DHS Biodetection Improvement ActThis bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assess how it has utilized Department of Energy national laboratories and sites for research and development in carrying out DHS missions and to report to Congress a strategy for how DHS will conduct biodetection research and development in coordination with such laboratories and sites.
United States Research Protection ActThis bill clarifies the definition of a malign foreign talent recruitment program under the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act. The Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act, which was included in the CHIPS and Science Act, prohibits researchers who receive federal funds from participating in malign foreign talent recruitment programs, in which foreign countries incentivize or compensate researchers for activities that present a conflict of interest for the researcher or that are otherwise unauthorized (e.g., sharing proprietary information without proper authorization).The bill clarifies that these restrictions apply to programs that are sponsored by a foreign country of concern, including China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. The bill also clarifies that malign foreign talent recruitment programs may involve direct or indirect compensation or incentives from such countries.
Department of Homeland Security Climate Change Research Act
DOE and NSF Interagency Research ActThis bill provides statutory authority for a research and development partnership between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Specifically, the bill requires DOE and NSF to enter into a memorandum of understanding to support cross-cutting and collaborative research and development that furthers the missions of both agencies. Through the partnership, DOE and NSF may conduct research in a variety of focus areas (e.g., artificial intelligence), promote multi-agency and cross-sector data sharing, support research infrastructure, and organize education and training initiatives. DOE and NSF must jointly report on their collaboration.
Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act
Producing Advanced Technologies for Homeland Security Act or the PATHS ActThis bill extends through FY2028 the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to use other transactions (OT) to carry out research and prototype projects when the use of contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements is not feasible or appropriate. (OTs, in contrast to traditional procurement contracts, are exempt from many federal procurement laws and regulations.) DHS must notify Congress within 72 hours of using or extending this authority for research and development projects related to artificial intelligence technology and must offer to brief Congress on the rationale for such a decision. The bill also lowers from $4 million to $1 million the minimum value of contract awards that DHS must publicly report on its website.
DOE and SBA Research ActThis bill requires the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration to enter into an agreement to collaborate on research and development activities. These activities must include, as appropriate, small businesses.The agencies must report on any collaborative research achievements and potential opportunities to expand the technical capabilities of the agencies.
Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act
DOE and USDA Interagency Research ActThis bill requires the Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities through the establishment of an interagency agreement.The agencies are authorized to (1) carry out reimbursable agreements in order to maximize research and development effectiveness, and (2) collaborate with other federal agencies. Further, the interagency agreement must require the use of a competitive, merit-reviewed process, which considers applications from federal agencies, national laboratories, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit institutions.Research and development activities may includecollaborative research in a variety of focus areas such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, biofuels and biobased products, grid modernization and security, rural technology development, and wildfire risks and prevention;developing methods to accommodate large voluntary standardized and integrated data sets on agricultural, environmental, supply chain, and economic information;supporting research infrastructure and workforce development; andcollaborative research and development on ways to improve agriculture operations and processing efficiencies, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Relates to ovarian cancer research; requires biennial reporting on recommendations from the health research and science board on the types of data that would be useful for ovarian cancer researchers.