Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2858
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2018-05-16
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Government buildings, facilities, and property

Minority and disadvantaged businesses

Product development and innovation

Public contracts and procurement

Public-private cooperation

Research administration and funding

Research and development

Small business

Technology transfer and commercialization
Latest action: action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-05-16
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p><b>Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act of 2018</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of Energy to establish a program to provide qualified small business concerns with vouchers that may be used at National Laboratories and single-purpose research facilities for activities such as research and development. It also authorizes the Department of the Treasury to locate and recover unclaimed U.S. government assets on behalf of any executive, judicial, or legislative agency.</p>

tv_txt: II 115th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2858 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 16, 2018 Mr. Coons (for himself, Mr. Risch , Ms. Smith , and Mr. Gardner ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the establishment of a small business voucher program, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Promoting Small Business Innovation through Partnerships with National Labs Act of 2018 . 2. Small business advocacy and assistance Section 1003 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 16393 ) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking , and may require the Director of a single-purpose research facility, and inserting (as defined in section 2) and the Director of each single-purpose research facility ; (B) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking increase and inserting encourage ; and (ii) by striking collaborative research, and inserting research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities, including product development, ; (C) in paragraph (2), by striking procurement and collaborative research and inserting the activities described in paragraph (1) ; (D) in paragraph (3)— (i) by inserting facilities, before training ; and (ii) by striking procurement and collaborative research activities and inserting the activities described in paragraph (1) ; and (E) in paragraph (5), by striking for the program under subsection (b) and inserting and metrics for the programs under subsections (b) and (c) ; (2) by redesignating subsections (c) and (d) as subsections (d) and (e), respectively; (3) by inserting after subsection (b) the following: (c) Small business voucher program (1) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Director The term Director means— (i) the Director of each National Laboratory; and (ii) the Director of each single-purpose research facility. (B) National Laboratory The term National Laboratory has the meaning given the term in section 2. (C) Program The term program means the program established under paragraph (2). (2) Establishment The Secretary, working with the Office of Technology Transitions and the Technology Transfer Coordinator appointed under section 1001(a), and in consultation with the Directors, shall establish a program to provide small business concerns with vouchers under paragraph (3)— (A) to achieve the goal described in subsection (a)(1); and (B) to improve the products, services, and capabilities of small business concerns in the mission space of the Department. (3) Vouchers Under the program, the Directors are authorized to provide to small business concerns vouchers to be used at National Laboratories and single-purpose research facilities for— (A) research, development, demonstration, technology transfer, or commercial application activities; or (B) any other activities that the applicable Director determines appropriate. (4) Expedited contracting (A) In general The Secretary, working with the Directors, shall establish a streamlined approval process for expedited contracting between— (i) small business concerns selected to receive a voucher under the program; and (ii) the National Laboratories and single-purpose research facilities. (B) Decisionmaking authority The Secretary shall determine the appropriate decisionmaking authority at the National Laboratories and single-purpose research facilities with respect to the expedited contracting described in subparagraph (A). (5) Cost-sharing requirement In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall require cost-sharing in accordance with section 988. ; and (4) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), by striking $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2008 and inserting $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2018 and each fiscal year thereafter . 3. Increase and streamline recovery of unclaimed assets owed to the United States Section 3711 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (j) (1) The Secretary of the Treasury (referred to in this subsection as the Secretary ) may locate and recover unclaimed assets of the United States Government on behalf of any executive, judicial, or legislative agency in accordance with such procedures as the Secretary considers appropriate. (2) Notwithstanding any other provision of law concerning the depositing or collection of Federal payments, including section 3302(b), the Secretary may retain a portion of the amounts recovered under this subsection to cover the administrative and operational costs of the Secretary associated with locating and recovering assets of the United States Government. .