163 
nology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(b)(4)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(4) to enter into and perform such contracts, 
including cooperative research and development ar-
rangements and grants and cooperative agreements 
or other transactions, as may be necessary in the 
conduct of its work and on such terms as it may 
deem appropriate, in furtherance of the purposes of 
this Act;’’. 
SEC. 511. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECH-
NOLOGY FOUNDATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce, act-
ing through the Director, may establish or enter into an 
agreement with a nonprofit organization to establish a Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Foundation. 
The Foundation shall not be an agency or instrumentality 
of the United States Government. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Foundation shall 
be to support the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology in its mission. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—Activities of the Foundation may 
include the solicitation and acceptance of funds— 
(1) to support international metrology and 
standards engagement activities; 
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(2) to conduct education and outreach activi-
ties; and 
(3) to offer direct support to NIST associates, 
including through activities such as the provision of 
fellowships, grants, and occupational safety and 
awareness training. 
(d) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—The Director may au-
thorize, under the agreement under subsection (a), the 
transfer of funds from the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology to the nonprofit organization to offset any 
administrative costs of the Foundation. 
(e) LIABILITY.—The United States shall not be liable 
for any debts, defaults, acts, or omissions of the Founda-
tion. The full faith and credit of the United States shall 
not extend to any obligations of the Foundation. 
SEC. 512. MEP OUTREACH. 
Section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘commu-
nity colleges and area career and technical edu-
cation schools’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), community col-
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leges, and area career and technical education 
schools, including those in underserved and 
rural communities,’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (7)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and local colleges’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘local high 
schools and local colleges, including those 
in underserved and rural communities,’’; 
and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘or other applied 
learning opportunities’’ after ‘‘apprentice-
ships’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘, commu-
nity colleges, and area career and technical edu-
cation schools,’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘and 
local high schools, community colleges, and area ca-
reer and technical education schools, including those 
in underserved and rural communities,’’. 
SEC. 513. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology. 
(2) FRAMEWORK.—The term ‘‘Framework’’ 
means the Framework for Improving Critical Infra-
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structure Cybersecurity developed by the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology and referred 
to in Executive Order 13800 issued on May 11, 
2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 22391 et seq.). 
(3) INSTITUTE.—The term ‘‘Institute’’ means 
the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 
(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(5) NIST ASSOCIATE.—The term ‘‘NIST asso-
ciate’’ means any guest researcher, research asso-
ciate, facility user, or volunteer who conducts re-
search at a National Institute of Standards and 
Technology facility, but is not an employee of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology or 
of another Federal department or agency. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce. 
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TITLE VI—NATIONAL OCEANIC 
AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS-
TRATION 
SEC. 601. ESTABLISHMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 
OFFICE. 
(a) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE.—The Under 
Secretary shall establish a technology transfer office at the 
corporate agency level. 
(b) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER COORDINATOR.—The 
Under Secretary shall appoint a Technology Transfer Co-
ordinator to be the principal advisor to the Under Sec-
retary on all matters relating to technology transfer and 
commercialization and will serve as director of the tech-
nology transfer office. 
(c) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Coordinator shall be an 
individual who, by reason of professional background and 
experience, is specially qualified to advise the Under Sec-
retary on matters pertaining to technology transfer at the 
Agency. 
(d) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—The Coordi-
nator shall oversee— 
(1) the expenditure of funds allocated for tech-
nology transfer within the Agency; 
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(2) efforts to improve research to operations 
within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re-
search and other Agency line offices; 
(3) efforts to engage private sector entities, in-
cluding venture capital companies; 
(4) efforts to engage State and local govern-
ments; 
(5) coordinate efforts across the Agency; and 
(6) facilitate knowledge transfer from the Agen-
cy on Federal standards to commercial, State, and 
local governments. 
(e) TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER
RESPONSIBILITY.— 
Nothing in this section affects the technology transfer re-
sponsibilities of Federal employees under the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
3701 et seq.). 
(f) PLANNING AND REPORTING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Under 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a technology 
transfer execution plan. 
(2) UPDATES.—Each year after the submission 
of the plan under paragraph (1), the Under Sec-
retary shall submit to Congress an updated execu-
tion plan and reports that describe progress toward 
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meeting goals set forth in the execution plan and the 
funds expended under subsection (e). 
SEC. 602. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TRANSITIONS AS-
SESSMENT. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Under Secretary 
shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a report which shall include— 
(1) report on the Agency’s research to oper-
ations activities during the previous fiscal year; and 
(2) recommended agency policy changes to in-
crease research to operations activities in the coming 
fiscal year. 
SEC. 603. NATIONAL MESONET PROGRAM. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) since the initial establishment of a private- 
public partnership demonstration program, the Na-
tional Mesonet Program has leveraged data collected 
by existing weather station networks to— 
(A) provide accurate, real-time observation 
for weather forecasters and emergency response 
personnel in metropolitan areas across the 
United States; 
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(B) address persistent impediments, identi-
fied in a National Academy of Sciences Report 
released in 2009, to fulfill the need for broader 
and denser weather observation networks to im-
prove severe weather lead-times; 
(C) achieve major improvements for the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion and the broader American Weather Enter-
prise, despite some significant development 
issues and cost overruns, according to a Na-
tional Academy of Sciences Report released in 
2011; 
(D) increase the amount of non-Federal 
weather data available to government by orders 
of magnitude; and 
(E) improve understanding of the impact, 
the size and duration of mesoscale weather 
events; and 
(2) the National Mesonet Program is a critical 
component of agency operations and provides reli-
able, real-time prediction and observation capabili-
ties for the physical environment that enhances re-
sponse and prevention strategies to severe weather 
events. 
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(b) PROGRAM.—The National Weather Service shall 
carry out the National Mesonet Program under law to im-
prove understanding of and forecast capabilities for at-
mospheric events, placing priority on leveraging available 
commercial and other non-Federal weather data to en-
hance coordination across the private, public, and aca-
demic sectors of the American weather enterprise. 
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program described 
in subsection (b) shall focus on the following activities: 
(1) Improving the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration and the National Weather 
Service’s ability to provide the baseline forecasts and 
warnings that protect the Nation’s citizens, busi-
nesses, military, and government agencies and en-
able them to operate and perform in safe, efficient, 
and orderly manners. 
(2) Yielding significant amounts of boundary- 
layer data to result in dramatic improvements in nu-
merical weather prediction performance. 
(3) Providing the critical technical and adminis-
trative infrastructure needed to facilitate rapid inte-
gration of new and emerging surface, boundary 
layer, and space-based networks anticipated in com-
ing years. 
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(4) Utilizing and integrating existing National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, in-
cluding, but not limited to, National Ocean Service 
water level stations into existing forecasts. 
(5) Leveraging existing networks of environ-
mental monitoring stations to dramatically increase 
the quantity and density of weather observations 
available to the National Weather Service at a highly 
cost-effective price. 
(6) Supporting the National Weather Service in 
reaching its target of a 30-minute warning time for 
severe weather through better predictive algorithms 
driven by increasingly effective observations. 
(d) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 
amounts otherwise made available to the National Weath-
er Service, there are authorized to carry out this section 
$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2022, $26,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2023, $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2024, $28,000,000 
for fiscal year 2025, $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, and 
$30,000,000 for fiscal year 2027. 
SEC. 604. SEVERE WEATHER EXTRAMURAL TESTBEDS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Weather Research and Forecasting In-
novation Act of 2017 instructs NOAA to prioritize 
improving weather data, modeling, computing, fore-
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casting and warnings for the protection of life and 
property and for the enhancement of the national 
economy. 
(2) The Weather Research and Forecasting In-
novation Act of 2017 has also mandated that the 
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 
prioritize involving extramural partners to leverage 
existing public and private resources to expand and 
improve weather forecasting and modeling as quickly 
and efficiently as possible. 
(3) There is a need for additional weather re-
search and forecasting innovation given the increas-
ing number of severe weather events and their in-
creasing effect on public health, safety, and national 
and regional economic well-being. 
(b) PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the en-
actment of this Act, the Assistant Administrator for the 
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research shall estab-
lish a program to create one or more weather research 
testbeds, hosted by extramural university based partners, 
to develop improved understanding of and forecast capa-
bilities for atmospheric events and their impacts. Re-
sources for such testbeds shall not be taken from the exist-
ing NOAA cooperative institutes. 
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