161 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish or designate an advisory committee, which 
shall meet at least twice each fiscal year, to provide 
advice to the Secretary on carrying out the duties 
and responsibilities of the Office of Innovation and 
Entrepreneurship. 
‘‘(2) REPORT
TO
CONGRESS.—The advisory 
committee shall prepare a report, to be submitted to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate every 3 years. The first report shall be submitted 
not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
the America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2015 
and shall include— 
‘‘(A) an assessment of the strategic plan 
developed under subsection (b)(5) and the 
progress made in implementing the plan and 
the duties of the Office of Innovation and En-
trepreneurship; 
‘‘(B) an assessment of how the Office of 
Innovation and Entrepreneurship is working 
with other Federal agencies to meet the goals 
and duties of the office; and 
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‘‘(C) any recommendations for how the Of-
fice of Innovation and Entrepreneurship could 
be improved.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020 
to carry out this section.’’. 
SEC. 502. FEDERAL LOAN GUARANTEES FOR INNOVATIVE 
TECHNOLOGIES IN MANUFACTURING. 
Section 26(t) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3721(t)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2011 through 2013’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘fiscal years 2016 through 2020’’. 
SEC. 503. INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM. 
Section 25 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno-
vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3720) as amended by sec-
tion 501 of this Act, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(e) INNOVATION VOUCHER PILOT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneur-
ship and in conjunction with the States, shall estab-
lish an innovation voucher pilot program to accel-
erate innovative activities and enhance the competi-
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tiveness of small- and medium-sized manufacturers 
in the United States. The pilot program shall— 
‘‘(A) foster collaborations between small- 
and medium-sized manufacturers and research 
institutions; and 
‘‘(B) enable small- and medium-sized man-
ufacturers to access technical expertise and ca-
pabilities that will lead to the development of 
innovative products or manufacturing processes, 
including through— 
‘‘(i) research and development, includ-
ing proof of concept, technical develop-
ment, and compliance testing activities; 
‘‘(ii) early-stage product development, 
including engineering design services; and 
‘‘(iii) technology transfer and related 
activities. 
‘‘(2) AWARD SIZE.—The Secretary shall com-
petitively award vouchers worth up to $20,000 to 
small- and medium-sized manufacturers for use at 
eligible research institutions to acquire the services 
described in paragraph (1)(B). 
‘‘(3) STREAMLINED
PROCEDURES.—The Sec-
retary shall streamline and simplify the application, 
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administrative, and reporting procedures for vouch-
ers administered under the program. 
‘‘(4) REGULATIONS.—Prior to awarding any 
vouchers under the program, the Secretary shall pro-
mulgate regulations— 
‘‘(A) establishing criteria for the selection 
of recipients of awards under this subsection; 
‘‘(B) establishing procedures regarding fi-
nancial reporting and auditing— 
‘‘(i) to ensure that awards are used 
for the purposes of the program; and 
‘‘(ii) that are in accordance with 
sound accounting practices; and 
‘‘(C) describing any other policies, proce-
dures, or information necessary to implement 
this subsection, including those intended to 
streamline and simplify the program in accord-
ance with paragraph (3). 
‘‘(5) TRANSFER
AUTHORITY.—The Secretary 
may transfer funds appropriated to the Department 
of Commerce to other Federal agencies for the per-
formance of services authorized under this sub-
section. 
‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE
COSTS.—All of the 
amounts appropriated to carry out this subsection 
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