Title: National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018
This bill reauthorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through FY2019.
NIST shall carry out specified quantum information science and technology activities and convene a workshop to discuss the development of quantum information science.
NIST shall:
NIST shall continue to:
The bill grants NIST the authority to appoint scientific, engineering, and professional personnel regardless of the civil service laws to carry out research and development that requires the services of personnel who are specially qualified.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6229 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6229

 To authorize the programs of the National Institute of Standards and 
                  Technology, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 26, 2018

Mrs. Comstock (for herself, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Smith of Texas, Ms. Eddie 
  Bernice Johnson of Texas, Mr. Marshall, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Knight, Mrs. 
 Lesko, Mr. Rohrabacher, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. Biggs) introduced 
  the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, 
                         Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the programs of the National Institute of Standards and 
                  Technology, 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 ``National Institute of Standards and 
Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Fiscal Year 2018.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of Commerce $1,198,500,000 for the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology for fiscal year 2018.
            (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) $724,500,000 shall be for scientific and 
                technical research and services laboratory activities;
                    (B) $319,000,000 shall be for the construction and 
                maintenance of facilities; and
                    (C) $155,000,000 shall be for industrial technology 
                services activities, of which $140,000,000 shall be for 
                the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program under 
                sections 25 and 26 of the National Institute of 
                Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278I) 
                and $15,000,000 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).
    (b) Fiscal Year 2019.--
            (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of Commerce $1,115,000,000 for the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology for fiscal year 2019.
            (2) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized by 
        paragraph (1)--
                    (A) $850,000,000 shall be for scientific and 
                technical research and services laboratory activities, 
                of which--
                            (i) $109,900,000 shall be for the advanced 
                        communications, networks, and scientific data 
                        systems mission area;
                            (ii) $103,200,000 shall be for the 
                        cybersecurity and privacy mission area;
                            (iii) $234,000,000 shall be for the 
                        fundamental measurement, quantum science and 
                        measurement dissemination mission area; and
                            (iv) $89,800,000 shall be for the physical 
                        infrastructure and resilience mission area;
                    (B) $120,000,000 shall be for the construction and 
                maintenance of facilities; and
                    (C) $145,000,000 shall be for industrial technology 
                services activities, of which--
                            (i) $140,000,000 shall be for the 
                        Manufacturing Extension Partnership program 
                        under sections 25 and 26 of the National 
                        Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 
                        U.S.C. 278k and 278I); and
                            (ii) $5,000,000 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).

SEC. 3. QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE.

    (a) Research Activities and Engagement.--The Secretary, acting 
through the Director, shall--
            (1) continue to support and expand basic quantum 
        information science and technology research and development of 
        measurement and standards infrastructure necessary to advance 
        commercial development of quantum applications;
            (2) use the programs of the Institute, in collaboration 
        with other relevant Federal agencies, as appropriate, to train 
        scientists in quantum information science and technology to 
        increase participation in the quantum fields;
            (3) establish or expand collaborative ventures or consortia 
        with other public or private sector entities, including other 
        Federal agencies engaged in quantum information science 
        research and development, institutions of higher education, 
        National Laboratories, and industry, for the purpose of 
        advancing the field of quantum information science and 
        engineering; and
            (4) have the authority to enter into and perform such 
        contracts on such terms as the Secretary, acting through the 
        Director, considers appropriate, including cooperative research 
        and development arrangements and grants and cooperative 
        agreements or other transactions, as may be necessary in the 
        conduct of the work of the Institute with respect to quantum 
        information science and technology.
    (b) Quantum Workshop.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the 
        Director, shall convene a workshop of stakeholders to discuss 
        the future measurement, standards, cybersecurity, and other 
        issues that relate to development of quantum information 
        science in the United States. The goals of the workshop shall 
        be--
                    (A) assessment of the Institute's quantum 
                information science and technology research work, 
                including areas that may need additional Institute 
                investment in order to support development of quantum 
                information science and technology in the United 
                States; and
                    (B) consideration of recommendations and priority 
                issues for the Institute's participation in the 
                proposed National Quantum Initiative Program.
            (2) Report to congress.--Not later than 2 years after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through 
        the Director, shall transmit to the Committee on Science, 
        Space, and Technology and the Committee on Appropriations of 
        the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
        Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Appropriations 
        of the Senate a summary report containing the findings of the 
        workshop convened under this subsection.
    (c) Funding.--The Secretary of Commerce shall devote $80,000,000 to 
carry out this section for fiscal year 2019, subject to the 
availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made available 
pursuant to section 2(b)2(A)(iii) of this Act. This section shall be 
carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. CYBERSECURITY.

    (a) Assistance to Federal Agencies.--The Secretary, acting through 
the Director, shall enhance and expand the Institute's guidance and 
assistance to Federal agencies to help such agencies effectively use 
the Framework, including by providing technical guidance and education 
and training of--
            (1) agency staff responsible for cybersecurity, 
        consultative services, and other assistance at such agencies; 
        and
            (2) individual inspectors general and staff of such 
        agencies who are responsible for the annual independent 
        evaluation required under section 3555 of title 44, United 
        States Code.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 12 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
report describing the implementation of the activities described in 
this section in as much detail as possible, including the 
identification of Federal agencies assisted pursuant to subsection (a) 
and the types of consultative services, education, guidance, 
assistance, and training provided to such agencies and inspectors 
general of such agencies pursuant to such subsection.
    (c) Research.--The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall 
expand the fundamental and applied research carried out by the 
Institute to address key questions relating the measurement of privacy, 
security, and vulnerability of software tools and communications 
networks, including through--
            (1) the development of research and engineering 
        capabilities to provide practical solutions, including 
        measurement techniques and engineering toolkits, to solve 
        cybersecurity challenges such as human factors, identity 
        management, network security, privacy, and software;
            (2) investment in tools to help private and public sector 
        organizations measure their cybersecurity, manage their risks 
        and ensure workforce preparedness for new cybersecurity 
        challenges; and
            (3) investment in programs to prepare the United States 
        with strong cybersecurity and encryption technologies to apply 
        to emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the 
        internet of things, and quantum computing.
    (d) Authority.--The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall 
have the authority to enter into and perform such contracts on such 
terms as the Secretary considers to be appropriate, including 
cooperative research and development arrangements, grants, and 
cooperative agreements or other transactions, as may be necessary in 
the conduct of the work of the Institute with respect to cybersecurity.

SEC. 5. COMPOSITES RESEARCH.

    (a) Research.--The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall 
implement the recommendations contained in the December 2017 report 
entitled ``Road Mapping Workshop Report on Overcoming Barriers to 
Adoption of Composites in Sustainable Infrastructure'', as appropriate, 
to help facilitate the adoption of composite technology in 
infrastructure in the United States. In implementing such 
recommendations, the Secretary, acting through the Director shall, with 
respect to the use of composite technology in infrastructure--
            (1) not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, establish a design data clearinghouse to identify, 
        gather, validate, and disseminate existing design criteria, 
        tools, guidelines, and standards; and
            (2) develop methods and resources required for testing an 
        evaluation of safe and appropriate uses of composite materials 
        for infrastructure, including--
                    (A) conditioning protocols, procedures and models;
                    (B) screening and acceptance tools; and
                    (C) minimum allowable design data sets that can be 
                converted into design tools.
    (b) Standards Coordination.--The Secretary, acting through the 
Director, shall assure that the appropriate Institute staff consult 
regularly with standards developers, members of the composites 
industry, institutions of higher education, and other stakeholders in 
order to facilitate the adoption of standards for use of composite 
materials in infrastructure that are based on the research and testing 
results and other information developed by the Institute.
    (c) Funding.--The Secretary of Commerce shall devote $11,000,000 to 
carry out this section for fiscal year 2019, subject to the 
availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made available 
pursuant to section 2(b)(2)(A)(iv) of this Act. This section shall be 
carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 6. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND DATA SCIENCE.

    The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall continue to 
support the development of artificial intelligence and data science, 
including through--
            (1) the expansion of the Institute's capabilities, 
        including scientific staff and research infrastructure;
            (2) the implementation of rigorous scientific testing to 
        support the development of trustworthy and safe artificial 
        intelligence and data systems; and
            (3) the development of machine learning and other 
        artificial intelligence applications to support measurement 
        science research programs and take steps to modernize the 
        Institute's research infrastructure.

SEC. 7. INTERNET OF THINGS.

    The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall continue to 
conduct research with respect to and support the expanded connectivity, 
interoperability, and security of interconnected systems and other 
aspects of the internet of things, including through--
            (1) the development of new tools and methodologies for 
        cybersecurity of the internet of things;
            (2) the development of technologies to address network 
        congestion and device interference, such as the development of 
        testing tools for next generation wireless communications, 
        internet of things protocols, coexistence of wireless 
        communications systems, and spectrum sharing;
            (3) convening experts in the public and private sectors to 
        develop recommendations for accelerating the adoption of sound 
        interoperability standards, guidelines, and best practices for 
        the internet of things; and
            (4) the development and publication of new cybersecurity 
        tools, encryption methods, and best practices for internet of 
        things security.

SEC. 8. HIRING AND MANAGEMENT.

    (a) Appointments.--The Secretary, acting through the Director shall 
have the authority to--
            (1) make appointments of scientific, engineering, and 
        professional personnel without regard to the civil service laws 
        as the Secretary, acting through the Director determines 
        necessary for carrying out research and development functions 
        which require the services of specially qualified personnel 
        relating to cybersecurity and quantum information science and 
        technology and such other areas of national research priorities 
        as the Secretary, acting through the Director may determine; 
        and
            (2) fix the basic pay of such personnel at a rate to be 
        determined by the Secretary, acting through the Director at 
        rates not in excess of the basic rate of pay of the Vice 
        President under section 104 of title 3, United States Code, 
        without regard to the civil service laws.
    (b) Limitation.--The Director may appoint not more than 10 
individuals under this section.

SEC. 9. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``Director'' means the Director of the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology.
            (2) The term ``Framework'' means the Framework for 
        Improving Critical Infrastructure 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) The term ``Institute'' means the National Institute of 
        Standards and Technology.
            (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 ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce.
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