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[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 766 Introduced in House (IH)]

108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 766

   To provide for a National Nanotechnology Research and Development 
                    Program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 13, 2003

 Mr. Boehlert (for himself, Mr. Honda, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Hall, Mr. Smith 
  of Michigan, Mr. Gordon, Mrs. Biggert, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of 
 Texas, Mr. Bartlett of Maryland, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. Gutknecht, and Mr. 
 Bishop of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                      to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To provide for a National Nanotechnology Research and Development 
                    Program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nanotechnology Research and 
Development Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

     In this Act--
            (1) the term ``advanced technology user facility'' means a 
        nanotechnology research and development facility supported, in 
        whole or in part, by Federal funds that is open to all United 
        States researchers on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis;
            (2) the term ``Advisory Committee'' means the advisory 
        committee established under section 5;
            (3) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office 
        of Science and Technology Policy;
            (4) the term ``Interagency Committee'' means the 
        interagency committee established under section 3(c);
            (5) the term ``nanotechnology'' means science and 
        engineering aimed at creating materials, devices, and systems 
        at the atomic and molecular level;
            (6) the term ``Program'' means the National Nanotechnology 
        Research and Development Program described in section 3; and
            (7) the term ``program component area'' means a major 
        subject area established under section 3(c)(2) under which is 
        grouped related individual projects and activities carried out 
        under the Program.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The President shall implement a National 
Nanotechnology Research and Development Program to promote Federal 
nanotechnology research, development, demonstration, education, 
technology transfer, and commercial application activities as necessary 
to ensure continued United States leadership in nanotechnology research 
and development and to ensure effective coordination of nanotechnology 
research and development across Federal agencies and across scientific 
and engineering disciplines.
    (b) Program Activities.--The activities of the Program shall be 
designed to--
            (1) provide sustained support for nanotechnology research 
        and development through--
                    (A) grants to individual investigators and 
                interdisciplinary teams of investigators; and
                    (B) establishment of interdisciplinary research 
                centers and advanced technology user facilities;
            (2) ensure that solicitation and evaluation of proposals 
        under the Program encourage interdisciplinary research;
            (3) expand education and training of undergraduate and 
        graduate students in interdisciplinary nanotechnology science 
        and engineering;
            (4) accelerate the commercial application of nanotechnology 
        innovations in the private sector; and
            (5) ensure that societal and ethical concerns will be 
        addressed as the technology is developed by--
                    (A) establishing a research program to identify 
                societal and ethical concerns related to 
                nanotechnology, and ensuring that the results of such 
                research are widely disseminated; and
                    (B) integrating, insofar as possible, research on 
                societal and ethical concerns with nanotechnology 
                research and development.
    (c) Interagency Committee.--The President shall establish or 
designate an interagency committee on nanotechnology research and 
development, chaired by the Director, which shall include 
representatives from the National Science Foundation, the Department of 
Energy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, the Environmental Protection 
Agency, and any other agency that the President may designate. The 
Interagency Committee, which shall also include a representative from 
the Office of Management and Budget, shall oversee the planning, 
management, and coordination of the Program. The Interagency Committee 
shall--
            (1) establish goals and priorities for the Program;
            (2) establish program component areas, with specific 
        priorities and technical goals, that reflect the goals and 
        priorities established for the Program;
            (3) develop, within 6 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, and update annually, a strategic plan to meet the 
        goals and priorities established under paragraph (1) and to 
        guide the activities of the program component areas established 
        under paragraph (2);
            (4) consult with academic, State, industry, and other 
        appropriate groups conducting research on and using 
        nanotechnology, and the Advisory Committee; and
            (5) propose a coordinated interagency budget for the 
        Program that will ensure the maintenance of a balanced 
        nanotechnology research portfolio and ensure that each agency 
        and each program component area is allocated the level of 
        funding required to meet the goals and priorities established 
        for the Program.

SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT.

    The Director shall prepare an annual report, to be submitted to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate at the time of 
the President's budget request to Congress, that includes--
            (1) the Program budget, for the current fiscal year, for 
        each agency that participates in the Program and for each 
        program component area;
            (2) the proposed Program budget, for the next fiscal year, 
        for each agency that participates in the Program and for each 
        program component area;
            (3) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the 
        goals and priorities established for the Program; and
            (4) an analysis of the extent to which the Program has 
        incorporated the recommendations of the Advisory Committee.

SEC. 5. ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) In General.--The President shall establish an advisory 
committee on nanotechnology consisting of non-Federal members, 
including representatives of research and academic institutions and 
industry, who are qualified to provide advice and information on 
nanotechnology research, development, demonstration, education, 
technology transfer, commercial application, and societal and ethical 
concerns. The recommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be 
considered by Federal agencies in implementing the Program.
    (b) Assessment.--The Advisory Committee shall assess--
            (1) trends and developments in nanotechnology science and 
        engineering;
            (2) progress made in implementing the Program;
            (3) the need to revise the Program;
            (4) the balance among the components of the Program, 
        including funding levels for the program component areas;
            (5) whether the program component areas, priorities, and 
        technical goals developed by the Interagency Committee are 
        helping to maintain United States leadership in nanotechnology;
            (6) the management, coordination, implementation, and 
        activities of the Program; and
            (7) whether societal and ethical concerns are adequately 
        addressed by the Program.
    (c) Reports.--The Advisory Committee shall report not less 
frequently than once every 2 fiscal years to the President and to the 
Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its findings 
of the assessment carried out under subsection (b), its recommendations 
for ways to improve the Program, and the concerns assessed under 
subsection (b)(7). The first report shall be due within 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Federal Advisory Committee Act Application.--Section 14 of the 
Federal Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory 
Committee.

SEC. 6. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY COORDINATION OFFICE.

    The President shall establish a National Nanotechnology 
Coordination Office, with full-time staff, which shall--
            (1) provide technical and administrative support to the 
        Interagency Committee and the Advisory Committee;
            (2) serve as a point of contact on Federal nanotechnology 
        activities for government organizations, academia, industry, 
        professional societies, and others to exchange technical and 
        programmatic information; and
            (3) conduct public outreach, including dissemination of 
        findings and recommendations of the Interagency Committee and 
        the Advisory Committee, as appropriate.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) National Science Foundation.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying out this 
Act--
            (1) $350,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $385,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $424,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    (b) Department of Energy.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary of Energy for carrying out this Act--
            (1) $197,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $217,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $239,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    (c) National Aeronautics and Space Administration.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration for carrying out this Act--
            (1) $31,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $34,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $37,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    (d) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology for carrying out this Act--
            (1) $62,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $68,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
    (e) Environmental Protection Agency.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency for carrying out 
this Act--
            (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;
            (2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2005; and
            (3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.

SEC. 8. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND 
              DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Director shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of 
Sciences to conduct periodic reviews of the Program. The reviews shall 
be conducted once every 3 years during the 10-year period following the 
enactment of this Act. The reviews shall include--
            (1) an evaluation of the technical achievements of the 
        Program;
            (2) recommendations for changes in the Program;
            (3) an evaluation of the relative position of the United 
        States with respect to other nations in nanotechnology research 
        and development;
            (4) an evaluation of the Program's success in transferring 
        technology to the private sector;
            (5) an evaluation of whether the Program has been 
        successful in fostering interdisciplinary research and 
        development; and
            (6) an evaluation of the extent to which the Program has 
        adequately considered societal and ethical concerns.
                                 <all>
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