BEACON Act of 2021
Bill: S.3310 | Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod (D-OH)
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Building Equitable Access to Contribute to Our National Security Act of 2021 or the BEACON Act of 2021
This bill implements plans and requirements related to minority institutions of higher education and their contributions to national security efforts.
Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to submit a plan for the establishment of the Minority Institute for Defense Research. The plan must be made available on a publicly accessible DOD website.
DOD is authorized to establish a program to award grants to leading minority institutions to, among other purposes, advance research capabilities relating to national security.
Under the bill, certain contracts awarded to educational institutions must include a requirement to subcontract with one or more minority institutions for a total amount of at least 5% of the amount awarded in the contract.

To direct the Secretary of Defense to develop a plan to establish the 
    Minority Institute for Defense Research, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Building Equitable Access to 
Contribute to Our National Security Act of 2021'' or the ``BEACON Act 
of 2021''.

SEC. 2. MINORITY INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE RESEARCH.

    (a) Plan To Establish Minority Institute for Defense Research.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall submit to 
        the congressional defense committees a plan (in this section 
        referred to as the ``Plan'') for the establishment of the 
        Minority Institute for Defense Research (in this section 
        referred to as the ``Consortium'').
            (2) Elements.--The Plan shall include the following:
                    (A) Information relating to the projected needs of 
                the Department for the next twenty years with respect 
                to essential engineering, research, or development 
                capability.
                    (B) An assessment relating to the engineering, 
                research, and development capability of each minority 
                institution to identify each leading minority 
                institution.
                    (C) Information relating to the advancements and 
                investments necessary to elevate a minority institution 
                or a consortium of minority institutions to the 
                research capacity of a University Affiliated Research 
                Center.
                    (D) Recommendations relating to actions that may be 
                taken by the Department, Congress, and minority 
                institutions to establish the Consortium within 10 
                years.
            (3) Publicly available.--The Plan shall be posted on a 
        publicly available website of the Department.
    (b) Naming of the Consortium.--With respect to the naming of the 
Consortium, the Secretary shall--
            (1) establish a process to solicit and review proposals of 
        names from--
                    (A) minority institutions;
                    (B) nonprofit institutions that advocate on behalf 
                of minority institutions; and
                    (C) members of the public;
            (2) develop a list of all names received pursuant to 
        paragraph (1);
            (3) provide opportunity for public comment on the names 
        included on such list; and
            (4) choose a name from such list to name the Consortium.
    (c) Grant Program for Leading Minority Institutions.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary may establish a program to 
        award grants, on a competitive basis, to leading minority 
        institutions for the purposes described in paragraph (2).
            (2) Purposes.--The purposes described in this paragraph are 
        the following:
                    (A) Establishing a legal entity for the purpose of 
                entering into research contracts or agreements with the 
                Federal Government or the Consortium.
                    (B) Developing the capability to bid on Federal 
                Government or Consortium contracts.
                    (C) Requesting technical assistance from the 
                Federal Government or a private entity with respect to 
                contracting with the Federal Government or the 
                Consortium.
                    (D) Recruiting and retaining research faculty.
                    (E) Advancing research capabilities relating to the 
                national security of the United States.
                    (F) Any other matter determined appropriate by the 
                Secretary.
            (3) Application.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this section, a leading minority institution shall submit to 
        the Secretary an application therefor in such form, and 
        containing such information, as the Secretary may require.
            (4) Preference.--In awarding grants pursuant to paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary shall give preference to a leading minority 
        institution with a R1 or R2 status on the Carnegie 
        Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``congressional defense committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
                    (B) the Committee on Armed Services and the 
                Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
                Representatives.
            (2) The term ``Department'' means the Department of 
        Defense.
            (3) The term ``leading minority institution'' means a 
        minority institution identified (pursuant to the assessment 
        required under subsection (a)(2)(B)) as being in the top 20 
        percent of all such institutions with respect to providing 
        essential engineering, research, or development capability.
            (4) The term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
            (5) The term ``minority institution'' means--
                    (A) a part B institution (as such term is defined 
                in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
                (20 U.S.C. 1061(2))); or
                    (B) any institution of higher education at which 
                not less than 50 percent of the total student 
                enrollment consists of students from ethnic groups that 
                are underrepresented in the fields of science and 
                engineering.
            (6) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Defense.
            (7) The term ``University Affiliated Research Center'' 
        means a research organization within an institution of higher 
        education that--
                    (A) provides or maintains Department essential 
                engineering, research, or development capabilities; and
                    (B) receives sole source contract funding from the 
                Department pursuant to section 2304(c)(3)(B) of title 
                10, United States Code.

SEC. 3. SUBCONTRACT REQUIREMENTS FOR MINORITY INSTITUTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Section 2304 of title 10, United States Code, is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(m)(1) The head of an agency shall require that a contract 
awarded to an educational institution pursuant to subsection (c)(3)(B) 
includes a requirement to subcontract with one or more minority 
institutions for a total amount of not less than 5 percent of the 
amount awarded in the contract.
    ``(2) For the purposes of this subsection, a minority institution 
means--
            ``(A) a part B institution (as that term is defined in 
        section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1061(2))); or
            ``(B) any other institution of higher education (as that 
        term is defined in section 101 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1001)) at 
        which not less than 50 percent of the total student enrollment 
        consists of students from ethnic groups that are 
        underrepresented in the fields of science and engineering.''.
    (b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by subsection (a) shall--
            (1) take effect on October 1, 2026; and
            (2) apply with respect to funds that are awarded by the 
        Department of Defense on or after such date.
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