I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3924 
To establish in the United States Agency for International Development 
an entity to be known as the United States Global Development Lab, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 4, 2015 
Mr. CASTRO of Texas (for himself and Mr. MCCAUL) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 
A BILL 
To establish in the United States Agency for International 
Development an entity to be known as the United States 
Global Development Lab, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Global Development 
Lab Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Leveraging academic research and private 
sector expertise to effectively apply science and tech-
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nology to United States foreign aid can increase the 
effectiveness of United States aid dollars and lead to 
better outcomes. 
(2) In the last 20 years, human ingenuity and 
entrepreneurship around the world has reduced child 
mortality rates by 42 percent and poverty rates by 
52 percent, lifting hundreds of millions of people out 
of poverty. 
(3) Over the next 40 years, the developing 
world is expected to be the largest source of product 
and services growth. Breakthroughs pioneered for 
the developing world can translate into jobs and eco-
nomic growth in the United States. 
(4) In 2014 the Office of Science and Tech-
nology and the Office of Innovation and Develop-
ment Alliances at the United States Agency for 
International Development were abolished to pave 
the way to bring their staffing and other resources 
into the United States Global Development Lab. 
(5) The Lab represents a new approach to in-
vest, test, and apply more effective solutions to hu-
manity’s greatest challenges. 
(6) The Lab will partner with entrepreneurs, 
experts, nongovernmental organizations, universities, 
and science and research institutions to solve devel-
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opment challenges in a faster, more cost-efficient, 
and more sustainable way. 
(7) The Lab will utilize innovation incentives, a 
pay-for-success model, which uses science, tech-
nology, and innovation-driven competitions to ex-
pand the number and diversity of solutions to devel-
opment challenges. 
(8) In contrast with traditional grants or con-
tracts, where USAID pays for a proposal to be im-
plemented, pay-for-success awards are given to a 
winner only after the objectives of the competition 
have been achieved. 
(9) Expanding pay-for-success authority to 
allow the Lab to use these awards globally will in-
crease the number of high value solutions to choose 
from at a significantly reduced cost. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT LAB. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
USAID an entity to be known as the United States Global 
Development Lab. 
(b) DUTIES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The duties 
and responsibilities of the Lab should include— 
(1) increasing the application of science, tech-
nology, innovation and partnerships to develop and 
scale new solutions to end extreme poverty; 
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(2) discovering, testing, and scaling develop-
ment innovations to solve development challenges to 
increase cost effectiveness and support United 
States foreign policy and development goals; 
(3) leveraging the expertise, resources, and in-
vestment of businesses, nongovernmental organiza-
tions, science and research organizations, and uni-
versities to increase program impact and sustain-
ability; 
(4) utilizing innovation-driven competitions to 
expand the number and diversity of solutions to de-
velopment challenges; and 
(5) supporting USAID missions and bureaus in 
applying science, technology, innovation, and part-
nership approaches to decisionmaking, procurement, 
and program design. 
(c) AUTHORITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the duties 
and responsibilities of the Lab under subsection (b), 
the Administrator, in addition to such other authori-
ties as may be available to the Administrator, in-
cluding authorities under part I of the Foreign As-
sistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), is au-
thorized to— 
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(A) use not more than $15,000,000 of 
funds appropriated or otherwise made available 
by an Act making appropriations for the De-
partment of State, foreign operations, and re-
lated programs under the heading ‘‘Develop-
ment Assistance’’ for any fiscal year to provide 
funding to improve health outcomes; 
(B) provide innovation incentive awards 
(as defined in section 4(4) of this Act); and 
(C) use funds appropriated to carry out 
part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 
(22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) for the employment of 
not more than 30 individuals on a limited term 
basis pursuant to schedule A of subpart C of 
part 213 of title 5, Code of Federal Regula-
tions, or equivalent provisions of law or regula-
tions. 
(2) RECOVERY OF FUNDS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the du-
ties and responsibilities of the Lab under sub-
section (b), the Administrator shall require a 
person or entity that receives funding under a 
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement made 
by the Lab to return to the Lab any income 
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generated under a program carried out under 
such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. 
(B) TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The amount of any 
program income returned to the Lab pur-
suant to subparagraph (A) may be credited 
to the account from which the obligation 
and expenditure of funds under the grant, 
contract, or cooperative agreement de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) was made. 
(ii) AVAILABILITY.— 
(I) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in subclause (II), amounts re-
turned and credited to an account 
under clause (i)— 
(aa) shall be merged with 
other funds in the account; and 
(bb) shall be available for 
the same purposes and period of 
time for which other funds in the 
account are available for pro-
grams and activities of the Lab. 
(II) EXCEPTION.—Amounts re-
turned and credited to an account 
under clause (i) may not be used to 
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pay for the employment of individuals 
described in paragraph (1)(C). 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the United 
States Agency for International Development. 
(2) LAB.—The term ‘‘Lab’’ means the United 
States Global Development Lab established under 
section 3. 
(3) USAID.—The term ‘‘USAID’’ means the 
United States Agency for International Develop-
ment. 
(4) INNOVATION INCENTIVE AWARD.—The term 
‘‘innovation incentive award’’ means the provision of 
funding on a competitive basis that— 
(A) rewards and spurs the development of 
solutions for a particular, well-defined problem; 
(B) helps identify and promote a broad 
range of ideas and practices that may not oth-
erwise attract attention, facilitating further de-
velopment of the idea or practice by third par-
ties; or 
(C) provides such other types of incentives 
as the Administrator considers appropriate to 
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stimulate innovation that has the potential to 
advance the mission of USAID. 
Æ 
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