I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2342 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to support 

the establishment of a nationwide training program in simulation technology, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 1, 2021 

Mr. RESCHENTHALER (for himself and Ms. KUSTER) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant 

program to support the establishment of a nationwide 

training program in simulation technology, 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 ‘‘Simulation and Inno5 vation Machine for Up-Leveling the American Technology 

6 Economy Act’’ or the ‘‘SIMULATE Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSE. 

2 The purpose of this Act is to ensure the continued 

3 leadership of the United States in simulation technology 

4 and its applications by promoting the development and ex5 pansion of an American workforce skilled in the use of 

6 simulation technology in order to— 

7 (1) facilitate technology innovation and private 

8 sector commercialization; 

9 (2) meet economic and national security goals; 

10 (3) increase the competitiveness of small- and 

11 medium-sized United States businesses in the global 

12 market; 

13 (4) increase the competitiveness of large compa14 nies by increasing the efficiency of their small- and 

15 medium-sized suppliers; 

16 (5) expand the number of engineers and sci17 entists in the market and entering the market with 

18 expertise in simulation technology; 

19 (6) increase the number of United States small20 and medium-sized businesses that use simulation 

21 technology as part of their standard operations; 

22 (7) promote the increased use of simulation 

23 technology, including the use of such technology by 

24 individuals identified in sections 33 and 34 of the 

25 Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act 

26 (42 U.S.C. 1885a, 1885b); and 


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1 (8) promote economic upward mobility by pro2 viding eligible students with greater access to higher 

3 paying jobs. 

4 SEC. 3. GRANT FOR TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION PRO5 GRAM IN SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—From amounts made available 

7 under subsection (f), the Secretary of Defense shall award 

8 a grant, on a competitive basis, to an eligible entity to 

9 enable such entity to establish and carry out a nationwide 

10 training and certification program in simulation tech11 nology as described in subsection (d). 

12 (b) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the grant pro13 gram under this section, the Secretary of Defense shall 

14 consult with the heads of such other departments and 

15 agencies of the Federal government as the Secretary de16 termines appropriate. 

17 (c) APPLICATION.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be considered for a grant 

19 under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an 

20 application to the Secretary of Defense at such time, 

21 in such manner, and containing such information as 

22 the Secretary may require. 

23 (2) CONTENTS.—As part of the application sub24 mitted under paragraph (1), an eligible entity shall 

25 demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary of 


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1 Defense that the training program funded with the 

2 grant will have the capacity to graduate an average 

3 of at least 10,000 students per year during the 

4 grant period. 

5 (d) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

6 a grant under this section shall use the grant to carry 

7 out the following activities: 

8 (1) The entity shall establish and implement a 

9 national training and certification program in sim10 ulation technology that— 

11 (A) provides training to eligible students 

12 the field of simulation technology, including 

13 training in— 

14 (i) simulation software, simulation ap15 plications, and adjacent or related software 

16 technologies; 

17 (ii) the use of simulation technology 

18 to simulate structures, fluids, electrical, 

19 materials, optics, power, and other relative 

20 subjects determined by the Secretary; and 

21 (iii) the use state-of-the-art commer22 cial-off-the-shelf simulation software; 

23 (B) is accessible to eligible students in 

24 each State; 


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1 (C) is accredited by a nationally recognized 

2 accrediting agency or association; 

3 (D) can be completed by an eligible stu4 dent in as little as three months; 

5 (E) enables a student who successfully 

6 completes the program to receive a nationally7 recognized certification in simulation tech8 nology; and 

9 (F) may be replicated and implemented by 

10 other entities after the expiration of the grant 

11 period. 

12 (2) In carrying out the program described in 

13 paragraph (1), the entity shall— 

14 (A) develop a comprehensive curriculum in 

15 simulation technology; 

16 (B) prioritize the enrollment of eligible stu17 dents who can demonstrate that participation in 

18 the training program will enhance their employ19 ment prospects or career development; 

20 (C) use commercial-off-the-shelf simulation 

21 software to establish a set of standard simula22 tion tools that support a broad range of simula23 tion activities at each stage of the design proc24 ess including the stages of ideation, detailed deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:48 May 26, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2342.IH H2342

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1 sign, manufacturing, and operations and 

2 sustainment; 

3 (D) provide participating students with 

4 tools of the trade, including skills and access to 

5 software tools, that students can take with 

6 them to future jobs; and 

7 (E) incorporate industry perspectives on 

8 science and engineering simulation workforce 

9 development, including by leveraging relevant 

10 industry knowledge and resources. 

11 (e) DURATION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

13 shall be made for a period of five years. 

14 (2) REAPPLICATION.—An eligible entity that re15 ceived a grant under this section may reapply for 

16 such a grant for one or more additional periods of 

17 five years. The Secretary of Defense shall consider 

18 such reapplications on a competitive, merit-reviewed 

19 basis together with applications received from other 

20 eligible entities for the applicable grant period. 

21 (3) TERMINATION.—The Secretary of Defense 

22 may terminate a grant made under this section dur23 ing the grant period if the Secretary determines that 

24 the recipient of the grant is not performing ade25 quately. 


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1 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

3 $75,000,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2025. 

4 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

5 In this Act: 

6 (1) The term ‘‘adjacent or related software 

7 technologies’’ means software for product develop8 ment and testing that may be used in conjunction 

9 with simulation technology, including software for 

10 design and manufacturing, data management, pro11 duction optimization, and product life-cycle manage12 ment. 

13 (2) The term ‘‘eligible entity’’ means— 

14 (A) a commercial entity; 

15 (B) an institution of higher education; 

16 (C) a nonprofit organization; or 

17 (D) a consortium composed of one or more 

18 of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) 

19 through (C). 

20 (3) The term ‘‘eligible student’’ means an indi21 vidual who is— 

22 (A) enrolled in an institution of higher 

23 education; or 


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1 (B) has a job in a field for which simula2 tion technology may be relevant, as determined 

3 by the Secretary of Defense. 

4 (4) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

5 has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) 

6 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

7 1001(a)). 

8 (5) The term ‘‘nationally recognized accrediting 

9 agency or association’’ means an accrediting agency 

10 or association that the Secretary of Defense deter11 mines to be reliable authority as to the quality of the 

12 training offered by an eligible entity. 

13 (6) The term ‘‘simulation technology’’ means 

14 computer technology and software designed to close15 ly approximate physical phenomena using mathe16 matical formulas for the purpose of product develop17 ment and testing, including the simulation of struc18 tures, fluids, electrical, materials, optics and power. 

Æ 


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