
going to fund chips to go inside United States citizens so the 
government can track them. We frankly don't know what is going to be in 
this bill.
  But what we do know is the Republicans have an alternative to this 
bill. And contrary to what the leadership on the Democratic side has 
been saying, it's not that Republicans don't want to do anything. We 
want to do things. We understand Americans are hurting. We understand 
that. But we want to do what's right, not waste American people's money 
on what fits.
  You know, Rahm Emanuel said never waste a crisis, so go in and put in 
all this pork that we want to get passed that we can't get passed in 
other bills, put it in this and get it done. But that's not what 
Republicans want to do. We want to make sure the money is being spent 
well.
  Here we have in this bill some things we know: $1,500 tax credit to 
anyone who purchases neighborhood electric vehicles. Those are also 
known as golf carts. So we are going to subsidize people to buy golf 
carts. We have a $750 million earmark for the National Computer Center. 
You know, the President says no earmarks. That's not true. There are 
plenty of earmarks in this bill. We have $275 million for flood 
prevention. How long have we known that we needed to prevent floods in 
certain areas of this country? Why are we using this bill for $100 
million for lead paint hazard reduction?
  This is the wrong bill for this country at this time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) 
2 minutes.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member. It's good to be 
with my friend Mr. Gordon, who's the chairman.
  Nanotechnology is a very important aspect. I know Newt Gingrich for 
years has talked about the benefits of nanotechnology.
  Benefits, what this can do for current competitiveness and future 
competitiveness, I think a lot of people don't know because it's so 
small. That's why it's called nano. Water filtration, dental bonding 
agents, bumpers and catalytic converters on cars, protective and glare 
reducing coatings, burn and wound dressings. But other things, solar 
cells in roofing tiles and siding, tires that improve skid resistance, 
high performance footwear, automotive parts. I think it is very, very 
exciting.
  I think this is something that if we were to move in a stimulus 
package that would be helpful would be putting money into 
nanotechnology. That's not what we're doing.

[[Page 3663]]

  We are going to be putting more money into the repairing of three 
golf courses in the District of Columbia than we're going to be doing 
for putting money into nanotechnology. We're going to be putting more 
money into creating cafe table settings for lunch in the District of 
Columbia than we're going to be putting in nanotechnology. We are going 
to be putting more money into free spring lunch jazz concerts for 
people in the District of Columbia than we're going to be putting into 
nanotechnology.
  The chairman of this committee also has the benefit of sitting on the 
great Energy and Commerce Committee. One of our issues of concern is 
the conference committee that I sat on on the energy bill in 2005, the 
much-maligned energy bill, was open. We had hearings. We had a markup.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has again expired.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. We actually had C-SPAN covering it. We had amendments 
offered by both sides. We had votes. We had discussions on the 
conference committee.
  On this stimulus bill, there is none. It's going to be cut in the 
back rooms by 10 Members. There's 435 of us who are elected to 
represent this government here. Ten Members are going to decide what is 
in the bill, and we're going to end up with cafe tables for people to 
have lunch in D.C. instead of research into nanotechnologies.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I recognize the chairman of the House 
Republican Conference, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) for 3 
minutes.
  Mr. PENCE. House Republicans know we are in a serious recession. The 
American people are hurting, and despite the claims by some in the 
administration and some here on the House floor, House Republicans know 
that Congress must act and must act now to deal with this serious 
economic downturn affecting America's businesses and families.
  Despite the accusations of some that Republicans want to do nothing, 
because somehow a choice between one party that wants to do something 
and another party that wants to do nothing, I was struck, Mr. Speaker, 
this morning when even the Washington Post called that allegation a 
straw man.
  In fact, the choice before us here today is whether or not we will 
move the legislation that's now become a back-room deal that has the 
size and magnitude of the entire discretionary budget of the United 
States of America, whether we will move that bill without any input 
whatsoever from House Republicans.
  But this is not an argument about who had their say. This is an 
argument about what would be the best solution to deal with these 
challenging economic times.
  Republicans oppose this bill because this back-room deal is simply a 
long wish list of big government spending that won't work to put 
Americans back to work. It won't create jobs. The only thing it will 
stimulate is more government and more debt.
  And it will probably do more harm than good, and it sounds from news 
reports at this point, Mr. Speaker, that the conferees on this 
committee have made this bad bill even worse. I'm hearing reports that 
modest tax relief in this bill has been reduced to pay for even more 
big government spending.
  And the American people have a right to know what's in this bill. 
Yesterday, Republicans and Democrats came together and unanimously 
voted in this Chamber that when this bill was completed it would be 
posted on the Internet for a minimum of 48 hours for the American 
people to review it. The question today is, will the House majority 
keep their promise to the American people and post the legislation, 
that is about to be imminently revealed to this Nation, on the Internet 
to be carefully examined? The American people have a right to know 
what's in this bill.
  And I believe with all my heart that the more they know, the more 
they will agree that Republicans have a better solution. Rather than 
more government, more debt and more spending, Republicans want to take 
half the amount of money that the majority wants to spend and use it 
for fast-acting tax relief for working families and small businesses.
  Using the economic analysis of the Obama administration, the 
Republican plan would create twice the jobs at half the cost. We simply 
believe we have a better solution.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, let me just close by again 
giving my friend some comfort to know that at 3 o'clock today there's 
going to be a bicameral, bipartisan conference, conferees appointed by 
the Speaker for the Democrats and by Mr. Boehner for the Republicans. 
We all look forward to steady progress.
  And I will finally close by again thanking Mr. Hall for his help as 
well in putting together this good, bipartisan bill.
  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 554, the 
National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act.
  I commend Chairman Bart Gordon and the other members of the Science 
and Technology Committee, on which I am proud to have once served, for 
the hard work and thoughtful consideration that went into this bill. I 
am pleased that this bill includes numerous provisions that I 
originally proposed in my own legislation, the Nanotechnology 
Advancement and New Opportunities (NANO) Act, H.R. 820.
  Nanotechnology has the potential to create entirely new industries 
and radically transform the basis of competition in other fields, and I 
am proud of my work with former Science Committee Chairman Sherwood 
Boehlert on the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 to 
foster research in this area.
  But one of the things policymakers have heard from experts is that 
while the United States is a leader in nanotechnology research, our 
foreign competitors are focusing more resources and effort on the 
commercialization of those research results than we are.
  Both H.R. 554 and my own bill would focus America's nanotechnology 
research and development programs on areas of national need such as 
energy, health care, and the environment, and have provisions to help 
assist in the commercialization of nanotechnology.
  In recent months, there has been much discussion about potential 
health and safety risks associated with nanotechnology. Uncertainty is 
one of the major obstacles to the commercialization of nanotechnology--
uncertainty about what the risks might be and uncertainty about how the 
federal government might regulate nanotechnology in the future. Both my 
bill and H.R. 554 require the development of a nanotechnology research 
plan that will ensure the development and responsible stewardship of 
nanotechnology.
  Other important areas that are addressed by both H.R. 554 and H.R. 
820 include: the development of curriculum tools to help improve 
nanotechnology education; the establishment of educational partnerships 
to help prepare students to pursue postsecondary education in 
nanotechnology; support for the development of environmentally 
beneficial nanotechnology; and the development of advanced tools for 
simulation and characterization to enable rapid prediction, 
characterization and monitoring for nanoscale manufacturing.
   I am also pleased that H.R. 554 will require that the NNI Advisory 
Panel must be a stand-alone advisory committee. This is a concept I 
originally proposed in 2002 in the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 
Advisory Board Act (H.R. 5669 in the 107th Congress).
  I would like to thank the members of the Blue Ribbon Task Force on 
Nanotechnology (BRTFN), a panel of California nanotechnology experts 
with backgrounds in established industry, startup companies, consulting 
groups, non-profits, academia, government, medical research, and 
venture capital that I convened with then-California State Controller 
Steve Westly during 2005, for the important recommendations included in 
its report, Thinking Big About Thinking Small, many of which are 
reflected in the bill we are considering today. I would also like to 
thank Scott Hubbard, who was the Director of the NASA Ames Research 
Center at that time and who served as working chair of the BRTFN, and 
all of the staff at Ames whose hard work made the task force run so 
well and helped produced a great report. The report is available on my 
Web site at http://honda.house.gov/issues/links/brtfn_report_final.pdf.
   Again, I congratulate the Science and Technology Committee and 
Chairman Gordon for

[[Page 3664]]

their work on this bill and thank them for incorporating so many of the 
provisions from my bill into H.R. 554, and I urge my colleagues to 
support this important legislation to reauthorize the nation's 
nanotechnology research and development program.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I strongly support H.R. 554--``The 
National Nano-technology Initiative Amendments Act.''
  This legislation supports research and innovation in the field of 
nanotechnology and strengthens the National Nanotechnology Initiative 
(NNI) by adding provisions to encourage nanotechnology education, 
studies, and economic development.
  Whether it's medical research, military systems, or energy 
advancements, nano-technology plays a vital role in our lives today and 
will help drive innovation for tomorrow.
  We see nanotechnology used in computers and other nano-electronics, 
as well as a wide variety of products from landmine detectors to water 
filtration systems to sunscreens.
  The future of nanotechnology is limitless. Nanotechnology will pave 
the way for significant advances in many fields, including medical 
diagnostics, automotive performance, and solar energy.
  In short, nanotechnology is the convergence of 21st century science 
and technologies. It is proof that small technology can have a huge 
impact in the world.
  This legislation helps ensure that American companies have the 
resources they need to further develop nanotechnology, which will help 
American businesses remain on the cutting edge of technology and drive 
the American economy.
  I want to thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall for their 
work in bringing this bipartisan legislation to the Floor today.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 554.
  Mr. GINGREY of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 
554, the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009. As 
a former Member of the Science Committee, I am pleased to lend my 
support to this important legislation brought forward today by Chairman 
Gordon.
  Nanotechnology represents the future of science and information 
technology. These scientific methods have already been responsible for 
a number of products that are used everyday in our country like car 
parts, cosmetics, and first aid dressings.
  Furthermore, Mr. Speaker, the future of nanotechnology holds a world 
of possibility in a number of fields--including health care, which is 
incredibly important to me as a physician Member of the House.
  The National Nanotechnology Initiative is a multi-agency federal 
program aimed at accelerating the discovery, development, and 
deployment of nanometer-scale science, engineering, and technology. 
Since its implementation in 2003, the NNI represents the federal 
government's commitment to harnessing and developing the world's most 
cutting edge technology to help keep our country competitive in a 
technology-based global economy.
  H.R. 554 is a bill that builds on the successful aspects of the NNI 
by making some improvements and modifications while keeping much of the 
Initiative intact. For example, this legislation strengthens the 
environment, health, and safety research component of the NNI, and it 
increases the emphasis on nanomanufacturing research and technology 
transfer. H.R. 554 acknowledges and addresses the need for enhanced 
research and education in the field of nanotechnology and provides the 
framework for K-12 education in nanotechnology that will help future 
generations stay at the cutting edge of scientific advances.
  I am very pleased that this legislation moved through the Science and 
Technology Committee in a bipartisan manner, much like it did in the 
110th Congress. I hope that the Senate will act on this legislation in 
the near future, so this important legislation can be signed into law 
by the President.
  Mr. Speaker, I am very supportive of H.R. 554 and the possibility 
that nanotechnology has for the future of science. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support its passage.
  Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 554.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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