II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4904 

To establish the National Fab Lab Network, a nonprofit organization consisting of a national network of local digital fabrication facilities providing 

universal access to advanced manufacturing tools for workforce development, STEM education, developing inventions, creating businesses, producing personalized products, mitigating risks, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 31, 2024 

Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Ms. MURKOWSKI) introduced the following 

bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 

Science, and Transportation 

A BILL 

To establish the National Fab Lab Network, a nonprofit 

organization consisting of a national network of local 

digital fabrication facilities providing universal access to 

advanced manufacturing tools for workforce development, 

STEM education, developing inventions, creating businesses, producing personalized products, mitigating risks, 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Fab Lab Net3 work Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innova7 tions are critical to the economic and national secu8 rity of the United States. 

9 (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United 

10 States in science, technology, engineering, and math11 ematics will require a diverse population with the 

12 skills, interest, and access to tools required to ad13 vance these fields. 

14 (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in commu15 nications and computation provided individuals with 

16 the internet and personal computers, a digital revo17 lution in fabrication will allow anyone to make al18 most anything, anywhere. 

19 (4) These creations include elements of a typ20 ical household basket of goods (furnishings, apparel, 

21 food production equipment, shelter, transportation, 

22 education and communication, recreation, and other 

23 goods and services), personal technology, means for 

24 personal expression, the production of digital fab25 rication machinery, community design, and manufac26 turing capability. 


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1 (5) The Center for Bits and Atoms of the Mas2 sachusetts Institute of Technology (CBA) has con3 tributed significantly to the advancement of these 

4 goals through its work in creating and advancing 

5 digital fabrication facilities, or ‘‘fab labs’’ in the 

6 United States and abroad. 

7 (6) Such digital fabrication facilities may in8 clude MakerSpaces, Hackerspaces, and other cre9 ative spaces that use digital fabrication as a plat10 form for education, innovation, entrepreneurship, 

11 personal expression, public access, and social impact. 

12 (7) Such digital fabrication facilities provide a 

13 model for a new kind of national laboratory that op14 erates as a network, linking local facilities for ad15 vanced manufacturing, providing universal access, 

16 cultivating new literacies, and empowering commu17 nities. 

18 (8) The nonprofit Fab Foundation was estab19 lished to support the growth of the international net20 work of digital fabrication facilities, to amplify the 

21 educational, entrepreneurial, and social impacts of 

22 digital fabrication facilities, and to support the de23 velopment of regional capacity building organizations 

24 to broaden impact as well as address local, regional, 


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1 and global challenges through the use of digital fab2 rication technologies. 

3 (9) A coordinated array of national public-pri4 vate partnerships will be the most effective way to 

5 accelerate the provision of universal access to this 

6 infrastructure for workforce development, science, 

7 technology, engineering, and mathematics education, 

8 developing inventions, creating businesses, producing 

9 personalized products, and mitigating risks. 

10 SEC. 3. NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK. 

11 (a) DEFINITION.—In this Act, the term ‘‘fab lab’’ 

12 means a facility that— 

13 (1) contains the range of capabilities required 

14 to create form and function from digital designs, in15 cluding— 

16 (A) computer-controlled machines for addi17 tive and subtractive fabrication processes; 

18 (B) tools and components for manufac19 turing and programming electronic circuits; 

20 (C) materials and methods for short-run 

21 production; and 

22 (D) workflows for three-dimensional design 

23 and digitization; and 

24 (2) is committed to supporting education, inno25 vation, entrepreneurship, personal expression, selfVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:59 Aug 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4904.IS S4904

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1 sufficiency, and social impact for its community 

2 through digital fabrication. 

3 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a 

4 nonprofit corporation to be known as the ‘‘National Fab 

5 Lab Network’’ (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘corpora6 tion’’), which shall not be an agency or establishment of 

7 the United States Government. The corporation shall be 

8 subject to the provisions of this Act, and, to the extent 

9 consistent with this Act, to the District of Columbia Non10 profit Corporation Act (D.C. Code, section 29–501 et 

11 seq.). 

12 (c) GOALS AND ACTIVITIES.— 

13 (1) GOALS.—The goals of the corporation are 

14 as follows: 

15 (A) To provide universal access to digital 

16 fabrication. 

17 (B) To foster current and future fab labs. 

18 (C) To create a national network of con19 nected local fab labs to empower individuals 

20 and communities in the United States. 

21 (D) To foster the use of distributed digital 

22 fabrication tools— 

23 (i) to promote science, technology, en24 gineering and math skills; 


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1 (ii) to increase invention and innova2 tion; 

3 (iii) to create businesses and jobs; 

4 (iv) to fulfill personal, professional, 

5 and community needs; 

6 (v) to create value and mitigate harm; 

7 (vi) to increase self-sufficiency for in8 dividuals, households, and communities; 

9 and 

10 (vii) to align workforce development 

11 with new and emerging jobs. 

12 (E) To provide a platform for education 

13 and research, to catalyze new methods in 

14 science, technology, engineering, and mathe15 matics education, and to introduce digital fab16 rication as an essential new literacy. 

17 (F) To create new ways of educating the 

18 workforce that will enable workers to compete 

19 in a 21st century global marketplace. 

20 (2) ACTIVITIES.—To attain the goals described 

21 in paragraph (1), the corporation shall carry out ac22 tivities, including the following: 

23 (A) Seeking to establish a minimum of one 

24 fab lab in each Congressional District, 

25 prioritizing underserved communities. 


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1 (B) Seeking to establish additional fab labs 

2 within the network created under paragraph 

3 (1)(C), in response to local demand, and to pro4 vide guidelines for their sustainable operation. 

5 (C) Linking fab labs into a national net6 work, and promoting further expansion of fab 

7 labs across the United States. 

8 (D) Serving as a resource to assist diverse 

9 public and private stakeholders with the effec10 tive operation of fab labs, and the training of 

11 fab lab leaders and mentors. 

12 (E) Maintaining a national registry of fab 

13 labs. 

14 (F) Providing standards and protocols for 

15 connecting fab labs regionally, nationally, and 

16 globally. 

17 (G) Assisting existing fab labs in pro18 ducing additional fab labs. 

19 (d) MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION.—Except as 

20 provided in this Act, eligibility for membership in the cor21 poration and the rights and privileges of members shall 

22 be in accordance with the laws governing tax exempt orga23 nizations in the District of Columbia. 

24 (e) GOVERNING BODY.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para2 graph (2), directors, officers, and other staff of the 

3 corporation, and their powers and duties, shall be in 

4 accordance with the laws governing tax exempt orga5 nizations in the District of Columbia. 

6 (2) BOARD MEMBERSHIP.— 

7 (A) COMPOSITION.—The board of the cor8 poration shall be composed of not fewer than 7 

9 members and not more than 15 members. 

10 (B) REPRESENTATION.— 

11 (i) IN GENERAL.—The membership of 

12 the board of the corporation shall collec13 tively represent the diversity of fab labs. 

14 (ii) REQUIREMENT.—At a minimum, 

15 the board of the corporation shall be com16 posed of members from geographic regions 

17 across the United States, Tribal commu18 nities, educational and research institu19 tions, libraries, nonprofit and commercial 

20 organizations, diverse demographic groups, 

21 and the Fab Foundation. 

22 (iii) INDIVIDUAL REPRESENTATION.— 

23 An individual member of the board of the 

24 corporation may represent more than one 

25 board role and additional roles may be 


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1 added to reflect the diversity of the fab lab 

2 ecosystem. 

3 (C) SELECTION.—The initial board of the 

4 corporation shall be chosen, in consultation with 

5 the Fab Foundation and in accordance with 

6 subparagraph (B)(i), as follows: 

7 (i) Two shall be appointed by the ma8 jority leader of the Senate. 

9 (ii) Two shall be appointed by the mi10 nority leader of the Senate. 

11 (iii) Two shall be appointed by the 

12 Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

13 (iv) Two shall be appointed by the mi14 nority leader of the House of Representa15 tives. 

16 (f) POWERS.—The corporation may— 

17 (1) coordinate the creation of a national net18 work of local fab labs in the United States; 

19 (2) issue guidelines for the sustainable oper20 ation of fab labs; 

21 (3) issue standards and guidelines for fab labs; 

22 (4) serve as a resource for organizations and 

23 communities seeking to create fab labs by providing 

24 information, assessing suitability, advising on the lab 


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1 lifecycle, and maintaining descriptions of prospective 

2 and operating sites; 

3 (5) accept funds from private individuals, orga4 nizations, government agencies, or other organiza5 tions; 

6 (6) distribute funds to other organizations to 

7 establish and operate fab labs as members of the 

8 corporation; 

9 (7) facilitate communication between other or10 ganizations seeking to join the corporation with 

11 operational entities that can source and install fab 

12 labs, provide training, assist with operations, ac13 count for spending, and assess impact; 

14 (8) communicate the benefits available through 

15 membership in the corporation to communities and 

16 the public; 

17 (9) facilitate and participate in synergistic pro18 grams, including workforce training, job creation, re19 searching the enabling technology and broader im20 pacts of such programs, and the production of civic 

21 infrastructure; 

22 (10) develop processes and methods to mitigate 

23 risks associated with digital fabrication; 


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1 (11) amend a constitution and bylaws for the 

2 management of its property and the regulation of its 

3 affairs; 

4 (12) choose directors, officers, trustees, man5 agers, employees, and agents as the activities of the 

6 corporation require; 

7 (13) make contracts; 

8 (14) acquire, own, lease, encumber, and trans9 fer property as necessary or convenient to carry out 

10 the purposes of the corporation; 

11 (15) borrow money, issue instruments of indebt12 edness, and secure its obligations by granting secu13 rity interests in its property; 

14 (16) charge and collect membership dues and 

15 subscription fees; and 

16 (17) sue and be sued. 

17 (g) EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO NAME, TERM, SEALS, EM18 BLEMS, AND BADGES.—The corporation and its partici19 pating digital fabrication labs have the exclusive right to 

20 use— 

21 (1) the name ‘‘National Fab Lab Network’’; 

22 and 

23 (2) any seals, emblems, and badges the corpora24 tion adopts. 

25 (h) RESTRICTIONS.— 


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1 (1) STOCK AND DIVIDENDS.—The corporation 

2 may not issue securities of any kind or declare or 

3 pay a dividend. 

4 (2) DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME OR ASSETS.— 

5 The income or assets of the corporation may not 

6 inure to the benefit of, or be distributed to, a direc7 tor, officer, or member during the life of the cor8 poration under this Act. This paragraph does not 

9 prevent the payment of reasonable compensation to 

10 an officer or reimbursement for actual necessary ex11 penses in amounts approved by the board of direc12 tors. 

13 (3) LOANS.—The corporation may not make a 

14 loan to a director, officer, or employee. 

15 (4) CLAIM OF GOVERNMENTAL APPROVAL OR

16 AUTHORITY.—The corporation may not claim con17 gressional approval or the authority of the United 

18 States Government for any of its activities, but may 

19 recognize establishment of the corporation pursuant 

20 to subsection (b) of this section. 

21 (i) RECORDS AND INSPECTION.— 

22 (1) RECORDS.—The corporation shall keep— 

23 (A) correct and complete records of ac24 count; 


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1 (B) minutes of the proceedings of its mem2 bers, board of directors, and committees having 

3 any of the authority of its board of directors; 

4 and 

5 (C) at its principal office, a record of the 

6 names and addresses of its members entitled to 

7 vote. 

8 (2) INSPECTIONS.—A member entitled to vote, 

9 or an agent or attorney of the member, may inspect 

10 the records of the corporation for any proper pur11 pose, at any reasonable time. 

12 (j) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not less frequently than once 

13 each year, the corporation shall submit to Congress, in14 cluding specifically to the Committee on Commerce, 

15 Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Com16 mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 

17 of Representatives, a report on the activities of the cor18 poration during the prior fiscal year. 

Æ 


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