Title: Cooperative Research and Development Fund Authorization Act of 2017
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Cooperative Research and Development Fund Authorization Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to make funds available to DOE national laboratories for the federal cost share of cooperative research and development agreements that support the maturing of laboratory   technology and the transferring of it to the private sector.
DOE shall: (1) determine the apportionment of such funds to each DOE national laboratory, (2) ensure that special consideration is given to small business firms and consortia involving such firms in the selection of which agreements will receive such funds, and (3) ensure that certain performance evaluation metrics are used.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4596 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4596

     To make funds available to the Department of Energy National 
    Laboratories for the Federal share of cooperative research and 
development agreements that support maturing Laboratory technology and 
     transferring it to the private sector, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 7, 2017

  Mr. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico (for himself and Ms. Michelle Lujan 
    Grisham of New Mexico) introduced the following bill; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To make funds available to the Department of Energy National 
    Laboratories for the Federal share of cooperative research and 
development agreements that support maturing Laboratory technology and 
     transferring it to the private sector, 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 ``Cooperative Research and Development 
Fund Authorization Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUND.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy shall make funds available 
to Department of Energy National Laboratories for the Federal share of 
cooperative research and development agreements that support maturing 
laboratory technology and transferring it to the private sector.
    (b) Apportionment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Energy shall determine 
        the apportionment of such funds to each Department of Energy 
        National Laboratory and shall ensure that special consideration 
        is given to small business firms and consortia involving small 
        business firms in the selection process for which cooperative 
        research and development agreements will receive such funds.
            (2) Definition.--In this section, the term ``small business 
        firm'' has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the 
        Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 
        3703).
    (c) Performance Evaluation Metrics.--The Secretary of Energy shall 
ensure that the performance evaluation metrics of each National 
Laboratory operating contractor provide incentives for, and measure the 
effectiveness of, the contractor's cooperative research and development 
agreement program at maturing laboratory technology and transferring it 
to the private sector.
    (d) Reporting.--
            (1) Requirement.--The Secretary of Energy shall annually 
        transmit to Congress a report that describes how funds were 
        expended under this section, including a description of--
                    (A) the types and sizes of non-Federal entities 
                that participated in cooperative research and 
                development agreements receiving funds under this 
                section; and
                    (B) the economic benefits resulting from 
                cooperative research and development agreements that 
                received funds under this section in previous years.
            (2) Consolidation of reports.--Reports required under this 
        subsection may be consolidated with other related reports 
        required from the Secretary.
    (e) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this section shall be construed 
to preclude or limit the use of funding provided under other authority 
of law for entering into or increasing the Federal share of cooperative 
research and development agreements, either in combination with funding 
provided under this section or separately.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Energy to carry out this section 
$20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2022.
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