I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3959 
To support innovation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 5, 2015 
Mr. CARTWRIGHT (for himself, Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, and Mr. RYAN 
of Ohio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and 
Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To support innovation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Innovate America Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings. 
TITLE I—EDUCATION 
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Sec. 101. Definitions. 
Sec. 102. Increasing funding for STEM secondary schools. 
Sec. 103. Report on STEM secondary schools. 
Sec. 104. Study and report on retaining STEM students. 
Sec. 105. Expanding undergraduate research opportunities. 
Sec. 106. Technology Commercialization Awards Pilot Program. 
Sec. 107. Computer science in the Robert Noyce teacher scholarship program. 
TITLE II—MANUFACTURING AND EXPORT PROMOTION 
Sec. 201. Manufacturing assistance program for small- and medium-sized man-
ufacturers in the United States. 
Sec. 202. Removing barriers for exporting industries in the United States. 
TITLE III—OFFSETS 
Sec. 301. Limitation on Government printing costs. 
Sec. 302. Eliminating bonuses for poor performance by Government contrac-
tors. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Innovation has historically been a catalyzing 
force in the economy of the United States, driving 
the production of game-changing technologies, the 
creation of millions of jobs and the opening of count-
less new avenues for growth. In an increasingly com-
petitive global economy, our Nation’s continued lead-
ership and prosperity will hinge on progress in key 
innovative areas, most notably exporting, entrepre-
neurship, research and development, and education 
in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
(referred to in this section as ‘‘STEM’’), including 
computer science. 
(2) Technology-based startups play a critical 
role in driving innovation. Increasing the flow of 
capital to these firms would bridge the gap that 
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often exists between their initial startup costs and 
their long-term capital needs, giving the firms the 
resources necessary to research, develop, and com-
mercialize new products. 
(3) Simplifying, expanding, and stabilizing the 
tax credits that businesses and institutions of higher 
education rely on to offset the cost of research and 
would promote greater clarity in the Internal Rev-
enue Code of 1986 and deliver a powerful incentive 
for private sector innovation. 
(4) Increasing the emphasis on STEM edu-
cation in high schools and institutions of higher edu-
cation would ensure that more students have the 
skills and training to not only compete for jobs in 
a 21st century economy, but also to create the start-
up companies and revolutionary technologies that 
will sustain American prosperity for centuries to 
come. 
(5) The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 
that in the year 2020, of the 9,200,000 STEM jobs 
there will be in the United States, half of them will 
be in computing. With more than 150,000 job open-
ings expected annually in computing, it is one of the 
fastest growing occupations in the United States. In-
creasing the teaching and learning of computer 
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science in schools would strengthen the workforce of 
the United States by helping our students gain the 
skills and training necessary to fulfill new computer 
programming jobs. 
(6) An effective regulatory climate should pro-
tect consumers and promote transparency without 
overburdening the businesses that create jobs. Fed-
eral agencies with rulemaking authority should be 
vigilant in assessing the impact of new regulations 
on innovation and job creation, particularly in an-
chor industries like manufacturing. 
(7) The economic impact of a new product or 
technology is often dependent on its commercial suc-
cess. To ensure American products can be bought 
and sold in markets around the world, the Federal 
Government should identify and remove over burden-
some regulations that create barriers for United 
States exporting companies. 
TITLE I—EDUCATION 
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Science Foundation. 
(2) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
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meaning given the term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(3) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means the 
subjects of science, technology, engineering, and 
mathematics, including other subjects based on 
science, technology, engineering, or mathematics, 
such as computer science. 
(4) STEM SECONDARY
SCHOOL.—The term 
‘‘STEM secondary school’’ has the meaning given 
the term by the Secretary of Education, in coordina-
tion with the Director, not later than 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
(5) STATE EDUCATIONAL AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘State educational agency’’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 9101 of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 
SEC. 102. INCREASING FUNDING FOR STEM SECONDARY 
SCHOOLS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to in-
crease the number of STEM secondary schools in the 
United States from approximately 100 to approximately 
200. 
(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—From amounts appropriated 
under subsection (e), the Secretary of Education, in 
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coordination with the Director, shall award grants, 
on a competitive basis, to State educational agencies 
to enable the State educational agencies to carry out 
the purposes of this section by establishing or ex-
panding STEM secondary schools. 
(2) GEOGRAPHIC
DISTRIBUTION.—The Sec-
retary shall award grants under this section in a 
manner that ensures geographic diversity, including 
awarding grants to State educational agencies serv-
ing rural areas. 
(c) APPLICATION.—A State educational agency desir-
ing to receive a grant under this section shall submit an 
application to the Secretary of Education at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require. 
(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A State educational agency re-
ceiving funds under this section shall use such funds to 
award subgrants, on a competitive basis, to local edu-
cational agencies in the State to enable the local edu-
cational agencies to establish and maintain new STEM 
secondary schools, which may include repurposing an ex-
isting secondary school to become a STEM secondary 
school. 
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SEC. 105. EXPANDING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH OP-
PORTUNITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than June 1, 2017, the 
President shall ensure that not less than 15 percent of 
all Federal funds available for a fiscal year for under-
graduate research opportunities at 2-year and 4-year de-
gree-granting institutions of higher education shall be 
used to fund research opportunities for postsecondary stu-
dents, with an emphasis on undergraduate research oppor-
tunities occurring during the first 2 academic years of 
postsecondary education. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 
Congress that each Federal agency should restructure the 
agency’s undergraduate student research opportunities for 
students attending 2-year or 4-year degree-granting insti-
tutions of higher education, in order to provide more re-
search opportunities for postsecondary students during 
the students’ first 2 academic years of postsecondary edu-
cation. 
(c) IDENTIFICATION OF RESEARCH PROGRAMS.—Not 
later than December 31, 2016, the head of each Federal 
agency shall submit to the President— 
(1) a list of all programs and funds available 
for undergraduate student research under the juris-
diction of the agency; and 
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(2) recommendations regarding how the agency 
can best fulfill the requirements of subsection (a). 
SEC. 106. TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION AWARDS 
PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, through the Part-
nerships for Innovation Program of the National Science 
Foundation, shall administer a Technology Commer-
cialization Awards Pilot Program through which prom-
ising technology advances derived from National Science 
Foundation research grants shall be eligible for follow-on 
funding— 
(1) to move the technology through prototype 
and demonstration phases; 
(2) for training for researcher participants in 
business plan development, technology transfer, and 
commercialization; and 
(3) for establishing start-up firms based on the 
technologies developed. 
(b) COMPETITIVE SELECTION.—The Director shall— 
(1) seek from National Science Foundation of-
fices and divisions recommendations on outstanding 
research funded by the National Science Foundation 
with clear promise that such research can be ad-
vanced close to commercialized in a 3- to 5-year pe-
riod; 
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(2) solicit applications from National Science 
Foundation award grantees who believe that they 
have qualifying technologies eligible for commer-
cialization; and 
(3) award grants to such National Science 
Foundation award grantees based on a merit-based, 
competitive selection process. 
(c) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.—The Director shall form 
an Advisory Committee of experts on technology and the 
technology commercialization process to advise the Na-
tional Science Foundation on the Technology Commer-
cialization Awards Pilot Program. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the first 
grant is awarded under this section, the Director shall— 
(1) report to the relevant committees of Con-
gress on the results of the Technology Commer-
cialization Awards Pilot Program; and 
(2) make recommendations on whether and how 
such a technology commercialization fund could be 
adopted by other Federal research and development 
agencies. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2017 through 
2021. 
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SEC. 107. COMPUTER SCIENCE IN THE ROBERT NOYCE 
TEACHER SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM. 
Section 10 of the National Science Foundation Au-
thorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n–1) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and mathematics’’ and insert-
ing 
‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, 
and 
computer 
science’’ each place the term appears; 
(2) in subsection (b)(1)(D)(i), by striking ‘‘or 
mathematics’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, or computer science’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘or 
mathematics’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, or computer science’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘mathe-
matics 
or’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, computer science, or’’; 
(4) in subsection (d)(4), by striking ‘‘mathe-
matics or’’ and inserting ‘‘mathematics, informatics, 
computer science, or’’; and 
(5) in subsection (i)— 
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘or 
mathematics’’ and inserting ‘‘mathematics, or 
computer science’’; and 
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(B) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘or 
mathematics,’’ and inserting ‘‘mathematics, 
informatics, or computer science,’’. 
TITLE II—MANUFACTURING AND 
EXPORT PROMOTION 
SEC. 201. MANUFACTURING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR 
SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED MANUFACTUR-
ERS IN THE UNITED STATES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce. 
(2) SMALL- 
AND
MEDIUM-SIZED
DOMESTIC 
MANUFACTURERS.—The term ‘‘small- and medium- 
sized domestic manufacturers’’ means businesses— 
(A) with not more than 500 employees; 
and 
(B) with facilities located in the United 
States that mechanically, physically, or chemi-
cally transform materials, substances, or com-
ponents into new goods, including component 
parts. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
establish a manufacturing assistance program for small- 
and medium-sized domestic manufacturers for the pur-
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