II 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1705 

To provide a Federal charter for the National Fab Lab Network, a national 

network of local digital fabrication facilities providing community access 

to advanced manufacturing tools for learning skills, developing inventions, 

creating businesses, and producing personalized products. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 14, 2013 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To provide a Federal charter for the National Fab Lab 

Network, a national network of local digital fabrication 

facilities providing community access to advanced manufacturing tools for learning skills, developing inventions, 

creating businesses, and producing personalized products. 

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 ‘‘National Fab Lab Net5 work Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innova2 tions are critical to the economic and national secu3 rity of the United States. 

4 (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United 

5 States in science, technology, engineering, and math6 ematics will require a diverse population with the 

7 skills, interest, and access to tools required to ad8 vance these fields. 

9 (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in commu10 nications and computation provided individuals with 

11 the Internet and personal computers, a digital revo12 lution in fabrication will allow anyone to make al13 most anything, anywhere. 

14 (4) Fab labs like the Center for Bits and Atoms 

15 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology provide 

16 a model for a new kind of national laboratory that 

17 links local facilities for advanced manufacturing to 

18 expand access and empower communities. 

19 (5) A coordinated national public-private part20 nership will be the most effective way to accelerate 

21 the provision of this infrastructure for learning 

22 skills, developing inventions, creating businesses, and 

23 producing personalized products. 

24 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK. 

25 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 


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1 (1) the term ‘‘fab lab’’ means a facility— 

2 (A) equipped with an integrated suite of 

3 fabrication tools to convert digital designs into 

4 functional physical things and scanning tools to 

5 convert physical things into digital designs; and 

6 (B) available for a range of individual and 

7 collaborative educational, commercial, creative, 

8 and social purposes, based on guidelines estab9 lished by the NFLN relating to sustainable op10 eration; and 

11 (2) the term ‘‘NFLN’’ means the National Fab 

12 Lab Network. 

13 (b) FEDERAL CHARTER.—The National Fab Lab 

14 Network is a federally charted nonprofit corporation, 

15 which shall facilitate the creation of a national network 

16 of local fab labs and serve as a resource to assist stake17 holders with the effective operation of fab labs. 

18 (c) MEMBERSHIP AND ORGANIZATION.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Eligibility for membership in 

20 the NFLN and the rights and privileges of members 

21 shall be as provided in the constitution and bylaws 

22 of the NFLN. The Board of Directors, officers, and 

23 other employees of the NFLN, and their powers and 

24 duties, shall be provided in the bylaws of the NFLN. 


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1 (2) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.—The Board of Di2 rectors of the NFLN shall include— 

3 (A) the Director of the Fab Foundation; 

4 (B) members of the manufacturing sector 

5 and entrepreneurial community; and 

6 (C) leaders in science, technology, engi7 neering, and mathematics education. 

8 (3) COORDINATION.—When appropriate, the 

9 NFLN should work with Manufacturing Extension 

10 Partnership Centers of the National Institute of 

11 Standards and Technology, the Small Business Ad12 ministration, and other agencies of the Federal Gov13 ernment to provide additional resources to fab lab 

14 users. 

15 (d) FUNCTIONS.—The NFLN shall— 

16 (1) serve as the coordinating body for the cre17 ation of a national network of local fab labs in the 

18 United States; 

19 (2) provide a first point of contact for organiza20 tions and communities seeking to create fab labs, 

21 providing information, assessing suitability, advising 

22 on the lab lifecycle, and maintaining descriptions of 

23 prospective and operating sites; 

24 (3) link funders and sites with operational enti25 ties that can source and install fab labs, provide 


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1 training, assist with operations, account for spend2 ing, and assess impact; 

3 (4) perform outreach for individuals and com4 munities on the benefits available through the 

5 NFLN; 

6 (5) facilitate use of the NFLN in synergistic 

7 programs, such as workforce training, job creation, 

8 research broader impacts, and the production of 

9 civic infrastructure; and 

10 (6) offer transparency in the management, gov11 ernance, and operation of the NFLN. 

12 (e) PURPOSES.—In carrying out its functions, the 

13 NFLN’s purposes and goals shall be to— 

14 (1) create a national network of connected local 

15 fab labs to empower individuals and communities in 

16 the United States; and 

17 (2) foster the use of distributed digital fabrica18 tion tools to promote science, technology, engineer19 ing and math skills, increase invention and innova20 tion, create businesses and jobs, and fulfill needs. 

21 (f) FUNDING.—The NFLN may accept gifts from 

22 private individuals, corporations, government agencies, or 

23 other organizations. 

Æ 


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