Title: A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to conduct an assessment of quantum computing technology to address problems associated with exposure to PFAS, and for other purposes.
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
This bill requires the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to complete an assessment of quantum computing and how it may be used to address problems associated with exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFASs. PFASs are man-made and may have adverse human health effects.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1534 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1534

To require the Secretary of Defense to conduct an assessment of quantum 
 computing technology to address problems associated with exposure to 
                     PFAS, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 16, 2019

 Mr. Peters (for himself and Ms. Ernst) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Defense to conduct an assessment of quantum 
 computing technology to address problems associated with exposure to 
                     PFAS, 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. ASSESSMENT OF QUANTUM COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY TO ADDRESS PFAS 
              EXPOSURE.

    (a) Assessment Required.--Not later than one year after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense, acting through the 
Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in 
consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Installations, 
Environment, and Energy, shall complete an assessment of quantum 
computing and how it may be used to address problems associated with 
exposure to PFAS.
    (b) Elements.--The assessment required by subsection (a) shall 
include the following:
            (1) Analysis of the potential of hybrid quantum classical 
        computing to utilize the unique attributes of such computing 
        for addressing issues of chemical contamination such as that 
        caused by PFAS.
            (2) Assessment of the potential of quantum computing to 
        address problems of exposure to PFAS, to remediate solutions, 
        and to develop alternatives to PFAS for materials that 
        otherwise contain PFAS.
            (3) An inventory of the existing and potential work on 
        exposure to PFAS and possible partnership opportunities with 
        academic institutions, private sector technology and chemical 
        companies, and other Federal and State government entities.
            (4) Assessment of the availability of current and near-term 
        quantum computing resources such as cloud based quantum 
        systems, as well as a roadmap for long-term quantum 
        development.
            (5) An assessment of the current quantum computing efforts 
        of the Department and how each existing quantum computing 
        effort may assist or serve as a model for the Department.
            (6) A description of the amount of funding that would be 
        required to take initial steps to leverage near term quantum 
        computing to address problems relating to exposure to PFAS.
    (c) PFAS Defined.--In this section, the term ``PFAS'' means the 
group of chemicals known as ``per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances''.
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