I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2026
To grant the consent of the Congress to the SMART Research and 
Development Compact. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2003
Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania (for himself, Mr. CASTLE, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. 
BRADY of Pennsylvania, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. ENGLISH, Mr. 
FATTAH, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey, Mr. LOBIONDO, 
Mr. BARTLETT of Maryland, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. GILCHREST, Mr. 
GREENWOOD, Ms. HART, Mr. HOEFFEL, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. HOLT, Mr. 
HOYER, Mr. SHERWOOD, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. MURTHA, 
Mr. PALLONE, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PITTS, Mr. PLATTS, Mr. 
ROTHMAN, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. SMITH of New Jer-
sey, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. WYNN, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. 
SAXTON, Mr. PETERSON of Pennsylvania, Mr. KANJORSKI, and Mr. 
FRELINGHUYSEN) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To grant the consent of the Congress to the SMART 
Research and Development Compact.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE, FINDINGS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘SMART Research and Development Compact’’.
(b) FINDINGS.—The Congress makes the following 
findings: 
(1) The shared borders, similar economic, envi-
ronmental, and socioeconomic traits as well as the 
common historical attributes between the residents 
of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsyl-
vania, bind the 4 States into a common Mid-Atlantic 
region. 
(2) This region presents a rich framework of 
approximately 618 colleges and universities, includ-
ing approximately 38 leading engineering colleges 
with a variety of technical expertise and ingenious 
research and development programs within every 
field of science and technology. 
(3) This region contains a variety of federally 
owned and generated laboratories or organizations 
assigned with the task of performing needed re-
search and development in most of our Nation’s 
technical areas, highlighted by defense, transpor-
tation, health, energy, and communications. 
(4) This region possesses a great wealth of pri-
vate manufacturers, laboratories, and nonprofit or-
ganizations in each of the scientific and techno-
logical pursuits, such as homeland security, defense, 
aerospace, manufacturing, information systems, ma-
terials, chemicals, medical applications, and pharma-
ceuticals. 
(5) Increased cooperation between the above-
mentioned institutions and the 4 State governments 
may effectively enhance the region’s contribution to 
the United States in all fields of science and tech-
nology and promote academic, private and public re-
search and development, technical enterprise, and in-
tellectual vitality. 
(6) An organization assigned with the task of 
linking various institutions across different jurisdic-
tions and promoting working partnerships may fur-
ther assist the United States by providing a model 
for the rest of the Nation for the effective use of 
limited national, State, and local funding resources. 
SEC. 2. CONSENT TO COMPACT. 
The Congress consents to the SMART Research and 
Development Compact if that compact is entered into by 
two or more of the following States: the State of Delaware, 
the State of Maryland, the State of New Jersey, and the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The compact reads sub-
stantially as follows:
‘‘SMART RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 
COMPACT 
‘‘ARTICLE I. 
‘‘The purpose of this compact is to promote the con-
tribution of the Mid-Atlantic region to the Nation’s re-
search and development in science and technology, and to 
create a multi-State organization that shall be known as 
the SMART (Strengthening the Mid-Atlantic Region for 
Tomorrow) Organization (hereinafter in this compact re-
ferred to as the ‘Organization’). The purpose of the Orga-
nization is to oversee and help facilitate the acquisition 
of research and development funding, and to enhance the 
cooperation, formation of partnerships, and sharing of in-
formation among businesses, academic institutions, Fed-
eral and State governmental agencies, laboratories, feder-
ally owned and operated laboratories, and nonprofit enti-
ties, within Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, and Penn-
sylvania. 
‘‘ARTICLE II. 
‘‘This compact takes effect upon ratification by two 
or more of the following States: the State of Delaware, 
the State of Maryland, the State of New Jersey, and the 
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, pursuant to the consent 
of Congress.
‘‘ARTICLE III. 
‘‘The States, which are parties to this compact (here-
inafter referred to as ‘party States’), do hereby establish 
and create the Organization as a joint organization which 
shall be known as the SMART Organization.
‘‘The leadership of the Organization shall consist of 
a Board of Directors that shall include a representative 
from each party State, appointed as provided by the law 
of that State, and representatives from each technology 
class described in Article IV from the party States. Board 
Members may include any business, academic institution, 
nonprofit agency, Federal or State governmental agency, 
laboratory, and federally owned and operated laboratory 
within the party States. 
‘‘The leadership of the Organization shall oversee and 
direct the projects, administration, and policies of the Or-
ganization. The Board of Directors may create and utilize 
the services of technology-designated Working Groups to 
identify goals and sources of funding, establish research 
and development projects, detect new technology advances 
for the region to pursue, and facilitate cooperation among 
regional entities. The Board of Directors and Working 
Groups in the Organization shall serve without compensa-
tion and shall hold regular quarterly meetings and such 
special meetings as their business may require.
‘‘The Organization shall adopt bylaws and any other 
such rules or procedures as may be needed. The Organiza-
tion may hold hearings and conduct studies and surveys 
to carry out its purpose. The Organization may acquire 
by gift or otherwise and hold and dispose of such money 
and property as may be provided for the proper perform-
ance of its functions, may cooperate with other public or 
private groups, whether local, State, regional, or national, 
having an interest in economic or technology development, 
and may exercise such other powers as may be appropriate 
to accomplish its functions and duties in connection with 
the development of the Organization and to carry out the 
purpose of this compact. 
‘‘ARTICLE IV. 
‘‘Not including State Representatives, the Organiza-
tion Board of Directors and Technology Working Groups 
may represent and originate from the following technology 
classes: information technology, sensors, rotorcraft tech-
nology, manufacturing technology, fire/EMS, financial 
technology, alternative fuels, nanotechnology, electronics, 
environmental, telecommunications, chemical and biologi-
cal, biomedical, opto-electric, Materials/Aerospace, and de-
fense systems including directed energy, missile defense, 
future combat systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles. The 
SMART Organization may at any time, upon approval by
the Board of Directors, designate and assign new tech-
nology classes and may at any time remove an existing 
class from this Article and the Organization’s activities. 
‘‘ARTICLE V. 
‘‘The Board of Directors shall appoint a full-time 
paid executive director, who shall be a person familiar with 
the nature of the procedures and the significance of sci-
entific funding, research and development, economic devel-
opment, and the informational, educational, and publicity 
methods of stimulating general interest in such develop-
ments. The duties of the executive director are to carry 
out the goals and directives of the Board of Directors and 
administer the actions of each Working Group as chair-
man. The executive director may hire a staff and shall 
be the administrative head of the Organization, whose 
term of office shall be at the pleasure of the Board of 
Directors. 
‘‘ARTICLE VI. 
‘‘This compact shall continue in force and remain 
binding upon each party State until 6 months after the 
party State gives notice of its intent to withdraw to the 
other party States.’’.