I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9892 

To promote the use of smart technologies and systems in communities, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 1, 2024 

Ms. DELBENE (for herself and Ms. CLARKE of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology, Education and the Workforce, and Foreign Affairs, for a period 

to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 

concerned 

A BILL 

To promote the use of smart technologies and systems in 

communities, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Smart Cities and Communities Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Purpose. 


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Sec. 3. Definitions. 

TITLE I—ENHANCING FEDERAL COORDINATION AND 

INVESTMENT IN SMART CITY OR COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 

Sec. 101. Coordination of activities among Federal agencies. 

Sec. 102. Smart city and community resource guide. 

TITLE II—PROVIDING ASSISTANCE TO CITIES AND COMMUNITIES 

Sec. 201. Technology demonstration grant program. 

Sec. 202. Cybersecurity Working Group. 

Sec. 203. TechHire Workforce Training and Development Program. 

Sec. 204. GAO study on innovative financing. 

Sec. 205. Technical assistance, smart city voucher, and technologist in residence programs. 

TITLE III—IMPROVING PERFORMANCE AND INTEROPERABILITY 

Sec. 301. Standards and interoperability framework. 

TITLE IV—INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION AND BEST PRACTICES 

Sec. 401. Development of global smart city or community best practices. 

Sec. 402. Trade program. 

1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to promote smart tech3 nologies and systems to improve community livability, 

4 services, communication, safety, mobility, energy produc5 tivity, and resilience to natural and manmade disasters, 

6 to reduce civic costs, traffic congestion, and air pollution, 

7 and to promote equity, economic growth, and opportuni8 ties for communities of all sizes by— 

9 (1) improving Federal Government coordination 

10 and outreach with respect to smart city or commu11 nity technologies; 

12 (2) promoting the quality and performance of 

13 smart city or community technologies while pro14 tecting— 


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1 (A) the security of data and systems; and 

2 (B) privacy; 

3 (3) demonstrating the value and utility of 

4 smart, local government-owned and -operated serv5 ices through the development and implementation of 

6 performance standards; 

7 (4) providing assistance to local governments 

8 interested in implementing smart city or community 

9 technologies; 

10 (5) developing a workforce skilled in smart city 

11 or community technologies; and 

12 (6) expanding international cooperation and 

13 trade in smart city or community technologies. 

14 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

15 In this Act: 

16 (1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘Council’’ means the 

17 Interagency Council on Smart Cities established 

18 under section 101(a)(1)(A)(i). 

19 (2) DATA.—The term ‘‘data’’ includes informa20 tion and images. 

21 (3) EQUITY; EQUITABLE.—The terms ‘‘equity’’ 

22 and ‘‘equitable’’ mean the consistent and systematic 

23 fair, just, and impartial treatment of individuals 

24 who— 


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1 (A) belong to underserved communities; 

2 and 

3 (B) have been denied systematic fair, just, 

4 and impartial treatment based on race, eth5 nicity, religion, income, geography, gender iden6 tity, sexual orientation, or disability status. 

7 (4) LOCAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD; 

8 STATE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD.—The 

9 terms ‘‘local workforce development board’’ and 

10 ‘‘State workforce development board’’ have the 

11 meanings given the terms ‘‘local board’’ and ‘‘State 

12 board’’, respectively, in section 3 of the Workforce 

13 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102). 

14 (5) SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘Secretaries’’ 

15 means the Secretary, acting in coordination with— 

16 (A) the Secretary of Energy; 

17 (B) the Secretary of Housing and Urban 

18 Development; 

19 (C) the Secretary of Transportation; 

20 (D) the Director of the National Science 

21 Foundation; and 

22 (E) as the Secretary determines to be ap23 propriate— 

24 (i) the Secretary of Health and 

25 Human Services; 


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1 (ii) the Secretary of Homeland Secu2 rity; 

3 (iii) the Secretary of Labor; and 

4 (iv) the Secretary of State. 

5 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’, unless 

6 otherwise specified, means the Secretary of Com7 merce. 

8 (7) SMART CITY OR COMMUNITY.— 

9 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘smart city 

10 or community’’ means a community in which 

11 innovative, advanced, and trustworthy informa12 tion, communications, and energy technologies 

13 and related mechanisms are applied— 

14 (i) to improve the health and quality 

15 of life of residents; 

16 (ii) to increase the efficiency and cost 

17 effectiveness of civic operations and serv18 ices; 

19 (iii) to promote economic growth; and 

20 (iv) to create a community that is 

21 safer and more secure, equitable, sustain22 able, resilient, livable, and workable. 

23 (B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘smart city 

24 or community’’ includes a local jurisdiction 

25 that— 


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1 (i) gathers and incorporates data from 

2 systems, devices, and sensors embedded in 

3 civic systems and infrastructure to improve 

4 the effectiveness and efficiency of civic op5 erations and services; 

6 (ii) aggregates and analyzes gathered 

7 data; 

8 (iii) communicates the analysis per9 formed under clause (ii), and the data de10 scribed in that clause, in a variety of for11 mats; 

12 (iv) makes corresponding improve13 ments to civic systems and services based 

14 on gathered data; 

15 (v) coordinates with relevant public 

16 and private sector entities (including enti17 ties providing electric, water, telecommuni18 cations, energy, and transportation serv19 ices) to leverage the activities carried out 

20 by those entities; 

21 (vi) integrates measures— 

22 (I) to ensure the resilience of 

23 civic systems against cybersecurity 

24 threats and physical vulnerabilities 

25 and breaches; 


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1 (II) to protect the private data of 

2 residents; and 

3 (III) to measure the impact of 

4 smart city or community technologies 

5 on the effectiveness, equity, and effi6 ciency of civic operations and services; 

7 and 

8 (vii) promotes regional coordination of 

9 the activities described in clauses (i) 

10 through (vi). 

11 (8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means— 

12 (A) a State; 

13 (B) the District of Columbia; 

14 (C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

15 and 

16 (D) any other territory or possession of the 

17 United States. 

18 (9) WORKING GROUP.—The term ‘‘Working 

19 Group’’ means the Cybersecurity Working Group es20 tablished under section 202(b)(1). 


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1 TITLE I—ENHANCING FEDERAL 

2 COORDINATION AND INVEST3 MENT IN SMART CITY OR 

4 COMMUNITY PROGRAMS 

5 SEC. 101. COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES AMONG FEDERAL 

6 AGENCIES. 

7 (a) COORDINATION.— 

8 (1) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.— 

9 (A) FEDERAL COUNCIL.— 

10 (i) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secre11 taries shall establish a council of Federal 

12 agencies, to be known as the ‘‘Interagency 

13 Council on Smart Cities’’, to promote the 

14 coordination of the activities and funding 

15 from Federal agencies relating to smart 

16 cities or communities. 

17 (ii) MEMBERSHIP.—The Council 

18 shall— 

19 (I) be led by the Office of Science 

20 and Technology Policy; 

21 (II) be co-chaired by the Director 

22 of the Office of Science and Tech23 nology Policy and the Secretary; and 

24 (III) include— 


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1 (aa) the Secretary of En2 ergy; 

3 (bb) the Secretary of Hous4 ing and Urban Development; 

5 (cc) the Secretary of Trans6 portation; 

7 (dd) the Director of the Na8 tional Science Foundation; and 

9 (ee) the heads of such other 

10 Federal agencies as the Secretary 

11 determines to be appropriate, in12 cluding— 

13 (AA) the Secretary of 

14 Homeland Security; 

15 (BB) the Secretary of 

16 Labor; and 

17 (CC) the Secretary of 

18 State. 

19 (B) PRIORITIZATION.—For purposes of co20 ordinating Federal activities under subpara21 graph (A), the Secretaries shall prioritize the 

22 conduct of Federal activities that would— 

23 (i) demonstrate smart city or commu24 nity technologies in repeatable ways that 

25 can rapidly be scaled; 


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1 (ii) encourage public, private, re2 gional, national, and international sharing 

3 of data and best practices; 

4 (iii) encourage private sector innova5 tion by promoting industry-driven tech6 nology standards, open platforms, tech7 nology-neutral requirements, and inter8 operability; 

9 (iv) promote— 

10 (I) a skilled workforce; 

11 (II) an open and competitive 

12 global market for smart city or com13 munity technologies; 

14 (III) inclusion of all citizens, in15 cluding minority or disadvantaged 

16 groups; 

17 (IV) protocols and standards that 

18 allow for the measurement and valida19 tion of the cost savings and perform20 ance improvements associated with 

21 the installation and use of smart city 

22 or community technologies and prac23 tices; and 


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1 (V) equitable distribution of ben2 efits gained from the use of smart 

3 technologies; 

4 (v) foster the growth of the smart city 

5 or community technology industry and 

6 workforce in the United States; 

7 (vi) encourage the adoption of smart 

8 city or community technologies by commu9 nities; 

10 (vii) safeguard cybersecurity, includ11 ing by promoting industry practices relat12 ing to cybersecurity; and 

13 (viii) safeguard privacy and, in con14 sultation with cities, communities, and in15 dustry entities, establish parameters and 

16 best practices for the full life cycle man17 agement of all types of smart city or com18 munity data, including— 

19 (I) best practices for the collec20 tion, storage, disposal, ownership, and 

21 sharing of data; and 

22 (II) best practices for data trans23 parency and data use limitations. 

24 (C) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretaries 

25 shall— 


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1 (i) ensure that the Federal activities 

2 described in subparagraph (B) relating to 

3 safeguarding cybersecurity take into ac4 count existing Federal, State, and local 

5 frameworks, guidelines, and best practices 

6 when considering the application of those 

7 frameworks, guidelines, and best practices 

8 to smart city technologies; 

9 (ii) ensure that the Federal activities 

10 described in subparagraph (B) take into 

11 consideration software quality, especially 

12 as software quality impacts reproducibility, 

13 maintainability, reliability, and security of 

14 systems, especially high-confidence sys15 tems; 

16 (iii) conduct privacy impact assess17 ments for Federal activities that could neg18 atively affect privacy; and 

19 (iv) ensure the privacy of individuals 

20 by providing guidelines for— 

21 (I) the use of technologies with 

22 inherent privacy and security consid23 erations; 

24 (II) screening vendors and part25 ners to prevent the inclusion of orgaVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:11 Oct 17, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9892.IH H9892

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1 nizations and individuals that have 

2 been involved in, or affiliated with, il3 legal or unethical uses of data; 

4 (III) contractually obligating ven5 dors and partners to maintain legal 

6 and ethical data standards with re7 spect to privacy and data security; 

8 and 

9 (IV) monitoring for compliance 

10 with the requirements of this clause. 

11 (2) STRATEGY.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries, acting 

13 through the Council, in consultation with indus14 try entities, cities, and communities, shall de15 velop a multiyear strategy for— 

16 (i) the coordination of activities and 

17 funding under paragraph (1)(A); 

18 (ii) the development of partnerships 

19 with the private sector relating to smart 

20 cities or communities; and 

21 (iii) the promotion of international co22 operation with respect to smart city or 

23 community technologies and standards. 

24 (B) REQUIREMENT.—The Secretaries shall 

25 coordinate with the heads of any applicable 


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1 Federal agencies to leverage private sector and 

2 non-Federal public investment in smart city or 

3 community technologies consistent with the 

4 strategy developed under subparagraph (A). 

5 (3) ASSESSMENT.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 

7 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 

8 the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the 

9 heads of other applicable Federal agencies, shall 

10 coordinate with such private and public organi11 zations and units of local government as the 

12 Secretary of Labor determines to be appro13 priate regarding the preparation of a smart city 

14 or community technology workforce needs as15 sessment. 

16 (B) SUBMISSION.—On completion of the 

17 assessment prepared under subparagraph (A), 

18 the Secretary of Labor shall submit to the ap19 propriate committees of Congress and the 

20 Council the completed assessment. 

21 (4) COORDINATION OF FUNDS.—In promoting 

22 the coordination of Federal funding relating to 

23 smart city or community activities under paragraph 

24 (1)(A) and in accordance with the strategy developed 


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1 under paragraph (2)(A), each of the Secretaries 

2 shall— 

3 (A) track, with respect to the appropriate 

4 Federal agency, the expenditures and planned 

5 expenditures of Federal funds for smart city- or 

6 community-related activities, together with le7 veraged non-Federal matching funds; and 

8 (B) coordinate with the head of any other 

9 applicable Federal agency that allocates funds 

10 for smart city or community activities— 

11 (i) to achieve greater benefits from ac12 tivities using Federal funds; 

13 (ii) to produce integrated projects re14 lating to those activities; and 

15 (iii) to leverage complementary invest16 ments of other Federal agencies in those 

17 activities. 

18 (b) SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION AND BIENNIAL

19 REPORT.—During the 6-year period beginning on the date 

20 of enactment of this Act— 

21 (1) the head of each applicable Federal agency 

22 shall submit to the Secretary information for inclu23 sion in the report submitted under paragraph (2); 

24 and 


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1 (2) not less frequently than once every 2 years, 

2 the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on 

3 Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Energy 

4 and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Com5 mittees on Energy and Commerce and Transpor6 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Represent7 atives a report, based on the information described 

8 in paragraph (1), that includes— 

9 (A) an update of the status of relevant 

10 smart city or community technology develop11 ments and applications, including broadband in12 frastructure; 

13 (B) a description of any related program 

14 or activity that is funded by the Federal agency 

15 during the period covered by the report; 

16 (C) the budget of the Federal agency for 

17 supporting smart city or community activities, 

18 as described in subsection (a)(4)(A); 

19 (D) any non-Federal cost-share contrib20 uted for activities for which Federal assistance 

21 is provided under this section; 

22 (E) a description of the strategy developed 

23 under subsection (a)(2)(A), including a descrip24 tion of how the relevant programs are pro25 gressing under that strategy; 


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1 (F) a description of outreach activities con2 ducted under section 102(d), including the 

3 amount and type of assistance required by cities 

4 and communities to overcome barriers to imple5 menting smart city or community technologies, 

6 and any Federal actions necessary to meet 

7 those needs; 

8 (G) a description of projects funded under 

9 section 201, including a description of— 

10 (i) project outcomes and performance; 

11 (ii) the use of leveraged non-Federal 

12 funds; 

13 (iii) the equitable distribution of Fed14 eral funds; and 

15 (iv) how each project fulfills the prior16 ities described in subsection (a)(1)(B); and 

17 (H) such other information as the Sec18 retary determines to be necessary. 

19 SEC. 102. SMART CITY AND COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE. 

20 (a) PUBLICATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries, in coordina22 tion with the heads of any other applicable Federal 

23 agencies, shall create, publish, and maintain, for a 

24 period of not less than 6 years beginning on the date 

25 that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this 


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1 Act, a resource guide designed to assist States, com2 munities, and cities in the United States in devel3 oping and implementing smart city or community 

4 programs. 

5 (2) INFORMATION INCLUDED.—The Secretaries, 

6 in coordination with cities, communities, and indus7 try entities, shall determine which information shall 

8 be included in the guide under paragraph (1). 

9 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The guide published under 

10 subsection (a)(1)— 

11 (1) shall be maintained electronically on a 

12 website; 

13 (2) shall be provided as an electronic reference 

14 guide available to the public free of charge; and 

15 (3) may include— 

16 (A) a compilation of existing related pro17 grams of the Federal Government available to 

18 communities, including technical assistance, 

19 education, training, research and development, 

20 analysis, and funding; 

21 (B) available examples of local govern22 ments engaging private sector entities in order 

23 to implement smart city or community solu24 tions, including public-private partnership mod25 els, such as the use of energy savings performVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:11 Oct 17, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9892.IH H9892

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1 ance contracts and utility energy service con2 tracts or other innovative models, that could be 

3 used to leverage private sector funding to in4 crease energy productivity and reduce water, 

5 transportation, and other costs to cities and 

6 communities, including the results of the study 

7 conducted under section 204; 

8 (C) available examples of proven methods 

9 for local governments and utilities to facilitate 

10 the integration of smart technologies with new 

11 and existing infrastructure and systems; 

12 (D) best practices and lessons learned 

13 from technology demonstrations, including re14 turn on investment, equitable distribution of 

15 benefits, and performance information to help 

16 cities and communities decide how to initiate in17 tegration of smart technologies; 

18 (E) Federal, State, and local best practices 

19 for safeguarding cybersecurity and ensuring ap20 propriate data management and data privacy; 

21 (F) technical specifications for wireless or 

22 wired broadband infrastructure to support 

23 smart city or community technologies; and 


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1 (G) such other topics as are requested by 

2 industry entities or local governments or deter3 mined to be necessary by the Secretaries. 

4 (c) EXISTING GUIDES.—In creating, publishing, and 

5 maintaining the guide under subsection (a)(1), the Secre6 taries shall consider Federal, State, and local guides pub7 lished before, on, or after the date of enactment of this 

8 Act relating to smart city or community goals, activities, 

9 and best practices— 

10 (1) to prevent duplication of efforts by the Fed11 eral Government; and 

12 (2) to leverage existing complementary efforts. 

13 (d) OUTREACH.—The Secretaries, in coordination 

14 with the heads of any applicable Federal agencies and in 

15 consultation with applicable private sector entities, shall 

16 conduct outreach to States, cities, and communities— 

17 (1) to provide interested States, cities, and com18 munities with the guide published under subsection 

19 (a)(1); 

20 (2) to promote the consideration of smart city 

21 or community technologies and encourage States 

22 and local governments to contribute smart city or 

23 community program and activity data to the guide 

24 published under subsection (a)(1); 

25 (3) to identify— 


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1 (A) barriers to smart city or community 

2 technology adoption; 

3 (B) opportunities to increase the equitable 

4 distribution of benefits from the use of smart 

5 city or community technology; 

6 (C) any necessary research, development, 

7 and assistance, including in Tribal, rural, and 

8 underserved communities; and 

9 (D) local government programs that could 

10 be included in the guide under subsection 

11 (a)(1); 

12 (4) to respond to requests for assistance, ad13 vice, or consultation from cities and communities; 

14 and 

15 (5) for other purposes, as identified by the Sec16 retaries. 

17 TITLE II—PROVIDING ASSIST18 ANCE TO CITIES AND COMMU19 NITIES 

20 SEC. 201. TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION GRANT PRO21 GRAM. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

23 smart city or community regional demonstration grant 

24 program under which the Secretary shall conduct dem25 onstration projects focused on advanced smart city or 


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1 community technologies and systems in a variety of com2 munities, including small- and medium-sized cities and 

3 rural and Tribal communities. 

4 (b) GOALS.—The goals of the program established 

5 under subsection (a) are— 

6 (1) to demonstrate— 

7 (A) potential benefits of concentrated in8 vestments in smart city or community tech9 nologies that are repeatable and scalable across 

10 cities of different sizes; and 

11 (B) the efficiency, equity, reliability, and 

12 resilience of civic infrastructure and services; 

13 (2) to facilitate the adoption of advanced smart 

14 city or community technologies and collaboration be15 tween small- and medium- to large-sized cities; and 

16 (3) to demonstrate protocols and standards that 

17 allow for the measurement and validation of the cost 

18 savings and performance improvements associated 

19 with the installation and use of smart city or com20 munity technologies and practices. 

21 (c) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— 

22 (1) ELIGIBILITY.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 

23 unit of local government shall be eligible to receive 

24 a grant for a demonstration project under this sec25 tion. 


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1 (2) APPLICATION; COOPERATION.—To qualify 

2 for a demonstration project under this section, a 

3 unit of local government shall— 

4 (A) submit to the Secretary an application 

5 for a grant for a demonstration project at such 

6 time and containing such information as the 

7 Secretary may require; and 

8 (B) agree to follow applicable best prac9 tices identified by the Secretaries, in consulta10 tion with industry entities and institutions of 

11 higher education, to evaluate the effectiveness 

12 of the implemented smart city or community 

13 technologies to ensure that— 

14 (i) technologies and interoperability 

15 can be assessed; 

16 (ii) best practices can be shared; and 

17 (iii) data can be shared in a public, 

18 interoperable, and transparent format. 

19 (3) FEDERAL SHARE OF COST OF TECHNOLOGY

20 INVESTMENTS.—The Secretary— 

21 (A) subject to subparagraph (B), shall pro22 vide to a unit of local government selected 

23 under this section for the conduct of a dem24 onstration project a grant in an amount equal 

25 to not more than 50 percent of the total cost 


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1 of technology investments to incorporate and 

2 assess qualifying smart city or community tech3 nologies in the applicable jurisdiction; and 

4 (B) may waive the cost-share requirement 

5 of subparagraph (A) as the Secretary deter6 mines to be appropriate. 

7 (d) REQUIREMENT.—In conducting demonstration 

8 projects under this section, the Secretary shall— 

9 (1) develop competitive, technology-neutral re10 quirements; 

11 (2) seek to award grants and distribute benefits 

12 from smart city technologies in an equitable manner; 

13 (3) seek to leverage ongoing or existing civic in14 frastructure investments; and 

15 (4) take into consideration the non-Federal cost 

16 share as a competitive criterion in applicant selec17 tion in order to leverage non-Federal investment. 

18 (e) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND RE19 PORTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that reports, public 

20 data sets, schematics, diagrams, and other works created 

21 using a grant provided under this section are— 

22 (1) available on a royalty-free, non-exclusive 

23 basis; and 

24 (2) open to the public to reproduce, publish, or 

25 otherwise use, without cost. 


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1 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

3 out subsection (c) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

4 2025 through 2029. 

5 SEC. 202. CYBERSECURITY WORKING GROUP. 

6 (a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con7 gress that— 

8 (1) the work conducted by the Internet Policy 

9 Task Force and the Digital Economy Leadership 

10 Team of the Department of Commerce to foster an 

11 enabling environment for Internet of Things tech12 nology to grow and thrive, allow the private sector 

13 to lead, and promote technology-neutral standards 

14 and consensus-based multi-stakeholder approaches 

15 to policymaking at local, Tribal, State, Federal, and 

16 international levels on issues ranging from the secu17 rity to the competitiveness of the United States is 

18 valuable and should be continued; and 

19 (2) the work conducted by the Department of 

20 Commerce and the National Telecommunications 

21 and Information Administration to create resources 

22 for communities seeking to adopt smart cities or 

23 communities technology is valuable and should be 

24 continued. 

25 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta2 tion with the Council, shall convene a multistake3 holder working group, to be known as the ‘‘Cyberse4 curity Working Group’’, to develop tools for commu5 nities to use to evaluate the cybersecurity of smart 

6 city or community technologies. 

7 (2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—In appointing members 

9 to the Working Group, the Secretary shall con10 sider appointing— 

11 (i) representatives of consumer groups 

12 and civil liberties organizations; 

13 (ii) representatives of small units of 

14 local government, as determined by the 

15 Secretary; 

16 (iii) representatives of large units of 

17 local government, as determined by the 

18 Secretary; 

19 (iv) manufacturers of smart city or 

20 community devices, equipment, and soft21 ware; 

22 (v) individuals with expertise in com23 munications networks; 

24 (vi) Federal, State, and local law en25 forcement officials; 


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1 (vii) individuals with other expertise 

2 necessary to carry out the duties of the 

3 Working Group; and 

4 (viii) such representatives of the 

5 Council as the Secretary determines to be 

6 appropriate. 

7 (B) REPRESENTATION.—In appointing 

8 members to the Working Group, the Secretary 

9 shall ensure that the Working Group includes 

10 an equitable multidisciplinary cross section of 

11 smart city or community stakeholders. 

12 (3) DUTIES.—The Working Group shall— 

13 (A) leverage and build on previous activi14 ties carried out by the Department of Com15 merce relating to Internet of Things technology; 

16 (B) develop tools for communities to evalu17 ate the cybersecurity of smart city or commu18 nity technology being considered by the commu19 nities for adoption in those communities; 

20 (C) develop tools for communities to pro21 tect against cybersecurity threats relevant to 

22 the technology the community has chosen to 

23 adopt; 

24 (D)(i) assess— 


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1 (I) whether Internet of Things cyber2 security standards should exist; and 

3 (II) whether the standards described 

4 in subclause (I) should be voluntary or 

5 mandatory; and 

6 (ii) identify which entity is appropriate to 

7 devise the standards described in clause (i)(I); 

8 and 

9 (E) submit to the Council a report that de10 scribes the findings of the Working Group. 

11 SEC. 203. TECHHIRE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND DEVEL12 OPMENT PROGRAM. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after 

14 the date of enactment of this Act, based on findings from 

15 the needs assessment conducted under section 101(a)(3), 

16 the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary, 

17 shall establish a pilot program, to be known as the 

18 ‘‘TechHire Workforce Training and Development Pilot 

19 Program’’, under which the Secretary of Labor, during the 

20 5-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this 

21 Act, shall provide to eligible entities, on a competitive 

22 basis, grants for technology-based job training and edu23 cation programs that provide an industry-recognized cer24 tificate or certification. 


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1 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—A job training and education 

2 program that is carried out with a grant under this section 

3 shall— 

4 (1) provide technology-based training across 2 

5 or more sectors; 

6 (2) focus on equitable smart city or community 

7 technologies, systems, and infrastructure which may 

8 span across all sectors of the economy; 

9 (3) address privacy and cybersecurity consider10 ations; and 

11 (4) address smart city or community workforce 

12 needs identified by the Secretary of Labor, after 

13 consultation with other applicable Federal agencies. 

14 (c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—To be eligible to receive a 

15 grant under this section, an entity shall be a public organi16 zation or an organization described in section 501(c) of 

17 the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax18 ation under section 501(a) of that Code that— 

19 (1) includes an advisory board, which may be— 

20 (A)(i) a local workforce development board; 

21 (ii) a State workforce development board; 

22 or 

23 (iii) an appropriate subgroup of a local 

24 workforce development board or a State work25 force development board; or 


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1 (B) a board of proportional participation, 

2 as determined by the Secretary of Labor, of rel3 evant organizations, including— 

4 (i) relevant industry organizations, in5 cluding public and private employers; 

6 (ii) labor organizations; 

7 (iii) one or more units of local govern8 ment that are actively pursuing smart city 

9 or community programs; or 

10 (iv) postsecondary education organiza11 tions; 

12 (2) demonstrates experience in implementing 

13 and operating job training and education programs; 

14 (3) demonstrates the ability to recruit and sup15 port individuals who plan to work in a relevant sec16 tor on the successful completion of relevant job 

17 training and education programs; 

18 (4)(A) provides students who complete the 

19 training and education program with an industry20 recognized certificate or certification; or 

21 (B) uses a curriculum that has received exten22 sive feedback from employers; 

23 (5) demonstrates the quality of the proposed 

24 program of job training and education, including the 


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1 training services that lead to an industry-recognized 

2 certificate or certification; and 

3 (6) demonstrates successful outcomes con4 necting graduates of job training and education pro5 grams to quality jobs relevant to the job training 

6 and education programs. 

7 (d) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity seeking a 

8 grant under this section shall submit to the Secretary of 

9 Labor an application at such time, in such manner, and 

10 containing such information as the Secretary of Labor 

11 may require. 

12 (e) PRIORITY.—In selecting eligible entities to receive 

13 grants under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall 

14 prioritize applicants that— 

15 (1)(A) are a local workforce development board 

16 or State workforce development board; or 

17 (B) demonstrate a strong partnership with a 

18 local workforce development board or State work19 force development board; 

20 (2) house the job training and education pro21 gram in— 

22 (A) an institution of higher education (as 

23 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

24 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)), including a 

25 community college, that includes basic science, 


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1 technology, and mathematics education in the 

2 curriculum of the institution of higher edu3 cation; or 

4 (B) an apprenticeship program registered 

5 with the Department of Labor or a State; 

6 (3) work with the Secretary of Defense or vet7 erans organizations to transition members of the 

8 Armed Forces and veterans to careers in a relevant 

9 sector; 

10 (4) include in the application an entity that re11 ceives State funding or is operated by a State agen12 cy; 

13 (5) include an apprenticeship program reg14 istered with the Department of Labor or a State as 

15 part of the job training and education program; 

16 (6) provide support services and career coach17 ing; 

18 (7) provide entry-level technology workforce 

19 training aimed at matching workers with well-paying 

20 jobs; or 

21 (8) propose to serve— 

22 (A) young adults between the ages of 16 

23 and 24; or 

24 (B) individuals with barriers to employ25 ment (as defined in section 3 of the Workforce 


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1 Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 

2 3102)). 

3 (f) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION.—In making grants 

4 under this section, the Secretary of Labor shall consider 

5 equity and regional diversity. 

6 (g) LIMITATION ON APPLICATIONS.—An eligible enti7 ty may not submit, either individually or as part of a joint 

8 application, more than 1 application for a grant under this 

9 section during any 1 fiscal year. 

10 (h) LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF GRANT.—The 

11 amount of a single grant provided under this section for 

12 any 1 year shall not exceed $5,000,000. 

13 (i) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non-Federal share 

14 of the cost of a job training and education program carried 

15 out using a grant under this section shall be not less than 

16 25 percent of the total cost. 

17 (j) REDUCTION OF DUPLICATION.—Before submit18 ting an application for a grant under this section, each 

19 applicant shall— 

20 (1) consult with the heads of appropriate Fed21 eral agencies; and 

22 (2) coordinate the proposed activities of the ap23 plicant with existing State and local programs. 

24 (k) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary of 

25 Labor, in consultation with the Secretary, may provide 


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1 technical assistance to eligible entities under subsection 

2 (c) to leverage the existing job training and education pro3 grams of the Department of Labor and other relevant pro4 grams at appropriate Federal agencies. 

5 (l) REPORT.—Not less frequently than once every 2 

6 years, the Secretary of Labor shall submit to Congress, 

7 and make publicly available on the website of the Depart8 ment of Labor, a report on the program established under 

9 this section, including a description of— 

10 (1) any entity that receives a grant under this 

11 section; 

12 (2) activities carried out using the grants under 

13 this section; 

14 (3) best practices used to leverage the invest15 ment of the Federal Government under this section; 

16 and 

17 (4) an assessment of the results achieved by the 

18 program established under this section, including the 

19 equitable distribution of benefits and the rate of em20 ployment for participants after completing a job 

21 training and education program carried out using a 

22 grant under this section. 

23 (m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

24 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

25 $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 SEC. 204. GAO STUDY ON INNOVATIVE FINANCING. 

2 Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

4 shall conduct a study to identify— 

5 (1) financial and procurement mechanisms cur6 rently available to public and private entities to fund 

7 smart city or community activities and associated 

8 demonstration projects, including ‘‘pay for perform9 ance’’ financing that could deliver measurable and 

10 verifiable market and non-market values to smart 

11 cities or communities; 

12 (2) new and innovative financial and procure13 ment mechanisms under development or used experi14 mentally that may be available, in the near term, to 

15 public and private entities to fund smart city or 

16 community activities and associated demonstration 

17 projects; 

18 (3) barriers to creative financing solutions for 

19 smart city or community activities and associated 

20 demonstration projects, including procurement bar21 riers faced by State and local governments; and 

22 (4) ways to leverage private sector investments 

23 in smart cities and communities. 


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1 SEC. 205. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, SMART CITY VOUCHER, 

2 AND TECHNOLOGIST IN RESIDENCE PRO3 GRAMS. 

4 (a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—The Sec5 retary of Energy (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Sec6 retary’’) shall establish a program to provide technical as7 sistance to cities and communities seeking to incorporate 

8 smart city or community technologies. 

9 (b) SMART CITY VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

11 a pilot program (referred to in this section as the 

12 ‘‘pilot program’’) under which the Secretary shall 

13 provide assistance, including through vouchers, to 

14 cities and communities (including cities or commu15 nities partnered with a small business concern (as 

16 defined in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

17 U.S.C. 632))) to improve, for the purposes of pro18 moting smart city or community technologies and 

19 commercialization— 

20 (A) the access of cities and communities to 

21 the expertise, competencies, and infrastructure 

22 of National Laboratories; and 

23 (B) the products, services, and capabilities 

24 of those cities and communities. 

25 (2) VOUCHER.—A voucher provided under the 

26 pilot program may be redeemed at any National 


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1 Laboratory or laboratory of the Department of En2 ergy. 

3 (3) COLLABORATION.—The Secretary shall 

4 carry out the pilot program in collaboration with the 

5 Director of each National Laboratory. 

6 (4) COST SHARING.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

8 subparagraph (B), section 988 of the Energy 

9 Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352) shall 

10 apply to financial assistance provided under this 

11 section. 

12 (B) EXCEPTION.—The Secretary may 

13 waive section 988 of that Act (42 U.S.C. 

14 16352) in providing financial assistance under 

15 the pilot program to cities or communities that 

16 partner with a small business concern that is 

17 socially or economically disadvantaged, as deter18 mined by the Secretary. 

19 (c) TECHNOLOGIST IN RESIDENCE PILOT PRO20 GRAM.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall expand 

22 the Technologist in Residence pilot program of the 

23 Department of Energy to include partnerships be24 tween National Laboratories and cities or commuVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:11 Oct 17, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9892.IH H9892

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1 nities with respect to research and development re2 lating to smart cities or communities. 

3 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—For purposes of the part4 nerships entered into under paragraph (1), tech5 nologists in residence shall work with an assigned 

6 city or community to develop an assessment of smart 

7 city or community technologies available and appro8 priate to meet the smart city or community objec9 tives of the city or community. 

10 (d) GUIDANCE.—The Secretary, in consultation with 

11 the Secretary of Commerce, shall issue guidance with re12 spect to— 

13 (1) the scope of the programs established under 

14 subsections (a) through (c); and 

15 (2) requests for proposals from cities and com16 munities interested in participating in those pro17 grams. 

18 (e) CONSIDERATIONS.—In establishing the programs 

19 under subsections (a) through (c), the Secretary shall seek 

20 to address the needs of small- and medium-sized cities, 

21 counties, and Tribal governments. 

22 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

23 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

24 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029. 


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1 TITLE III—IMPROVING PER2 FORMANCE AND INTEROPER3 ABILITY 

4 SEC. 301. STANDARDS AND INTEROPERABILITY FRAME5 WORK. 

6 (a) PARTICIPATION.—To strengthen the public-pri7 vate partnership approach to smart city-related or commu8 nity-related standards development and interoperability, 

9 the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National 

10 Institute of Standards and Technology, shall strongly en11 courage and support participation by Federal Government 

12 experts in private sector-led, standards-related activities 

13 that convene smart city or community stakeholders, in14 cluding representatives of applicable Federal agencies. 

15 (b) ACTIVITIES.—To promote innovation and eco16 nomic competitiveness and to achieve interoperability of 

17 smart city or community devices and systems, while 

18 strengthening the United States approach to private sec19 tor-led standardization activities and the participation of 

20 Federal representatives under subsection (a), the Sec21 retary, in consultation with private and public sector 

22 stakeholders, shall— 

23 (1) survey and review domestic and inter24 national smart city or community performance 


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1 standards, existing architectures, applications, and 

2 deployments, and interoperability standards; 

3 (2) make consensus-based recommendations— 

4 (A) to identify gaps in the smart city or 

5 community performance standards and inter6 operability standards under paragraph (1); 

7 (B) to harmonize existing standards and 

8 deployment efforts and enable greater inter9 operability across smart city or community 

10 technologies; 

11 (C) to coordinate domestic and inter12 national performance standards and interoper13 ability standards to promote uniform perform14 ance standards and interoperability standards 

15 worldwide, including with respect to the need 

16 for testing and demonstration; and 

17 (D) for guidelines to enable interoperability 

18 in the collection, storage, ownership, and shar19 ing of data; 

20 (3) based on the recommendations under para21 graph (2), develop a consensus-based framework 

22 that includes protocols and model standards for the 

23 management and exchange of information, including 

24 existing guidelines, best practices, and industry con25 sensus standards; 


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1 (4) ensure that cybersecurity and privacy are 

2 core elements of the recommended performance 

3 standards and interoperability standards; and 

4 (5) lead international coordination efforts to de5 velop industry-led, technology-neutral, voluntary, 

6 consensus-based global smart city or community per7 formance standards and interoperability standards. 

8 TITLE IV—INTERNATIONAL CO9 OPERATION AND BEST PRAC10 TICES 

11 SEC. 401. DEVELOPMENT OF GLOBAL SMART CITY OR COM12 MUNITY BEST PRACTICES. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretaries may carry out ac14 tivities— 

15 (1) to enable cities and communities in the 

16 United States and other countries to work together 

17 toward shared smart city- or community-related 

18 goals; 

19 (2) to promote smart city or community solu20 tions that provide measurable benefits to local gov21 ernments and residents; 

22 (3) to enable an open, global marketplace for 

23 smart city or community technologies based on vol24 untary, consensus-based, and technology-neutral 

25 standards; and 


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1 (4) to connect innovators from industry and 

2 academia to local governments to catalyze the emer3 gence of open and advanced technologies that— 

4 (A) meet community needs; and 

5 (B) advance innovation and open competi6 tion. 

7 (b) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—The activities described 

8 in subsection (a) may include grants, contracts, chal9 lenges, prize competitions, public-private partnerships, 

10 and other innovative mechanisms. 

11 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

13 appropriated to the Secretaries to carry out this sec14 tion $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

15 through 2029. 

16 (2) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Funds 

17 made available under paragraph (1) may not be used 

18 to provide assistance to— 

19 (A) a foreign country; or 

20 (B) a foreign company (excluding any 

21 United States subsidiary of a foreign holding 

22 company). 

23 SEC. 402. TRADE PROGRAM. 

24 The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of 

25 State, such other members of the Council as the Secretary 


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1 determines to be appropriate, and private stakeholders, 

2 shall establish a strategic international smart cities and 

3 communities trade program, which shall include trade mis4 sions— 

5 (1) to promote the export of United States 

6 smart cities or communities technologies; 

7 (2) to stimulate job growth in the United 

8 States; 

9 (3) to identify potential partners and strategies 

10 for companies in the United States in target foreign 

11 market sectors; 

12 (4) to organize events with local governments, 

13 businesses, associations, academia, and other stake14 holders to promote smart city or community partner15 ships; 

16 (5) to assist in the development of competitive 

17 strategies and foreign market access for smart city 

18 or community technology business interests of the 

19 United States; 

20 (6) to assist in developing appropriate Federal 

21 policy relating to interests of businesses in the 

22 United States and businesses in international smart 

23 cities or communities; 


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1 (7) to assist in achieving commitments of the 

2 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate 

3 Change; 

4 (8) to assist in lowering the cost to consumers 

5 of smart cities or communities technologies; 

6 (9) to leverage expertise in infrastructure to de7 liver solutions that can help make communities more 

8 efficient, equitable, livable, and sustainable; and 

9 (10) to work with the United States Agency for 

10 International Development, the United States Inter11 national Development Finance Corporation, and the 

12 Export-Import Bank of the United States to identify 

13 opportunities to finance international investment in 

14 smart cities or communities technology companies of 

15 the United States. 

Æ 


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