II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4639 

To establish in the National Institute of Standards and Technology the 

Foundation for Standards and Metrology, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 8, 2024 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. HICKENLOOPER, and Mrs. FISCHER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish in the National Institute of Standards and Technology the Foundation for Standards and Metrology, 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 ‘‘Expanding Partner5 ships for Innovation and Competitiveness Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FOUNDATION FOR STANDARDS AND METROLOGY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle B of title II of the Re8 search and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act 

9 (42 U.S.C. 18931 et seq.; relating to measurement reVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:22 Aug 16, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4639.IS S4639

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1 search of the National Institute of Standards and Tech2 nology for the future; enacted as part of division B of Pub3 lic Law 117–167) is amended by adding at the end the 

4 following new section: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 10236. FOUNDATION FOR STANDARDS AND METROL6 OGY. 

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

8 through the Director, shall establish a nonprofit corpora9 tion to be known as the ‘Foundation for Standards and 

10 Metrology’. 

11 ‘‘(b) MISSION.—The mission of the Foundation shall 

12 be to— 

13 ‘‘(1) support the Institute in carrying out its 

14 activities and mission to advance measurement 

15 science, technical standards, and technology in ways 

16 that enhance the economic security and prosperity of 

17 the United States; and 

18 ‘‘(2) advance collaboration with researchers, in19 stitutions of higher education, industry, and non20 profit and philanthropic organizations to accelerate 

21 the development of technical standards, measure22 ment science, and the commercialization of emerging 

23 technologies in the United States. 


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1 ‘‘(c) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out its mission under 

2 subsection (b), the Foundation may carry out the fol3 lowing: 

4 ‘‘(1) Support international metrology and tech5 nical standards engagement activities. 

6 ‘‘(2) Support studies, projects, and research on 

7 metrology and the development of benchmarks and 

8 technical standards infrastructure across the Insti9 tute’s mission areas. 

10 ‘‘(3) Advance collaboration between the Insti11 tute and researchers, industry, nonprofit and philan12 thropic organizations, institutions of higher edu13 cation, federally funded research and development 

14 centers, and State, Tribal, and local governments. 

15 ‘‘(4) Support the expansion and improvement of 

16 research facilities and infrastructure at the Institute 

17 to advance the development of emerging tech18 nologies. 

19 ‘‘(5) Support the commercialization of federally 

20 funded research. 

21 ‘‘(6) Conduct education and outreach activities. 

22 ‘‘(7) Offer direct support to NIST associates, 

23 including through the provision of fellowships, 

24 grants, stipends, travel, health insurance, profes25 sional development training, housing, technical and 


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1 administrative assistance, recognition awards for 

2 outstanding performance, and occupational safety 

3 and awareness training and support, and other ap4 propriate expenditures. 

5 ‘‘(8) Conduct such other activities as deter6 mined necessary by the Foundation to carry out its 

7 mission. 

8 ‘‘(d) AUTHORITY OF THE FOUNDATION.—The Foun9 dation shall be the sole entity responsible for carrying out 

10 the activities described in subsection (c). 

11 ‘‘(e) STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.—The Founda12 tion shall convene, and may consult with, representatives 

13 from the Institute, institutions of higher education, the 

14 private sector, non-profit organizations, and commer15 cialization organizations to develop activities for the mis16 sion of the Foundation under subsection (b) and to ad17 vance the activities of the Foundation under subsection 

18 (c). 

19 ‘‘(f) LIMITATION.—The Foundation shall not be an 

20 agency or instrumentality of the Federal Government. 

21 ‘‘(g) SUPPORT.—The Foundation may receive, ad22 minister, solicit, accept, and use funds, gifts, devises, or 

23 bequests, either absolutely or in trust of real or personal 

24 property or any income therefrom or other interest therein 

25 to support activities under subsection (c), except that this 


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1 subsection shall not apply if any of such is from a foreign 

2 country of concern or a foreign entity of concern. 

3 ‘‘(h) TAX EXEMPT STATUS.—The Board shall take 

4 all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure the Founda5 tion is an organization described in section 501(c) of the 

6 Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 

7 under section 501(a) of such Code. 

8 ‘‘(i) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Foundation shall 

10 be governed by a Board of Directors. 

11 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall be 

13 composed of the following: 

14 ‘‘(i) Eleven appointed voting members 

15 described in subparagraph (B). 

16 ‘‘(ii) Ex officio nonvoting members de17 scribed in subparagraph (C). 

18 ‘‘(B) APPOINTED MEMBERS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) INITIAL MEMBERS.—The Sec20 retary, acting through the Director, shall— 

21 ‘‘(I) seek to enter into an agree22 ment with the National Academies of 

23 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 

24 to develop a list of individuals to serve 

25 as members of the Board who are well 


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1 qualified and will meet the require2 ments of clauses (ii) and (iii); and 

3 ‘‘(II) appoint the initial members 

4 of the Board from such list, if appli5 cable, in consultation with the Na6 tional Academies of Sciences, Engi7 neering, and Medicine. 

8 ‘‘(ii) REPRESENTATION.—The ap9 pointed members of the Board shall reflect 

10 a broad cross-section of stakeholders 

11 across diverse sectors, regions and commu12 nities, including from academia, private 

13 sector entities, technical standards bodies, 

14 the investment community, the philan15 thropic community, and other nonprofit or16 ganizations. 

17 ‘‘(iii) EXPERIENCE.—The Secretary, 

18 acting through the Director, shall ensure 

19 the appointed members of the Board have 

20 the experience and are qualified to provide 

21 advice and information to advance the 

22 Foundation’s mission, including in science 

23 and technology research and development, 

24 technical standards, education, technology 


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1 transfer, commercialization, or other as2 pects of the Foundation’s mission. 

3 ‘‘(C) NONVOTING MEMBERS.— 

4 ‘‘(i) EX OFFICIO MEMBERS.—The Di5 rector (or Director’s designee) shall be an 

6 ex officio member of the Board. 

7 ‘‘(ii) NO VOTING POWER.—The ex 

8 officio members described in clause (i) 

9 shall not have voting power on the Board. 

10 ‘‘(3) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall des12 ignate, from among its members— 

13 ‘‘(i) an individual to serve as the chair 

14 of the Board; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) an individual to serve as the vice 

16 chair of the Board. 

17 ‘‘(B) TERMS.—The term of service of the 

18 Chair and Vice Chair of the Board shall end on 

19 the earlier of— 

20 ‘‘(i) the date that is 3 years after the 

21 date on which the Chair or Vice Chair of 

22 the Board, as applicable, is designated for 

23 the respective position; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) the last day of the term of serv25 ice of the member, as determined under 


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1 paragraph (4)(A), who is designated to be 

2 Chair or Vice Chair of the Board, as appli3 cable. 

4 ‘‘(C) REPRESENTATION.—The Chair and 

5 Vice Chair of the Board— 

6 ‘‘(i) may not be representatives of the 

7 same area of subject matter expertise, or 

8 entity, as applicable; and 

9 ‘‘(ii) may not be representatives of 

10 any area of subject matter expertise, or en11 tity, as applicable, represented by the im12 mediately preceding Chair and Vice Chair 

13 of the Board. 

14 ‘‘(4) TERMS AND VACANCIES.— 

15 ‘‘(A) TERM LIMITS.—Subject to subpara16 graph (B), the term of office of each member 

17 of the Board shall be not more than five years, 

18 except that a member of the Board may con19 tinue to serve after the expiration of the term 

20 of such member until the expiration of the 180- 

21 day period beginning on the date on which the 

22 term of such member expires, if no new member 

23 is appointed to replace the departing board 

24 member. 


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1 ‘‘(B) INITIAL APPOINTED MEMBERS.—Of 

2 the initial members of the Board appointed 

3 under paragraph (4)(A), half of such members 

4 shall serve for four years and half of such mem5 bers shall serve for five years, as determined by 

6 the Chair of the Board. 

7 ‘‘(C) VACANCIES.—Any vacancy in the 

8 membership of the appointed members of the 

9 Board— 

10 ‘‘(i) shall be filled in accordance with 

11 the bylaws of the Foundation by an indi12 vidual capable of representing the same 

13 area or entity, as applicable, as rep14 resented by the vacating board member 

15 under paragraph (2)(B)(ii); 

16 ‘‘(ii) shall not affect the power of the 

17 remaining appointed members to carry out 

18 the duties of the Board; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) shall be filled by an individual 

20 selected by the Board. 

21 ‘‘(5) QUORUM.—A majority of the members of 

22 the Board shall constitute a quorum for the pur23 poses of conducting the business of the Board. 

24 ‘‘(6) DUTIES.—The Board shall carry out the 

25 following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) Establish bylaws for the Foundation 

2 in accordance with paragraph (7). 

3 ‘‘(B) Provide overall direction for the ac4 tivities of the Foundation and establish priority 

5 activities. 

6 ‘‘(C) Coordinate with the Institute the ac7 tivities of the Foundation to ensure consistency 

8 with the programs and policies of the Institute. 

9 ‘‘(D) Evaluate the performance of the Ex10 ecutive Director of the Foundation. 

11 ‘‘(E) Actively solicit and accept funds, 

12 gifts, grants, devises, or bequests of real or per13 sonal property to the Foundation, including 

14 from private entities. 

15 ‘‘(F) Carry out any other necessary activi16 ties of the Foundation. 

17 ‘‘(7) BYLAWS.—The Board shall establish by18 laws for the Foundation. In establishing such by19 laws, the Board shall ensure the following: 

20 ‘‘(A) The bylaws of the Foundation include 

21 the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) Policies for the selection of the 

23 Board members, officers, employees, 

24 agents, and contractors of the Foundation. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) Policies, including ethical and 

2 disclosure standards, for the following: 

3 ‘‘(I) The acceptance, solicitation, 

4 and disposition of donations and 

5 grants to the Foundation, including 

6 appropriate limits on the ability of do7 nors to designate, by stipulation or re8 striction, the use or recipient of do9 nated funds. 

10 ‘‘(II) The disposition of assets of 

11 the Foundation. 

12 ‘‘(iii) Policies that subject all employ13 ees, fellows, trainees, and other agents of 

14 the Foundation (including appointed voting 

15 members and ex officio members of the 

16 Board) to conflict of interest standards. 

17 ‘‘(iv) The specific duties of the Execu18 tive Director of the Foundation. 

19 ‘‘(B) The bylaws of the Foundation and 

20 activities carried out under such bylaws do 

21 not— 

22 ‘‘(i) reflect unfavorably upon the abil23 ity of the Foundation to carry out its re24 sponsibilities or official duties in a fair and 

25 objective manner; or 


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1 ‘‘(ii) compromise, or appear to com2 promise, the integrity of any governmental 

3 agency or program, or any officer or em4 ployee employed by, or involved in a gov5 ernmental agency or program. 

6 ‘‘(8) RESTRICTIONS ON MEMBERSHIP.— 

7 ‘‘(A) EMPLOYEES.—No employee of the 

8 Department of Commerce may be appointed as 

9 a voting member of the Board. 

10 ‘‘(B) STATUS.—Each voting member of 

11 the Board shall be— 

12 ‘‘(i) a citizen of the United States; 

13 ‘‘(ii) a national of the United States 

14 (as such term is defined in section 101(a) 

15 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 

16 U.S.C. 1101(a)); 

17 ‘‘(iii) an alien admitted as a refugee 

18 under section 207 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 

19 1157); or 

20 ‘‘(iv) an alien lawfully admitted to the 

21 United States for permanent residence. 

22 ‘‘(9) COMPENSATION.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Members of the Board 

24 may not receive compensation for serving on 

25 the Board. 


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1 ‘‘(B) CERTAIN EXPENSES.—In accordance 

2 with the bylaws of the Foundation, members of 

3 the Board may be reimbursed for travel ex4 penses, including per diem in lieu of subsist5 ence, and other necessary expenses incurred in 

6 carrying out the duties of the Board. 

7 ‘‘(10) LIAISON REPRESENTATIVES.—The Sec8 retary, acting through the Director, shall designate 

9 representatives from across the Institute to serve as 

10 the liaisons to the Board and the Foundation. 

11 ‘‘(11) PERSONAL LIABILITY OF BOARD MEM12 BERS.—The members of the Board shall not be per13 sonally liable, except for malfeasance. 

14 ‘‘(j) ADMINISTRATION.— 

15 ‘‘(1) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation shall 

17 have an Executive Director who shall be ap18 pointed by the Board, and who shall serve at 

19 the pleasure of the Board, and for whom the 

20 Board shall establish the rate of compensation. 

21 Subject to the bylaws established under sub22 section (i)(7), the Executive Director shall be 

23 responsible for the daily operations of the 

24 Foundation in carrying out the activities of the 

25 Foundation under subsection (c). 


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1 ‘‘(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—In carrying out 

2 the daily operations of the Foundation, the Ex3 ecutive Director of the Foundation shall carry 

4 out the following: 

5 ‘‘(i) Hire, promote, compensate, and 

6 discharge officers and employees of the 

7 Foundation, and define the duties of such 

8 officers and employees. 

9 ‘‘(ii) Accept and administer donations 

10 to the Foundation, and administer the as11 sets of the Foundation. 

12 ‘‘(iii) Enter into such contracts and 

13 execute legal instruments as are appro14 priate in carrying out the activities of the 

15 Foundation. 

16 ‘‘(iv) Perform such other functions as 

17 necessary to operate the Foundation. 

18 ‘‘(C) RESTRICTIONS.— 

19 ‘‘(i) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Ex20 ecutive Director shall be— 

21 ‘‘(I) a citizen of the United 

22 States; 

23 ‘‘(II) a national of the United 

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1 tion 101(a) of the Immigration and 

2 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)); 

3 ‘‘(III) an alien admitted as a ref4 ugee under section 207 of such Act (8 

5 U.S.C. 1157); or 

6 ‘‘(IV) an alien lawfully admitted 

7 to the United States for permanent 

8 residence. 

9 ‘‘(ii) OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES.— 

10 Each officer or employee of the Founda11 tion shall be— 

12 ‘‘(I) a citizen of the United 

13 States; 

14 ‘‘(II) a national of the United 

15 States (as such term is defined in sec16 tion 101(a) of the Immigration and 

17 Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)); 

18 ‘‘(III) an alien admitted as a ref19 ugee under section 207 of such Act (8 

20 U.S.C. 1157); or 

21 ‘‘(IV) an alien lawfully admitted 

22 to the United States for permanent 

23 residence. 

24 ‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL.—No member 

25 of the Board, officer or employee of the Foundation 


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1 or of any program established by the Foundation, or 

2 participant in a program established by the Founda3 tion, may exercise administrative control over any 

4 Federal employee. 

5 ‘‘(3) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO INSTITUTE.— 

6 The Foundation may transfer funds and property to 

7 the Institute, which the Institute may accept and 

8 use and which shall be subject to all applicable Fed9 eral limitations relating to federally funded research. 

10 ‘‘(4) STRATEGIC PLAN.—Not later than one 

11 year after the establishment of the Foundation, the 

12 Foundation shall submit to the Committee on 

13 Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 

14 Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate a stra16 tegic plan that contains the following: 

17 ‘‘(A) A plan for the Foundation to become 

18 financially self-sustaining in the next five years. 

19 ‘‘(B) Short- and long-term objectives of the 

20 Foundation, as identified by the Board. 

21 ‘‘(C) A description of the efforts the Foun22 dation will take to be transparent in the proc23 esses of the Foundation, including processes re24 lating to the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) Grant awards, including selection, 

2 review, and notification. 

3 ‘‘(ii) Communication of past, current, 

4 and future research priorities. 

5 ‘‘(iii) Solicitation of and response to 

6 public input on the priorities identified by 

7 the Foundation. 

8 ‘‘(D) A description of the financial goals 

9 and benchmarks of the Foundation for the fol10 lowing ten years. 

11 ‘‘(E) A description of the efforts under12 taken by the Foundation to ensure maximum 

13 complementarity and minimum redundancy 

14 with investments made by the Institute. 

15 ‘‘(5) REPORT.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 

17 months after the establishment of the Founda18 tion and not later than February 1 of each year 

19 thereafter, the Foundation shall publish a re20 port describing the activities of the Foundation 

21 during the immediately preceding fiscal year. 

22 Each such report shall include with respect to 

23 such fiscal year a comprehensive statement of 

24 the operations, activities, financial condition, 


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1 progress, and accomplishments of the Founda2 tion. 

3 ‘‘(B) FINANCIAL CONDITION.—With re4 spect to the financial condition of the Founda5 tion, each report under subparagraph (A) shall 

6 include the source, and a description of, all sup7 port under subsection (g) provided to the Foun8 dation. Each such report shall identify the per9 sons or entities from which such support is re10 ceived, and include a specification of any re11 strictions on the purposes for which such sup12 port may be used. 

13 ‘‘(C) PUBLICATION.—The Foundation 

14 shall make copies of each report submitted 

15 under subparagraph (A) available— 

16 ‘‘(i) for public inspection, and shall 

17 upon request provide a copy of the report 

18 to any individual for a charge not to ex19 ceed the cost of providing such copy; and 

20 ‘‘(ii) to the Committee on Science, 

21 Space, and Technology of the House of 

22 Representatives and the Committee on 

23 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

24 the Senate. 


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1 ‘‘(6) AUDITS AND DISCLOSURE.—The Founda2 tion shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) provide for annual audits of the fi4 nancial condition of the Foundation, including a 

5 full list of the Foundation’s donors and any re6 strictions on the purposes for which gifts to the 

7 Foundation may be used; and 

8 ‘‘(B) make such audits, and all other 

9 records, documents, and other papers of the 

10 Foundation, available to the Secretary and the 

11 Comptroller General of the United States for 

12 examination or audit. 

13 ‘‘(7) EVALUATION BY COMPTROLLER GEN14 ERAL.—Not later than five years after the date on 

15 which the Foundation is established, the Comptroller 

16 General of the United States shall submit to the 

17 Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 

18 House of Representatives and the Committee on 

19 Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen20 ate the following: 

21 ‘‘(A) An evaluation of the following: 

22 ‘‘(i) The extent to which the Founda23 tion is achieving the mission of the Foun24 dation. 

25 ‘‘(ii) The operation of the Foundation. 


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1 ‘‘(B) Any recommendations on how the 

2 Foundation may be improved. 

3 ‘‘(k) INTEGRITY.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To ensure integrity in the 

5 operations of the Foundation, the Board shall de6 velop and enforce procedures relating to standards 

7 of conduct, financial disclosure statements, conflicts 

8 of interest (including recusal and waiver rules), au9 dits, and any other matters determined appropriate 

10 by the Board. 

11 ‘‘(2) FINANCIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.—To 

12 mitigate conflicts of interest and risks from malign 

13 foreign influence, any individual who is an officer, 

14 employee, or member of the Board is prohibited 

15 from any participation in deliberations by the Foun16 dation of a matter that would directly or predictably 

17 affect any financial interest of any of the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) Such individual. 

19 ‘‘(B) A relative of such individual. 

20 ‘‘(C) A business organization or other enti21 ty in which such individual or relative of such 

22 individual has an interest, including an organi23 zation or other entity with which such indi24 vidual is negotiating employment. 


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1 ‘‘(3) SECURITY.—This section shall be carried 

2 out in accordance with the provision of subtitle D of 

3 title VI of the Research and Development, Competi4 tion, and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.; 

5 enacted as part of division B of Public Law 117– 

6 167) and section 223 of the William M. (Mac) 

7 Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for 

8 Fiscal Year 2021 (42 U.S.C. 6605). 

9 ‘‘(l) INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY.—The Board shall 

10 adopt written standards to govern the ownership and li11 censing of any intellectual property rights developed by the 

12 Foundation or derived from the collaborative efforts of the 

13 Foundation. 

14 ‘‘(m) FULL FAITH AND CREDIT.—The United States 

15 shall not be liable for any debts, defaults, acts, or omis16 sions of the Foundation. The full faith and credit of the 

17 United States shall not extend to any obligations of the 

18 Foundation. 

19 ‘‘(n) SUPPORT SERVICES.—The Secretary, acting 

20 through the Director, may provide facilities, utilities, and 

21 support services to the Foundation if it is determined by 

22 the Director to be advantageous to the research programs 

23 of the Institute. 

24 ‘‘(o) NONAPPLICABILITY.—Chapter 10 of title 5, 

25 United States Code, shall not apply to the Foundation. 


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1 ‘‘(p) SEPARATE FUND ACCOUNTS.—The Board shall 

2 ensure that amounts received pursuant to the authoriza3 tion of appropriations under subsection (q) are held in a 

4 separate account from any other funds received by the 

5 Foundation. 

6 ‘‘(q) FUNDING; AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIA7 TIONS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, from 

8 amounts authorized to be appropriated for a fiscal year 

9 beginning with fiscal year 2025 to the Secretary of Com10 merce pursuant to section 10211, the Director may trans11 fer not less than $500,000 and not more than $1,250,000 

12 to the Foundation each such fiscal year. 

13 ‘‘(r) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

14 ‘‘(1) BOARD.—The term ‘Board’ means the 

15 Board of Directors of the Foundation, established 

16 pursuant to subsection (i). 

17 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means 

18 the Director of the National Institute of Standards 

19 and Technology. 

20 ‘‘(3) FOREIGN COUNTRY OF CONCERN.—The 

21 term ‘foreign country of concern’ has the meaning 

22 given such term in section 10638 of the Research 

23 and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act 

24 (42 U.S.C. 19237; enacted as part of division B of 

25 Public Law 117–167). 


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1 ‘‘(4) FOREIGN ENTITY OF CONCERN.—The 

2 term ‘foreign entity of concern’ has the meaning 

3 given such term in section 10638 of the Research 

4 and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act 

5 (42 U.S.C. 19237; enacted as part of division B of 

6 Public Law 117–167). 

7 ‘‘(5) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘Foundation’ 

8 means the Foundation for Standards and Metrology 

9 established pursuant to subsection (a). 

10 ‘‘(6) INSTITUTE.—The term ‘Institute’ means 

11 the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

12 ‘‘(7) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

13 The term ‘institution of higher education’ has the 

14 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High15 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

16 ‘‘(8) NIST ASSOCIATE.—The term ‘NIST asso17 ciate’ means any guest researcher, facility user, vol18 unteer, or other nonemployee of the National Insti19 tute of Standards and Technology who conducts re20 search or otherwise engages in an authorized activity 

21 with National Institute of Standards and Technology 

22 personnel or at a National Institute of Standards 

23 and Technology facility. 


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1 ‘‘(9) RELATIVE.—The term ‘relative’ has the 

2 meaning given such term in section 13101 of title 5, 

3 United States Code. 

4 ‘‘(10) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

5 means the Secretary of Commerce. 

6 ‘‘(11) TECHNICAL STANDARD.—The term ‘tech7 nical standard’ has the meaning given such term in 

8 section 12(d)(5) of the National Technology Trans9 fer and Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 

10 note).’’. 

11 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

12 in section 1 of Public Law 117–167 is amended by insert13 ing after the item relating to section 10235 the following 

14 new item: 

‘‘Sec. 10236. Foundation for Standards and Metrology.’’. 

Æ 


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