Title: MEP Crisis Response Act of 2020
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
MEP Crisis Response Act of 2020
This bill waives for one year the cost sharing requirement for manufacturing extension centers established under the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program.
Such requirement prohibits the Department of Commerce from providing more than 50% of the capital and annual operating and maintenance funds required to establish and support a center.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3520 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3520

  To waive, for 1 year, the cost sharing requirements of the Hollings 
      Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 18, 2020

   Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Kaine, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. 
 Hassan, and Mr. Peters) introduced the following bill; which was read 
     twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                             Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To waive, for 1 year, the cost sharing requirements of the Hollings 
      Manufacturing Extension Partnership, 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 ``MEP Crisis Response Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. ONE-YEAR WAIVER OF COST SHARING REQUIREMENTS OF HOLLINGS 
              MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIP.

    (a) Definition of Center.--In this section, the term ``Center'' has 
the meaning given such term in section 25(a) of the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(a)).
    (b) Temporary Waiver.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2) of 
        this subsection, paragraph (2) of section 25(e) of such Act (15 
        U.S.C. 278k(e)) shall not apply during the 1-year period 
        beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
            (2) Exception.--Paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not 
        apply to the extent that a Center receives funding from a State 
        that is conditioned upon the application of a Federal cost 
        sharing requirement to the Center.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary of Commerce $146,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 to 
        support Centers.
            (2) Supplement not supplant.--Amounts appropriated pursuant 
        to paragraph (1) shall supplement and not supplant amounts 
        already appropriated or otherwise made available to support 
        Centers in fiscal year 2020.
    (d) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the centers of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 
        Partnership are front-line resources for manufacturers to 
        improve supply chain resilience, workforce readiness, and 
        technological expertise; and
            (2) such Centers are positioned to mitigate damage and 
        accelerate recovery from the National public health and 
        economic crisis caused by COVID-19.
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