I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4610 
To establish an expansion awards pilot program as a part of the Hollings 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 21, 2021 
Ms. STEVENS (for herself and Mr. MEIJER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To establish an expansion awards pilot program as a part 
of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, 
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. ESTABLISHMENT OF EXPANSION AWARDS 
PILOT PROGRAM AS A PART OF THE HOL-
LINGS MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PART-
NERSHIP. 
The National Institute of Standards and Technology 
Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 25A (15 U.S.C. 278k–1) the following: 
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‘‘(1) To provide coordinating services on em-
ployee engagement, including employee ownership 
and workforce training, including connecting manu-
facturers with career and technical education enti-
ties, institutions of higher education (including com-
munity colleges), workforce development boards, 
labor organizations, and nonprofit job training pro-
viders to develop and support training and job place-
ment services, including apprenticeship and online 
learning platforms, for new and incumbent workers, 
programming to prevent job losses when adopting 
new technologies and processes, and development of 
employee ownership practices. 
‘‘(2) To provide services to improve the resil-
iency of domestic supply chains and to mitigate 
vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, including helping to 
offset the cost of cybersecurity projects for small 
manufacturers. 
‘‘(3) To expand advanced technology services to 
small- and medium-sized manufacturers, which may 
include— 
‘‘(A) developing technology demonstration 
laboratories; 
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‘‘(B) services for the adoption of advanced 
technologies, including smart manufacturing 
technologies and practices; and 
‘‘(C) establishing partnerships, for the de-
velopment, demonstration, and deployment of 
advanced technologies, with— 
‘‘(i) national laboratories (as defined 
in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)); 
‘‘(ii) Federal laboratories; 
‘‘(iii) Manufacturing USA institutes 
(as described in section 34(d)); and 
‘‘(iv) institutions of higher education. 
‘‘(4) To build capabilities across the Hollings 
Manufacturing Extension Partnership for domestic 
supply chain resiliency and optimization, including— 
‘‘(A) assessment of domestic manufac-
turing capabilities, expanded capacity for re-
searching and deploying information on supply 
chain risk, hidden costs of reliance on offshore 
suppliers, redesigning products and processes to 
encourage reshoring, and other relevant topics; 
and 
‘‘(B) expanded services to provide indus-
try-wide support that assists United States 
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manufacturers with reshoring manufacturing to 
strengthen the resiliency of domestic supply 
chains, including in critical technology areas 
and foundational manufacturing capabilities 
that are key to domestic manufacturing com-
petitiveness and resiliency, including forming, 
casting, machining, joining, surface treatment, 
and tooling. 
‘‘(f) REIMBURSEMENT.—The Director may reim-
burse Centers for costs incurred by the Centers under this 
section. 
‘‘(g) APPLICATIONS.—Applications for awards under 
this section shall be submitted in such manner, at such 
time, and containing such information as the Director 
shall require in consultation with the Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership Advisory Board. 
‘‘(h) SELECTION.— 
‘‘(1) REVIEWED AND MERIT-BASED.—The Di-
rector shall ensure that awards under this section 
are reviewed and merit-based. 
‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC
DIVERSITY.—The Director 
shall endeavor to have broad geographic diversity 
among selected proposals. 
‘‘(3) CRITERIA.—The Director shall select ap-
plications consistent with the purposes identified 
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pursuant to subsection (e) to receive awards that the 
Director determines will achieve one or more of the 
following: 
‘‘(A) Improvement of the competitiveness 
of industries in the region in which the Center 
or Centers are located. 
‘‘(B) Creation of jobs or training of newly 
hired employees. 
‘‘(C) Promotion of the transfer and com-
mercialization of research and technology from 
institutions of higher education, national lab-
oratories, or other federally funded research 
programs, and nonprofit research institutes. 
‘‘(D) Recruitment of a diverse manufac-
turing workforce, including through outreach to 
underrepresented populations, including individ-
uals identified in section 33 or section 34 of the 
Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities 
Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a, 1885b). 
‘‘(E) Any other result the Director deter-
mines will advance the objective set forth in 
sections 25(c) or 26. 
‘‘(i) 
PROGRAM
CONTRIBUTION.—Recipients 
of 
awards under this section shall not be required to provide 
a matching contribution. 
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‘‘(j) GLOBAL MARKETPLACE PROJECTS.—In making 
an award under this section, the Director, in consultation 
with the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory 
Board and the Secretary, may take into consideration 
whether an application has significant potential for en-
hancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized 
United States manufacturers in the global marketplace. 
‘‘(k) DURATION.—The Director shall ensure that the 
duration of an award under this section is aligned and 
consistent with a Center’s cooperative agreement estab-
lished in section 25(e). 
‘‘(l) REPORT.—After the completion of the pilot pro-
gram under subsection (b) and not later than October 1, 
2024, the Director shall submit to Congress a report that 
includes— 
‘‘(1) a summary description of what activities 
were funded and the measurable outcomes of such 
activities; 
‘‘(2) a description of which types of activities 
under paragraph (1) could be integrated into, and 
supported under, the program under section 25; 
‘‘(3) a description of which types of activities 
under paragraph (1) could be integrated into, and 
supported under, the competitive awards program 
under section 25A; and 
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‘‘(4) a recommendation, supported by a clear 
explanation, as to whether the pilot program should 
be continued. 
‘‘(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the pilot pro-
gram under this section $260,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2024.’’. 
Æ 
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