I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1398 
To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national investment 
in basic science research. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 17, 2015 
Mr. FOSTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on the Budget, and in addition to the Committees on Science, 
Space, and Technology and Armed Services, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To prioritize funding for an expanded and sustained national 
investment in basic science research. 
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 ‘‘American Innovation 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CAP ADJUSTMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 251(b)(2) of the Balanced 
Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 
U.S.C. 901(b)(2)) is amended— 
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(1) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub-
paragraph (E); and 
(2) by inserting after subparagraph (C), the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) BASIC SCIENCE RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(i) NATIONAL
SCIENCE
FOUNDA-
TION.—If a bill or joint resolution making 
appropriations for a fiscal year is enacted 
that specifies amounts for the National 
Science Foundation, then the adjustments 
for that fiscal year shall be the amount of 
additional new budget authority provided 
in that Act for such programs for that fis-
cal year, but shall not exceed— 
‘‘(I) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2016, 
$397,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(II) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2017, 
$831,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2018, 
$1,275,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
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‘‘(IV) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2019, 
$1,765,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
‘‘(V) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$2,290,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; and 
‘‘(VI) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2021, 
$2,867,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority. 
‘‘(ii) DEPARTMENT
OF
ENERGY
OF-
FICE OF SCIENCE.—If a bill or joint reso-
lution making appropriations for a fiscal 
year is enacted that specifies amounts for 
the Office of Science of the Department of 
Energy, then the adjustments for that fis-
cal year shall be the amount of additional 
new budget authority provided in that Act 
for such programs for that fiscal year, but 
shall not exceed— 
‘‘(I) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2016, 
$275,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(II) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2017, 
$566,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
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‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2018, 
$867,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(IV) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2019, 
$1,198,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
‘‘(V) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$1,555,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; and 
‘‘(VI) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2021, 
$1,946,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority. 
‘‘(iii) 
DEPARTMENT
OF
DEFENSE 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS.— 
If a bill or joint resolution making appro-
priations for a fiscal year is enacted that 
specifies amounts for the Department of 
Defense science and technology programs, 
then the adjustments for that fiscal year 
shall be the amount of additional new 
budget authority provided in that Act for 
such programs for that fiscal year, but 
shall not exceed— 
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‘‘(I) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2016, 
$636,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(II) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2017, 
$1,309,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2018, 
$2,007,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
‘‘(IV) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2019, 
$2,773,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; 
‘‘(V) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$3,603,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; and 
‘‘(VI) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2021, 
$4,512,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority. 
‘‘(iv) 
NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF 
STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY SCIENTIFIC 
AND
TECHNICAL
RESEARCH
AND
SERV-
ICES.—If a bill or joint resolution making 
appropriations for a fiscal year is enacted 
that specifies amounts for the Scientific 
and Technical Research and Services with-
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in the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology of the Department of Com-
merce, then the adjustments for that fiscal 
year shall be the amount of additional new 
budget authority provided in that Act for 
such programs for that fiscal year, but 
shall not exceed— 
‘‘(I) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2016, 
$31,000,000 in additional new budget 
authority; 
‘‘(II) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2017, 
$62,000,000 in additional new budget 
authority; 
‘‘(III) for fiscal year 2018, 
$96,000,000 in additional new budget 
authority; 
‘‘(IV) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2019, 
$132,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; 
‘‘(V) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$173,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority; and 
‘‘(VI) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2021, 
$216,000,000 in additional new budg-
et authority. 
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‘‘(V) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020, 
$1,598,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority; and 
‘‘(VI) 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2021, 
$2,006,000,000 in additional new 
budget authority. 
‘‘(vi) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(I) ADDITIONAL
NEW
BUDGET 
AUTHORITY.—The 
term 
‘additional 
new budget authority’ means— 
‘‘(aa) with respect to the 
National Science Foundation, the 
amount provided for a fiscal 
year, in excess of the amount 
provided in fiscal year 2015, in 
an appropriation Act and speci-
fied to support the National 
Science Foundation; 
‘‘(bb) with respect to the 
Department of Energy Office of 
Science, the amount provided for 
a fiscal year, in excess of the 
amount provided in fiscal year 
2015, in an appropriation Act 
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and specified to support the De-
partment of Energy Office of 
Science; 
‘‘(cc) with respect to the De-
partment of Defense Science and 
Technology 
Programs, 
the 
amount provided for a fiscal 
year, in excess of the amount 
provided in fiscal year 2015, in 
an appropriation Act and speci-
fied to support the Department 
of Defense Science and Tech-
nology Programs; 
‘‘(dd) with respect to the 
National Institute of Standards 
and Technology Scientific and 
Technical Research Services, the 
amount provided for a fiscal 
year, in excess of the amount 
provided in fiscal year 2015, in 
an appropriation Act and speci-
fied to support the National In-
stitute of Standards and Tech-
nology Scientific and Technical 
Research Services; and 
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‘‘(ee) with respect to the 
National Aeronautics and Space 
Administration 
Science 
Direc-
torate, the amount provided for a 
fiscal year, in excess of the 
amount provided in fiscal year 
2015, in an appropriation Act 
and specified to support the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration Science Directorate. 
‘‘(II) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUN-
DATION.—The term ‘National Science 
Foundation’ means the appropriations 
accounts that support the various in-
stitutes, offices, and centers that 
make up the National Science Foun-
dation. 
‘‘(III) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 
OFFICE OF SCIENCE.—The term ‘De-
partment of Energy Office of Science’ 
means the appropriations accounts 
that support the various institutes, of-
fices, and centers that make up the 
Department of Energy Office of 
Science. 
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‘‘(IV) 
DEPARTMENT
OF
DE-
FENSE
SCIENCE
AND
TECHNOLOGY 
PROGRAMS.—The term ‘Department 
of Defense Science and Technology 
programs’ means the appropriations 
accounts that support the various in-
stitutes, offices, and centers that 
make up the Department of Defense 
Science and Technology programs. 
‘‘(V) NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF 
STANDARDS
AND
TECHNOLOGY
SCI-
ENTIFIC
AND
TECHNICAL
RESEARCH 
AND SERVICES.—The term ‘National 
Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology Scientific and Technical Re-
search and Services’ means the appro-
priations accounts that support the 
various institutes, offices, and centers 
that make up the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology Sci-
entific and Technical Research and 
Services. 
‘‘(VI) NATIONAL
AERONAUTICS 
AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION SCIENCE 
DIRECTORATE.—The term ‘National 
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Aeronautics and Space Administration 
Science Directorate’ means the appro-
priations accounts that support the 
various institutes, offices, and centers 
that make up the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration 
Science Directorate.’’. 
(b) FUNDING.—There are hereby authorized to be 
appropriated— 
(1) for the National Science Foundation, the 
amounts provided for under clause (i) of such sec-
tion 251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2021, and such sums as may be necessary 
for each subsequent fiscal year; 
(2) for the Department of Energy Office of 
Sciences, the amounts provided for under clause (ii) 
of such section 251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2021, and such sums as may be nec-
essary for each subsequent fiscal year; 
(3) for the Department of Defense Science and 
Technology programs, the amounts provided for 
under clause (iii) of such section 251(b)(2)(D) in 
each of fiscal years 2016 through 2021, and such 
sums as may be necessary for each subsequent fiscal 
year; 
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(4) for the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Scientific and Technical Research and 
Services, the amounts provided for under clause (iv) 
of such section 251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 
2016 through 2021, and such sums as may be nec-
essary for each subsequent fiscal year; and 
(5) for the National Aeronautics and Space Ad-
ministration Science Directorate, the amounts pro-
vided for under clause (iv) of such section 
251(b)(2)(D) in each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2021, and such sums as may be necessary for each 
subsequent fiscal year. 
(c) MINIMUM
CONTINUED
FUNDING
REQUIRE-
MENT.—Amounts appropriated for each of the programs 
and agencies described in section 251(b)(2)(D) of the Bal-
anced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 
(as added by subsection (a)) for each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2021, and each subsequent fiscal year, shall not 
be less than the amounts appropriated for such programs 
and agencies for fiscal year 2015. 
(d) EXEMPTION OF CERTAIN APPROPRIATIONS FROM 
SEQUESTRATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 255(g)(1)(A) of the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control 
Act (2 U.S.C. 905(g)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting 
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after ‘‘Advances to the Unemployment Trust Fund 
and Other Funds (16–0327–0–1–600).’’ the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘Appropriations under the American 
Innovation Act.’’. 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendment made by 
this section shall apply to any sequestration order 
issued under the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.) 
on or after the date of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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