I 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3924 

To establish in the United States Agency for International Development 

an entity to be known as the United States Global Development Lab, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 4, 2015 

Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself and Mr. MCCAUL) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish in the United States Agency for International 

Development an entity to be known as the United States 

Global Development Lab, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Development 

5 Lab Act of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Leveraging academic research and private 

9 sector expertise to effectively apply science and techVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:37 Nov 06, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3924.IH H3924

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 3924 IH

1 nology to United States foreign aid can increase the 

2 effectiveness of United States aid dollars and lead to 

3 better outcomes. 

4 (2) In the last 20 years, human ingenuity and 

5 entrepreneurship around the world has reduced child 

6 mortality rates by 42 percent and poverty rates by 

7 52 percent, lifting hundreds of millions of people out 

8 of poverty. 

9 (3) Over the next 40 years, the developing 

10 world is expected to be the largest source of product 

11 and services growth. Breakthroughs pioneered for 

12 the developing world can translate into jobs and eco13 nomic growth in the United States. 

14 (4) In 2014 the Office of Science and Tech15 nology and the Office of Innovation and Develop16 ment Alliances at the United States Agency for 

17 International Development were abolished to pave 

18 the way to bring their staffing and other resources 

19 into the United States Global Development Lab. 

20 (5) The Lab represents a new approach to in21 vest, test, and apply more effective solutions to hu22 manity’s greatest challenges. 

23 (6) The Lab will partner with entrepreneurs, 

24 experts, nongovernmental organizations, universities, 

25 and science and research institutions to solve develVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:37 Nov 06, 2015 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3924.IH H3924

smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 3924 IH

1 opment challenges in a faster, more cost-efficient, 

2 and more sustainable way. 

3 (7) The Lab will utilize innovation incentives, a 

4 pay-for-success model, which uses science, tech5 nology, and innovation-driven competitions to ex6 pand the number and diversity of solutions to devel7 opment challenges. 

8 (8) In contrast with traditional grants or con9 tracts, where USAID pays for a proposal to be im10 plemented, pay-for-success awards are given to a 

11 winner only after the objectives of the competition 

12 have been achieved. 

13 (9) Expanding pay-for-success authority to 

14 allow the Lab to use these awards globally will in15 crease the number of high value solutions to choose 

16 from at a significantly reduced cost. 

17 SEC. 3. UNITED STATES GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT LAB. 

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 

19 USAID an entity to be known as the United States Global 

20 Development Lab. 

21 (b) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The duties 

22 and responsibilities of the Lab should include— 

23 (1) increasing the application of science, tech24 nology, innovation and partnerships to develop and 

25 scale new solutions to end extreme poverty; 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 3924 IH

1 (2) discovering, testing, and scaling develop2 ment innovations to solve development challenges to 

3 increase cost effectiveness and support United 

4 States foreign policy and development goals; 

5 (3) leveraging the expertise, resources, and in6 vestment of businesses, nongovernmental organiza7 tions, science and research organizations, and uni8 versities to increase program impact and sustain9 ability; 

10 (4) utilizing innovation-driven competitions to 

11 expand the number and diversity of solutions to de12 velopment challenges; and 

13 (5) supporting USAID missions and bureaus in 

14 applying science, technology, innovation, and part15 nership approaches to decisionmaking, procurement, 

16 and program design. 

17 (c) AUTHORITIES.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the duties 

19 and responsibilities of the Lab under subsection (b), 

20 the Administrator, in addition to such other authori21 ties as may be available to the Administrator, in22 cluding authorities under part I of the Foreign As23 sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), is au24 thorized to— 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 3924 IH

1 (A) use not more than $15,000,000 of 

2 funds appropriated or otherwise made available 

3 by an Act making appropriations for the De4 partment of State, foreign operations, and re5 lated programs under the heading ‘‘Develop6 ment Assistance’’ for any fiscal year to provide 

7 funding to improve health outcomes; 

8 (B) provide innovation incentive awards 

9 (as defined in section 4(4) of this Act); and 

10 (C) use funds appropriated to carry out 

11 part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 

12 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for the employment of 

13 not more than 30 individuals on a limited term 

14 basis pursuant to schedule A of subpart C of 

15 part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal Regula16 tions, or equivalent provisions of law or regula17 tions. 

18 (2) RECOVERY OF FUNDS.— 

19 (A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the du20 ties and responsibilities of the Lab under sub21 section (b), the Administrator shall require a 

22 person or entity that receives funding under a 

23 grant, contract, or cooperative agreement made 

24 by the Lab to return to the Lab any income 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 3924 IH

1 generated under a program carried out under 

2 such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. 

3 (B) TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS.— 

4 (i) IN GENERAL.—The amount of any 

5 program income returned to the Lab pur6 suant to subparagraph (A) may be credited 

7 to the account from which the obligation 

8 and expenditure of funds under the grant, 

9 contract, or cooperative agreement de10 scribed in subparagraph (A) was made. 

11 (ii) AVAILABILITY.— 

12 (I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro13 vided in subclause (II), amounts re14 turned and credited to an account 

15 under clause (i)— 

16 (aa) shall be merged with 

17 other funds in the account; and 

18 (bb) shall be available for 

19 the same purposes and period of 

20 time for which other funds in the 

21 account are available for pro22 grams and activities of the Lab. 

23 (II) EXCEPTION.—Amounts re24 turned and credited to an account 

25 under clause (i) may not be used to 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 3924 IH

1 pay for the employment of individuals 

2 described in paragraph (1)(C). 

3 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis6 trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 

7 States Agency for International Development. 

8 (2) LAB.—The term ‘‘Lab’’ means the United 

9 States Global Development Lab established under 

10 section 3. 

11 (3) USAID.—The term ‘‘USAID’’ means the 

12 United States Agency for International Develop13 ment. 

14 (4) INNOVATION INCENTIVE AWARD.—The term 

15 ‘‘innovation incentive award’’ means the provision of 

16 funding on a competitive basis that— 

17 (A) rewards and spurs the development of 

18 solutions for a particular, well-defined problem; 

19 (B) helps identify and promote a broad 

20 range of ideas and practices that may not oth21 erwise attract attention, facilitating further de22 velopment of the idea or practice by third par23 ties; or 

24 (C) provides such other types of incentives 

25 as the Administrator considers appropriate to 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 3924 IH

1 stimulate innovation that has the potential to 

2 advance the mission of USAID. 

Æ 


smartinez on DSK4TPTVN1PROD with BILLS