Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act or the RISE Act
This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, and Health and Human Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Support under this bill shall be provided through federal science agencies with at least $50 million in basic and applied research obligations in FY2020. Support may be used to
Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible.
Provided funds shall remain available for expenditure for up to two years.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7308 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7308
To authorize appropriations for offsetting the costs related to
reductions in research productivity resulting from the coronavirus
pandemic.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 24, 2020
Ms. DeGette (for herself, Mr. Upton, Ms. Johnson of Texas, Mr. Lucas,
Ms. Eshoo, and Mr. Gonzalez of Ohio) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services,
Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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 authorize appropriations for offsetting the costs related to
reductions in research productivity resulting from the coronavirus
pandemic.
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 ``Research Investment to Spark the
Economy Act'' or the ``RISE Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Agencies provided Federal research grantees flexibility
during the pandemic to support graduate students, postdocs,
principal investigators, and technical support staff.
(2) Agencies will need to provide current Federal research
grants extensions to cover time lost in research labs and in
the field that will impact the completion of that agency's
research missions and priorities. Additionally, agencies
allowed federally funded labs to donate necessary equipment,
like personal protective equipment among others, to support
hospitals and first responders, which will need to be re-
purchased and will create additional expenses to Federal
contracts.
(3) The need to ensure the United States sustains the
critical human infrastructure that undergirds the United States
research enterprise, which has created a longstanding
government-university partnership which has made America the
global leader in innovation, strengthening the health of our
Nation's citizens, economy, and national security.
(4) While the Federal Government has made significant
investments in new research to address COVID-19, existing
research has been slowed down or stopped due to COVID-19
modified operations of campuses and laboratories.
(5) Given the modified operations of many university-based
and national laboratories due to the pandemic, Congress is
concerned that the people who comprise the research workforce--
graduate students, postdocs, principal investigators, and
technical support staff--and the future health and strength of
the United States research enterprise and manufacturing and
technology economies, among others, are at risk.
(6) While our Nation's research capacity has demonstrated
it can absorb shocks and pivot to address immediate national
threats, the scale of this pandemic is still growing and
unprecedented in duration and impact.
(7) Without funding, future innovations in areas such as
quantum, artificial intelligence, robotics, computing, 5G,
space exploration, digital agriculture, cancer, and aging will
be forestalled while the agencies are forced to use future
appropriations for new research, meant to create new knowledge
leading to the next generation of discoveries, to cover
existing grants. The Nation must innovate to launch the next 50
years of unparalleled economic leadership and be prepared for
any future pandemics.
(8) Therefore, Congress believes it is vital that the
Federal Government take measures to help relieve the strain
agencies will be forced to face and sustain the strength of our
Nation's ability to remain a global leader in an increasingly
competitive global research environment, as other countries
continue to make disproportionately large investments in key
research areas.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science
agency'' means any agency (as defined in section 551 of title
5, United States Code) with at least $50,000,000 in basic and
applied research obligations in fiscal year 2020.
(2) Research institution.--The term ``research
institution'' means an institution of higher education (as
defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1001(a))) or a nonprofit entity that conducts
federally funded research.
(3) National laboratory.--The term ``National laboratory''
has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
SEC. 4. USE OF FUNDS.
(a) Allowable Uses.--A Federal science agency may use funds
authorized under this Act to--
(1) provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of
a grant to a research institution or National laboratory that
was awarded prior to the date of enactment of this Act, or to
expand the purposes of such a grant in order to--
(A) enable a graduate student or post-doctoral
researcher to complete work that was disrupted by
COVID-19;
(B) enable a principal investigator to complete
work that was disrupted by COVID-19;
(C) extend the training of a graduate student or
the employment of a post-doctoral researcher on an
ongoing research project for up to two years because of
the disruption of the job market due to COVID-19;
(D) allow for the use of laboratory animals,
reagents, equipment, or other items required for
research funded by a grant that was awarded prior to
the date of enactment of this Act, but need to be
replaced, refurbished, or otherwise made usable after
disruption because of COVID-19;
(E) reconfigure laboratories, restart equipment and
disrupted research, and other activities necessary to
safely resume on-site research activities in
laboratories that were temporarily closed or redirected
to COVID-19 response; and
(F) facilitate other competitively awarded research
and training activities that have been disrupted by
COVID-19;
(2) provide supplemental funding through existing
competitively awarded cooperative agreements and contracts to
cover the increased costs of construction of scientific
facilities and equipment that have been delayed because of
COVID-19; and
(3) award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions
of higher education to conduct research on the behavioral,
social, or economic effects of COVID-19 and the responses to
the disease, or on the effectiveness of such responses.
(b) Awards.--Each Federal science agency authorized to receive
funds under this Act shall develop procedures to award such funds and
shall award such funds as rapidly as possible.
(c) Timing.--Funds authorized under this Act shall be awarded
during fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and funds so awarded shall remain
available for expenditure for up to two years.
SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.
Until such time as a research institution has determined it can
safely reopen a research laboratory funded by a Federal science agency,
such agency shall continue to interpret regulations in a manner
consistent with--
(1) the memorandum issued by the Office of Management and
Budget on March 19, 2020, entitled ``Administrative Relief for
Recipients and Applicants of Federal Financial Assistance
Directly Impacted by the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) due to
Loss of Operations''; and
(2) the memorandum issued by the Office of Management and
Budget on March 19, 2020, entitled ``Managing Federal Contract
Performance Issues Associated with the Novel Coronavirus
(COVID-19)''.
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATIONS OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Department of Agriculture.--There is authorized to be
appropriated to the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2020--
(1) $300,000,000 to fund activities under section 4; and
(2) $80,000,000 to carry out cooperative extension and
education programs in response to exigent circumstances created
by the COVID-19 pandemic.
(b) Department of Commerce.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$650,000,000 to the Department of Commerce for fiscal year 2020 to fund
activities under section 4 of this Act, of which at least $350,000,000
shall be for use by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
and at least $300,000,000 shall be for the National Institute of
Standards and Technology.
(c) Department of Defense.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$3,000,000,000 to the Department of Defense for fiscal year 2020 to
fund activities under section 4.
(d) Department of Education.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $200,000,000 to the Department of Education for fiscal
year 2020 to fund activities under section 4 for the Institute for
Education Sciences.
(e) Department of Energy.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$5,000,000,000 to the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2020 to fund
activities under section 4, of which at least $3,000,000,000 shall be
for use by the Office of Science, at least $900,000,000 shall be for
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, at least $450,000,000 shall be
for Nuclear Energy, at least $300,000,000 shall be for Fossil Research
and Development, at least $150,000,000 shall be for ARPA-E, and at
least $100,000,000 shall be for the Office of Electricity.
(f) Department of Interior.--There is authorized to be appropriated
$300,000,000 to the Department of Interior for fiscal year 2020 to fund
activities under section 4 for the United States Geological Survey.
(g) Department of Health and Human Services.--There is authorized
to be appropriated $10,000,000,000 to the Department of Health and
Human Services for fiscal year 2020 to fund activities under section 4
for the National Institutes of Health.
(h) NASA.--There is authorized to be appropriated $2,000,000,000 to
the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for fiscal year 2020
to fund activities under section 4.
(i) National Science Foundation.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $3,000,000,000 to the National Science Foundation for
fiscal year 2020 to fund activities under section 4.
(j) Enviromental Protection Agency.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $200,000,000 to the Environmental Protection Agency for
fiscal year 2020 to fund activities under section 4.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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.
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Referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees on Agriculture, Armed Services, Education and Labor, Energy and Commerce, and Natural Resources, 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 Energy and Mineral Resources.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture, and Research.