[House Report 114-149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


114th Congress  }                                        {      Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session    }                                        {     114-149

======================================================================



 
     FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUNSHINE ACT OF 2015

                                _______
                                

 June 11, 2015.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

  Mr. McCaul, from the Committee on Homeland Security, submitted the 
                               following

                              R E P O R T

                        [To accompany H.R. 1637]

      [Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]

    The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred 
the bill (H.R. 1637) to require annual reports on the 
activities and accomplishments of federally funded research and 
development centers within the Department of Homeland Security, 
and for other purposes, having considered the same, report 
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill 
do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
Purpose and Summary..............................................     2
Background and Need for Legislation..............................     2
Hearings.........................................................     2
Committee Consideration..........................................     2
Committee Votes..................................................     2
Committee Oversight Findings.....................................     3
New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax Expenditures     3
Congressional Budget Office Estimate.............................     3
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............     3
Duplicative Federal Programs.....................................     4
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff 
  Benefits.......................................................     4
Federal Mandates Statement.......................................     4
Preemption Clarification.........................................     4
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings..............................     4
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................     4
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................     4
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation...................     4
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............     5

                          PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

    The purpose of H.R. 1637 is to require annual reports on 
the activities and accomplishments of federally funded research 
and development centers within the Department of Homeland 
Security, and for other purposes.

                  BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

    The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Federally Funded 
Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) perform research and 
development for DHS and its components. The FFRDCs are tasked 
with these projects through the Science and Technology (S&T) 
Directorate at DHS. Currently, S&T is not required to share 
with Congress information on the projects assigned to FFRDCs. 
This measure requires the DHS Secretary to annually submit to 
the Committee a list of the ongoing and completed projects 
tasked to FFRDCs. Currently, the Committee does not receive 
such information. The Committee believes this information will 
provide a better picture of the size and scope of DHS FFRDC 
projects and allow the Committee to conduct better oversight of 
the projects and Department's utilization of FFRDCs.

                                HEARINGS

    The Committee held no hearings on H.R. 1637, however the 
Committee held the following oversight hearing.
    The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure 
Protection, and Security Technologies held a hearing on May 19, 
2015, entitled ``Examining the DHS Science and Technology 
Directorate's Engagement with Academia and Industry.'' The 
Subcommittee received testimony from Mr. Jake Parker, Director 
of Government Relations, Security Industry Association; Mr. 
Marc Pearl, President and CEO, Homeland Security and Defense 
Business Council; and Dr. Samuel H. Aronson, President of the 
American Physical Society and former Director of Brookhaven 
National Laboratory. This hearing examined perspectives on how 
DHS' Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate collaborates with 
academia on relevant research topics and partners with industry 
on the development and acquisition of products for the 
Department of Homeland Security.

                        COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

    The Committee met on May 20, 2015, to consider H.R. 1673, 
and ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a 
favorable recommendation, without amendment, by voice vote.

                            COMMITTEE VOTES

    Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded 
votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments 
thereto.
    No recorded votes were requested during consideration of 
H.R. 1637.

                      COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee has held oversight 
hearings and made findings that are reflected in this report.

   NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES

    In compliance with clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules 
of the House of Representatives, the Committee finds that H.R. 
1637, the Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine 
Act of 2015, would result in no new or increased budget 
authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or 
revenues.

                  CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE

    The Committee adopts as its own the cost estimate prepared 
by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office pursuant to 
section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974.

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                      Washington, DC, June 4, 2015.
Hon. Michael McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1637, the 
Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark 
Grabowicz.
            Sincerely,
                                                        Keith Hall.
    Enclosure.

H.R. 1637--Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 
        2015

    H.R. 1637 would direct the Department of Homeland Security 
(DHS) to report annually to the Congress on the progress of 
projects funded through DHS research and development centers. 
The department already prepares annual reports on those 
projects, so CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 1637 would 
not significantly affect spending by DHS. Because enacting the 
legislation would not affect direct spending or revenues, pay-
as-you-go procedures do not apply.
    H.R. 1637 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz. 
The estimate was approved by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy 
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

         STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, H.R. 1637 contains the following 
general performance goals and objectives, including outcome 
related goals and objectives authorized.
    The goals of this bill are to allow the Committee to have 
proper oversight of projects that the DHS FFRDCs are tasked to 
complete, this allows for greater transparency on the part of 
DHS and provides the committee the opportunity for further 
oversight into specific projects.

                      DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS

    Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds 
that H.R. 1637 does not contain any provision that establishes 
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another 
Federal program.

   CONGRESSIONAL EARMARKS, LIMITED TAX BENEFITS, AND LIMITED TARIFF 
                                BENEFITS

    In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of 
Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no 
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff 
benefits as defined in clause 9(e), 9(f), or 9(g) of the rule 
XXI.

                       FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT

    The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal 
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget 
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform 
Act.

                        PREEMPTION CLARIFICATION

    In compliance with section 423 of the Congressional Budget 
Act of 1974, requiring the report of any Committee on a bill or 
joint resolution to include a statement on the extent to which 
the bill or joint resolution is intended to preempt State, 
local, or Tribal law, the Committee finds that H.R. 1637 does 
not preempt any State, local, or Tribal law.

                  DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

    The Committee estimates that H.R. 1637 would require no 
directed rule makings.

                      ADVISORY COMMITTEE STATEMENT

    No advisory committees within the meaning of section 5(b) 
of the Federal Advisory Committee Act were created by this 
legislation.

                  APPLICABILITY TO LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

    The Committee finds that the legislation does not relate to 
the terms and conditions of employment or access to public 
services or accommodations within the meaning of section 
102(b)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act.

             SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title

    This section provides that bill may be cited as the 
``Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 
2015.''

Section 2. Annual reports on projects of federally funded research and 
        development centers within the Department of Homeland Security

    This section requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
annually submit a list of ongoing and completed projects tasked 
by the Department of Homeland Security to federally funded 
research and development centers.
    Additionally, this section requires that the section be 
carried out with existing resources, as no additional funds are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section.

         CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW MADE BY THE BILL, AS REPORTED

    H.R. 1637, as reported, makes no changes to exisiting law.

                                  [all]