II
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 784
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 18, 2015
Mr. Heinrich (for himself and Mr. Gardner) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish microlabs to improve regional engagement with national laboratories.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Microlab Technology Commercialization Act of 2015
.
Definitions
In this Act:
Microlab
The term microlab
means a small laboratory established by the Secretary under section 3.
National Laboratory
The term national laboratory
means—
a National Laboratory, as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801); and
a national security laboratory, as defined in section 3281 of the National Nuclear Security Administration Act (50 U.S.C. 2471).
Secretary
The term Secretary
means the Secretary of Energy.
Establishment of microlab program
In general
The Secretary, in collaboration with the directors of national laboratories, may establish a microlab program under which the Secretary establishes microlabs that are located in close proximity to national laboratories and that are accessible to the public for the purposes of—
enhancing collaboration with regional research groups, such as institutions of higher education and industry groups;
accelerating technology transfer from national laboratories to the marketplace; and
promoting regional workforce development through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM
) instruction and training.
Criteria
In determining the placement of microlabs under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider—
the commitment of a national laboratory to establishing a microlab;
the existence of a joint research institute or a new facility that—
is not on the main site of a national laboratory;
is in close proximity to a national laboratory; and
has the capability to house a microlab;
whether employees of a national laboratory and persons from academia, industry, and government are available to be assigned to the microlab; and
cost-sharing or in-kind contributions from State and local governments and private industry.
Timing
If the Secretary, in collaboration with the directors of national laboratories, elects to establish a microlab program under this section, the Secretary, in collaboration with the directors of national laboratories, shall—
not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act, begin the process of determining the placement of microlabs under subsection (a); and
not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, implement the microlab program under this section.
Reports
Initial report
Not later than 60 days after the date of implementation of the microlab program under section 3, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report that provides an update on the implementation of the microlab program under section 3.
Progress report
Not later than 1 year after the date of implementation of the microlab program under section 3, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, the Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report on the microlab program under section 3, including findings and recommendations of the Secretary.
Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2016.