(e) FORENSIC SCIENCE STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT 
PROCESS.— 
(1) STANDARDS
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS.—The 
Director, acting through the Organization, shall im-
plement a process to facilitate the development of sci-
entifically sound, consensus- based forensic standards 
and guidelines, consistent with the duties described 
for each entity established under this section. 
(2) TECHNICAL REVIEW.— 
(A) PROCESS
REQUIRED.—The Director 
shall establish a process for technical peer review 
to provide feedback on a draft of a standard or 
guideline to a relevant subcommittee of a sci-
entific area committee before such standard or 
guideline is submitted to a nongovernmental 
standards development organization or submitted 
for inclusion in a registry of forensic standards 
or guidelines. 
(B) PARTICIPANTS.—The process established 
under subparagraph (A)— 
(i) may include members of the Orga-
nization; and 
(ii) shall include additional volunteer 
experts from the forensic science community 
and the academic research community. 
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(3) PUBLIC COMMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall pro-
vide for public comment on draft standards 
prior to inclusion in the registry of forensic 
science standards and guidelines established 
under subsection (a)(4)(B). 
(B) COMMENTS
FROM
RESEARCH
TASK 
GROUPS.—The Director shall ensure that— 
(i) each resource task group established 
under subsection (d) may submit, as a 
group, comments on draft standards de-
scribed in subparagraph (A); and 
(ii) any comments submitted under 
clause (i), and any adjudication of such 
comments by the Organization, are made 
available to the public. 
(4) SUBMISSION TO STANDARDS DEVELOPING OR-
GANIZATION.—The Director shall ensure that stand-
ards proposed by the Organization and approved for 
the registry of forensic science standards and guide-
lines established under subsection (a)(4)(B) are sub-
mitted to a nongovernmental standards development 
organization for review and formal adoption as 
standard. 
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(5) GRANTS.—The Director shall award grants 
through a competitive process— 
(A) to support activities under paragraph 
(3); and 
(B) to ensure that the standards approved 
for inclusion in the registry of forensic science 
standards and guidelines required by subsection 
(a)(4)(B) are submitted to a nongovernmental 
standards development organization. 
(f) FORENSIC STANDARDS FOR AUTHENTICATING DIG-
ITAL EVIDENCE.— 
(1) FURTHERING
DEVELOPMENT
OF
STAND-
ARDS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The subcommittee ad-
dressing digital and multimedia, or any suc-
cessor thereto, shall develop standards for vali-
dating or assessing the authenticity of digital 
content, including content created by technologies 
that synthesize or manipulate digital content 
such as deepfakes. 
(B) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), the subcommittee described in 
such subparagraph shall collaborate with the fo-
rensic science community and experts who study 
advanced techniques for digital content manipu-
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lation, including those in academia and govern-
ment entities such as the Defense Advanced Re-
search Projects Agency (DARPA). 
(2) RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT.—The Organiza-
tion shall develop and compile resources and mate-
rials for use by the forensic science community in de-
veloping standards to authenticate digital materials. 
(3) CONGRESSIONAL BRIEFING.—Not later than 
1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Director shall provide the appropriate committees of 
Congress a briefing on the status of efforts undertaken 
pursuant to this subsection. 
SEC. 215. SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY RESEARCH AND EDU-
CATION. 
In accordance with section 263 of the National Defense 
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, the Director shall 
carry out activities in support of green and sustainable 
chemistry, including coordinating and partnering with 
academia, industry, non-profits, and other entities in ac-
tivities to support clean, safe, and economic alternatives, 
technologies, and methodologies to traditional chemical 
products and processes. 
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TITLE III—GENERAL ACTIVITIES 
SEC. 301. NIST FACILITIES AND CONSTRUCTION. 
(a) OWNERSHIP, OPERATION, AND LEASING OF FA-
CILITIES.—Section 14 of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278d) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) OWNERSHIP, OPERATION, AND LEASING OF FA-
CILITIES.—Within the limits of funds which are appro-
priated for the Institute, the Secretary is authorized to own, 
operate, or lease research facilities in locations throughout 
the United States and its territories in furtherance of its 
mission, provided that no agreement is entered into to own, 
operate, or lease without first notifying the appropriate 
Congressional committees of jurisdiction.’’. 
(b) FACILITIES MODERNIZATION FUND.—Section 14 of 
such Act (15 U.S.C. 278d), as amended by subsection (a), 
is further amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) FACILITIES MODERNIZATION FUND.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 
the Treasury of the United States a fund to be known 
as the ‘NIST Facilities Modernization Fund’ (here-
after in this section referred to as the ‘Fund’). 
‘‘(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—Amounts in the Fund 
shall be available to Secretary, acting through the Di-
rector, for Capital Projects on the Institute’s cam-
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