124 
agreement with a nonprofit organization to establish a Na-
tional Institute of Standards and Technology Foundation. 
The Foundation shall not be an agency or instrumentality 
of the United States Government. 
(b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Foundation shall 
be to support the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology in its mission. 
(c) ACTIVITIES.—Activities of the Foundation may 
include the solicitation and acceptance of funds— 
(1) to support international metrology and 
standards engagement activities; 
(2) to conduct education and outreach activi-
ties; and 
(3) to offer direct support to NIST associates, 
including through activities such as the provision of 
fellowships, grants, and occupational safety and 
awareness training. 
(d) TRANSFER OF FUNDS.—The Director may au-
thorize, under the agreement under subsection (a), the 
transfer of funds from the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology to the nonprofit organization to offset any 
administrative costs of the Foundation. 
(e) LIABILITY.—The United States shall not be liable 
for any debts, defaults, acts, or omissions of the Founda-
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tion. The full faith and credit of the United States shall 
not extend to any obligations of the Foundation. 
SEC. 314. MEP OUTREACH. 
Section 25 of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (6), by striking ‘‘commu-
nity colleges and area career and technical edu-
cation schools’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 
of the Elementary and Secondary Education 
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801)), community col-
leges, and area career and technical education 
schools, including those in underserved and 
rural communities,’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (7)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and local colleges’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘local high 
schools and local colleges, including those 
in underserved and rural communities,’’; 
and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘or other applied 
learning opportunities’’ after ‘‘apprentice-
ships’’; and 
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(2) in subsection (d)(3), by striking ‘‘, commu-
nity colleges, and area career and technical edu-
cation schools,’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘and 
local high schools, community colleges, and area ca-
reer and technical education schools, including those 
in underserved and rural communities,’’. 
SEC. 315. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology. 
(2) FRAMEWORK.—The term ‘‘Framework’’ 
means the Framework for Improving Critical Infra-
structure Cybersecurity developed by the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology and referred 
to in Executive Order 13800 issued on May 11, 
2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 22391 et seq.). 
(3) INSTITUTE.—The term ‘‘Institute’’ means 
the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 
(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(5) NIST ASSOCIATE.—The term ‘‘NIST asso-
ciate’’ means any guest researcher, research asso-
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ciate, facility user, or volunteer who conducts re-
search at a National Institute of Standards and 
Technology facility, but is not an employee of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology or 
of another Federal department or agency. 
(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Commerce. 
TITLE IV—NATIONAL OCEANIC 
AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS-
TRATION 
SEC. 401. ESTABLISHMENT OF A TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 
OFFICE. 
(a) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER OFFICE.—The Admin-
istrator shall establish a technology transfer office at the 
corporate agency level. 
(b) TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER COORDINATOR.—The 
Administrator shall appoint a Technology Transfer Coor-
dinator to be the principal advisor to the Administrator 
on all matters relating to technology transfer and commer-
cialization and will serve as director of the technology 
transfer office. 
(c) QUALIFICATIONS.—The Coordinator shall be an 
individual who, by reason of professional background and 
experience, is specially qualified to advise the Adminis-
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trator on matters pertaining to technology transfer at the 
Agency. 
(d) DUTIES OF THE COORDINATOR.—The Coordi-
nator shall oversee— 
(1) the expenditure of funds allocated for tech-
nology transfer within the Agency; 
(2) efforts to improve research to operations 
within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re-
search and other Agency line offices; 
(3) efforts to engage private sector entities, in-
cluding venture capital companies; 
(4) efforts to engage State and local govern-
ments; 
(5) coordinate efforts across the Agency; and 
(6) facilitate knowledge transfer from Agency/ 
Federal standards to commercial, State, and local 
governments. 
(e) TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER
RESPONSIBILITY.— 
Nothing in this section affects the technology transfer re-
sponsibilities of Federal employees under the Stevenson- 
Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
3701 et seq.). 
(f) PLANNING AND REPORTING.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
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trator shall submit to Congress a technology transfer 
execution plan. 
(2) UPDATES.—Each year after the submission 
of the plan under paragraph (1), the Administrator 
shall submit to Congress an updated execution plan 
and reports that describe progress toward meeting 
goals set forth in the execution plan and the funds 
expended under subsection (e). 
SEC. 402. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND TRANSITIONS AS-
SESSMENT. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the administrator 
shall transmit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
Senate a report which shall include— 
(1) report on the Agency’s research to oper-
ations activities during the previous fiscal year; and 
(2) recommended agency policy changes to in-
crease research to operations activities in the coming 
fiscal year. 
SEC. 403. NATIONAL MESONET PROGRAM. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) since the initial establishment of a private- 
public partnership demonstration program, the Na-
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(2) as a joint collaboration between the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 
the National Weather Service, the National Mesonet 
Program is a critical component of agency oper-
ations and provides reliable, real-time prediction and 
observation capabilities for the physical environment 
that enhances response and prevention strategies to 
severe weather events. 
(b) PROGRAM.—The National Weather Service shall 
carry out the National Mesonet Program under law to im-
prove understanding of and forecast capabilities for at-
mospheric events, placing priority on leveraging available 
commercial and other non-Federal weather data to en-
hance coordination across the private, public, and aca-
demic sectors of the American weather enterprise. 
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program described 
in subsection (b) shall focus on the following activities: 
(1) Improving the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration and the National Weather 
Service’s ability to provide the baseline forecasts and 
warnings that protect the Nation’s citizens, busi-
nesses, military, and government agencies and en-
able them to operate and perform in safe, efficient, 
and orderly manners. 
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(2) Yielding significant amounts of boundary- 
layer data to result in dramatic improvements in nu-
merical weather prediction performance. 
(3) Providing the critical technical and adminis-
trative infrastructure needed to facilitate rapid inte-
gration of new and emerging surface, boundary 
layer, and space-based networks anticipated in com-
ing years. 
(4) Leveraging existing networks of environ-
mental monitoring stations to dramatically increase 
the quantity and density of weather observations 
available to the National Weather Service at a highly 
cost-effective price. 
(5) Supporting the National Weather Service in 
reaching its target of a 30-minute warning time for 
severe weather through better predictive algorithms 
driven by increasingly effective observations. 
(d) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 
amounts otherwise made available to the National Weath-
er Service, there are authorized to carry out this section 
$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, $26,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2022, $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2023, $28,000,000 
for fiscal year 2024, $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2025, and 
$30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. 
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SEC. 404. SEVERE WEATHER EXTRAMURAL TESTBEDS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Weather Research and Forecasting In-
novation Act of 2017 instructs NOAA to prioritize 
improving weather data, modeling, computing, fore-
casting and warnings for the protection of life and 
property and for the enhancement of the national 
economy. 
(2) The Weather Research and Forecasting In-
novation Act of 2017 has also mandated that the 
NOAA Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research 
prioritize involving extramural partners to leverage 
existing public and private resources to expand and 
improve weather forecasting and modeling as quickly 
and efficiently as possible. 
(3) There is a need for additional weather re-
search and forecasting innovation given the increas-
ing number of severe weather events and their in-
creasing effect on public health, safety, and national 
and regional economic well-being. 
(b) PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the en-
actment of this Act, the Assistant Administrator for the 
Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research shall estab-
lish a program to create one or more weather research 
testbeds, hosted by extramural university based partners, 
to develop improved understanding of and forecast capa-
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bilities for atmospheric events and their impacts. Re-
sources for such testbeds shall not be taken from the exist-
ing NOAA cooperative institutes. 
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program described 
in subsection (b) shall focus on the following activities: 
(1) Improving the fundamental understanding 
of weather, including the boundary layer and other 
processes affecting high impact weather events. 
(2) Improving the understanding of how the 
public receives, interprets, and responds to warnings 
and forecasts of high impact weather events that en-
danger life and property. 
(3) Research and development, and transfer of 
knowledge, technologies, and applications to the Na-
tional Weather Service and other appropriate agen-
cies and entities, including the United States weath-
er industry and academic partners. 
(d) EXTRAMURAL RESEARCH.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program 
under this section, the Assistant Administrator for 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Research shall collaborate 
with and support the non-Federal weather research 
community, which includes institutions of higher 
education, private entities, and nongovernmental or-
ganizations, by making funds available through com-
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petitive grants, contracts, and cooperative agree-
ments. Preference shall be given to applicants with 
significant expertise in severe weather research that 
are co-located with existing NOAA intramural 
weather related laboratories. 
(2) EXTRAMURAL
ACADEMIC
PARTNERS.—Of 
the funds authorized in subsection (e), not less than 
80 percent shall be dedicated to research of extra-
mural academic partners. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For each 
of fiscal years 2021 and 2022, there are authorized out 
of funds appropriated to the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, $10,000,000 to carry out the ac-
tivities of this section. 
SEC. 405. NEXT GENERATION DIGITAL RADAR. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) the national weather radar network is 
aging, and procurement and replacement must begin 
by early in the decade commencing with the year 
2030; 
(2) research by the National Oceanic and At-
mospheric Administration on next generation radar 
systems has largely focused on the development of a 
phased array radar for severe weather forecasting; 
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(3) a phased array radar system can achieve 
precise measurements of precipitation rates and con-
ditions through a rapid scan of the atmosphere to 
reveal critical weather thumbprints that point to the 
potential of severe weather; 
(4) though initially established through the 
joint collaboration between the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration and the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, the potential for use of the 
phased array radar for severe weather observations 
has emerged as the focus; 
(5) lifetime operations and maintenance costs 
will be significantly reduced due to the simple, dig-
ital process for updating the digital array radar sys-
tem; and 
(6) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration must continue to conduct crucial tech-
nical risk reduction research to be ready for the next 
generation of radar networks. 
(b) PROGRAM.—The Under Secretary of Commerce 
for Oceans and Atmosphere shall develop, in collaboration 
with the Assistant Administrators for Weather Services 
and Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and utilizing 
NOAA’s existing academic partners for implementation, 
a technical risk reduction program, that will lead to the 
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baseline requirements to procure an all-digital ground 
based phased array radar system for initial deployment 
by no later than 2032. At a minimum, such a program 
must demonstrate the ability to significantly improve the 
accuracy of severe weather forecasts while lowering long 
term Federal operating costs. 
(c) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.—The program described 
in subsection (b) shall focus on the following activities: 
(1) Definition of key system requirements need-
ed to cost effectively lead to significantly improve 
weather forecasting accuracy and precision through 
a nationwide all-digital ground based phased array 
weather radar system. 
(2) Identification of critical technologies and 
subsystems on the critical path to the development 
of an all-digital phased array system, and an invest-
ment schedule to reduce risk in each designated 
area. 
(3) Development of a full-scale digital phased 
array radar demonstrator that will meet require-
ments set in paragraph (1). 
(4) Development of a multi-year effort to 
strengthen ties between NOAA and its public univer-
sity based academic partners so as to maintain an 
ongoing reservoir of science and technology talent to 
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help to guide and advise Federal program managers 
on the implementation and use of an all-digital 
phased array radar system. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Of the 
amounts otherwise made available to the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration’s Operations, Research, 
and Facilities Action, there are authorized to carry out 
this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
through 2025. 
SEC. 406. FELLOWSHIPS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—To carry out the educational and 
training objectives of this Act, the Administrator shall 
support a program of weather fellowships for qualified in-
dividuals at the graduate and postgraduate level. The fel-
lowships shall be related to meteorology, atmospheric 
science, space weather, and climatology and awarded pur-
suant to guidelines established by the Administrator. 
(b) WEATHER
FELLOWSHIP.—The Administrator 
may award weather fellowships to support the placement 
of individuals at the graduate level of education in fields 
related to meteorology, atmospheric science, space weath-
er, and climatology within NOAA. A fellowship awarded 
under this subsection shall be for a period of not more 
than 1 year. 
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SEC. 407. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration promotes United States science and in-
novation by providing weather forecasts, severe 
storm warnings, and climate monitoring that sup-
port and affect more than one-third of the national 
gross domestic product. 
(2) The Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Re-
search provides science that enables better forecasts, 
earlier warnings for natural disasters, and a greater 
understanding of the Earth. 
(3) The cutting-edge research conducted at 
OAR provides citizens, planners, and emergency 
managers reliable information that is critical to daily 
life. 
(b) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—Of 
amounts otherwise available to the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, there are authorized to be 
appropriated for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Research— 
(1) $590,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 
(2) $655,555,555 for fiscal year 2021; 
(3) $721,111,110 for fiscal year 2022; 
(4) $786,666,665 for fiscal year 2023; 
(5) $852,222,220 for fiscal year 2024; 
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(6) $917,777,775 for fiscal year 2025; 
(7) $983,333,330 for fiscal year 2026; 
(8) $1,048,888,885 for fiscal year 2027; 
(9) $1,114,444,440 for fiscal year 2028; and 
(10) $1,180,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 
TITLE V—NATIONAL SCIENCE 
FOUNDATION 
SEC. 501. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) FISCAL YEAR 2020.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Foundation $8,278,330,000 for 
fiscal year 2020. 
(2) SPECIFIC ALLOCATION.—Of the amount au-
thorized by paragraph (1)— 
(A) $6,737,200,000 shall be made avail-
able for research and related activities; 
(B) $940,000,000 shall be made available 
for education and human resources including— 
(i) $75,000,000 for the Advanced 
Technical Education Program; 
(ii) $313,500,000 for the Graduate 
Research Fellowship Program; 
(iii) $67,000,000 for the Robert 
Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program; and 
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