HR 5940
6-5-08, Bill Passed House 407-6
Referred to Senate
Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5940
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
June 6, 2008
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation
AN ACT
To authorize activities for support of nanotechnology research and
development, 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 `National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments
Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.
The 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501
et seq.) is amended--
(1) by striking section 2(c)(4) and inserting the following new paragraph:
`(4) develop, within 12 months after the date of enactment of the National
Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2008, and update every 3 years
thereafter, a strategic plan to guide the activities described under subsection
(b) that specifies near-term and long-term objectives for the Program, the
anticipated time frame for achieving the near-term objectives, and the metrics
to be used for assessing progress toward the objectives, and that describes--
`(A) how the Program will move results out of the laboratory and into
applications for the benefit of society, including through cooperation
and collaborations with nanotechnology research, development, and technology
transition initiatives supported by the States;
`(B) how the Program will encourage and support interdisciplinary research
and development in nanotechnology; and
`(C) proposed research in areas of national importance in accordance with
the requirements of section 5 of the National Nanotechnology Initiative
Amendments Act of 2008;';
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as paragraphs (2) through
(6), respectively; and
(ii) by inserting the following new paragraph before paragraph (2),
as so redesignated by clause (i) of this subparagraph:
`(1) the Program budget, for the previous fiscal year, for each agency that
participates in the Program, including a breakout of spending for the development
and acquisition of research facilities and instrumentation, for each program
component area, and for all activities pursuant to subsection (b)(10);';
and
(B) by inserting at the end the following new subsection:
`(e) Standards Setting- The agencies participating in the Program shall support
the activities of committees involved in the development of standards for
nanotechnology and may reimburse the travel costs of scientists and engineers
who participate in activities of such committees.';
(3) by striking section 3(b) and inserting the following new subsection:
`(b) Funding- (1) The operation of the National Nanotechnology Coordination
Office shall be supported by funds from each agency participating in the Program.
The portion of such Office's total budget provided by each agency for each
fiscal year shall be in the same proportion as the agency's share of the total
budget for the Program for the previous fiscal year, as specified in the report
required under section 2(d)(1).
`(2) The annual report under section 2(d) shall include--
`(A) a description of the funding required by the National Nanotechnology
Coordination Office to perform the functions specified under subsection
(a) for the next fiscal year by category of activity, including the funding
required to carry out the requirements of section 2(b)(10)(D), subsection
(d) of this section, and section 5;
`(B) a description of the funding required by such Office to perform the
functions specified under subsection (a) for the current fiscal year by
category of activity, including the funding required to carry out the requirements
of subsection (d); and
`(C) the amount of funding provided for such Office for the current fiscal
year by each agency participating in the Program.';
(4) by inserting at the end of section 3 the following new subsection:
`(d) Public Information- (1) The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office
shall develop and maintain a database accessible by the public of projects
funded under the Environmental, Health, and Safety, the Education and Societal
Dimensions, and the Nanomanufacturing program component areas, or any successor
program component areas, including a description of each project, its source
of funding by agency, and its funding history. For the Environmental, Health,
and Safety program component area, or any successor program component area,
projects shall be grouped by major objective as defined by the research plan
required under section 3(b) of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments
Act of 2008. For the Education and Societal Dimensions program component area,
or any successor program component area, the projects shall be grouped in
subcategories of--
`(A) education in formal settings;
`(B) education in informal settings;
`(C) public outreach; and
`(D) ethical, legal, and other societal issues.
`(2) The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall develop, maintain,
and publicize information on nanotechnology facilities supported under the
Program, and may include information on nanotechnology facilities supported
by the States, that are accessible for use by individuals from academic institutions
and from industry. The information shall include at a minimum the terms and
conditions for the use of each facility, a description of the capabilities
of the instruments and equipment available for use at the facility, and a
description of the technical support available to assist users of the facility.';
(A) by striking `or designate';
(B) by inserting `as a distinct entity' after `Advisory Panel'; and
(C) by inserting at the end `The Advisory Panel shall form a subpanel
with membership having specific qualifications tailored to enable it to
carry out the requirements of subsection (c)(7).';
(A) by striking `or designated' and `or designating'; and
(B) by adding at the end the following: `At least one member of the Advisory
Panel shall be an individual employed by and representing a minority-serving
institution.';
(7) by amending section 5 to read as follows:
`SEC. 5. TRIENNIAL EXTERNAL REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL NANOTECHNOLOGY PROGRAM.
`(a) In General- The Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination
Office shall enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council
of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a triennial review of the Program.
The Director shall ensure that the arrangement with the National Research
Council is concluded in order to allow sufficient time for the reporting requirements
of subsection (b) to be satisfied. Each triennial review shall include an
evaluation of the--
`(1) research priorities and technical content of the Program, including
whether the allocation of funding among program component areas, as designated
according to section 2(c)(2), is appropriate;
`(2) effectiveness of the Program's management and coordination across agencies
and disciplines, including an assessment of the effectiveness of the National
Nanotechnology Coordination Office;
`(3) Program's scientific and technological accomplishments and its success
in transferring technology to the private sector; and
`(4) adequacy of the Program's activities addressing ethical, legal, environmental,
and other appropriate societal concerns, including human health concerns.
`(b) Evaluation To Be Transmitted to Congress- The National Research Council
shall document the results of each triennial review carried out in accordance
with subsection (a) in a report that includes any recommendations for ways
to improve the Program's management and coordination processes and for changes
to the Program's objectives, funding priorities, and technical content. Each
report shall be submitted to the Director of the National Nanotechnology Coordination
Office, who shall transmit it to the Advisory Panel, the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science and
Technology of the House of Representatives not later than September 30 of
every third year, with the first report due September 30, 2009.
`(c) Funding- Of the amounts provided in accordance with section 3(b)(1),
the following amounts shall be available to carry out this section:
`(1) $500,000 for fiscal year 2009.
`(2) $500,000 for fiscal year 2010.
`(3) $500,000 for fiscal year 2011.'; and
(A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
`(2) NANOTECHNOLOGY- The term `nanotechnology' means the science and technology
that will enable one to understand, measure, manipulate, and manufacture
at the nanoscale, aimed at creating materials, devices, and systems with
fundamentally new properties or functions.'; and
(B) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
`(7) NANOSCALE- The term `nanoscale' means one or more dimensions of between
approximately 1 and 100 nanometers.'.
SEC. 3. SOCIETAL DIMENSIONS OF NANOTECHNOLOGY.
(a) Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnology- The Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall designate an associate director
of the Office of Science and Technology Policy as the Coordinator for Societal
Dimensions of Nanotechnology. The Coordinator shall be responsible for oversight
of the coordination, planning, and budget prioritization of activities required
by section 2(b)(10) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development
Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(10)). The Coordinator shall, with the assistance of
appropriate senior officials of the agencies funding activities within the
Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Education and Societal Dimensions
program component areas of the Program, or any successor program component
areas, ensure that the requirements of such section 2(b)(10) are satisfied.
The responsibilities of the Coordinator shall include--
(1) ensuring that a research plan for the environmental, health, and safety
research activities required under subsection (b) is developed, updated,
and implemented and that the plan is responsive to the recommendations of
the subpanel of the Advisory Panel established under section 4(a) of the
21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7503(a)),
as amended by this Act;
(2) encouraging and monitoring the efforts of the agencies participating
in the Program to allocate the level of resources and management attention
necessary to ensure that the ethical, legal, environmental, and other appropriate
societal concerns related to nanotechnology, including human health concerns,
are addressed under the Program, including the implementation of the research
plan described in subsection (b); and
(3) encouraging the agencies required to develop the research plan under
subsection (b) to identify, assess, and implement suitable mechanisms for
the establishment of public-private partnerships for support of environmental,
health, and safety research.
(1) IN GENERAL- The Coordinator for Societal Dimensions of Nanotechnology
shall convene and chair a panel comprised of representatives from the agencies
funding research activities under the Environmental, Health, and Safety
program component area of the Program, or any successor program component
area, and from such other agencies as the Coordinator considers necessary
to develop, periodically update, and coordinate the implementation of a
research plan for this program component area. In developing and updating
the plan, the panel convened by the Coordinator shall solicit and be responsive
to recommendations and advice from--
(A) the subpanel of the Advisory Panel established under section 4(a)
of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C.
7503(a)), as amended by this Act; and
(B) the agencies responsible for environmental, health, and safety regulations
associated with the production, use, and disposal of nanoscale materials
and products.
(2) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS- The plan required under paragraph (1) shall
include a description of how the Program will help to ensure the development
of--
(A) standards related to nomenclature associated with engineered nanoscale
materials;
(B) engineered nanoscale standard reference materials for environmental,
health, and safety testing; and
(C) standards related to methods and procedures for detecting, measuring,
monitoring, sampling, and testing engineered nanoscale materials for environmental,
health, and safety impacts.
(3) COMPONENTS OF PLAN- The plan required under paragraph (1) shall, with
respect to activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2)--
(A) specify near-term research objectives and long-term research objectives;
(B) specify milestones associated with each near-term objective and the
estimated time and resources required to reach each milestone;
(C) with respect to subparagraphs (A) and (B), describe the role of each
agency carrying out or sponsoring research in order to meet the objectives
specified under subparagraph (A) and to achieve the milestones specified
under subparagraph (B);
(D) specify the funding allocated to each major objective of the plan
and the source of funding by agency for the current fiscal year; and
(E) estimate the funding required for each major objective of the plan
and the source of funding by agency for the following 3 fiscal years.
(4) TRANSMITTAL TO CONGRESS- The plan required under paragraph (1) shall
be submitted not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this
Act to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate
and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives.
(5) UPDATING AND APPENDING TO REPORT- The plan required under paragraph
(1) shall be updated annually and appended to the report required under
section 2(d) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development
Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)).
(c) Nanotechnology Partnerships-
(1) ESTABLISHMENT- As part of the program authorized by section 9 of the
National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002, the Director of the
National Science Foundation shall provide 1 or more grants to establish
partnerships as defined by subsection (a)(2) of that section, except that
each such partnership shall include 1 or more businesses engaged in the
production of nanoscale materials, products, or devices. Partnerships established
in accordance with this subsection shall be designated as `Nanotechnology
Education Partnerships'.
(2) PURPOSE- Nanotechnology Education Partnerships shall be designed to
recruit and help prepare secondary school students to pursue postsecondary
level courses of instruction in nanotechnology. At a minimum, grants shall
be used to support--
(A) professional development activities to enable secondary school teachers
to use curricular materials incorporating nanotechnology and to inform
teachers about career possibilities for students in nanotechnology;
(B) enrichment programs for students, including access to nanotechnology
facilities and equipment at partner institutions, to increase their understanding
of nanoscale science and technology and to inform them about career possibilities
in nanotechnology as scientists, engineers, and technicians; and
(C) identification of appropriate nanotechnology educational materials
and incorporation of nanotechnology into the curriculum for secondary
school students at one or more organizations participating in a Partnership.
(3) SELECTION- Grants under this subsection shall be awarded in accordance
with subsection (b) of such section 9, except that paragraph (3)(B) of that
subsection shall not apply.
(d) Undergraduate Education Programs-
(1) ACTIVITIES SUPPORTED- As part of the activities included under the Education
and Societal Dimensions program component area, or any successor program
component area, the Program shall support efforts to introduce nanoscale
science, engineering, and technology into undergraduate science and engineering
education through a variety of interdisciplinary approaches. Activities
supported may include--
(A) development of courses of instruction or modules to existing courses;
(B) faculty professional development; and
(C) acquisition of equipment and instrumentation suitable for undergraduate
education and research in nanotechnology.
(2) COURSE, CURRICULUM, AND LABORATORY IMPROVEMENT AUTHORIZATION- There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the National Science
Foundation to carry out activities described in paragraph (1) through the
Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement program--
(A) from amounts authorized under section 7002(b)(2)(B) of the America
COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
(B) from amounts authorized under section 7002(c)(2)(B) of the America
COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
(3) ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION AUTHORIZATION- There are authorized to
be appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation to carry
out activities described in paragraph (1) through the Advanced Technology
Education program--
(A) from amounts authorized under section 7002(b)(2)(B) of the America
COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; and
(B) from amounts authorized under section 7002(c)(2)(B) of the America
COMPETES Act, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
(e) Interagency Working Group- The National Science and Technology Council
shall establish under the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee
an Education Working Group to coordinate, prioritize, and plan the educational
activities supported under the Program.
(f) Societal Dimensions in Nanotechnology Education Activities- Activities
supported under the Education and Societal Dimensions program component area,
or any successor program component area, that involve informal, precollege,
or undergraduate nanotechnology education shall include education regarding
the environmental, health and safety, and other societal aspects of nanotechnology.
(g) Remote Access to Nanotechnology Facilities- (1) Agencies supporting nanotechnology
research facilities as part of the Program shall require the entities that
operate such facilities to allow access via the Internet, and support the
costs associated with the provision of such access, by secondary school students
and teachers, to instruments and equipment within such facilities for educational
purposes. The agencies may waive this requirement for cases when particular
facilities would be inappropriate for educational purposes or the costs for
providing such access would be prohibitive.
(2) The agencies identified in paragraph (1) shall require the entities that
operate such nanotechnology research facilities to establish and publish procedures,
guidelines, and conditions for the submission and approval of applications
for the use of the facilities for the purpose identified in paragraph (1)
and shall authorize personnel who operate the facilities to provide necessary
technical support to students and teachers.
SEC. 4. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.
(1) ACCESS TO FACILITIES- In accordance with section 2(b)(7) of 21st Century
Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(7)), the
agencies supporting nanotechnology research facilities as part of the Program
shall provide access to such facilities to companies for the purpose of
assisting the companies in the development of prototypes of nanoscale products,
devices, or processes (or products, devices, or processes enabled by nanotechnology)
for determining proof of concept. The agencies shall publicize the availability
of these facilities and encourage their use by companies as provided for
in this section.
(2) PROCEDURES- The agencies identified in paragraph (1)--
(A) shall establish and publish procedures, guidelines, and conditions
for the submission and approval of applications for use of nanotechnology
facilities;
(B) shall publish descriptions of the capabilities of facilities available
for use under this subsection, including the availability of technical
support; and
(C) may waive recovery, require full recovery, or require partial recovery
of the costs associated with use of the facilities for projects under
this subsection.
(3) SELECTION AND CRITERIA- In cases when less than full cost recovery is
required pursuant to paragraph (2)(C), projects provided access to nanotechnology
facilities in accordance with this subsection shall be selected through
a competitive, merit-based process, and the criteria for the selection of
such projects shall include at a minimum--
(A) the readiness of the project for technology demonstration;
(B) evidence of a commitment by the applicant for further development
of the project to full commercialization if the proof of concept is established
by the prototype; and
(C) evidence of the potential for further funding from private sector
sources following the successful demonstration of proof of concept.
The agencies may give special consideration in selecting projects to applications
that are relevant to important national needs or requirements.
(b) Use of Existing Technology Transfer Programs-
(1) PARTICIPATING AGENCIES- Each agency participating in the Program shall--
(A) encourage the submission of applications for support of nanotechnology
related projects to the Small Business Innovation Research Program and
the Small Business Technology Transfer Program administered by such agencies;
and
(B) through the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office and within
6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee
on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives--
(i) the plan described in section 2(c)(7) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(c)(7)); and
(ii) a report specifying, if the agency administers a Small Business
Innovation Research Program and a Small Business Technology Transfer
Program--
(I) the number of proposals received for nanotechnology related projects
during the current fiscal year and the previous 2 fiscal years;
(II) the number of such proposals funded in each year;
(III) the total number of nanotechnology related projects funded and
the amount of funding provided for fiscal year 2003 through fiscal
year 2007; and
(IV) a description of the projects identified in accordance with subclause
(III) which received private sector funding beyond the period of phase
II support.
(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY- The Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology in carrying out the requirements
of section 28 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act
(15 U.S.C. 278n) shall--
(A) in regard to subsection (d) of that section, encourage the submission
of proposals for support of nanotechnology related projects; and
(B) in regard to subsection (g) of that section, include a description
of how the requirement of subparagraph (A) of this paragraph is being
met, the number of proposals for nanotechnology related projects received,
the number of such proposals funded, the total number of such projects
funded since the beginning of the Technology Innovation Program, and the
outcomes of such funded projects in terms of the metrics developed in
accordance with such subsection (g).
(3) TIP ADVISORY BOARD- The TIP Advisory Board established under section
28(k) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C.
278n(k)), in carrying out its responsibilities under subsection (k)(3),
shall provide the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
with--
(A) advice on how to accomplish the requirement of paragraph (2)(A) of
this subsection; and
(B) an assessment of the adequacy of the allocation of resources for nanotechnology
related projects supported under the Technology Innovation Program.
(c) Industry Liaison Groups- An objective of the Program shall be to establish
industry liaison groups for all industry sectors that would benefit from applications
of nanotechnology. The Nanomanufacturing, Industry Liaison, and Innovation
Working Group of the National Science and Technology Council shall actively
pursue establishing such liaison groups.
(d) Coordination With State Initiatives- Section 2(b)(5) of the 21st Century
Nanotechnology Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(5)) is amended
to read as follows:
`(5) ensuring United States global leadership in the development and application
of nanotechnology, including through coordination and leveraging Federal
investments with nanotechnology research, development, and technology transition
initiatives supported by the States;'.
SEC. 5. RESEARCH IN AREAS OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE.
(a) In General- The Program shall include support for nanotechnology research
and development activities directed toward application areas that have the
potential for significant contributions to national economic competitiveness
and for other significant societal benefits. The activities supported shall
be designed to advance the development of research discoveries by demonstrating
technical solutions to important problems in such areas as nano-electronics,
energy efficiency, health care, and water remediation and purification. The
Advisory Panel shall make recommendations to the Program for candidate research
and development areas for support under this section.
(1) IN GENERAL- Research and development activities under this section shall--
(A) include projects selected on the basis of applications for support
through a competitive, merit-based process;
(B) involve collaborations among researchers in academic institutions
and industry, and may involve nonprofit research institutions and Federal
laboratories, as appropriate;
(C) when possible, leverage Federal investments through collaboration
with related State initiatives; and
(D) include a plan for fostering the transfer of research discoveries
and the results of technology demonstration activities to industry for
commercial development.
(2) PROCEDURES- Determination of the requirements for applications under
this subsection, review and selection of applications for support, and subsequent
funding of projects shall be carried out by a collaboration of no fewer
than 2 agencies participating in the Program. In selecting applications
for support, the agencies shall give special consideration to projects that
include cost sharing from non-Federal sources.
(3) INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CENTERS- Research and development activities
under this section may be supported through interdisciplinary nanotechnology
research centers, as authorized by section 2(b)(4) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(4)), that are organized
to investigate basic research questions and carry out technology demonstration
activities in areas such as those identified in subsection (a).
(c) Report- Reports required under section 2(d) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(d)) shall include a description
of research and development areas supported in accordance with this section,
including the same budget information as is required for program component
areas under paragraphs (1) and (2) of such section 2(d).
SEC. 6. NANOMANUFACTURING RESEARCH.
(a) Research Areas- The Nanomanufacturing program component area, or any successor
program component area, shall include research on--
(1) development of instrumentation and tools required for the rapid characterization
of nanoscale materials and for monitoring of nanoscale manufacturing processes;
and
(2) approaches and techniques for scaling the synthesis of new nanoscale
materials to achieve industrial-level production rates.
(b) Green Nanotechnology- Interdiciplinary research centers supported under
the Program in accordance with section 2(b)(4) of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7501(b)(4)) that are focused on nanomanufacturing
research and centers established under the authority of section 5(b)(3) of
this Act shall include as part of the activities of such centers--
(1) research on methods and approaches to develop environmentally benign
nanoscale products and nanoscale manufacturing processes, taking into consideration
relevant findings and results of research supported under the Environmental,
Health, and Safety program component area, or any successor program component
area;
(2) fostering the transfer of the results of such research to industry;
and
(3) providing for the education of scientists and engineers through interdisciplinary
studies in the principles and techniques for the design and development
of environmentally benign nanoscale products and processes.
(c) Review of Nanomanufacturing Research and Research Facilities-
(1) PUBLIC MEETING- Not later than 12 months after the date of enactment
of this Act, the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office shall sponsor
a public meeting, including representation from a wide range of industries
engaged in nanoscale manufacturing, to--
(A) obtain the views of participants at the meeting on--
(i) the relevance and value of the research being carried out under
the Nanomanufacturing program component area of the Program, or any
successor program component area; and
(ii) whether the capabilities of nanotechnology research facilities
supported under the Program are adequate--
(I) to meet current and near-term requirements for the fabrication
and characterization of nanoscale devices and systems; and
(II) to provide access to and use of instrumentation and equipment
at the facilities, by means of networking technology, to individuals
who are at locations remote from the facilities; and
(B) receive any recommendations on ways to strengthen the research portfolio
supported under the Nanomanufacturing program component area, or any successor
program component area, and on improving the capabilities of nanotechnology
research facilities supported under the Program.
Companies participating in industry liaison groups shall be invited to participate
in the meeting. The Coordination Office shall prepare a report documenting
the findings and recommendations resulting from the meeting.
(2) ADVISORY PANEL REVIEW- The Advisory Panel shall review the Nanomanufacturing
program component area of the Program, or any successor program component
area, and the capabilities of nanotechnology research facilities supported
under the Program to assess--
(A) whether the funding for the Nanomanufacturing program component area,
or any successor program component area, is adequate and receiving appropriate
priority within the overall resources available for the Program;
(B) the relevance of the research being supported to the identified needs
and requirements of industry;
(C) whether the capabilities of nanotechnology research facilities supported
under the Program are adequate--
(i) to meet current and near-term requirements for the fabrication and
characterization of nanoscale devices and systems; and
(ii) to provide access to and use of instrumentation and equipment at
the facilities, by means of networking technology, to individuals who
are at locations remote from the facilities; and
(D) the level of funding that would be needed to support--
(i) the acquisition of instrumentation, equipment, and networking technology
sufficient to provide the capabilities at nanotechnology research facilities
described in subparagraph (C); and
(ii) the operation and maintenance of such facilities.
In carrying out its assessment, the Advisory Panel shall take into consideration
the findings and recommendations from the report required under paragraph
(1).
(3) REPORT- Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Advisory Panel shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology
of the House of Representatives a report on its assessment required under
paragraph (2), along with any recommendations and a copy of the report prepared
in accordance with paragraph (1).
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, terms that are defined in section 10 of the 21st Century Nanotechnology
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7509) have the meaning given those
terms in that section.
Passed the House of Representatives June 5, 2008.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.
END
