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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 771 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 771

  To emphasize manufacturing in engineering programs by directing the 
 National Institute of Standards and Technology, in coordination with 
other appropriate Federal agencies including the Department of Defense, 
  Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation, to designate 
               United States manufacturing universities.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 18, 2015

 Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Graham, Ms. Ayotte, Mrs. Gillibrand, and 
 Ms. Baldwin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
  To emphasize manufacturing in engineering programs by directing the 
 National Institute of Standards and Technology, in coordination with 
other appropriate Federal agencies including the Department of Defense, 
  Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation, to designate 
               United States manufacturing universities.

    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 ``Manufacturing Universities Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. MANUFACTURING UNIVERSITIES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Institute of Standards and Technology.
            (2) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).
            (3) Manufacturing industry.--The term ``manufacturing 
        industry'' means an industry defined in North American Industry 
        Classification System codes 31, 32, and 33.
            (4) United states manufacturing university.--The term 
        ``United States manufacturing university'' means an institution 
        of higher education that receives a designation from the 
        Director under subsection (b)(1).
    (b) Manufacturing University Program.--
            (1) Authorization.--The Director is authorized to establish 
        a program to designate an institution of higher education as a 
        United States manufacturing university. The Director, in 
        coordination with the heads of other Federal agencies 
        (including the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy, 
        and the Director of the National Science Foundation), shall 
        designate not more than 25 institutions of higher education as 
        United States manufacturing universities. The Director shall 
        award designations not earlier than January 1, 2016, and not 
        later than March 31, 2016.
            (2) Funds provided.--An institution of higher education 
        that receives a designation under paragraph (1) shall be 
        awarded $5,000,000 for each fiscal year for a 4-year period 
        beginning in the fiscal year in which the institution of higher 
        education receives the designation under paragraph (1).
            (3) Use of funds.--Funds provided to an institution of 
        higher education under this subsection shall be used to carry 
        out the goals and meet the targets described in subsection 
        (c)(2)(B).
    (c) Application.--
            (1) In general.--An institution of higher education 
        desiring a designation under subsection (b)(1) shall submit an 
        application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and 
        accompanied by such information as the Director may reasonably 
        require.
            (2) Contents.--Each application submitted pursuant to 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    (A) submit data describing, as of the date of 
                submission of the application--
                            (i) the engineering programs offered by the 
                        institution of higher education, including any 
                        focus on manufacturing engineering and 
                        curricula related to manufacturing industries;
                            (ii) current joint projects relating to 
                        engineering between firms in the manufacturing 
                        industry and the institution of higher 
                        education;
                            (iii) the percentage of students in the 
                        engineering program of the institution of 
                        higher education who participated in for-credit 
                        internship, cooperative education, or other 
                        similar programs with manufacturing firms in 
                        the most recent academic year for which 
                        information is available;
                            (iv) the percentage of students enrolled at 
                        the institution of higher education who 
                        received a bachelor's degree, a master's 
                        degree, or a doctoral degree in engineering in 
                        the most recent academic year for which 
                        information is available, and a description of 
                        which engineering discipline each recipient of 
                        such degree studied;
                            (v) the amount and purpose of research and 
                        development funding that manufacturing firms 
                        have provided to the institution of higher 
                        education for each of the 3 years preceding the 
                        date of submission of the application;
                            (vi) the percentage of recent masters' 
                        degree or doctoral degree graduates of the 
                        institution of higher education who have begun 
                        careers related to manufacturing and a 
                        description of--
                                    (I) the institution's involvement 
                                in manufacturing startups; and
                                    (II) any new manufacturing 
                                businesses created by recent master's 
                                degree or doctoral degree graduates in 
                                the 3 years preceding the date of 
                                submission of the application; and
                            (vii) the extent and a description of other 
                        programs at the institution of higher education 
                        related to manufacturing and entrepreneurship; 
                        and
                    (B) submit a plan, including specific targets and 
                goals to be achieved not later than 4 years after the 
                date of designation under subsection (b)(1), 
                describing--
                            (i) how the engineering programs offered by 
                        the institution of higher education will be 
                        improved to emphasize manufacturing engineering 
                        and curricula related to manufacturing 
                        industries;
                            (ii) how the institution of higher 
                        education will increase the number of joint 
                        projects relating to engineering between 
                        manufacturing firms and the institution of 
                        higher education;
                            (iii) how the institution of higher 
                        education will increase the number of students 
                        in the engineering program of the institution 
                        who participate in for-credit internship, 
                        cooperative education, or other similar 
                        programs in manufacturing firms;
                            (iv) how the institution of higher 
                        education will increase the number of students 
                        who are United States citizens or permanent 
                        residents enrolled at the institution who 
                        receive a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, 
                        or a doctoral degree in engineering or applied 
                        science, in particular disciplines related to 
                        manufacturing, including chemical, electrical, 
                        mechanical, industrial, mechatronics, computer, 
                        biomedical, and nano engineering, as well as 
                        materials science, computer science, and 
                        applied mathematics;
                            (v) how the institution of higher education 
                        will cover the costs of equipment and 
                        facilities related to its proposal and how it 
                        will increase funding from industry for 
                        research and development related to 
                        manufacturing;
                            (vi) how the institution of higher 
                        education will increase the number of students 
                        who receive a degree from the institution of 
                        higher education who launch a new manufacturing 
                        business, as defined by the Bureau of Economic 
                        Analysis as the North American Industry 
                        Classification System code 3111 to 3399;
                            (vii) how the institution of higher 
                        education will oversee interdisciplinary 
                        programs relating to advancing manufacturing 
                        productivity and innovation across various 
                        university colleges, departments, and programs;
                            (viii) how the institution of higher 
                        education will designate an appropriate 
                        individual to oversee and coordinate the 
                        activities committed to as a part of the 
                        universities outlined ``manufacturing 
                        university'' plan who may be designated as a 
                        ``Chief Manufacturing Officer'';
                            (ix) how the manufacturing engineering 
                        program can positively impact local and 
                        regional economic development; and
                            (x) how the participating institutions and 
                        departments, particularly within engineering 
                        and business, will recognize and reward 
                        faculty, including through decisions of tenure, 
                        for developing innovative new means to increase 
                        interactions with manufacturing companies.
    (d) Administration of Program.--
            (1) General policies.--The Director shall establish and 
        publish general policies regarding--
                    (A) review of applications;
                    (B) criteria for selection of institutions of 
                higher education to receive a designation under 
                subsection (b)(1);
                    (C) procedures and criteria for the review required 
                in paragraph (2); and
                    (D) such other matters as the Director may 
                prescribe.
            (2) Review.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the 
                date an institution of higher education receives a 
                designation under subsection (b)(1), the Director shall 
                conduct a review of the progress the institution of 
                higher education has made toward the targets and goals 
                described in subsection (c)(2)(B). If the Director 
                determines that the institution of higher education is 
                making adequate progress toward such targets and goals, 
                funds provided under subsection (b)(1) shall continue 
                for the remainder of the designation period.
                    (B) Progress report.--Each institution of higher 
                education receiving a designation under subsection 
                (b)(1) shall submit a report each year that includes 
                information on the progress the institution is making 
                toward the targets and goals described in subsection 
                (c)(2)(B).
                    (C) Renewal.--An institution of higher education 
                receiving a designation under subsection (b)(1) shall 
                not be eligible to receive funds under subsection 
                (b)(2) after the expiration of the 4-year period.
            (3) Report required.--Not later than September 30 of each 
        year, the Director shall submit to Congress a report that 
        includes--
                    (A) a list of the institutions of higher education 
                that have received a designation under subsection 
                (b)(1); and
                    (B) a description of the progress such institutions 
                of higher education have made toward the targets and 
                goals described in subsection (c)(2)(B).
    (e) Assistance for Small Businesses.--Not later than 6 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in cooperation with 
the Administrator of the Small Business Administration, shall make 
recommendations on how the programs established under Phase III of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638), can be adapted to provide 
assistance to small businesses that collaborate with United States 
manufacturing universities.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated $125,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016, 2017, 2018, 
and 2019 to carry out the provisions of this section.
                                 <all>
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