IB 
Union Calendar No. 69 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1868 
[Report No. 110–115] 
To authorize appropriations for the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology for fiscal years 2008, 2009, and 2010, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 17, 2007 
Mr. WU (for himself, Mr. GINGREY, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Mr. HALL 
of Texas, Mr. MITCHELL, and Mr. EHLERS) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology 
APRIL 30, 2007 
Additional sponsors: Mr. HONDA, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. 
SMITH of Washington, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. 
HOLT, Ms. HOOLEY, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. REICHERT, and 
Mr. LAMPSON 
APRIL 30, 2007 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 17, 2007] 
A BILL 
To authorize appropriations for the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology for fiscal years 2008, 2009, 
and 2010, and for other purposes. 
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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 
‘‘Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation 
Act of 2007’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS 
Sec. 101. Scientific and technical research and services. 
Sec. 102. Industrial technology services. 
TITLE II—INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY REFORMS 
Sec. 201. Institute-wide planning report. 
Sec. 202. Report by Visiting Committee. 
Sec. 203. Manufacturing extension partnership. 
Sec. 204. Technology Innovation Program. 
Sec. 205. Research fellowships. 
Sec. 206. Collaborative manufacturing research pilot grants. 
Sec. 207. Manufacturing fellowship program. 
Sec. 208. Meetings of Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology. 
TITLE III—MISCELLANEOUS 
Sec. 301. Post-doctoral fellows. 
Sec. 302. Financial agreements clarification. 
Sec. 303. Working capital fund transfers. 
Sec. 304. Retention of depreciation surcharge. 
Sec. 305. Non-Energy Inventions Program. 
Sec. 306. Redefinition of the metric system. 
Sec. 307. Repeal of redundant and obsolete authority. 
Sec. 308. Clarification of standard time and time zones. 
Sec. 309. Procurement of temporary and intermittent services. 
Sec. 310. Malcolm Baldrige awards. 
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TITLE I—AUTHORIZATION OF 
APPROPRIATIONS 
SEC. 101. SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH AND 
SERVICES. 
(a) LABORATORY ACTIVITIES.—There are authorized 
to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce for the 
scientific and technical research and services laboratory ac-
tivities of the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology— 
(1) $470,879,000 for fiscal year 2008; 
(2) $497,750,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
(3) $537,569,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
(b) MALCOLM BALDRIGE NATIONAL QUALITY AWARD 
PROGRAM.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 
Secretary of Commerce for the Malcolm Baldrige National 
Quality Award program under section 17 of the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
3711a)— 
(1) $7,860,000 for fiscal year 2008; 
(2) $8,096,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
(3) $8,339,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
(c) CONSTRUCTION
AND MAINTENANCE.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce 
for construction and maintenance of facilities of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology— 
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(1) $93,865,000 for fiscal year 2008; 
(2) $86,371,000 for fiscal year 2009; and 
(3) $49,719,000 for fiscal year 2010. 
SEC. 102. INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary of Commerce for Industrial Technology Services ac-
tivities of the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology— 
(1) $222,968,000 for fiscal year 2008, of which— 
(A) $110,000,000 shall be for the Technology 
Innovation Program under section 28 of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act 
(15 U.S.C. 278n), of which at least $45,000,000 
shall be for new awards; and 
(B) $112,968,000 shall be for the Manufac-
turing Extension Partnership program under 
sections 25 and 26 of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k 
and 278l), of which not more than $1,000,000 
shall be for the competitive grant program under 
section 25(f) of such Act; 
(2) $263,505,000 for fiscal year 2009, of which— 
(A) $141,500,000 shall be for the Technology 
Innovation Program under section 28 of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act 
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(15 U.S.C. 278n), of which at least $45,000,000 
shall be for new awards; and 
(B) $122,005,000 shall be for the Manufac-
turing Extension Partnership Program under 
sections 25 and 26 of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k 
and 278l), of which not more than $4,000,000 
shall be for the competitive grant program under 
section 25(f) of such Act; and 
(3) $282,266,000 for fiscal year 2010, of which— 
(A) $150,500,000 shall be for the Technology 
Innovation Program under section 28 of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act 
(15 U.S.C. 278n), of which at least $45,000,000 
shall be for new awards; and 
(B) $131,766,000 shall be for the Manufac-
turing Extension Partnership Program under 
sections 25 and 26 of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k 
and 278l), of which not more than $4,000,000 
shall be for the competitive grant program under 
section 25(f) of such Act. 
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TITLE II—INNOVATION AND 
TECHNOLOGY POLICY REFORMS 
SEC. 201. INSTITUTE-WIDE PLANNING REPORT. 
Section 23 of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278i) is amended by adding at 
the end the following new subsections: 
‘‘(c) Concurrent with the submission to Congress of the 
President’s annual budget request in the first year after the 
date of enactment of the Technology Innovation and Manu-
facturing Stimulation Act of 2007, the Director shall trans-
mit to the Congress a 3-year programmatic planning docu-
ment for the Institute, including programs under the Sci-
entific and Technical Research and Services, Industrial 
Technology Services, and Construction of Research Facili-
ties functions. 
‘‘(d) Concurrent with the submission to the Congress 
of the President’s annual budget request in each year after 
the date of enactment of the Technology Innovation and 
Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007, the Director shall 
transmit to the Congress an update to the 3-year pro-
grammatic planning document transmitted under sub-
section (c), revised to cover the first 3 fiscal years after the 
date of that update.’’. 
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SEC. 202. REPORT BY VISITING COMMITTEE. 
Section 10(h)(1) of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278(h)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘on or before January 31 in each 
year’’ and inserting ‘‘within 30 days after the sub-
mission to Congress of the President’s annual budget 
request in each year’’; and 
(2) by adding to the end the following: ‘‘Such re-
port also shall comment on the programmatic plan-
ning document and updates thereto transmitted to the 
Congress by the Director under section 23(c) and 
(d).’’. 
SEC. 203. MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP. 
(a) MEP ADVISORY BOARD.—Section 25 of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
U.S.C. 278k) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(e) MEP ADVISORY BOARD.—(1) There is established 
within the Institute a Manufacturing Extension Partner-
ship Advisory Board (in this Act referred to as the ‘MEP 
Advisory Board’). The MEP Advisory Board shall consist 
of 10 members broadly representative of stakeholders, to be 
appointed by the Director. At least 2 members shall be em-
ployed by or on an advisory board for the Centers, and at 
least 5 other members shall be from United States small 
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businesses in the manufacturing sector. No member shall 
be an employee of the Federal Government. 
‘‘(2)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) or 
(C), the term of office of each member of the MEP Advisory 
Board shall be 3 years. 
‘‘(B) The original members of the MEP Advisory 
Board shall be appointed to 3 classes. One class of 3 mem-
bers shall have an initial term of 1 year, one class of 3 
members shall have an initial term of 2 years, and one class 
of 4 members shall have an initial term of 3 years. 
‘‘(C) Any member appointed to fill a vacancy occur-
ring prior to the expiration of the term for which his prede-
cessor was appointed shall be appointed for the remainder 
of such term. 
‘‘(D) Any person who has completed two consecutive 
full terms of service on the MEP Advisory Board shall there-
after be ineligible for appointment during the one-year pe-
riod following the expiration of the second such term. 
‘‘(3) The MEP Advisory Board shall meet no less than 
2 times annually, and provide to the Director— 
‘‘(A) advice on Manufacturing Extension Part-
nership programs, plans, and policies; 
‘‘(B) assessments of the soundness of Manufac-
turing Extension Partnership plans and strategies; 
and 
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‘‘(C) assessments of current performance against 
Manufacturing 
Extension 
Partnership 
program 
plans. 
‘‘(4) In discharging its duties under this subsection, 
the MEP Advisory Board shall function solely in an advi-
sory capacity, in accordance with the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act. 
‘‘(5) The MEP Advisory Board shall transmit an an-
nual report to the Secretary for transmittal to the Congress 
within 30 days after the submission to the Congress of the 
President’s annual budget request in each year. Such report 
shall address the status of the Manufacturing Extension 
Partnership program and comment on the relevant sections 
of the programmatic planning document and updates there-
to transmitted to the Congress by the Director under section 
23(c) and (d).’’. 
(b) ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS.—Section 25(d) of the Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
U.S.C. 278k(d)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) ACCEPTANCE OF FUNDS.—In addition to such 
sums as may be appropriated to the Secretary and Director 
to operate the Centers program, the Secretary and Director 
also may accept funds from other Federal departments and 
agencies and under section 2(c)(7) from the private sector 
for the purpose of strengthening United States manufac-
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turing. Such funds, if allocated to a Center or Centers, shall 
not be considered in the calculation of the Federal share 
of capital and annual operating and maintenance costs 
under subsection (c).’’. 
(c) MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER COMPETI-
TIVE GRANT PROGRAM.—Section 25 of the National Insti-
tute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k), 
as amended by subsection (a) of this section, is further 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) COMPETITIVE GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall estab-
lish, within the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
program under this section and section 26 of this Act, 
a program of competitive awards among participants 
described in paragraph (2) for the purposes described 
in paragraph (3). 
‘‘(2) 
PARTICIPANTS.—Participants 
receiving 
awards under this subsection shall be the Centers, or 
a consortium of such Centers. 
‘‘(3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the program 
under this subsection is to develop projects to solve 
new or emerging manufacturing problems as deter-
mined by the Director, in consultation with the Di-
rector of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
program, the Manufacturing Extension Partnership 
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Advisory Board, and small and medium-sized manu-
facturers. One or more themes for the competition 
may be identified, which may vary from year to year, 
depending on the needs of manufacturers and the suc-
cess of previous competitions. These themes shall be 
related to projects associated with manufacturing ex-
tension activities, including supply chain integration 
and quality management, and including the transfer 
of technology based on the technological needs of man-
ufacturers and available technologies from institu-
tions of higher education, laboratories, and other tech-
nology producing entities, or extend beyond these tra-
ditional areas. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.—Applications for awards 
under this subsection shall be submitted in such man-
ner, at such time, and containing such information 
as the Director shall require, in consultation with the 
Manufacturing 
Extension 
Partnership 
Advisory 
Board. 
‘‘(5) SELECTION.—Awards under this subsection 
shall be peer reviewed and competitively awarded. 
The Director shall select proposals to receive 
awards— 
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