To amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.

Summary: High-Performance Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 - Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to direct the President to implement a High-Performance Computing Research and Development Program (current law provides for a National High-Performance Computing Program) and revise program requirements.

Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) establish the goals and priorities for Federal high-performance computing research, development, networking, and other activities; (2) establish Program Component Areas that implement such goals and identify the Grand Challenges (i.e., fundamental problems in science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solutions will require the application of high-performance computing resources) that the Program should address; and (3) develop and maintain a research, development, and deployment road map for the provision of high-performance computing systems. Eliminates the requirement that the Director provide for interagency coordination of the Program.

Revises requirements for annual reports by requiring that such reports: (1) describe Program Component Areas, including any changes in the definition of or activities under such Areas and the reasons for such changes, and describe Grand Challenges supported under the Program; (2) describe the levels of Federal funding and the levels proposed for each Program Component Area; (3) describe the levels of Federal funding for each agency and department participating in the Program for each such Area; and (4) include an analysis of the extent to which the Program incorporates the recommendations of the advisory committee on high-performance computing. Eliminates the requirement that such reports include reports from the Secretary of Energy on Department of Energy activities taken to carry out the National High-Performance Computing Program.

Requires such advisory committee to: (1) provide the Director with an independent assessment of the balance between components of the Program, including funding levels for the Program Component Areas and whether the research and development undertaken pursuant to the Program is helping to maintain U.S. leadership in high-performance computing and networking; and (2) conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the Program, and report at least once every two fiscal years to specified congressional committees.

Requires the Office of Management and Budget to identify each element of its high-performance computing activities which contributes directly to the Program Component Areas or benefits from the Program.

Repeals requirements under the Act for the National Research and Education Network and the Next Generation Internet.

Modifies provisions regarding responsibilities of the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Secretary of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``High-Performance Computing 
Revitalization Act of 2004''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 4 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 
5503) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``and multidisciplinary 
        teams of researchers'' after ``high-performance computing 
        resources'';
            (2) in paragraph (3)--
                    (A) by striking ``scientific workstations,'';
                    (B) by striking ``(including vector supercomputers 
                and large scale parallel systems)'';
                    (C) by striking ``and applications'' and inserting 
                ``applications''; and
                    (D) by inserting ``, and the management of large 
                data sets'' after ``systems software'';
            (3) in paragraph (4), by striking ``packet switched''; and
            (4) by amending paragraphs (5) and (6) to read as follows:
            ``(5) `Program' means the High-Performance Computing 
        Research and Development Program described in section 101; and
            ``(6) `Program Component Areas' means the major subject 
        areas under which are grouped related individual projects and 
        activities carried out under the Program.''.

SEC. 3. HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    Title I of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 
5511 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) in the title heading, by striking ``AND THE NATIONAL 
        RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK'' and inserting ``RESEARCH AND 
        DEVELOPMENT'';
            (2) in section 101--
                    (A) the section heading, by striking ``national 
                high-performance computing'' and inserting ``high-
                performance computing research and development'';
                    (B) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in the subsection heading, by striking 
                        ``National High-performance Computing'' and 
                        inserting ``High-performance Computing Research 
                        and Development'';
                            (ii) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
                        inserting the following: ``(1) The President 
                        shall implement a High-Performance Computing 
                        Research and Development Program, which shall--
                    ``(A) provide for long-term basic and applied 
                research on high-performance computing;
                    ``(B) provide for research and development on, and 
                demonstration of, technologies to advance the capacity 
                and capabilities of high-performance computing and 
                networking systems;
                    ``(C) provide for sustained access by the research 
                community in the United States to high-performance 
                computing systems that are among the most advanced in 
                the world in terms of performance in solving scientific 
                and engineering problems, including provision for 
                technical support for users of such systems;
                    ``(D) provide for efforts to increase software 
                availability, productivity, capability, security, 
                portability, and reliability;
                    ``(E) provide for high-performance networks, 
                including experimental testbed networks, to enable 
                research and development on, and demonstration of, 
                advanced applications enabled by such networks;
                    ``(F) provide for computational science and 
                engineering research on mathematical modeling and 
                algorithms for applications in all fields of science 
                and engineering;
                    ``(G) provide for the technical support of, and 
                research and development on, high-performance computing 
                systems and software required to address Grand 
                Challenges;
                    ``(H) provide for educating and training additional 
                undergraduate and graduate students in software 
                engineering, computer science, computer and network 
                security, applied mathematics, library and information 
                science, and computational science; and
                    ``(I) provide for improving the security of 
                computing and networking systems, including Federal 
                systems, including research required to establish 
                security standards and practices for these systems.'';
                            (iii) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 
                        (4) as paragraphs (2) and (3), respectively;
                            (iv) in paragraph (2), as so redesignated 
                        by clause (iii) of this subparagraph--
                                    (I) by striking subparagraph (B);
                                    (II) by redesignating subparagraphs 
                                (A) and (C) as subparagraphs (D) and 
                                (F), respectively;
                                    (III) by inserting before 
                                subparagraph (D), as so redesignated by 
                                subclause (II) of this clause, the 
                                following new subparagraphs:
            ``(A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities;
            ``(B) establish Program Component Areas that implement the 
        goals established under subparagraph (A), and identify the 
        Grand Challenges that the Program should address;
            ``(C) provide for interagency coordination of Federal high-
        performance computing research, development, networking, and 
        other activities undertaken pursuant to the Program;''; and
                                    (IV) by inserting after 
                                subparagraph (D), as so redesignated by 
                                subclause (II) of this clause, the 
                                following new subparagraph:
            ``(E) develop and maintain a research, development, and 
        deployment roadmap for the provision of high-performance 
        computing systems under paragraph (1)(C); and''; and
                            (v) in paragraph (3), as so redesignated by 
                        clause (iii) of this subparagraph--
                                    (I) by striking ``paragraph 
                                (3)(A)'' and inserting ``paragraph 
                                (2)(D)'';
                                    (II) by amending subparagraph (A) 
                                to read as follows:
            ``(A) provide a detailed description of the Program 
        Component Areas, including a description of any changes in the 
        definition of or activities under the Program Component Areas 
        from the preceding report, and the reasons for such changes, 
        and a description of Grand Challenges supported under the 
        Program;'';
                                    (III) in subparagraph (C), by 
                                striking ``specific activities'' and 
                                all that follows through ``the 
                                Network'' and inserting ``each Program 
                                Component Area'';
                                    (IV) in subparagraph (D), by 
                                inserting ``and for each Program 
                                Component Area'' after ``participating 
                                in the Program'';
                                    (V) in subparagraph (D), by 
                                striking ``applies;'' and inserting 
                                ``applies; and'';
                                    (VI) by striking subparagraph (E) 
                                and redesignating subparagraph (F) as 
                                subparagraph (E); and
                                    (VII) in subparagraph (E), as so 
                                redesignated by subclause (VI) of this 
                                clause, by inserting ``and the extent 
                                to which the Program incorporates the 
                                recommendations of the advisory 
                                committee established under subsection 
                                (b)'' after ``for the Program'';
                    (C) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through 
                        (5) as subparagraphs (A) through (E), 
                        respectively;
                            (ii) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``Advisory 
                        Committee.--'';
                            (iii) in paragraph (1)(C), as so 
                        redesignated by clauses (i) and (ii) of this 
                        subparagraph, by inserting ``, including 
                        funding levels for the Program Component 
                        Areas'' after ``of the Program'';
                            (iv) in paragraph (1)(D), as so 
                        redesignated by clauses (i) and (ii) of this 
                        subparagraph, by striking ``computing'' and 
                        inserting ``high-performance computing and 
                        networking''; and
                            (v) by adding at the end the following new 
                        paragraph:
    ``(2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the 
advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, 
management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the 
Program, and shall report not less frequently than once every two 
fiscal years to the Committee on Science of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation of the Senate on its findings and recommendations. The 
first report shall be due within one year after the date of enactment 
of this paragraph.''; and
                    (D) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ``Program 
                or'' and inserting ``Program Component Areas or''; and
            (3) by striking sections 102 and 103.

SEC. 4. AGENCY ACTIVITIES.

    Title II of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 
5521 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) of section 201 to read as 
        follows:
    ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described 
in title I, the National Science Foundation shall--
            ``(1) support research and development to generate 
        fundamental scientific and technical knowledge with the 
        potential of advancing high-performance computing and 
        networking systems and their applications;
            ``(2) provide computing and networking infrastructure 
        support to the research community in the United States, 
        including the provision of high-performance computing systems 
        that are among the most advanced in the world in terms of 
        performance in solving scientific and engineering problems, and 
        including support for advanced software and applications 
        development, for all science and engineering disciplines; and
            ``(3) support basic research and education in all aspects 
        of high-performance computing and networking.'';
            (2) by amending subsection (a) of section 202 to read as 
        follows:
    ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described 
in title I, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall 
conduct basic and applied research in high-performance computing and 
networking, with emphasis on--
            ``(1) computational fluid dynamics, computational thermal 
        dynamics, and computational aerodynamics;
            ``(2) scientific data dissemination and tools to enable 
        data to be fully analyzed and combined from multiple sources 
        and sensors;
            ``(3) remote exploration and experimentation; and
            ``(4) tools for collaboration in system design, analysis, 
        and testing.'';
            (3) in section 203--
                    (A) by striking subsections (a) through (d) and 
                inserting the following:
    ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described 
in title I, the Secretary of Energy shall--
            ``(1) conduct and support basic and applied research in 
        high-performance computing and networking to support 
        fundamental research in science and engineering disciplines 
        related to energy applications; and
            ``(2) provide computing and networking infrastructure 
        support, including the provision of high-performance computing 
        systems that are among the most advanced in the world in terms 
        of performance in solving scientific and engineering problems, 
        and including support for advanced software and applications 
        development, for science and engineering disciplines related to 
        energy applications.''; and
                    (B) by redesignating subsection (e) as subsection 
                (b);
            (4) by amending subsection (a) of section 204 to read as 
        follows:
    ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described 
in title I--
            ``(1) the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
        shall--
                    ``(A) conduct basic and applied metrology research 
                needed to support high-performance computing and 
                networking systems;
                    ``(B) develop benchmark tests and standards for 
                high-performance computing and networking systems and 
                software;
                    ``(C) develop and propose voluntary standards and 
                guidelines, and develop measurement techniques and test 
                methods, for the interoperability of high-performance 
                computing systems in networks and for common user 
                interfaces to high-performance computing and networking 
                systems; and
                    ``(D) work with industry and others to develop, and 
                facilitate the implementation of, high-performance 
                computing applications to solve science and engineering 
                problems that are relevant to industry; and
            ``(2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
        shall conduct basic and applied research on high-performance 
        computing applications, with emphasis on--
                    ``(A) improving weather forecasting and climate 
                prediction;
                    ``(B) collection, analysis, and dissemination of 
                environmental information; and
                    ``(C) development of more accurate models of the 
                ocean-atmosphere system.''; and
            (5) by amending subsection (a) of section 205 to read as 
        follows:
    ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described 
in title I, the Environmental Protection Agency shall conduct basic and 
applied research directed toward advancement and dissemination of 
computational techniques and software tools for high-performance 
computing systems with an emphasis on modeling to--
            ``(1) develop robust decision support tools;
            ``(2) predict pollutant transport and the effects of 
        pollutants on humans and on ecosystems; and
            ``(3) better understand atmospheric dynamics and 
        chemistry.''.

SEC. 5. SOCIETAL IMPLICATIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

    In carrying out its programs on the social, economic, legal, 
ethical, and cultural implications of information technology, the 
National Science Foundation shall support research into the 
implications of computers (including both hardware and software) that 
would be capable of mimicking human abilities to learn, reason, and 
make decisions.

SEC. 6. ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 23 of the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-9) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration'' each place it appears in subsections (a) and 
        (b) and inserting ``, the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, and the Department of Energy'';
            (2) in subsection (b)(3), by inserting ``the Secretary of 
        Energy,'' after ``the Administrator of the National Aeronautics 
        and Space Administration,'';
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``5'' in each of paragraphs (1) and 
                (2) and inserting ``4'';
                    (B) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph 
                (2);
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph 
                (4), and in that paragraph by striking ``3'' and 
                inserting ``2''; and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(3) 3 members selected by the Secretary of Energy; and''; 
        and
            (4) in subsection (f), by striking ``the advisory bodies of 
        other Federal agencies, such as the Department of Energy, which 
        may engage in related research activities'' and inserting 
        ``other Federal advisory committees that advise Federal 
        agencies which engage in related research activities''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall 
take effect on March 15, 2005.

SEC. 7. REMOVAL OF SUNSET PROVISION FROM SAVINGS IN CONSTRUCTION ACT OF 
              1996.

    Section 14(e) of the Metric Conversion Act of 1975 (15 U.S.C. 
205l(e)) is repealed.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 7, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.