tenance, 
and 
Major 
Repairs, 
including 
$20,000,000 for IT infrastructure; and 
(C) $339,800,000 shall be for industrial 
technology 
services 
activities, 
of 
which 
$283,300,000 shall be for the Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership program under sections 25 
and 26 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l) 
and $56,500,000 shall be for the Network for 
Manufacturing Innovation Program under sec-
tion 34 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 
(c) FISCAL YEAR 2024.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
of 
Commerce 
$1,595,800,000 for the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology for fiscal year 2024. 
(2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount au-
thorized by paragraph (1)— 
(A) $1,047,600,000 shall be for scientific 
and technical research and services laboratory 
activities, of which $12,000,000 may be trans-
ferred to the Working Capital Fund; 
(B) $200,000,000 shall be for the construc-
tion and maintenance of facilities, of which 
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$80,000,000 shall be for Safety, Capacity, Main-
tenance, 
and 
Major 
Repairs, 
including 
$20,000,000 for IT infrastructure; and 
(C) $348,200,000 shall be for industrial 
technology 
services 
activities, 
of 
which 
$291,700,000 shall be for the Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership program under sections 25 
and 26 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l) 
and $56,500,000 shall be for the Network for 
Manufacturing Innovation Program under sec-
tion 34 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 
(d) FISCAL YEAR 2025.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
of 
Commerce 
$1,677,900,000 for the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology for fiscal year 2025. 
(2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount au-
thorized by paragraph (1)— 
(A) $1,120,900,000 shall be for scientific 
and technical research and services laboratory 
activities, of which $15,000,000 may be trans-
ferred to the Working Capital Fund; 
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(B) $200,000,000 shall be for the construc-
tion and maintenance of facilities, of which 
$80,000,000 shall be for Safety, Capacity, Main-
tenance, 
and 
Major 
Repairs, 
including 
$20,000,000 for IT infrastructure; and 
(C) $357,000,000 shall be for industrial 
technology 
services 
activities, 
of 
which 
$300,500,000 shall be for the Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership program under sections 25 
and 26 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l) 
and $56,500,000 shall be for the Network for 
Manufacturing Innovation Program under sec-
tion 34 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 
(e) FISCAL YEAR 2026.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated 
to 
the 
Secretary 
of 
Commerce 
$1,765,400,000 for the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology for fiscal year 2026. 
(2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATIONS.—Of the amount au-
thorized by paragraph (1)— 
(A) $1,199,400,000 shall be for scientific 
and technical research and services laboratory 
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activities, of which $18,000,000 may be trans-
ferred to the Working Capital Fund; 
(B) $200,000,000 shall be for the construc-
tion and maintenance of facilities, of which 
$80,000,000 shall be for Safety, Capacity, Main-
tenance, 
and 
Major 
Repairs, 
including 
$20,000,000 for IT infrastructure; and 
(C) $366,000,000 shall be for industrial 
technology 
services 
activities, 
of 
which 
$309,500,000 shall be for the Manufacturing Ex-
tension Partnership program under sections 25 
and 26 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 23 
278l) and $56,500,000 shall be for the Network 
for Manufacturing Innovation Program under 
section 34 of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s). 
TITLE II—MEASUREMENT 
RESEARCH 
SEC. 201. ENGINEERING BIOLOGY AND BIOMETROLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall— 
(1) support basic measurement science, tech-
nology research for engineering biology, biomanufac-
turing, and biometrology to advance— 
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(A) measurement technologies to support 
foundational understanding of the mechanisms of 
conversion of DNA information into cellular 
function, including both the natural and engi-
neered production of biomolecules; 
(B) technologies for measurement of such 
biomolecular components and for complex engi-
neered biological systems; 
(C) new data tools, techniques, and proc-
esses to improve engineering biology, biomanu-
facturing, and biometrology research; and 
(D) all other areas deemed by the Director 
to be critical to the development and deployment 
of engineering biology, biomanufacturing and 
biometrology; 
(2) support activities to inform and expand the 
development of measurements infrastructure needed to 
develop technical standards to establish interoper-
ability and facilitate commercial development of bio-
molecular measurement technology and engineering 
biology applications; 
(3) convene industry, institutions of higher edu-
cation, nonprofit organizations, Federal laboratories, 
and other Federal agencies engaged in engineering bi-
ology research and development to develop coordinated 
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technical roadmaps for authoritative measurement of 
the molecular components of the cell; 
(4) provide access to user facilities with ad-
vanced or unique equipment, services, materials, and 
other resources to industry, institutions of higher edu-
cation, nonprofit organizations, and government 
agencies to perform research and testing; 
(5) establish or expand collaborative partner-
ships or consortia with other Federal agencies en-
gaged in engineering biology research and develop-
ment, institutions of higher education, Federal lab-
oratories, and industry to advance engineering biol-
ogy applications; and 
(6) support graduate and post graduate research 
and training in biometrology, biomanufacturing, and 
engineering biology. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘Engineering Biology’’ means the application of engi-
neering design principles and practices to biological sys-
tems, including molecular and cellular systems, to advance 
fundamental understanding of complex natural systems 
and to enable novel or optimize functions and capabilities. 
(c) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this section 
shall be construed to alter the policies, processes, or prac-
tices of individual Federal agencies in effect on the day be-
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fore the date of the enactment of this Act relating to the 
conduct of biomedical research and advanced development, 
including the solicitation and review of extramural research 
proposals. 
(d) CONTROLS.—In carrying out activities authorized 
by this section, the Secretary shall ensure proper security 
controls are in place to protect sensitive information, as ap-
propriate. 
SEC. 202. GREENHOUSE GAS MEASUREMENT RESEARCH. 
(a) GREENHOUSE GAS MEASUREMENT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in consultation 
with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration and the Administrator 
of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall carry 
out a measurement research program to inform the 
development of best practices, benchmarks, methodolo-
gies, procedures, and technical standards for the 
measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and to as-
sess and improve the performance of greenhouse gas 
emissions measurement systems. 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out such a pro-
gram, the Director may— 
(A) conduct research and testing to improve 
the accuracy, efficacy, and reliability of the 
measurement of greenhouse gas emissions at a 
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range of scales that covers direct measurement at 
the component or process level through atmos-
pheric observations; 
(B) conduct research to create novel meas-
urement technologies and techniques for the 
measurement of greenhouse gas emissions; 
(C) convene and engage with relevant Fed-
eral agencies and stakeholders to establish com-
mon definitions and characterizations for the 
measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, taking 
into account any existing United States and 
international standards and guidance; 
(D) conduct outreach and coordination to 
share technical expertise with relevant industry 
and non-industry stakeholders and standards de-
velopment organizations to assist such entities in 
the development of best practices and technical 
standards for greenhouse gas emissions measure-
ments; and 
(E) in coordination with the Administrator 
of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration and the Administrator of the Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency, develop such 
standard reference materials as the Director de-
termines is necessary to further the development 
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of such technical standards, taking into account 
any existing United States or international 
standards. 
(3) TEST BEDS.—In coordination with the pri-
vate sector, institutions of higher education, state and 
local governments, the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, the Environmental Protection 
Agency, and other Federal agencies as appropriate, 
the Director may continue to develop and manage 
testbeds to advance research and standards develop-
ment for greenhouse gas emissions measurements. 
(4) GREENHOUSE
GAS
MEASUREMENT
CENTER 
OF EXCELLENCE.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in collabo-
ration with the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency, and the heads of other Federal agencies, 
as appropriate, shall award to an institution of 
higher education or an eligible nonprofit organi-
zation (or a consortium thereof), on a merit-re-
viewed, competitive basis, funds to establish a 
Center of Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Measure-
ment. 
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(B) COLLABORATIONS.—The Director shall 
require, as a condition of receipt of the award 
under this paragraph, that the activities of the 
Center of Excellence include collaboration among 
public and private organizations, including in-
stitutions of higher education, nonprofit organi-
zations, private sector entities, and State, tribal, 
territorial, and local officials. 
(C) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Center 
of Excellence shall be to— 
(i) advance measurement science, data 
analytics, and modeling at a range of scales 
that covers direct measurement at the com-
ponent or process level through atmospheric 
observations to improve the accuracy of 
greenhouse gas emissions measurement, val-
idation, and attribution to specific under-
lying activities and processes; 
(ii) test and evaluate the performance 
of existing capabilities, and inform and im-
prove best practices, benchmarks, methodolo-
gies, procedures, and technical standards, 
for the measurement and validation of 
greenhouse gas emissions at scales noted in 
clause (i); 
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tor, in consultation with other Federal 
agencies as appropriate. 
SEC. 203. NIST AUTHORITY FOR CYBERSECURITY AND PRI-
VACY ACTIVITIES. 
Section 2 of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (16), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (16) 
through (27) as paragraphs (21) through (32), 
respectively; and 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (15) the 
following: 
‘‘(16) support information security measures for 
the development and lifecycle of software and the soft-
ware supply chain, including development of vol-
untary, consensus-based technical standards, best 
practices, 
frameworks, 
methodologies, 
procedures, 
processes, and software engineering toolkits and con-
figurations; 
‘‘(17) support information security measures, in-
cluding voluntary, consensus-based technical stand-
ards, best practices, and guidelines, for the design, 
adoption and deployment of cloud computing services; 
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‘‘(18) support research, development, and prac-
tical application to improve the usability of cyberse-
curity processes and technologies; 
‘‘(19) facilitate and support the development of 
a voluntary, consensus-based set of technical stand-
ards, guidelines, best practices, methodologies, proce-
dures, and processes to cost-effectively ensure appro-
priate privacy protections for personally identifiable 
information in systems, technologies, and processes 
used by both the public and private sector; 
‘‘(20) support privacy measures, including vol-
untary, consensus-based technical standards, best 
practices, guidelines, metrology, and testbeds for the 
design, adoption and deployment of privacy enhanc-
ing technologies;’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(1)(A)— 
(A) in clause (viii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) by redesignating clause (ix) as clause 
(x); and 
(C) by inserting after clause (viii) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(ix) conduct reviews of and create im-
pact metrics for cybersecurity solutions and 
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capabilities developed by the Institute for 
purposes of improvement; and’’. 
SEC. 204. SOFTWARE SECURITY AND AUTHENTICATION. 
(a) VULNERABILITIES IN OPEN SOURCE SOFTWARE.— 
The Director shall assess and assign severity metrics to 
identified vulnerabilities with open source software and 
produce voluntary guidance to assist the entities that main-
tain open source software repositories to discover and miti-
gate vulnerabilities. 
(b) 
ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE-ENABLED
DE-
FENSES.—The Director shall carry out research and testing 
to improve the effectiveness of artificial intelligence-enabled 
cybersecurity, including by generating optimized data sets 
to train artificial intelligence defense systems and evalu-
ating the performance of varying network architectures at 
strengthening network security. 
(c) AUTHENTICATION OF INSTITUTE SOFTWARE.—The 
Director shall ensure all software released by the Institute 
is digitally signed and maintained to enable stakeholders 
to verify its authenticity and integrity upon installation 
and execution. 
(d) ASSISTANCE TO INSPECTORS GENERAL.—The Di-
rector shall provide technical assistance to improve the edu-
cation and training of individual Federal agency Inspec-
tors General and staff who are responsible for the annual 
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independent evaluation they are required to perform of the 
information security program and practices of Federal 
Agencies under section 3555 of title 44, United States Code. 
(e) SOFTWARE
SUPPLY
CHAIN
SECURITY
PRAC-
TICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall, in coordi-
nation with industry, academia, and other Federal 
agencies, as appropriate, develop a set of security out-
comes and practices, including security controls, con-
trol enhancements, supplemental guidance, or other 
supporting information to enable software developers 
and operators to identify, assess, and manage cyber 
risks over the full lifecycle of software products. 
(2) OUTREACH.—The Director shall conduct out-
reach and coordination activities to share technical 
expertise with Federal agencies, relevant industry 
stakeholders, and standards development organiza-
tions, as appropriate, to encourage the voluntary 
adoption of the software lifecycle security practices by 
Federal agencies and industry stakeholders. 
SEC. 205. DIGITAL IDENTITY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH. 
Section 504 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 
2014 (15 U.S.C. 7464) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 504. IDENTITY MANAGEMENT RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry out a 
program of research to support the development of vol-
untary, consensus-based technical standards, best practices, 
benchmarks, methodologies, metrology, testbeds, and con-
formance criteria for identity management, taking into ac-
count appropriate user concerns— 
‘‘(1) to improve interoperability and portability 
among identity management technologies; 
‘‘(2) 
to 
strengthen 
identity 
proofing 
and 
verification methods used in identity management 
systems; 
‘‘(3) to improve privacy protection in identity 
management systems through authentication and se-
curity protocols; and 
‘‘(4) to monitor and improve the accuracy, 
usability, and inclusivity of identity management 
systems. 
‘‘(b) DIGITAL IDENTITY TECHNICAL ROADMAP.—The 
Director, in consultation with other relevant Federal agen-
cies and stakeholders from the private sector, shall develop 
and maintain a technical roadmap for digital identity 
management research and development focused on enabling 
the voluntary use and adoption of modern digital identity 
solutions that align with the four criteria in subsection (a). 
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‘‘(c) DIGITAL IDENTITY MANAGEMENT GUIDANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall develop, 
and periodically update, in collaboration with other 
public and private sector organizations, common defi-
nitions and voluntary guidance for digital identity 
management systems. 
‘‘(2) GUIDANCE.—The Guidance shall— 
‘‘(A) align with the four criteria in sub-
section (a), as practicable; 
‘‘(B) provide case studies of implementation 
of guidance; 
‘‘(C) incorporate voluntary technical stand-
ards and industry best practices; and 
‘‘(D) not prescribe or otherwise require the 
use of specific technology products or services. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out this sub-
section, the Director shall consult with— 
‘‘(A) Federal and State agencies; 
‘‘(B) industry; 
‘‘(C) potential end-users and individuals 
that will use services related to digital identity 
verification; and 
‘‘(D) experts with relevant experience in the 
systems that enable digital identity verification, 
as determined by the Director.’’. 
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SEC. 206. BIOMETRICS RESEARCH AND TESTING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Director, shall establish a program to support measurement 
research to inform the development of best practices, bench-
marks, methodologies, procedures, and voluntary, con-
sensus-based technical standards for biometric identifica-
tion systems, including facial recognition systems, to assess 
and improve the performance of such systems. In carrying 
out such program, the Director may— 
(1) conduct research to support efforts to improve 
the performance of biometric identification systems, 
including in areas related to conformity assessment, 
image quality and interoperability, contactless bio-
metric capture technologies, and human-in-the-loop 
biometric identification systems and processes; 
(2) convene and engage with relevant stake-
holders to establish common definitions and charac-
terizations for biometric identification systems, in-
cluding accuracy, fairness, bias, privacy, consent, and 
other properties, taking into account definitions in 
relevant international technical standards and other 
publications; 
(3) carry out research and testing on a range of 
biometric modalities, such as fingerprints, voice, iris, 
face, vein, behavioral biometrics, genetics, multimodal 
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biometrics, and emerging applications of biometric 
identification technology; 
(4) study the use of privacy-enhancing tech-
nologies and other technical protective controls to fa-
cilitate access to public data sets for biometric re-
search; 
(5) conduct outreach and coordination to share 
technical expertise with relevant industry and non-in-
dustry stakeholders and standards development orga-
nizations to assist such entities in the development of 
best practices and voluntary technical standards; and 
(6) develop such standard reference artifacts as 
the Director determines is necessary to further the de-
velopment of such voluntary technical standards. 
(b) BIOMETRICS VENDOR TEST PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through 
the Director, shall carry out a test program to pro-
vide biometrics vendors the opportunity to test bio-
metric identification technologies across a range of 
modalities. 
(2) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out the program 
under subsection (a), the Director shall— 
(A) conduct research and regular testing to 
improve and benchmark the accuracy, efficacy, 
and bias of biometric identification systems, in-
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cluding research and testing on demographic 
variations, capture devices, presentation attack 
detection, partially occluded or computer gen-
erated images, privacy and security designs and 
controls, template protection, de-identification, 
and comparison of algorithm, human, and com-
bined algorithm-human recognition capability; 
(B) develop an approach for testing soft-
ware and cloud-based biometrics applications, 
including remote systems, in Institute test facili-
ties; 
(C) establish reference use cases for biomet-
ric applications and performance criteria for as-
sessing each use case, including accuracy and 
bias metrics; 
(D) produce public-facing reports of the 
findings from such testing for a general audi-
ence; and 
(E) conduct such other activities as deemed 
necessary by the Director. 
(3) PARTNERSHIPS
WITH
OTHER
FEDERAL 
AGENCIES.—In addition to such sums as may be au-
thorized to be appropriated or otherwise made avail-
able to carry out this section, the Director may accept 
funds from other Federal departments and agencies 
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and States and local governments to carry out activi-
ties under this subsection. 
SEC. 207. FEDERAL BIOMETRIC PERFORMANCE STAND-
ARDS. 
Section 20 of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278g–3) is amended in sub-
section (b)— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) performance standards and guidelines for 
high risk biometric identification systems, including 
facial recognition systems, accounting for various use 
cases, types of biometric identification systems, and 
relevant operational conditions.’’. 
SEC. 208. PROTECTING RESEARCH FROM CYBER THEFT. 
Section 2(e)(1)(A) of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 272(e)(1)(A)), as 
amended by section 203(2), is further amended— 
(1) in clause (ix), as added by section 203(2)(C), 
by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(2) by redesignating clause (x), as redesignated 
by section 203(2)(B), as clause (xi); and 
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(3) by inserting after clause (ix), as added by 
section 203(2)(C), the following: 
‘‘(x) consider institutions of higher 
education (as defined in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
1001)); and’’. 
SEC. 209. DISSEMINATION OF RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH 
INSTITUTIONS. 
(a) DISSEMINATION OF RESOURCES FOR RESEARCH 
INSTITUTIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than one year after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
shall, using the authorities of the Director under sub-
sections (c)(15) and (e)(1)(A)(ix) of section 2 of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology Act 
(15 U.S.C. 272), as amended by section 208, dissemi-
nate and make publicly available resources to help 
qualifying institutions identify, assess, manage, and 
reduce their cybersecurity risk related to conducting 
research. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Director shall ensure 
that the resources disseminated pursuant to para-
graph (1)— 
(A) are generally applicable and usable by 
a wide range of qualifying institutions; 
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(B) vary with the nature and size of the 
qualifying institutions, and the nature and sen-
sitivity of the data collected or stored on the in-
formation systems or devices of the qualifying 
institutions; 
(C) include elements that promote aware-
ness of simple, basic controls, a workplace cyber-
security culture, and third-party stakeholder re-
lationships, to assist qualifying institutions in 
mitigating common cybersecurity risks; 
(D) include case studies, examples, and sce-
narios studies of practical application; 
(E) are technology-neutral and can be im-
plemented using technologies that are commercial 
and off-the-shelf; and 
(F) to the extent practicable, are based on 
international technical standards. 
(3) NATIONAL CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND 
EDUCATION
PROGRAM.—The Director shall ensure 
that the resources disseminated under paragraph (1) 
are consistent with the efforts of the Director under 
section 303 of the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 
2014 (15 U.S.C. 7451). 
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(4) UPDATES.—The Director shall review peri-
odically and update the resources under paragraph 
(1) as the Director determines appropriate. 
(5) VOLUNTARY RESOURCES.—The use of the re-
sources disseminated under paragraph (1) shall be 
considered voluntary. 
(b) OTHER
FEDERAL
CYBERSECURITY
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Nothing in this section may be construed to super-
sede, alter, or otherwise affect any cybersecurity require-
ments applicable to Federal agencies. 
(c) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
QUALIFYING
INSTITUTIONS.—The 
term 
‘‘qualifying institutions’’ means institutions of higher 
education that are classified as either very-high re-
search intensive (R1) or high research intensive (R2) 
status universities by the Carnegie Classification of 
Academic Institutions. 
(2) RESOURCES.—The term ‘‘resources’’ means 
guidelines, tools, best practices, technical standards, 
methodologies, and other ways of providing informa-
tion. 
SEC. 210. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH. 
The National Institute of Standards and Technology 
Act (15 U.S.C. 271 et seq.) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating section 35 as section 36; 
and 
(2) by inserting after section 34 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 35. ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH ACTIVI-
TIES. 
‘‘(a) ADVANCED COMMUNICATIONS RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in consultation 
with the Administrator of the National Telecommuni-
cations and Information Administration, the Director 
of the National Science Foundation, and heads of 
other Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall carry out 
a program of measurement research to inform the de-
velopment of common definitions, benchmarks, best 
practices, methodologies, and voluntary, consensus- 
based technical standards for advanced communica-
tions technologies. 
‘‘(2) RESEARCH
AREAS.—Research areas may 
include— 
‘‘(A) radio frequency emissions and inter-
ference, including technologies and techniques to 
mitigate such emissions; 
‘‘(B) advanced antenna arrays and artifi-
cial intelligence systems capable of operating ad-
vanced antenna arrays; 
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‘‘(C) artificial intelligence systems to enable 
internet of things networks, immersive tech-
nology, and other advanced communications 
technologies; 
‘‘(D) network sensing and monitoring tech-
nologies; 
‘‘(E) technologies to enable spectrum flexi-
bility and agility; 
‘‘(F) optical and quantum communications 
technologies; 
‘‘(G) security of advanced communications 
systems and their supply chains; 
‘‘(H) public safety communications; 
‘‘(I) resilient internet of things applications 
for advanced manufacturing; and 
‘‘(J) other research areas deemed necessary 
by the Director. 
‘‘(3) TEST BEDS.—In coordination with the pri-
vate sector and other Federal agencies as appropriate, 
the Director may develop and manage testbeds for re-
search and development of advanced communications 
technologies, avoiding duplication of existing testbeds 
run by other agencies or the private sector. 
‘‘(4) OUTREACH.—In carrying out the activities 
under this subsection, the Director shall seek input 
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from other Federal agencies and from private sector 
stakeholders, on an ongoing basis, to help inform re-
search and development priorities, including through 
workshops and other multi-stakeholder activities. 
‘‘(5) TECHNICAL
ROADMAPS.—In carrying out 
the activities under this subsection, the Director shall 
convene industry, institutions of higher education, 
nonprofit organizations, Federal laboratories, and 
other Federal agencies engaged in advanced commu-
nications research and development to develop, and 
periodically update, coordinated technical roadmaps 
for advanced communications research in priority 
areas, such as those described in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL ADVANCED SPECTRUM AND COMMU-
NICATIONS TEST NETWORK.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in coordina-
tion with the Administrator of the National Tele-
communications and Information Administration 
and heads of other Federal agencies, as appropriate, 
shall operate a national network of government, aca-
demic, and commercial test capabilities and facilities 
to be known as the National Advanced Spectrum and 
Commutations Test Network (referred to in this sec-
tion as ‘NASCTN’). 
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‘‘(2) PURPOSES.—NASCTN shall be for the pur-
poses of facilitating and coordinating the use of intel-
lectual capacity, modeling and simulation, laboratory 
facilities, and test facilities to meet national spectrum 
interests and challenges, including— 
‘‘(A) measurements and analyses of electro-
magnetic propagation, radio systems characteris-
tics, and operating techniques affecting the utili-
zation of the electromagnetic spectrum in coordi-
nation with specialized, related research and 
analysis performed by other Federal agencies in 
their areas of responsibility; 
‘‘(B) Conducting research and analysis in 
the general field of telecommunications sciences 
in support of the Institute’s mission and in sup-
port of other Government agencies; 
‘‘(C) developing methodologies for testing, 
measuring, and setting guidelines for inter-
ference; 
‘‘(D) conducting interference tests to better 
understand the impact of Federal and commer-
cial spectrum activities; 
‘‘(E) conducting research and testing to im-
prove spectrum interference tolerance, flexibility, 
and agility; and 
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‘‘(F) other activities as deemed necessary by 
the Director. 
‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS
WITH
OTHER
FEDERAL 
AGENCIES.—In addition to such sums as may be au-
thorized to be appropriated or otherwise made avail-
able to carry out this section, the Director may accept 
funds from other departments and agencies of the 
Federal Government, and from the State and local 
governments, to operate NASCTN under this sec-
tion.’’. 
SEC. 211. NEUTRON SCATTERING. 
(a) STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE INSTITUTE NEUTRON 
REACTOR.—The Director shall develop a strategic plan for 
the future of the Institute Center for Neutron Research after 
the current neutron reactor is decommissioned, including— 
(1) a succession plan for the reactor, including 
a roadmap with timeline and milestones; 
(2) conceptual design of a new reactor and ac-
companying facilities, as appropriate; and 
(3) a plan to minimize disruptions to the user 
community during the transition. 
(b) COORDINATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF EN-
ERGY.—The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall 
coordinate with the Secretary of Energy on issues related 
to Federal support for neutron science, including estimation 
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of long-term needs for research using neutron sources, and 
planning efforts for future facilities to meet such needs. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 18 months 
after the enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit 
to Congress the plan required under subsection (a), and 
shall notify Congress of any substantial updates to such 
plan in subsequent years. 
SEC. 212. QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall continue to 
prioritize and carry out activities authorized in the Na-
tional Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8801). 
(b) QUANTUM RESEARCH.—Section 201(a) of the Na-
tional Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8831) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (4) 
as paragraphs (6) through (7); and 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) shall carry out research to facilitate the de-
velopment and standardization of quantum cryptog-
raphy and post-quantum classical cryptography; 
‘‘(4) shall carry out research to facilitate the de-
velopment and standardization of quantum net-
working and communications technologies and appli-
cations, including— 
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‘‘(A) quantum repeater technology; 
‘‘(B) quantum network traffic management; 
‘‘(C) quantum transduction; 
‘‘(D) 
long 
baseline 
entanglement 
and 
teleportation; and 
‘‘(E) such other technologies, processes, or 
applications as the Director considers appro-
priate; 
‘‘(5) shall, for quantum technologies deemed by 
the Director to be at a readiness level sufficient for 
standardization, the Director shall provide technical 
review and assistance to such other Federal agencies 
as the Director considers appropriate for the develop-
ment of quantum network infrastructure standards;’’. 
SEC. 213. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall continue to sup-
port the development of artificial intelligence and data 
science, and carry out the activities of the National Artifi-
cial Intelligence Initiative Act of 2020 authorized in divi-
sion E of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283), including through— 
(1) expanding the Institute’s capabilities, includ-
ing scientific staff and research infrastructure; 
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(2) supporting measurement research and devel-
opment for advanced computer chips and hardware 
designed for artificial intelligence systems; 
(3) supporting the development of technical 
standards and guidelines that promote safe and trust-
worthy artificial intelligence systems; 
(4) creating a framework for managing risks as-
sociated with artificial intelligence systems; and 
(5) developing and publishing cybersecurity 
tools, encryption methods, and best practices for arti-
ficial intelligence and data science. 
(b) TESTBEDS.—In coordination with other Federal 
agencies as appropriate, the private sector, and institutions 
of higher education, the Director may establish testbeds to 
examine artificial intelligence and machine learning sys-
tems in virtual environments for vulnerabilities that may 
lead to failure, malfunction, or attacks under a wide range 
of conditions. 
SEC. 214. FACILITATING DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBU-
TION OF FORENSIC SCIENCE STANDARDS. 
(a) ORGANIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC AREA COMMITTEES 
FOR FORENSIC SCIENCE.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall estab-
lish in the Institute an organization to facilitate the 
development of forensic science standards. 
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(2) DESIGNATION.—The organization established 
under paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘‘Organi-
zation of Scientific Area Committees for Forensic 
Science’’. 
(3) COMPOSITION.—The Organization shall be 
composed of the following: 
(A) The Forensic Science and Standards 
Board established under subsection (b). 
(B) Each scientific area committee estab-
lished under subsection (c). 
(4) DUTIES OF THE ORGANIZATION.—The duties 
of the Organization are as follows: 
(A) Facilitating the development and dis-
tribution of scientifically sound, consensus-based 
documentary standards and guidelines for foren-
sic science, including through formal collabora-
tion with nongovernmental standards develop-
ment organizations. 
(B) Establishing a registry of scientifically 
sound forensic science standards and guidelines 
approved and endorsed by the Organization. 
(C) Establish a process for regularly re- 
evaluating existing standards and guidelines 
published for placement on the registry estab-
lished under subparagraph (B). 
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(D) Promoting the adoption by the forensic 
science community of the standards and guide-
lines described in subparagraph (A) and as in-
cluded in the registry established under subpara-
graph (B). 
(b) FORENSIC SCIENCE STANDARDS BOARD.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall estab-
lish in the Organization a board to oversee the oper-
ations of the Organization and its committees. 
(2) DESIGNATION.—The board established under 
paragraph (1) shall be known as the ‘‘Forensic 
Science Standards Board’’. 
(3) COMPOSITION.—The Board shall be composed 
of the following: 
(A) Members selected by the Director to 
serve on the Board from among each of— 
(i) members of the forensic science com-
munity; 
(ii) scientists and engineers with rel-
evant expertise at institutions of higher edu-
cation and other nonprofit research organi-
zations; 
(iii) statisticians; 
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(iv) a representative of each of the task 
groups established under subsection (d), as 
the Director considers appropriate; and 
(v) such other communities or sectors 
as the Director considers appropriate. 
(B) The chairpersons of the scientific area 
committees established under subsection (c). 
(4) DUTIES.—The duties of the Board are as fol-
lows: 
(A) Overseeing all operations of the Organi-
zation, including the committees of the Organi-
zation. 
(B) Establishing governance rules and poli-
cies for the Organization. 
(C) Facilitating communication within the 
Organization and between the Organization, the 
criminal justice community, and the forensic 
science community. 
(D) Overseeing the reviewing and approving 
process of standards to be added to the registry 
established under subsection (a)(4)(B). 
(5) AUTHORITY
TO
APPROVE
STANDARDS
FOR 
LISTING IN REGISTRY OF FORENSIC SCIENCE STAND-
ARDS
AND
GUIDELINES.—The Board may approve 
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standards for listing on the registry established under 
subsection (a)(4)(B). 
(c) SCIENTIFIC AREA COMMITTEES.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall estab-
lish one or more scientific area committees to carry 
out the work of the Organization. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
(A) COMPOSITION.—Each scientific area 
committee established under paragraph (1) shall 
be composed of the following: 
(i) The chairperson of the scientific 
area committee. 
(ii) The vice chairperson of the sci-
entific area committee. 
(iii) The chairperson of each sub-
committee established under paragraph (3) 
for each scientific area committee under 
paragraph (1). 
(B) 
CHAIRPERSON
AND
VICE
CHAIR-
PERSON.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—For each scientific 
area committee established under paragraph 
(1), the Director shall appoint a chair-
person and a vice chairperson for the sci-
entific area committee from among individ-
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uals with expertise in the subject area of the 
scientific area committee. 
(ii) SERVICE.—Each chairperson and 
vice chairperson appointed under clause (i) 
shall serve as a chairperson or vice chair-
person at the pleasure of the Director. 
(3) SUBCOMMITTEES.— 
(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director may 
establish such subcommittees in a scientific area 
committee established under paragraph (1) as 
the Director considers appropriate to assist in 
the work of the scientific area committee. 
(B) MEMBERSHIP.—Each subcommittee es-
tablished under subparagraph (A) shall be com-
posed of such members selected by the Director 
from among the following: 
(i) Forensic science practitioners. 
(ii) Scientists and engineers at institu-
tions of higher education and other non-
profit research organizations. 
(iii) Statisticians. 
(iv) Representatives of the legal com-
munity. 
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(v) Such others as the Director con-
siders appropriate for purposes of this sec-
tion. 
(4) DUTIES.—The duties of a scientific area 
committee established under paragraph (1) shall be as 
follows: 
(A) Coordinating the operation and activi-
ties of specific forensic science discipline sub-
committees in order to encourage communication 
across all subject and discipline specific sub-
committees. 
(B) Providing opportunity to the public to 
engage the forensic science community in matters 
relating to priorities, standards, and guidelines. 
(C) Address topics of high importance to the 
forensic community, such as matters relating to 
the following: 
(i) Biology. 
(ii) Chemistry, including— 
(I) matters relating to seized 
drugs and toxicology; and 
(II) matters relating to trace evi-
dence. 
(iii) Scene examination. 
(iv) Medicine. 
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(v) Digital and multimedia. 
(vi) Physics and pattern interpreta-
tion. 
(vii) 
Computational 
forensic 
algo-
rithms. 
(D) Furthering the development of stand-
ards under subsection (e)(1) and other guide-
lines. 
(d) RESOURCE TASK GROUPS.— 
(1) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Director, 
acting 
through the Board, shall establish legal, human fac-
tors, quality, and statistics task groups to support 
and assist the Organization with matters relating to 
questions of law, human factors, ethical and social 
implications of technology, workflow processes, quality 
assurance, and statistics. 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Director, acting through 
the Board, shall ensure that each task group estab-
lished under paragraph (1) is composed of voting 
members of the subcommittees established under sub-
section (c)(3) who have relevant expertise. 
(3) 
CHAIRPERSONS.—The 
Director, 
acting 
through the Board, shall appoint a chairperson of 
each task group established under paragraph (1). 
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