S.Amdt. 3949

SA 3949. Mr. PORTMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
to amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be proposed
to the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. __. SUPPORT FOR INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONS.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
(2) Artificial intelligence.--The term ``artificial
intelligence'' has the meaning given the term in section
238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization
Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 2358 note).
(3) Covered entity.--The term ``covered entity'' means a
small business concern that is incorporated and maintains a
primary place of business in the United States.
(4) Small business concern.--The term ``small business
concern'' has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a
program to support participation by covered entities in
meetings and proceedings of standards development
organizations in the development of voluntary technical
standards.
(c) Activities.--In carrying out the program established
under subsection (b), the Administrator shall award
competitive, merit-reviewed grants to covered entities to
cover the reasonable costs, up to a specified ceiling, of
participation of employees of those covered entities in
meetings and proceedings of standards development
organizations, including--
(1) regularly attending meetings;
(2) contributing expertise and research;
(3) proposing new work items; and
(4) volunteering for leadership roles such as a convener or
editor.
(d) Award Criteria.--The Administrator may only provide a
grant under this section to a covered entity that--
(1) demonstrates deep technical expertise in key emerging
technologies and technical standards, including artificial
intelligence and related technologies;
(2) commits personnel with such expertise to regular
participation in international bodies responsible for
developing standards for such technologies over the period of
the grant; and
(3) agrees to participate in efforts to coordinate between
the Federal Government and industry to ensure protection of
national security interests in the setting of international
standards.
(e) No Matching Contribution.--A recipient of an award
under this section shall not be required to provide a
matching contribution.
(f) Evaluation.--In making awards under this section, the
Administrator shall coordinate with the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology, who shall
provide support in the assessment of technical expertise in
emerging technologies and standards setting needs.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated for fiscal year 2022 and each fiscal year
thereafter $1,000,000 to carry out the program established
under this section.
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