I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5839 
To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the establishment of 
a small business voucher program, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2018 
Mr. BEN RAY LUJA´N of New Mexico (for himself, Mr. FLEISCHMANN, Mr. 
HULTGREN, and Mr. LIPINSKI) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the 
establishment of a small business voucher program, 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. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Promoting Small Busi-
ness Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs 
Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. SMALL BUSINESS ADVOCACY AND ASSISTANCE. 
Section 1003 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 16393) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘, and may require the Director of 
a single-purpose research facility,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘(as defined in section 2) and the Director 
of each single-purpose research facility’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘increase’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘encourage’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘collaborative re-
search,’’ and inserting ‘‘research, develop-
ment, demonstration, and commercial ap-
plication activities, including product devel-
opment,’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘procure-
ment and collaborative research’’ and inserting 
‘‘the activities described in paragraph (1)’’; 
(D) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘facilities,’’ before 
‘‘training’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘procurement and col-
laborative research activities’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘the activities described in paragraph 
(1)’’; and 
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(E) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘for the 
program under subsection (b)’’ and inserting 
‘‘and metrics for the programs under sub-
sections (b) and (c)’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as 
subsections (d) and (e), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) SMALL BUSINESS VOUCHER PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) the Director of each National 
Laboratory; and 
‘‘(ii) the Director of each single-pur-
pose research facility. 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term 
‘National Laboratory’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 2. 
‘‘(C) 
PROGRAM.—The 
term 
‘program’ 
means the program established under para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, work-
ing with the Office of Technology Transitions and 
the Technology Transfer Coordinator appointed 
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under section 1001(a), and in consultation with the 
Directors, shall establish a program to provide small 
business concerns with vouchers under paragraph 
(3)— 
‘‘(A) to achieve the goal described in sub-
section (a)(1); and 
‘‘(B) to improve the products, services, and 
capabilities of small business concerns in the 
mission space of the Department. 
‘‘(3) VOUCHERS.—Under the program, the Di-
rectors are authorized to provide to small business 
concerns vouchers to be used at National Labora-
tories and single-purpose research facilities for— 
‘‘(A) research, development, demonstra-
tion, technology transfer, or commercial appli-
cation activities; or 
‘‘(B) any other activities that the applica-
ble Director determines appropriate. 
‘‘(4) EXPEDITED CONTRACTING.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, work-
ing with the Directors, shall establish a stream-
lined approval process for expedited contracting 
between— 
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‘‘(i) small business concerns selected 
to receive a voucher under the program; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the National Laboratories and 
single-purpose research facilities. 
‘‘(B) DECISIONMAKING AUTHORITY.—The 
Secretary shall determine the appropriate deci-
sionmaking authority at the National Labora-
tories and single-purpose research facilities with 
respect to the expedited contracting described 
in subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(5) COST-SHARING
REQUIREMENT.—In car-
rying out the program, the Secretary shall require 
cost-sharing in accordance with section 988.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 
through 2008’’ and inserting ‘‘$25,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2018 and each fiscal year thereafter’’. 
Æ 
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