(2) maximizing the impact of health and 
genomics data provided by the Department of Vet-
erans Affairs, as well as other sources, on science, in-
novation, and health care outcomes through the use 
and advancement of artificial intelligence and high- 
performance computing capabilities of the Depart-
ment of Energy; 
(3) promoting collaborative research through the 
establishment of partnerships to improve data sharing 
between Federal agencies, National Laboratories, in-
stitutions of higher education, and nonprofit institu-
tions; 
(4) establishing multiple scientific computing 
user facilities to house and provision available data 
to foster transformational outcomes; and 
(5) driving the development of technology to im-
prove artificial intelligence, high performance com-
puting, and networking relevant to mission applica-
tions of the Department of Energy, including mod-
eling, simulation, machine learning, and advanced 
data analytics. 
SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY VETERANS HEALTH RE-
SEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish and 
carry out a research program in artificial intelligence and 
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high performance computing, focused on the development of 
tools to solve big data challenges associated with veteran’s 
healthcare, and to support the efforts of the Department of 
Veterans Affairs to identify potential health risks and chal-
lenges utilizing data on long term healthcare, health risks, 
and genomic data collected from veteran populations. The 
Secretary shall carry out this program through a competi-
tive, merit-reviewed process, and consider applications from 
National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, 
multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate 
entities. 
(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—In carrying out the pro-
gram established under subsection (a), the Secretary may— 
(1) conduct basic research in modeling and sim-
ulation, machine learning, large scale data analytics, 
and predictive analysis in order to develop novel or 
optimized algorithms for prediction of disease treat-
ment and recovery; 
(2) develop methods to accommodate large data 
sets with variable quality and scale, and to provide 
insight and models for complex systems; 
(3) develop new approaches and maximize the 
use of algorithms developed through artificial intel-
ligence, machine learning, data analytics, natural 
language processing, modeling and simulation, and 
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develop new algorithms suitable for high performance 
computing systems and large biomedical data sets; 
(4) advance existing and construct new data en-
claves capable of securely storing data sets provided 
by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of 
Defense, and other sources; and 
(5) promote collaboration and data sharing be-
tween National Laboratories, research entities, and 
user facilities of the Department by providing the nec-
essary access and secure data transfer capabilities. 
(c) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the program re-
quired under subsection (a), the Secretary is authorized 
to— 
(1) enter into a memorandum of understanding 
in order to carry out a reimbursable agreement with 
the Department of Veterans Affairs and other entities 
in order to maximize the effectiveness of Department 
of Energy research and development to improve vet-
erans’ healthcare; and 
(2) consult with the Department of Veterans Af-
fairs and other Federal agencies as appropriate. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the House of Representa-
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tives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 
and the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs of the Senate, a 
report detailing the effectiveness of— 
(1) the interagency coordination between each 
Federal agency involved in the research program car-
ried out under this section; 
(2) collaborative research achievements of the 
program; and 
(3) potential opportunities to expand the tech-
nical capabilities of the Department. 
(e) FUNDING.—The Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall 
devote $27,000,000 to carry out this section during fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023, subject to the availability of ap-
propriations, to come from amounts made available for 
medical and prosthetic research. This section shall be car-
ried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after 
the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, DATA ANALYTICS, AND 
COMPUTATIONAL 
RESEARCH 
PILOT 
PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out a 
pilot program to develop tools for big data analytics by uti-
lizing data sets generated by Federal agencies, institutions 
of higher education, nonprofit research organizations, and 
industry in order to advance artificial intelligence tech-
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nologies to solve complex, big data challenges. The Secretary 
shall carry out this program through a competitive, merit- 
reviewed process, and consider applications from National 
Laboratories, institutions of higher education, multi-insti-
tutional collaborations, and other appropriate entities. 
(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—In carrying out the 
pilot program established under subsection (a), the Sec-
retary may— 
(1) establish a cross-cutting research initiative to 
prevent duplication and coordinate research efforts in 
artificial intelligence and data analytics across the 
Department; 
(2) conduct basic research in modeling and sim-
ulation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, 
large scale data analytics, natural language proc-
essing, and predictive analysis in order to develop 
novel or optimized predictive algorithms suitable for 
high performance computing systems and large bio-
medical data sets; 
(3) develop multivariate optimization models to 
accommodate large data sets with variable quality 
and scale in order to visualize complex systems; 
(4) establish multiple scientific computing user 
facilities to serve as data enclaves capable of securely 
storing data sets created by Federal agencies, institu-
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tions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, or 
industry at National Laboratories; and 
(5) promote collaboration and data sharing be-
tween National Laboratories, research entities, and 
user facilities of the Department by providing the nec-
essary access and secure data transfer capabilities. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate a report evaluating the ef-
fectiveness of the pilot program under subsection (a), in-
cluding basic research discoveries achieved in the course of 
the program and potential opportunities to expand the tech-
nical capabilities of the Department through the develop-
ment of artificial intelligence and data analytics tech-
nologies. 
(d) FUNDING.—For purposes of carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary of Energy shall devote $52,000,000 to 
carry out this section, which shall include $26,000,000 for 
each fiscal years 2019 and 2020, subject to the availability 
of appropriations. This section shall be carried out using 
funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
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SEC. 6. SPENDING LIMITATION. 
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this 
Act, and this Act and such amendments shall be carried 
out using amounts otherwise available for such purpose. 
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Union Calendar No. 762 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6398 
[Report No. 115–974, Part I] 
A BILL 
To authorize the Department of Energy to conduct 
collaborative research with the Department of 
Veterans Affairs in order to improve healthcare 
services for veterans in the United States, and 
for other purposes. 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 
Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology with an amendment 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2018 
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs discharged; committed to 
the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 
Union and ordered to be printed 
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