I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1421 

To accelerate research, development, and innovation in advanced manufacturing, to improve the competitiveness of American manufacturers, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 9, 2013 

Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas (for herself, Ms. WILSON of Florida, 

Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. EDWARDS, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. BEN RAY LUJA ́N of New Mexico, and Mr. RYAN of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 

Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To accelerate research, development, and innovation in advanced manufacturing, to improve the competitiveness 

of American manufacturers, 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 ‘‘Advancing Innovative 

5 Manufacturing Act of 2013’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CON2 SORTIA. 

3 Section 33 of the National Institute of Standards and 

4 Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278r) is amended to read as 

5 follows: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 33. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CON7 SORTIA. 

8 ‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry 

10 out a program to facilitate the development of and 

11 provide support to industry-led consortia that will 

12 identify, prioritize, and address long-term, 

13 precompetitive industrial research needs in the area 

14 of advanced manufacturing. 

15 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of 

16 the program established under this section include 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘(A) To promote collective public-private 

19 efforts to develop key technology platforms and 

20 infrastructure for advanced manufacturing. 

21 ‘‘(B) To enable the prioritization of public 

22 research portfolios to be more responsive to the 

23 long-term technology development needs of in24 dustry. 


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1 ‘‘(C) To leverage Federal investment in ad2 vanced manufacturing with shared investment 

3 by the private sector. 

4 ‘‘(D) To increase industrial research and 

5 development investment in precompetitive tech6 nology platforms and infrastructure. 

7 ‘‘(E) To accelerate technological innovation 

8 in advanced manufacturing. 

9 ‘‘(F) To foster broad participation by in10 dustry, the Federal Government, institutions of 

11 higher education, and State, local, and tribal 

12 governments in advanced manufacturing re13 search and development. 

14 ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—As part of the program estab15 lished under this section, the Director shall— 

16 ‘‘(1) support the formation of industry-led con17 sortia composed of representatives from industry (in18 cluding small and medium-sized manufacturers), in19 stitutions of higher education, the Federal Govern20 ment, State, local, and tribal governments, and other 

21 entities, as appropriate; 

22 ‘‘(2) collaborate with consortia participants in 

23 the development of technology roadmaps that iden24 tify research needs in the area of advanced manufac25 turing; 


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1 ‘‘(3) support precompetitive research directed at 

2 meeting the research needs identified in the road3 maps developed under paragraph (2); 

4 ‘‘(4) promote the transfer of precompetitive 

5 technology platforms and infrastructure resulting 

6 from consortia research to the private sector and fa7 cilitate open access to the intellectual property un8 derpinning those platforms and technology; and 

9 ‘‘(5) facilitate the development of new tech10 nologies into commercial products. 

11 ‘‘(c) SELECTION CRITERIA.—In selecting applica12 tions for awards under this section, the Director shall con13 sider, at a minimum— 

14 ‘‘(1) the degree to which the activities proposed 

15 under the consortia will broadly impact manufac16 turing and increase the productivity and economic 

17 competitiveness of the United States; 

18 ‘‘(2) the level of technical risk to be addressed 

19 by the consortia; 

20 ‘‘(3) the potential to produce fundamental new 

21 knowledge; and 

22 ‘‘(4) the likelihood that the consortia will be23 come self sustaining, if appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated for carrying out this secVerDate Mar 15 2010 19:27 Apr 11, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1421.IH H1421

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1 tion $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 

2 2018.’’. 

3 SEC. 3. SMALL MANUFACTURER INNOVATION PROGRAM. 

4 The National Institute of Standards and Technology 

5 Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating section 34 as section 35; 

7 and 

8 (2) by inserting after section 33 the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 34. SMALL MANUFACTURER INNOVATION PROGRAM. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry out a 

11 pilot program to enhance the innovative capabilities and 

12 competitiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers 

13 through support for research and development that will 

14 promote the field of advanced manufacturing and lead to 

15 the commercialization of new products, processes, or tech16 nologies for use in advanced manufacturing. 

17 ‘‘(b) OBJECTIVES.—The objectives of the program 

18 under this section are— 

19 ‘‘(1) to accelerate the development of processes 

20 and, as appropriate, incremental innovations that 

21 will improve how goods are designed, produced, or 

22 distributed; 

23 ‘‘(2) to advance the development and commer24 cialization of novel products and technologies for use 

25 in advanced manufacturing; 


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1 ‘‘(3) to reduce the technical and economic risks 

2 associated with developing new products, processes, 

3 or technologies for use in advanced manufacturing; 

4 ‘‘(4) to foster cooperative research and develop5 ment between small and medium-sized manufactur6 ers and research institutions; and 

7 ‘‘(5) to promote research and development col8 laboration among small and medium-sized manufac9 turers facing similar technical challenges or obsta10 cles, including collaboration along a supply chain. 

11 ‘‘(c) PROGRAM.— 

12 ‘‘(1) AWARD PHASES.—The Director shall 

13 award competitive, merit-reviewed grants, coopera14 tive agreements, or contracts to small or medium15 sized manufacturers in the United States through a 

16 uniform process having— 

17 ‘‘(A) a first phase for determining, insofar 

18 as possible, the scientific and technical merit 

19 and feasibility of a proposal; and 

20 ‘‘(B) a second phase to further develop 

21 proposals, including the development of proto22 types, for which scientific and technical merit 

23 and feasibility was demonstrated in the first 

24 phase. 


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1 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—A small or medium-sized 

2 manufacturer seeking an award under this section 

3 shall submit an application to the Director at such 

4 time, in such manner, and containing such informa5 tion as the Director may require. 

6 ‘‘(d) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—In carrying out the 

7 program under this section, the Director shall solicit 

8 stakeholder input on how best to carry out the program. 

9 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.—To the 

10 maximum extent practicable, the Director shall ensure 

11 that the activities carried out under this section are co12 ordinated with, and do not duplicate the efforts of, other 

13 programs within the Federal Government. 

14 ‘‘(f) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date 

15 of enactment of the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing 

16 Act of 2013, the Director shall transmit a report to Con17 gress assessing the program established under this section. 

18 The report shall include— 

19 ‘‘(1) a summary of the activities carried out 

20 under the program; 

21 ‘‘(2) an assessment of whether the program is 

22 achieving its goals, including a description of the 

23 metrics used to determine progress in meeting such 

24 goals; 


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1 ‘‘(3) any recommendations on how the program 

2 may be improved; and 

3 ‘‘(4) a recommendation as to whether such pro4 gram should be continued or terminated. 

5 ‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

6 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry 

7 out this section— 

8 ‘‘(1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

9 ‘‘(2) $25,500,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

10 ‘‘(3) $39,750,000 for fiscal year 2016; 

11 ‘‘(4) $42,250,000 for fiscal year 2017; and 

12 ‘‘(5) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2018.’’. 

13 SEC. 4. INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM. 

14 Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno15 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) is amended by add16 ing at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(d) INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM.— 

18 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 

19 through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneur20 ship and in conjunction with the States, shall estab21 lish an innovation voucher pilot program to accel22 erate innovative activities and enhance the competi23 tiveness of small and medium-sized manufacturers in 

24 the United States. The pilot program shall— 


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1 ‘‘(A) foster collaborations between small 

2 and medium-sized manufacturers and research 

3 institutions; and 

4 ‘‘(B) enable small and medium-sized man5 ufacturers to access technical expertise and ca6 pabilities that will lead to the development of 

7 innovative products or manufacturing processes, 

8 including through— 

9 ‘‘(i) research and development, includ10 ing proof of concept, technical develop11 ment, and compliance testing activities; 

12 ‘‘(ii) early-stage product development, 

13 including engineering design services; and 

14 ‘‘(iii) technology transfer and related 

15 activities. 

16 ‘‘(2) AWARD SIZE.—The Secretary shall com17 petitively award vouchers worth up to $20,000 to 

18 small and medium-sized manufacturers for use at el19 igible research institutions to acquire the services de20 scribed in paragraph (1)(B). 

21 ‘‘(3) STREAMLINED PROCEDURES.—The Sec22 retary shall streamline and simplify the application, 

23 administrative, and reporting procedures for vouch24 ers administered under the program. 


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1 ‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—Prior to awarding any 

2 vouchers under the program, the Secretary shall pro3 mulgate regulations— 

4 ‘‘(A) establishing criteria for the selection 

5 of recipients of awards under this subsection; 

6 ‘‘(B) establishing procedures regarding fi7 nancial reporting and auditing— 

8 ‘‘(i) to ensure that awards are used 

9 for the purposes of the program; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) that are in accordance with 

11 sound accounting practices; and 

12 ‘‘(C) describing any other policies, proce13 dures, or information necessary to implement 

14 this subsection, including those intended to 

15 streamline and simplify the program in accord16 ance with paragraph (3). 

17 ‘‘(5) TRANSFER AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 

18 may transfer funds appropriated to the Department 

19 of Commerce to other Federal agencies for the per20 formance of services authorized under this sub21 section. 

22 ‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—All of the 

23 amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection 

24 for a fiscal year shall be used for vouchers awarded 

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1 search institution performing the services described 

2 in paragraph (1)(B) may retain a percentage of any 

3 amount received from the Secretary under this sub4 section to defray administrative costs associated with 

5 the services. The Secretary shall establish a single, 

6 fixed percentage for such purposes that will apply to 

7 all eligible research institutions. 

8 ‘‘(7) OUTREACH.—The Secretary may use cen9 ters established under section 25 of the National In10 stitute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 

11 278k) to provide information about the program es12 tablished under this subsection and to conduct out13 reach to potential applicants, as appropriate. 

14 ‘‘(8) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) PLAN.—Not later than 180 days 

16 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

17 the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a plan 

18 that will serve as a guide for the activities of 

19 the program. The plan shall include a descrip20 tion of the specific objectives of the program 

21 and the metrics that will be used in assessing 

22 progress toward those objectives. 

23 ‘‘(B) OUTCOMES.—Not later than 3 years 

24 after the date of enactment of this subsection, 


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1 the Secretary shall transmit to Congress a re2 port containing— 

3 ‘‘(i) a summary of the activities car4 ried out under this subsection; 

5 ‘‘(ii) an assessment of the impact of 

6 such activities on the innovative capacity of 

7 small and medium-sized manufacturers re8 ceiving assistance under the pilot program; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(iii) any recommendations for admin11 istrative and legislative action that could 

12 optimize the effectiveness of the pilot pro13 gram. 

14 ‘‘(9) COORDINATION AND NONDUPLICATION.— 

15 To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 

16 shall ensure that the activities carried out under this 

17 subsection are coordinated with, and do not dupli18 cate the efforts of, other programs within the Fed19 eral Government. 

20 ‘‘(10) ELIGIBLE RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS DE21 FINED.—For the purposes of this subsection, the 

22 term ‘eligible research institution’ means— 

23 ‘‘(A) an institution of higher education, as 

24 such term is defined in section 101(a) of the 


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1 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

2 1001(a)); 

3 ‘‘(B) a Federal laboratory; 

4 ‘‘(C) a federally funded research and devel5 opment center; or 

6 ‘‘(D) a Hollings Manufacturing Extension 

7 Center established under section 25 of the Na8 tional Institute of Standards and Technology 

9 Act (15 U.S.C. 278k). 

10 ‘‘(11) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec12 retary to carry out the pilot program in this sub13 section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 

14 through 2018.’’. 

15 SEC. 5. ADVANCED MANUFACTURING EDUCATION. 

16 Section 506(b) of the America COMPETES Reau17 thorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–1(b)) is amend18 ed to read as follows: 

19 ‘‘(b) ADVANCED MANUFACTURING EDUCATION.— 

20 The Director shall award grants, on a competitive, merit21 reviewed basis, to community colleges for the development 

22 and implementation of innovative advanced manufacturing 

23 education reforms to ensure an adequate and well-trained 

24 advanced manufacturing workforce. Activities supported 

25 by grants under this subsection may include— 


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1 ‘‘(1) the development or expansion of edu2 cational materials, courses, curricula, strategies, and 

3 methods that will lead to improved advanced manu4 facturing degree or certification programs, including 

5 the integration of industry standards and workplace 

6 competencies into the curriculum; 

7 ‘‘(2) the development and implementation of 

8 faculty professional development programs that en9 hance a faculty member’s capabilities and teaching 

10 skills in advanced manufacturing, including efforts 

11 to understand current advanced manufacturing tech12 nologies and practices; 

13 ‘‘(3) the establishment of centers that provide 

14 models and leadership in advanced manufacturing 

15 education and serve as regional or national clearing16 houses for educational materials and methods; 

17 ‘‘(4) activities to enhance the recruitment and 

18 retention of students into certification and degree 

19 programs in advanced manufacturing, including the 

20 provision of improved mentoring and internship op21 portunities; 

22 ‘‘(5) the establishment of partnerships with pri23 vate sector entities to ensure the development of an 

24 advanced manufacturing workforce with the skills 

25 necessary to meet regional economic needs; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) other activities as determined appropriate 

2 by the Director.’’. 

Æ 


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