United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation for awarding conditional grants to joint business ventures between U.S. and Israeli private corporate entities to develop, manufacture, sell, or otherwise provide products and services with applications related to homeland security. Limits grant amounts to 50 percent of proposed costs. Requires grant recipients to repay the Foundation up to 150 percent of the grant awarded. Directs the Foundation to include an advisory board. Provides Foundation funding through the Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security Technologies.
Directs the Secretary, if not establishing the Foundation, to use a specified amount from such Fund to support the efforts of the Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation to make grants to joint U.S.-Israeli business ventures for projects relating to homeland security.
[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3871 Introduced in House (IH)]
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 3871
To establish the United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation to
make grants to joint business ventures between United States and
Israeli private corporate entities to develop products and services
with applications related to homeland security, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 2, 2004
Mr. Turner of Texas (for himself and Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, and in addition to the Select Committee on Homeland Security,
for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case
for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of
the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish the United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation to
make grants to joint business ventures between United States and
Israeli private corporate entities to develop products and services
with applications related to homeland security, 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 ``United States-Israel Homeland
Security Foundation Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The development and implementation of technology is a
crucial component of combating terrorism and implementing
homeland security strategies.
(2) Israel and Israeli industries have extensive experience
with matters pertaining to homeland security generally and
anti-terrorism specifically, including expertise in the fields
of border integrity, transportation security, first responder
equipment, and civil defense planning.
(3) The United States and Israel have an extensive history
of working cooperatively and successfully to assist with the
development of agricultural, defense, telecommunications, and
other technologies mutually beneficial to each country, as
exemplified by the success of the Binational Industrial
Research and Development Foundation, commonly referred to as
the BIRD Foundation.
(4) Initiated in 1977 as a grant program funded in equal
parts by the governments of the United States and Israel in
support of joint United States-Israeli business ventures, the
BIRD Foundation has invested $180 million in 600 projects over
the past 27 years and has realized $7 billion in sales and the
development of a number of important technologies.
(5) The establishment of a similar bi-national foundation,
or the expansion of the BIRD Foundation, to support the
development of technologies and services applicable to homeland
security would be beneficial to the security of the United
States and Israel and would strengthen the economic ties
between the two countries.
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL HOMELAND SECURITY FOUNDATION.
The Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296) is amended
by inserting after section 307 (6 U.S.C. 187) the following new
section:
``SEC. 307A UNITED STATES-ISRAEL HOMELAND SECURITY FOUNDATION AND GRANT
PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment and Purpose.--
``(1) Establishment authorized.--The Secretary may
establish a United States-Israel Homeland Security Foundation
(in this section referred to as the `Foundation'), for the
purpose of awarding conditional grants to joint business
ventures between United States and Israeli private corporate
entities to develop, manufacture, sell, or otherwise provide
products and services with applications related to homeland
security.
``(2) Administration.--The Secretary shall administer the
grant program through the Directorate of Science and
Technology.
``(b) Eligible Entities.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, an applicant shall--
``(1) be a joint venture consisting of United States and
Israeli private corporate entities;
``(2) be in the process of developing a product or service
determined by the Secretary to have applications related to
homeland security; and
``(3) demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Secretary a
capability to develop, manufacture, sell, and support the
product or service.
``(c) Application.--An eligible entity may apply for a grant under
this section by submitting to the Secretary an application at such time
and in such manner as the Secretary may require and containing the
following information:
``(1) An identification of the entity that is applying for
the grant.
``(2) The activities that the entity anticipates will be
funded by the award of a grant.
``(3) The services or products the entity anticipates will
be made available, either commercially or otherwise, as a
result of an award of a grant.
``(4) A detailed capital budget for the proposed project,
including the manner in which the grant funds will be allocated
and expended.
``(5) Such other information as the Secretary may require.
``(d) Amount of Grant.--A grant under this section may not exceed
50 percent of the total proposed cost for the development, manufacture,
and provision of the product or service of the applicant described in
the application.
``(e) Grant Repayment.--A grant recipient shall repay the grant to
the Foundation as the Secretary may reasonably require. Grant
repayments may not exceed more than 150 percent of the grant awarded,
adjusted for inflation in accordance with the Consumer Price Index.
``(f) Advisory Board.--
``(1) Representatives.--Administration of the Foundation
shall include an advisory board comprised of public and private
sector representatives.
``(2) Membership of advisory board.--
``(A) United states membership.--Membership to the
advisory board shall include the Director of the
Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency and
the Director of International Affairs of the Department
of Homeland Security.
``(B) Israeli membership.--The Secretary shall
extend an invitation to the relevant Israeli government
officials for their participation on the advisory
board.
``(g) Foundation Funding.--Subject to subsection (i), if the
Secretary decides to establish the Foundation under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall use not less than $25,000,000 of the funds available in
the Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security
Technologies, established under section 307(c)(1), to administer the
Foundation.
``(h) Alternative Mechanism to Support Homeland Security Products
and Services.--Subject to subsection (i), if the Secretary decides not
to establish the Foundation under subsection (a), the Secretary shall
use not less than $25,000,000 of the funds available in the
Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security
Technologies, established under section 307(c)(1), to support the
efforts of the Binational Industrial Research and Development
Foundation to make grants to joint United States-Israeli business
ventures for projects related to homeland security.
``(i) Shared Endowment.--Any expenditure by the United States under
this section shall be equal to the expenditure by Israel for the same
purpose.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security (Select), for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science, and Research and Development.
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