SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Since 2011, the terrorist group now known as the
        Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), has rapidly
        expanded, now possessing greater funding, more personnel, and
        heavier weapons than any other terrorist force.
            (2) ISIL has threatened to continue attacking United States
        persons and interests and has an apocalyptic vision for a
        larger confrontation with the United States and its allies in
        the Middle East.
            (3) According to the United States intelligence community,
        approximately 20,000 to 30,000 ISIL fighters operate in Iraq
        and Syria, an estimated 3,000 of which are believed to have
        western passports.
            (4) ISIL finances itself through looting, smuggling, taxes,
        oil sales, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
            (5) According to United States officials, ISIL captured
        approximately 1,500 Humvees, a number of other modern armored
        vehicles and transport trucks, over 50 long-range Global
        Positioning System (GPS)-guided artillery pieces, a substantial
        number of artillery shells, a large quantity of small arms,
        approximately 4,000 heavy machine guns, and other weapons from
        the Iraqi Security Forces in June 2014, and has also reportedly
        captured a number of other weapons and vehicles from Bashar al-
        Assad's forces in Syria.
            (6) The rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in
        Iraq caused by ISIL advances in Iraq and Syria has resulted in
        approximately 1,500,000 refugees and internally displaced
        people from Syria and Iraq taking refuge in the Iraqi Kurdistan
        region. The Kurdistan Regional Government is facing a
        humanitarian and budget crisis while defending itself from
        ISIL.
            (7) The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) is the
        democratically elected government of the Kurdistan Region in
        Iraq, and Iraqi Kurds have been a reliable and stable partner
        of the United States.
            (8) The Iraqi constitution guarantees the right of Iraqi
        regions, such as Iraqi Kurdistan, to maintain ``internal
        security forces for the region such as police, security forces,
        and guards of the region''.
            (9) The Kurdish Peshmerga forces are officially organized
        under the Ministry of Peshmerga Affairs and commanded by the
        Minister of Peshmerga, who reports to the President of the
        Kurdistan Regional Government.
            (10) ISIL has positioned its forces along a 650-mile border
        with the Kurdistan Regional Government's Peshmerga forces.
            (11) ISIL has employed captured armored vehicles, long-
        range artillery, and heavy weapons in attacking thinly
        stretched Kurdish forces along the border.
            (12) United States airstrikes against ISIL targets have
        helped stall the terrorist organization's advance on territory
        held by Kurdish forces, but have not proven to be militarily
        decisive against ISIL.
            (13) The United States and its allies have provided the
        resupply of various small arms and training to Peshmerga forces
        since June 2014.
            (14) Such resupply efforts, to comply with United States
        law, must be approved and coordinated through the Government of
        Iraq. In the initial phase of the resupply effort, the
        Government of Iraq constrained and delayed the emergency supply
        of weapons to the Kurdistan Regional Government.
            (15) The Peshmerga forces lack battle-ready armored
        vehicles and the ability to take significant offensive action
        against ISIL forces, leading to requests for such assistance.
            (16) Armored vehicles, anti-armor weapons, long-range
        artillery, and other weapons are consistent with the Kurdistan
        Regional Government's constitutional right to defend itself
        against the clear and present danger posed by ISIL.
            (17) A strong Peshmerga force is essential to countering
        the ISIL threat to Iraq, the region, and United States
        interests.
            (18) The longer ISIL's sanctuary remains largely
        unchallenged, the more time it will have to reinforce its
        positions, and plan attacks against United States interests.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) defeating the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
        (ISIL) is critical to maintaining a unified Iraq in which all
        faiths and ethnicities are afforded equal protection and full
        integration into the Iraqi government and society;
            (2) the people of Kurdistan face an urgent and deadly
        threat from ISIL which the Iraqi Security Forces, of which the
        Peshmerga are a component, are currently unable to match in
        armaments;
            (3) any outstanding issues between the Government of Iraq
        and the Kurdistan Regional Government should be resolved by the
        two parties expeditiously to allow for a resumption of normal
        relations; and
            (4) ISIL's recent advances and continued growth present an
        imminent threat to Iraqi Kurdistan, the rest of Iraq and the
        Middle East, and international security.

SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.

    It shall be the policy of the United States to directly provide the
Kurdistan Regional Government with advanced conventional weapons,
training, and defense services, on an emergency and temporary basis, to
more effectively partner with the United States and other international
coalition members to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL).

SEC. 4. TEMPORARY EMERGENCY AUTHORIZATION OF DEFENSE ARTICLES, DEFENSE
              SERVICES, AND RELATED TRAINING DIRECTLY TO THE KURDISTAN
              REGIONAL GOVERNMENT.

    (a) In General.--The President should consult with the Government
of Iraq in carrying out the authority provided in subsection (b).
    (b) Authorization.--
            (1) Military assistance.--The President is authorized to
        provide defense articles, defense services, and related
        training directly to the Kurdistan Regional Government for the
        purpose of supporting international coalition efforts against
        the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or any
        successor group.
            (2) Defense exports.--The President is authorized to issue
        licenses authorizing United States exporters to export defense
        articles, defense services, and related training directly to
        the Kurdistan Regional Government. For purposes of processing
        applications for such export licenses, the President is
        authorized to accept End Use Certificates approved by the
        Kurdistan Regional Government.
            (3) Types of assistance.--Assistance authorized under
        paragraph (1) and exports authorized under paragraph (2) may
        include anti-tank and anti-armor weapons, armored vehicles,
        long-range artillery, crew-served weapons and ammunition,
        secure command and communications equipment, body armor,
        helmets, logistics equipment, excess defense articles and other
        military assistance that the President determines to be
        appropriate.
    (c) Relationship to Existing Authorities; Conditions of
Eligibility.--
            (1) Relationship to existing authorities.--Assistance
        authorized under subsection (b)(1) and licenses for exports
        authorized under subsection (b)(2) shall be provided pursuant
        to the applicable provisions of the Arms Export Control Act (22
        U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) and the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22
        U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), notwithstanding any requirement in such
        applicable provisions of law that a recipient of assistance of
        the type authorized under subsection (b)(1) shall be a country
        or international organization.
            (2) Conditions of eligibility.--In addition to such other
        provisions as the President may require, no defense article,
        defense service, or related training may be provided to the
        Kurdistan Regional Government under the authority of subsection
        (b)(1) or (b)(2) unless the Kurdistan Regional Government
        agrees that--
                    (A) it will not provide any such defense article,
                defense service, or related training to anyone who is
                not an officer, employee, or agent of the Kurdistan
                Regional Government, and
                    (B) it will not use or permit the use of any such
                defense article, defense service, or related training
                for purposes other than the purposes for which it was
                provided,
        unless the consent of the President has first been obtained.
    (d) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
        the enactment of this Act, the President shall submit to the
        appropriate congressional committees a report on the following:
                    (A) The anticipated defense articles, defense
                services, and related training to be provided under the
                authority of subsections (b)(1) and (b)(2).
                    (B) A timeline for the provision of such defense
                articles, defense services, and related training.
                    (C) A description of mechanisms and procedures for
                end-use monitoring of such defense articles, defense
                services, and related training.
                    (D) How such defense articles, defense services,
                and related training would contribute to the foreign
                policy and national security of the United States, as
                well as impact security in the region.
            (2) Definition.--In this subsection, the term ``appropriate
        congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee
                on Appropriations, and the Committee on Armed Services
                of the House of Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations, the
                Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on Armed
                Services of the Senate.
    (e) Notification.--The President should provide notification to the
Government of Iraq prior to defense articles, defense services, or
related training being provided to the Kurdistan Regional Government
under the authority of subsection (b)(1) or (b)(2).
    (f) Definitions.--In this section, the terms ``defense article'',
``defense service'', and ``training'' have the meanings given those
terms in section 47 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2794).
    (g) Termination.--The authority to provide defense articles,
defense services, and related training under subsection (b)(1) and the
authority to issue licenses for exports authorized under subsection
(b)(2) shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date of
the enactment of this Act.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to
Repair Act of 2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) The ability to diagnose, service, and repair a motor
        vehicle in a timely, reliable, and affordable manner is
        essential to the safety and well-being of automotive consumers
        in the United States.
            (2) Consumers are entitled to choose among competing repair
        facilities for the convenient, reliable, and affordable repair
        of their motor vehicles.
            (3) Increased competition among repair facilities will
        benefit vehicle owners in the United States.
            (4) Computers of various kinds are increasingly being used
        in motor vehicle systems, such as pollution control,
        transmission, anti-lock brakes, electronic and mechanical
        systems, heating and air-conditioning, mobile electronics,
        airbags, and steering.
            (5) The diagnosis, service, and repair of these vehicle
        systems are essential to the safety and proper operation of
        modern motor vehicles.
            (6) In many instances, access codes prevent owners from
        making, or having made, the necessary diagnosis, service, and
        repair of their motor vehicles in a timely, convenient,
        reliable, and affordable manner.
            (7) Automobile manufacturers have restricted access to the
        information motor vehicle owners need in order to diagnose,
        service, and repair their vehicles, in a manner that has
        hindered open competition among repair facilities.
            (8) Consumers in the United States have benefited from the
        availability of a competitive aftermarket industry, or parts
        and accessories used in the repair, maintenance, or enhancement
        of a motor vehicle. The American economy has also benefited
        from the availability of a competitive aftermarket industry
        that provides jobs to over 5 million workers in over 495,000
        businesses, and generates $200 billion in annual sales.
            (9) Vehicle owners in the United States should have the
        right--
                    (A) to all information necessary to allow the
                diagnosis, service, and repair of their vehicles;
                    (B) to choose between original parts and
                aftermarket parts when repairing their motor vehicles;
                and
                    (C) to make, or have made, repairs necessary to
                keep their vehicles in reasonably good and serviceable
                condition during the life of the vehicle.
            (10) The restriction of vehicle repair information and
        tools limits who can repair motor vehicles and what parts may
        be used to repair those vehicles, which limits consumer choice,
        impedes competition, and increases the costs of vehicle repair
        for consumers.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are:
            (1) To ensure the safety of all vehicle owners by requiring
        disclosure of all information necessary for the proper
        diagnosis, service, and repair of a vehicle in a timely,
        affordable, and reliable manner.
            (2) To encourage competition in the diagnosis, service, and
        repair of motor vehicles.

SEC. 3. MANUFACTURER DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Duty to Disclose.--The manufacturer of a motor vehicle sold or
introduced into commerce in the United States shall promptly provide to
the vehicle owner, or to a repair facility of the motor vehicle owner's
choosing, the information necessary to diagnose, service, or repair the
vehicle. The motor vehicle manufacturer shall make available all non-
emission-related service information, training information, and
diagnostic tools on a non-discriminatory basis to any repair facility
of the owner's choosing, and shall not not limit such information to
those repair facilities within the manufacturers' approved network. The
information to be made available shall include the following:
            (1) The same service and training information related to
        vehicle repair shall be made available to all independent
        repair facilities in the same manner and extent as it is made
        available to franchised dealerships, and shall include all
        information needed to activate all controls that can be
        activated by a franchised dealership.
            (2) The same diagnostic tools and capabilities related to
        vehicle repair that are made available to franchised
        dealerships shall be made available to independent repair
        facilities. These diagnostic tools and capabilities shall be
        made available for purchase by motor vehicle owners or their
        agents through reasonable business means. The service and
        training information and manufacturer diagnostic capabilities
        shall be available to independent repair facilities, and to the
        companies from which they normally purchase diagnostic tools,
        without the need for the motor vehicle owner to return to a
        franchised dealership.
    (b) Protection of Trade Secrets.--Nothing in this Act shall be
deemed to require the disclosure of trade secrets, nor the public
disclosure of any information related exclusively to the design and
manufacture of motor vehicle parts. No information necessary to repair
a vehicle shall be withheld by a manufacturer if such information is
provided (directly or indirectly) to franchised dealerships or other
repair facilities.

SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Federal Trade Commission shall prescribe regulations
setting forth an appropriate method by which manufacturers shall
provide the information required by section 3, including disclosure in
writing, via the Internet, or under such terms as the Commission
determines appropriate. The regulations shall take effect upon final
issuance of such regulations and shall apply to vehicles manufactured
after model year 1994.
    (b) Limitation.--The Federal Trade Commission may not prescribe
rules that interfere with the authority of, or conflict with rules
prescribed by, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
under section 202(m) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7521(m)) with
regard to motor vehicle emissions control diagnostics systems.

SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT.

    (a) Unfair or Deceptive Act or Practice.--The failure by a
manufacturer to comply with section 3(a) or the regulations prescribed
under section 4 shall be treated as an unfair method of competition and
an unfair or deceptive act or practice in or affecting commerce (within
the meaning of section 5(a)(1) of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15
U.S.C. 45(a)(1))). A violation of this Act shall be treated as a
violation of a rule defining an unfair or deceptive act or practice
prescribed under section 18(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Trade Commission
Act (15 U.S.C. 57a(a)(1)(B)).
    (b) Actions by the Federal Trade Commission.--The Federal Trade
Commission shall enforce this Act in the same manner, by the same
means, and with the same jurisdiction, powers, and duties as though all
applicable terms and provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15
U.S.C. 41 et seq.) were incorporated into and made a part of this Act.
Any entity that violates this Act shall be subject to the penalties and
entitled to the privileges and immunities provided in the Federal Trade
Commission Act in the same manner, by the same means, and with the same
jurisdiction, power, and duties as though all applicable terms and
provisions of the Federal Trade Commission Act were incorporated into
and made a part of this Act.
    (c) Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing contained in this Act shall be
construed to limit the authority of the Federal Trade Commission under
any other provisions of law.

SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The terms ``manufacturer'', ``motor vehicle'', and
        ``motor vehicle equipment'' have the meanings given those terms
        in section 30102(a) of title 49, United States Code.
            (2) The term ``motor vehicle owner'' or ``vehicle owner''
        means any person who owns, leases, or otherwise has the legal
        right to use and possess a motor vehicle.
            (3) The term ``repair facility'' means a facility
        maintained by a person engaged in the repair, diagnosing, or
        servicing of motor vehicles or motor vehicle engines.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower
Act''.

SEC. 2. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES AND PROTECTIONS.

    (a) In General.--Subchapter IV of chapter 301 of title 49, United
States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 30172. WHISTLEBLOWER INCENTIVES AND PROTECTIONS.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Covered action.--The term `covered action' means any
        administrative or judicial action, including any related
        administrative or judicial action, brought by the Secretary or
        the Attorney General under this chapter that in the aggregate
        results in monetary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000.
            ``(2) Monetary sanctions.--The term `monetary sanctions'
        means monies, including penalties and interest, ordered or
        agreed to be paid.
            ``(3) Original information.--The term `original
        information' means information that--
                    ``(A) is derived from the independent knowledge or
                analysis of an individual;
                    ``(B) is not known to the Secretary from any other
                source, unless the individual is the original source of
                the information; and
                    ``(C) is not exclusively derived from an allegation
                made in a judicial or an administrative action, in a
                governmental report, a hearing, an audit, or an
                investigation, or from the news media, unless the
                individual is a source of the information.
            ``(4) Part supplier.--The term `part supplier' means a
        manufacturer of motor vehicle equipment.
            ``(5) Successful resolution.--The term `successful
        resolution' includes any settlement or adjudication of a
        covered action.
            ``(6) Whistleblower.--The term `whistleblower' means any
        employee or contractor of a motor vehicle manufacturer, part
        supplier, or dealership who voluntarily provides to the
        Secretary original information relating to any motor vehicle
        defect, noncompliance, or any violation or alleged violation of
        any notification or reporting requirement of this chapter which
        is likely to cause unreasonable risk of death or serious
        physical injury.
    ``(b) Awards.--
            ``(1) In general.--If the original information that a
        whistleblower provided to the Secretary led to the successful
        resolution of a covered action, the Secretary, subject to
        subsection (c) and under the regulations promulgated under
        subsection (i), may pay an award or awards to 1 or more
        whistleblowers in an aggregate amount of not more than 30
        percent, in total, of collected monetary sanctions.
            ``(2) Payment of awards.--Any amount payable under
        paragraph (1) shall be paid from the monetary sanctions
        collected, and any monetary sanctions so collected shall be
        available for such payment.
    ``(c) Determination of Awards; Denial of Awards.--
            ``(1) Determination of awards.--
                    ``(A) Discretion.--The determination of whether, to
                whom, or in what amount to make an award shall be in
                the discretion of the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Criteria.--In determining an award made under
                subsection (b), the Secretary shall take into
                consideration--
                            ``(i) if appropriate, whether a
                        whistleblower reported or attempted to report
                        the information internally to an applicable
                        motor vehicle manufacturer, part supplier, or
                        dealership;
                            ``(ii) the significance of the original
                        information provided by the whistleblower to
                        the successful resolution of the covered
                        action;
                            ``(iii) the degree of assistance provided
                        by the whistleblower and any legal
                        representative of the whistleblower in the
                        covered action; and
                            ``(iv) such additional factors as the
                        Secretary considers relevant.
            ``(2) Denial of awards.--No award under subsection (b)
        shall be made--
                    ``(A) to any whistleblower who is convicted of a
                criminal violation related to the covered action for
                which the whistleblower otherwise could receive an
                award under this section;
                    ``(B) to any whistleblower who, acting without
                direction from an applicable motor vehicle
                manufacturer, part supplier, or dealership, or agent
                thereof, deliberately causes or substantially
                contributes to the alleged violation of a requirement
                of this chapter;
                    ``(C) to any whistleblower who submits information
                to the Secretary that is based on the facts underlying
                the covered action submitted previously by another
                whistleblower; or
                    ``(D) to any whistleblower who fails to provide the
                original information to the Secretary in such form as
                the Secretary may require by regulation.
    ``(d) Representation.--A whistleblower who makes a claim for an
award under subsection (b) may be represented by counsel.
    ``(e) No Contract Necessary.--No contract with the Secretary is
necessary for any whistleblower to receive an award under subsection
(b).
    ``(f) Appeals.--
            ``(1) In general.--Any determination made under this
        section, including whether, to whom, or in what amount to make
        an award, shall be in the discretion of the Secretary.
            ``(2) Appeals.--Any determination made by the Secretary
        under this section may be appealed by a whistleblower to the
        appropriate court of appeals of the United States not later
        than 30 days after the determination is issued by the
        Secretary.
            ``(3) Review.--The court shall review the determination
        made by the Secretary in accordance with section 706 of title
        5, United States Code.
    ``(g) Protection of Whistleblowers; Confidentiality.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding section 30167, and
        except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this
        subsection, the Secretary, and any officer or employee of the
        Department of Transportation, shall not disclose any
        information, including information provided by a whistleblower
        to the Secretary, which could reasonably be expected to reveal
        the identity of a whistleblower, except in accordance with the
        provisions of section 552a of title 5, United States Code,
        unless and until required to be disclosed to a defendant or
        respondent in connection with a public proceeding instituted by
        the Secretary or any entity described in paragraph (3). For
        purposes of section 552 of title 5, United States Code, this
        paragraph shall be considered a statute described in subsection
        (b)(3)(B) of that section.
            ``(2) Effect.--Nothing in this subsection is intended to
        limit the ability of the Attorney General to present such
        evidence to a grand jury or to share such evidence with
        potential witnesses or defendants in the course of an ongoing
        criminal investigation.
            ``(3) Availability to government agencies.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Without the loss of its status
                as confidential in the hands of the Secretary, all
                information referred to in paragraph (1) may, in the
                discretion of the Secretary, when determined by the
                Secretary to be necessary or appropriate to accomplish
                the purposes of this chapter and in accordance with
                subparagraph (B), be made available to the following:
                            ``(i) The Department of Justice.
                            ``(ii) An appropriate department or agency
                        of the Federal Government, acting within the
                        scope of its jurisdiction.
                    ``(B) Maintenance of information.--Each entity
                described in subparagraph (A) shall maintain
                information described in that subparagraph as
                confidential, in accordance with the requirements in
                paragraph (1).
    ``(h) Provision of False Information.--A whistleblower who
knowingly and willfully makes any false, fictitious, or fraudulent
statement or representation, or who makes or uses any false writing or
document knowing the same to contain any false, fictitious, or
fraudulent statement or entry, shall not be entitled to an award under
this section and shall be subject to prosecution under section 1001 of
title 18.
    ``(i) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of the Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act, the Secretary
shall promulgate regulations to implement the requirements of this
section.''.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--
            (1) Original information.--Information submitted to the
        Secretary of Transportation by a whistleblower in accordance
        with the regulations to implement the requirements of section
        30172, United States Code, shall not lose its status as
        original information solely because the whistleblower submitted
        the information prior to the effective date of the regulations
        if that information was submitted after the date of enactment
        of this Act.
            (2) Awards.--A whistleblower may receive an award under
        section 30172, United States Code, regardless of whether the
        violation underlying the covered action occurred prior to the
        date of enactment of this Act.
    (c) Conforming Amendments.--The table of contents of subchapter IV
of chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at
the end the following:

``30172. Whistleblower incentives and protections.''.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Moving to Work Reform Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. TERMS OF MOVING TO WORK AGREEMENTS.

    The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may not enter into
or extend any Moving to Work agreement for any public housing agency
for participation in the demonstration established under section 204 of
the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development,
and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 1996 (Public Law 104-134;
110 Stat. 1321), unless such agreement is subject to the following
terms and conditions for the entire duration of such agreement:
            (1) Evaluation of major policy changes.--A public housing
        agency may not newly establish any rent policy that raises rent
        burdens for a significant portion of participating families,
        any time limitation on the term of housing assistance, or any
        policy that conditions receipt of housing assistance from
        program funds on employment status, unless--
                    (A) the policy change will be subject to a detailed
                evaluation using a rigorous research methodology which
                includes, at least in part, random assignment to
                treatment and control groups to compare the impact on
                assisted families (including families that cease to
                receive assistance during the term of the evaluation)
                to similar families not subject to such policy change;
                and
                    (B) the Secretary determines that adequate Federal
                or other resources are available to undertake the
                required evaluation.
            (2) Use of tenant-based rental assistance funds.--A public
        housing agency may use funds appropriated for renewal of
        tenant-based rental assistance only for payments to or on
        behalf of eligible families that assist such families with
        housing costs, except that up to 10 percent of such funds may
        be used for other eligible purposes, subject to such
        requirements as the Secretary shall establish.
            (3) Determination of tenant-based rental assistance
        funding.--A public housing agency shall receive funding for
        renewal of tenant-based rental assistance determined using the
        same formula applied to public housing agencies that do not
        participate in the demonstration, except that up to 10 percent
        of such funds may be renewed by adjusting the prior year's
        funding by an inflation factor determined by the Secretary.
            (4) Prohibition of reduction in number of families
        assisted.--A public housing agency shall provide ongoing
        housing assistance resulting in average cost burdens no higher
        than those of families assisted under sections 8 and 9 of the
        United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437f, 1437g) to
        substantially the same number of eligible low-income families
        as the agency could assist if it expended the full amount of
        funding it receives under such sections 8 and 9 pursuant to the
        requirements of such sections.
            (5) Housing choice.--If the Secretary determines that a
        disproportionately low share of families assisted by a public
        housing agency using funds appropriated pursuant to sections 8
        and 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 lives in
        neighborhoods with low crime, high-performing schools, or other
        indicators of high opportunity, the public housing agency shall
        develop and implement a plan to expand families' access to such
        neighborhoods.
            (6) Determination of public housing operating funding.--A
        public housing agency shall receive funding for operation and
        management of public housing determined using the same formula
        applied to public housing agencies that do not participate in
        the demonstration, except that, for an agency that currently
        receives such funding under an alternative formula established
        by its Moving to Work agreement, the Secretary shall phase in
        the requirements of this paragraph in a manner sufficient so as
        to avoid reducing funding by more than 10 percent per year.
            (7) Retained provisions.--The Secretary shall not waive any
        of the following provisions of the United States Housing Act of
        1937:
                    (A) Subsections (a)(2)(A) and (b)(1) of section 16
                (42 U.S.C. 1437n; relating to targeting for new
                admissions).
                    (B) Section 2(b) (42 U.S.C. 1437(b); relating to
                tenant representatives on the public housing agency
                board of directors).
                    (C) Section 3(b)(2) (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(2);
                relating to definitions for the terms ``low-income
                families'', ``very low-income families'', and
                ``extremely low-income families'').
                    (D) Section 5A(e) (42 U.S.C. 1437c-1(e); relating
                to the formation of and consultation with a resident
                advisory board).
                    (E) Sections 6(f)(1) and 8(o)(8)(B) (42 U.S.C.
                1437d(f)(1), 1437f(o)(8)(B); relating to compliance of
                units assisted with housing quality standards or other
                codes).
                    (F) Section 6(k) (42 U.S.C. 1437d(k); relating to
                grievance procedures for public housing tenants).
                    (G) Section 7 (42 U.S.C. 1437e; relating to
                designation of housing for elderly and disabled
                households).
                    (H) Sections 8(ee) and 6(u) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(ee),
                1437d(n); relating to records, certification and
                confidentiality regarding domestic violence).
                    (I) Paragraphs (3) and (4)(i) of section 6(c) and
                sections 982.552 and 982.553 of the Secretary's
                regulations (42 U.S.C. 1437d(c) and 24 C.F.R. 982.552,
                982.553; relating to rights of applicants).
                    (J) Section 6(l) (42 U.S.C. 1437d(l); relating to
                public housing lease requirements), except that for
                units assisted both with program funds and low-income
                housing tax credits, the initial lease term may be less
                than 12 months if required to conform lease terms with
                such tax credit requirements.
                    (K) Subparagraphs (C) through (F) of section
                8(o)(7) and section 8(o)(20) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o);
                relating to lease requirements and eviction protections
                for families assisted with tenant-based assistance).
                    (L) Section 8(o)(13)(B) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(13)(B);
                relating to the 20-percent portfolio cap on the use of
                voucher funds for project-based vouchers), except as
                follows:
                            (i) A public housing agency that, pursuant
                        to a Moving to Work agreement in effect on the
                        date of the enactment of this Act, is using or
                        has committed voucher funds as of such date of
                        enactment for project-based vouchers in excess
                        of the 20-percent cap may continue to use such
                        funds in excess of such cap, but not in excess
                        of the percentage in use or committed as of
                        such date of enactment pursuant to such
                        agreement, or as specified in clause (ii),
                        whichever is higher.
                            (ii) A public housing agency may use
                        voucher funds for project-based vouchers in
                        excess of the 20-percent cap, but not to exceed
                        35 percent, if such use meets one of the
                        following criteria:
                                    (I) The project-based vouchers
                                serve homeless or other special needs
                                families, as defined by the Secretary.
                                    (II) The project-based vouchers are
                                used in a low-poverty area, as defined
                                by the Secretary.
                                    (III) The project-based vouchers
                                are used in connection with a
                                demonstration of a project-based
                                program that is subject to evaluation
                                by the Secretary.
                    (M) Section 8(o)(13)(E) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)(13)(E);
                relating to the ability of families with project-based
                vouchers to move, using tenant-based vouchers, after 12
                months of occupancy), unless the Secretary determines
                that waiver of such section is necessary to implement
                transitional or time-limited housing policies subject
                to evaluation described in paragraph (1) of this
                section.
                    (N) Section 8(r)(1) (42 U.S.C. 1437f(r)(1);
                relating to the portability of vouchers).
                    (O) The following requirements applicable to
                resident councils and jurisdiction-wide resident
                organizations:
                            (i) Establishment of resident councils and
                        resident organizations under section 20 (42
                        U.S.C. 1437r).
                            (ii) Minimum amount of public housing
                        agency support for such councils and
                        organizations under section 20.
                            (iii) Involvement of such councils and
                        organizations in public housing agency
                        operations, as authorized under sections
                        3(c)(2), 6(c)(5)(C), and 9(e) (42 U.S.C.
                        1437a(c)(2), 1437d(c)(5)(C), 1437g(e)).

SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT OF DEMONSTRATION.

    The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall conduct a
comprehensive evaluation of the Moving to Work demonstration and, upon
completion of the evaluation, submit to the Congress a report--
            (1) describing and analyzing the risks and potential
        benefits of expanding the Moving to Work demonstration program
        to additional agencies compared to those of maintaining the
        demonstration program at its current size; and
            (2) identifying reforms, and selection criteria in case the
        demonstration program is expanded, that would improve the
        program's effectiveness in testing innovative policies while
        minimizing adverse effects on low-income families and ensuring
        efficient use of Federal funds to meet the most pressing
        housing needs.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Advisory Commission on Tax
Reform and Simplification Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to establish a commission to study and
report back to Congress recommendations on simplifying, reforming, or
replacing the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is overly complex,
        imposes significant burdens on individuals, businesses, and the
        economy, is extremely difficult for the Internal Revenue
        Service to administer, and is in need of fundamental reform and
        simplification.
            (2) Many of the problems encountered by taxpayers in
        dealing with the Internal Revenue Service--especially those
        arising from misunderstandings of the Code--could be eliminated
        or alleviated by fundamental reform and simplification.
            (3) The Internal Revenue Service faces continual difficulty
        in administering an overly lengthy, complex, and confusing tax
        code.
            (4) Taxpayers and tax experts have repeatedly called for a
        simplification of the current tax code.
            (5) The complexity of the current code places a significant
        burden on individual filers, including extensive record
        keeping, time requirements to prepare returns, gaining an
        understanding of the exemptions for which they may qualify, and
        other burdens. This has forced the majority of taxpayers to
        turn to tax professionals to prepare their tax returns.
            (6) Congress is continually modifying and correcting the
        Code, leading to annual uncertainty and only adding to the
        patchwork of complexity and confusion.
            (7) The Federal Government's present fiscal outlook for
        continuing and sustained budget surpluses provides a unique
        opportunity for the Congress to consider measures for
        fundamental reform and simplification of the tax laws.
            (8) Recent efforts to simplify or reform the tax laws have
        not been successful due in part to the difficulty of developing
        broad-based, nonpartisan support for proposals to make such
        changes.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL COMMISSION ON TAX REFORM AND
              SIMPLIFICATION.

    (a) In General.--To carry out the purposes of this Act, there is
established within the legislative branch a National Advisory
Commission on Tax Reform and Simplification (in this Act referred to as
the ``Commission''), comprised of 15 members. The membership of the
Commission shall be as follows:
            (1) 3 members appointed by the President, 2 from the
        executive branch of the Government and 1 from private life.
            (2) 4 members appointed by the majority leader of the
        Senate, 1 from Members of the Senate and 3 from private life.
            (3) 2 members appointed by the minority leader of the
        Senate, 1 from Members of the Senate and 1 from private life.
            (4) 4 members appointed by the Speaker of the House of
        Representatives, 1 from Members of the House of Representatives
        and 3 from private life.
            (5) 2 members appointed by the minority leader of the House
        of Representatives, 1 from Members of the House of
        Representatives and 1 from private life.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the
President and congressional leadership should draw from a number of
important areas of expertise in composing the Commission, including tax
experts familiar with corporate tax issues, international tax issues,
small business tax issues, and family and individual tax issues.
    (c) Appointments.--Appointments to the Commission shall be made not
later than 45 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. RULES OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) Quorum.--Nine members of the Commission shall constitute a
quorum for conducting the business of the Commission.
    (b) Initial Meeting.--If, after 60 days from the date of the
enactment of this Act, 5 or more members of the Commission have been
appointed, members who have been appointed may meet and select the
Chair (or Co-chairs) who thereafter shall have the authority to begin
the operations of the Commission, including the hiring of staff.
    (c) Rules.--The Commission may adopt such other rules as it
considers appropriate.
    (d) Vacancies.--Any vacancy in the Commission shall not affect its
powers, but shall be filled in the same manner in which the original
appointment was made. Any meeting of the Commission or any subcommittee
thereof may be held in executive session to the extent that the Chair
(Co-Chairs, if elected) or a majority of the members of the Commission
or subcommittee determine appropriate.
    (e) Continuation of Membership.--Any individual who appointed a
member to the Commission by virtue of holding a position described in
section 4 ceases to hold such position before the report of the
Commission is submitted, that member may continue as a member for not
longer than the 30-day period beginning on the date that such
individual ceases to hold such position.

SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--The duties of the Commission shall include--
            (1) to conduct, for a period of not to exceed 18 months
        from the date of its first meeting, the review described in
        subsection (b); and
            (2) to submit to the Congress a report of the results of
        such review, including recommendations for fundamental reform
        and simplification of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
        described in section 10.
    (b) Review and Issuing Proposals.--The Commission shall review and,
when applicable, issue proposals on--
            (1) the present structure and provisions of the Internal
        Revenue Code of 1986, especially with respect to--
                    (A) its impact on the economy (including the impact
                on savings, capital formation, capital investment, and
                international trade);
                    (B) its impact on families and the workforce
                (including issues relating to distribution of tax
                burden and impact on small businesses);
                    (C) the predictability of the tax code from year to
                year;
                    (D) the compliance cost to taxpayers and
                businesses; and
                    (E) the ability of the Internal Revenue Service to
                administer such provisions;
            (2) whether tax systems imposed under the laws of other
        countries could provide more efficient, simple, and fair
        methods of funding the revenue requirements of the Government;
            (3) whether the income tax should be replaced with a tax
        imposed in a different manner or on a different base; and
            (4) whether the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 can be
        simplified, absent wholesale restructuring or replacement
        thereof.

SEC. 7. POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--The Commission or, on the authorization of the
Commission, any subcommittee or member thereof, may, for the purpose of
carrying out the provisions of this Act, hold such hearings and sit and
act at such times and places, take such testimony, receive such
evidence, and administer such oaths, as the Commission or such
designated subcommittee or designated member may deem advisable.
    (b) Contracting.--The Commission may, to such extent and in such
amounts as are provided in appropriation Acts, enter into contracts to
enable the Commission to discharge its duties under this Act.
    (c) Assistance From Federal Agencies and Offices.--
            (1) Information.--The Commission is authorized to secure
        directly from any executive department, bureau, agency, board,
        commission, office, independent establishment, or
        instrumentality of the Government, as well as from any
        committee or other office of the legislative branch, such
        information, suggestions, estimates, and statistics as it
        requires for the purposes of its review and report. Each such
        department, bureau, agency, board, commission, office,
        establishment, instrumentality, or committee shall, to the
        extent not prohibited by law, furnish such information,
        suggestions, estimates, and statistics directly to the
        Commission, upon request made by the Chair (Co-chairs, if
        elected).
            (2) Treasury department.--The Secretary of the Treasury is
        authorized on a nonreimbursable basis to provide the Commission
        with administrative services, funds, facilities, staff, and
        other support services for the performance of the Commission's
        functions.
            (3) General services administration.--The Administrator of
        General Services shall provide to the Commission on a
        nonreimbursable basis such administrative support services as
        the Commission may request.
            (4) Joint committee on taxation.--The staff of the Joint
        Committee on Taxation is authorized on a nonreimbursable basis
        to provide the Commission with such legal, economic, or policy
        analysis, including revenue estimates, as the Commission may
        request.
            (5) Other assistance.--In addition to the assistance set
        forth in paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (4), departments and
        agencies of the United States are authorized to provide to the
        Commission such services, funds, facilities, staff, and other
        support services as they may deem advisable and as may be
authorized by law.
            (6) Postal services.--The Commission may use the United
        States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions
        as departments and agencies of the United States.
            (7) Gifts.--The Commission may accept, use, and dispose of
        gifts or donations of services or property in carrying out its
        duties under this Act.

SEC. 8. STAFF OF THE COMMISSION.

    (a) In General.--The Chair (Co-Chairs, if elected), in accordance
with rules agreed upon by the Commission, may appoint and fix the
compensation of a staff director and such other personnel as may be
necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its functions without
regard to the provisions of title 5, United States Code, governing
appointments in the competitive service, and without regard to the
provisions of chapter 51 and subchapter III or chapter 53 of such title
relating to classification and General Schedule pay rates, except that
no rate of pay fixed under this subsection may exceed the equivalent of
that payable to a person occupying a position at level V of the
Executive Schedule under section 5316 of title 5, United States Code.
Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Commission
without reimbursement from the Commission, and such detailee shall
retain the rights, status, and privileges of his or her regular
employment without interruption.
    (b) Consultant Services.--The Commission is authorized to procure
the services of experts and consultants in accordance with section 3109
of title 5, United States Code, but at rates not to exceed the daily
rate paid a person occupying a position at level IV of the Executive
Schedule under section 5315 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 9. COMPENSATION AND TRAVEL EXPENSES.

    (a) Compensation.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), each
        member of the Commission may be compensated at not to exceed
        the daily equivalent of the annual rate of basic pay in effect
        for a position at level IV of the Executive Schedule under
        section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, for each day
        during which that member is engaged in the actual performance
        of the duties of the Commission.
            (2) Exception.--Members of the Commission who are officers
        or employees of the United States or Members of Congress shall
        receive no additional pay on account of their service on the
        Commission.
    (b) Travel Expenses.--While away from their homes or regular places
of business in the performance of services for the Commission, members
of the Commission shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem
in lieu of subsistence, in the same manner as persons employed
intermittently in the Government service are allowed expenses under
section 5703(b) of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 10. REPORT OF THE COMMISSION; TERMINATION.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of the first
meeting of the Commission, the Commission shall submit a report to the
Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Finance of the Senate. The report of the Commission shall
describe the results of its review under section 6(b), shall make such
recommendations for fundamental reform and simplification of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 as the Commission considers appropriate,
and shall describe the expected impact of such recommendations on the
economy and progressivity and general administrability of the tax laws.
    (b) Termination.--
            (1) In general.--The Commission, and all the authorities of
        this Act, shall terminate on the date which is 90 days after
        the date on which the report is required to be submitted under
        subsection (a).
            (2) Concluding activities.--The Commission may use the 90-
        day period referred to in paragraph (1) for the purposes of
        concluding its activities, including providing testimony to
        committees of Congress concerning its report and disseminating
        that report.
    (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the activities of the
Commission. Until such time as funds are specifically appropriated for
such activities, $2,000,000 shall be available from fiscal year 2001
funds appropriated to the Department of the Treasury, ``Departmental
Offices'' account, for the activities of the Commission, to remain
available until expended.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Center for Pain Research
Act of 1996''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CENTER FOR PAIN RESEARCH.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 401(b)(2) of the Public Health Service
Act (42 U.S.C. 281(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end thereof the
following new subparagraph:
            ``(F) The National Center for Pain Research.''.
    (b) Operation.--Part E of title IV (42 U.S.C. 287 et seq.) is
amended by adding at the end thereof the following new subpart:

             ``Subpart 5--National Center for Pain Research

``SEC. 485E. ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE OF THE CENTER.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the
National Institutes of Health, a center to be known as the National
Center for Pain Research (hereafter referred to in this subpart as the
`Center'). The Center shall be headed by a Director (hereafter referred
to in this subpart as the `Director') who shall be appointed by the
Director of NIH, after consultation with experts in the fields of pain
research and treatment representing the disciplines designated in
subsection (b)(3), and have the powers described in section 405.
    ``(b) General Purpose.--The general purpose of the National Center
for Pain Research is--
            ``(1) to improve the quality of life of individuals
        suffering from pain by fostering of clinical and basic science
        research into the causes of and effective treatments for pain;
            ``(2) to establish a national agenda for conducting and
        supporting pain research in the specific categories described
        in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (3);
            ``(3) to identify, coordinate and support research,
        training, health information dissemination and related
        activities with respect to--
                    ``(A) acute pain;
                    ``(B) cancer and HIV-related pain;
                    ``(C) back pain, headache pain, and facial pain;
                and
                    ``(D) other painful conditions;
        including the biology of pain, the development of new and the
        refinement of existing pain treatments, the delivery of pain
        treatment through the health care system and the coordination
        of interdisciplinary pain management, that should be conducted
        or supported by the National Institutes of Health;
            ``(4) to conduct and support pain research, training,
        education and related activities that have been identified as
        requiring additional, special priority as determined
        appropriate by the Director of the Center and the advisory
        council established under subsection (c);
            ``(5) to coordinate all pain research, training, and
        related activities being carried out among and within the
        National Institutes of Health;
            ``(6) to initiate a comprehensive program of collaborative
        interdisciplinary research among schools, colleges and
        universities, including colleges of medicine and osteopathy,
        colleges of nursing, colleges of chiropractic who are members
        of the Association of Chiropractic Colleges, schools of
        dentistry, schools of physical therapy, schools of occupational
        therapy, and schools of clinical psychology, comprehensive
        health care centers, and specialized centers of pain research
        and treatment; and
            ``(7) to promote the sufficient allocation of the resources
        of the National Institutes of Health for conducting and
        supporting pain research in the specific categories described
        in subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of paragraph (3).
    ``(c) Advisory Council.--
            ``(1) In general.--The National Pain Research Center
        Advisory Board shall be the advisory council for the Center.
        Section 406 applies to the advisory council established under
        this paragraph, except that--
                    ``(A) the members of the advisory council shall
                include representatives of the broad range of health
                and scientific disciplines involved in research and
                treatment related to those categories of pain described
                in subsection (b)(2), and shall include an equal number
                of representatives of physicians who practice pain
                management, clinical psychologists, individuals who
                provide physical medicine and rehabilitative services
                (including physical therapy and occupational therapy),
                nurses, dentists, and chiropractic health care
                professionals;
                    ``(B) the nonvoting ex officio members shall
                include--
                            ``(i) the Director of the National Cancer
                        Institute;
                            ``(ii) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Dental Research;
                            ``(iii) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Child Health and Human
                        Development;
                            ``(iv) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Nursing Research;
                            ``(v) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;
                            ``(vi) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and
                        Skin Diseases;
                            ``(vii) the Director of the National
                        Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke;
                            ``(viii) the Director of the National
                        Institute on Drug Abuse; and
                            ``(ix) the Director of the National
                        Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
                        Research of the Department of Education; and
                    ``(3) the council shall meet at least two times
                each fiscal year.
            ``(2) Duties.--The advisory council shall advise, assist,
        consult with and make recommendations to the Director of the
        Center concerning matters relating to the coordination,
        research, training, education, and related general purposes set
        forth in sub section (b), including policy recommendations with
        regard to grants, contracts, and the operations of the Center.
    ``(d) Establishment of Regional Pain Research Centers.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--To facilitate and enhance the
        research, training, education, and related activities to be
        carried out by the Center, the Director of the Center, in
        consultation with the advisory council established under
        subsection (c), shall establish not less than six regional pain
        research centers.
            ``(2) Focus and distribution.--
                    ``(A) Focus.--The regional centers established
                under paragraph (1) shall have as their primary focus
                one of the categories of pain described in
                subparagraphs (A), (B), (C), and (D) of subsection
                (b)(3).
                    ``(B) Distribution.--One regional pain research
                center shall be established in each of the following
                six regions of the United States as defined by the
                Secretary:
                    ``(A) The northeast region.
                    ``(B) The southeast region.
                    ``(C) The midwest region.
                    ``(D) The southwest region.
                    ``(E) The west region, including Hawaii.
                    ``(F) The Pacific Northwest region, including
                Alaska.
            ``(2) Use of technology.--The regional centers established
        under paragraph (1) shall be a part of the Center and shall be
        interconnected to the Center headquarters through the
        utilization of distance learning technologies, satellites,
        fiber optic links, or other telecommunications and computer
        systems, to allow for the interactive exchange of information,
        research data, findings, training programs, educational
        programs, and other Center research and related initiatives.
            ``(3) Initial regional centers.--The initial regional
        centers shall be selected through a competitive process from
        among institutions and centers of the type described in
        subsection (b)(6).
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For the purposes of carrying out this
        section, there are authorized to be appropriated $20,000,000
        for each of fiscal years 1997, 1998, and 1999, and such sums as
        may be necessary for fiscal year 2000.
            ``(2) Regional centers.--Of the amount appropriated under
        paragraph (1) for fiscal year 1998 and each subsequent fiscal
        year, not less than $1,000,000 shall be made available to each
        of the regional centers established under subsection (d).
            ``(3) Report to congress.--Not later than January 1, 1998,
        and each January 1, thereafter, the Director of the Center
        shall prepare and submit to the committees of Congress a report
        concerning the total amount of funds expended to support for
        pain-related research in for the year for which the report was
        prepared.''.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Childhood Brain Tumor
Prevention Network Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Tumors kill more children than any other disease and
        brain tumors are the second most common type of cancer in
        children.
            (2) Childhood brain tumors are the leading cause of death
        from solid tumors in children.
            (3) There are newly recognized types of brain tumors, as
        defined by the World Health Organization, and many of these
        newly recognized types occur in children.
            (4) The causes of the overwhelming majority of childhood
        brain tumors are unknown.
            (5) Brain tumors have substantial costs for affected
        children, the families of such children, and society.
            (6) Childhood brain tumors cause significant morbidity and
        the loss of many years of potential life.
            (7) The prognosis for most childhood brain tumors is dismal
        and survivors face lasting adverse health effects.
            (8) Because of the relatively low overall incidence of
        childhood brain tumors, such tumors frequently do not receive
        sufficient attention and research funding.
            (9) No single institution has a sufficient number of
        patients to independently conduct research that will adequately
        address the causes of childhood brain tumors.
            (10) There has been no comprehensive study analyzing all
        relevant clinical, biological, and epidemiological aspects of
        childhood brain tumors to identify potential risk factors and
        determine the cause of such tumors.
            (11) Existing national cooperative clinical oncology groups
        primarily investigate treatment options and prognosis and do
        not typically examine the origins of childhood brain tumors or
        the risk factors associated with such tumors. A significant
        majority of children with brain tumors are first treated by
        neurosurgeons and not by oncologists typically involved in such
        groups.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) there is a need to establish a multi-center research
        effort based on collaboration between regional consortia in
        order to comprehensively study the causes of childhood brain
        tumors and identify potential risk factors;
            (2) there is a need to encourage a collaborative effort
        among surgical and medical centers with epidemiological study
        groups to gather comprehensive and detailed information for
        each child enrolled in those groups, in order to investigate
        environmental, nutritional, genetic, and developmental factors
        with respect to, and the pathological and epidemiological
        characteristics of, childhood brain tumors; and
            (3) there is a need to authorize the Director of the
        National Institutes of Health to coordinate national research
        efforts of governmental and nongovernmental entities with
        respect to childhood brain tumors.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NATIONAL CHILDHOOD BRAIN TUMOR PREVENTION
              NETWORK.

    (a) In General.--Subpart 1 of part C of title IV of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 285 et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following:

``SEC. 417F. NATIONAL CHILDHOOD BRAIN TUMOR PREVENTION NETWORK.

    ``(a) Establishment of the National Childhood Brain Tumor
Prevention Network.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date
        of the enactment of this section, the Director of NIH, acting
        through the Director of the National Cancer Institute, shall
        establish, administer, and coordinate a National Childhood
        Brain Tumor Prevention Network (hereinafter referred to in this
        section as the `Network') for the purposes described in
        paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Purposes.--The purposes of the Network shall be the
        following:
                    ``(A) Providing grants of not fewer than five years
                duration to eligible consortia for the purpose of
                conducting research with respect to the causes of and
                risk factors associated with childhood brain tumors.
                    ``(B) Assembling a panel of experts, including
                members of the Brain Tumor Epidemiology Consortium and
                survivors of brain tumors, to provide ongoing guidance
                and recommendations for, with respect to research
                funded by the Network, the development of the
                following:
                            ``(i) A common study design.
                            ``(ii) Standard protocols, methods,
                        procedures, and assays for collecting from
                        individuals enrolled as study participants, and
                        the parents of such individuals, a minimum data
                        set that includes the following:
                                    ``(I) Environmental exposure data.
                                    ``(II) Nutritional data.
                                    ``(III) Biospecimens, including
                                genomic data.
                                    ``(IV) Histopathological and
                                molecular pathological data and
                                specimens.
                                    ``(V) Clinical and radiological
                                data.
                            ``(iii) Specific analytical methods for
                        examining data.
                            ``(iv) Provisions for consensus review of
                        enrolled cases.
                            ``(v) An integrated data collection
                        network.
                    ``(C) Designating a central laboratory to collect,
                analyze, and aggregate data with respect to research
                funded by the Network and to make such data and
                analysis available to researchers.
            ``(3) Eligible consortia.--To be eligible for a grant under
        this section, a consortium shall demonstrate the following:
                    ``(A) The capability to annually enroll as research
                participants a minimum of 100 individuals with a newly
                diagnosed childhood brain tumor from the designated
                catchment area of such consortium.
                    ``(B) The capability to form a control group by
                enrolling as research participants, for each enrolled
                individual with a childhood brain tumor, at least two
                individuals without a childhood brain tumor, who are
                matched demographically to such enrolled individual
                with a childhood brain tumor.
                    ``(C) That the designated catchment area of such
                consortium does not overlap with the designated
                catchment area of a consortium already receiving a
                grant under this section.
            ``(4) Report.--Not later than one year after the date of
        the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the
        Director of NIH shall submit to Congress a report with respect
        to the Network, to be made publicly available, including a
        summary of research funded by the Network and a list of
        consortia receiving grants under the Network. At the discretion
        of the Director of NIH, such report may be combined with other
        similar or existing reports.
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--
                    ``(A) In general.--There is authorized to be
                appropriated $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010
                through 2014, to remain available until expended, to
                carry out this section.
                    ``(B) Sense of congress.--It is the sense of
                Congress that funds appropriated to carry out this
                section should be in addition to the funds already
                appropriated to carry out the functions of the National
                Institutes of Health.
    ``(b) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the following
definitions apply:
            ``(1) Brain tumor epidemiology consortium.--The term `Brain
        Tumor Epidemiology Consortium' means the organization with such
        name formed in 2003 after an initial meeting sponsored by the
        National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and
        Genetics.
            ``(2) Catchment area.--The term `catchment area' means a
        defined area for which population data are available.
            ``(3) Childhood brain tumor.--The term `childhood brain
        tumor' means an intracranial or spinal cord tumor occurring in
        an individual under 20 years of age.
            ``(4) Consortium.--The term `consortium' means a
        partnership of two or more universities, health care
        organizations, or government agencies, or any combination of
        such entities, serving a designated catchment area.''.
    (b) Technical Correction.--
            (1) In general.--Section 3 of the Hematological Cancer
        Research Investment and Education Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-
        172; 116 Stat. 541) is amended by striking ``419C'' and
        inserting ``417C''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1)
        shall take effect as if included in the enactment of the Act
        referred to in such paragraph.


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Environmental Technologies
Agency Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) environmental problems facing the world pose a threat
        to the environmental security of the United States and other
        nations;
            (2) the causes of many of environmental problems lie in the
        use of environmentally damaging technologies in areas such as
        transportation, energy production, industrial manufacturing,
        and product use;
            (3) the development and deployment of environmentally safe
        technologies will both enhance the nations environmental
        security and the economic standing of the Nation in the world's
        market place; and
            (4) the Federal Government should play a significant role
        in enhancing the Nation's environmental security by--
                    (A) facilitating the development and deployment of
                environmentally safe technologies that provide
                solutions to environmental problems; and
                    (B) assisting in the diffusion of knowledge of
                environmentally safe technologies throughout the
                Nation.
    (b) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to assist the efforts
of private industry, universities, nonprofit research centers, and
government laboratories to provide environmentally safe technical
solutions to problems threatening the Nation's environmental security
and, in the process, to help the Nation's competitiveness.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    For the purposes of this Act--
            (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of
        the National Environmental Technologies Agency;
            (2) the term ``Advisory Council'' means the Industry and
        Academia Advisory Council established by section 5;
            (3) the term ``Agency'' means the National Environmental
        Technologies Agency established by section 4; and
            (4) the term ``Fund'' means the Critical Technologies
        Revolving Fund established by section 9.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF AGENCY.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established as an independent
establishment of the United States the National Environmental
Technologies Agency.
    (b) Administrator.--(1) The Agency shall be headed by the
Administrator of the National Environmental Technologies Agency, who
shall be appointed by the President, with the advice and consent of the
Senate.
    (2) Section 5313 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by
adding at the end the following new item:
            ``Administrator, National Environmental Technologies
        Agency.''.
    (c) Staff.--The Administrator may appoint a staff of professionals
with skills in the area of program definition and management and such
support staff as the Administrator determines to be necessary, of which
no more than 3 may be in positions of confidential or policy-making
character.
    (d) Functions.--It shall be the function of the Agency to--
            (1) coordinate planning by the departments, agencies, and
        independent establishments of the United States relating to
        restoration and protection of the environment;
            (2) identify areas that--
                    (A) need technical solutions to maintain the
                environmental security of the Nation;
                    (B) are not receiving the long-term product-
                oriented research that is necessary to meet those
                needs; and
                    (C) exhibit the greatest promise for the successful
                development of solutions;
            (3) support and assist the development of technology having
        potential future application in the restoration and protection
        of the environment;
            (4) coordinate among the departments, agencies, independent
        establishments of the United States and the private sector the
        exchange of technological information relating to restoration
        and protection of the environment;
            (5) support continuing research and development of advanced
        technologies by industrial, academic, and governmental and
        nongovernmental entities;
            (6) monitor on a continuing basis the research and
        development being conducted on advanced technologies by private
        industry in the United States; and
            (7) promote continuing development of a technological
        industrial base in the United States.
    (e) Interagency Advisory Committee.--(1) There is established an
interagency advisory committee composed of--
            (A) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection
        Agency, who shall be chair of the committee;
            (B) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
        Policy, or the Director's designee;
            (C) the Secretary of Energy, or the Secretary's designee;
            (D) the Secretary of Commerce, or the Secretary's designee;
            (E) the Secretary of State, or the Secretary's designee;
            (F) the Secretary of Defense, or the Secretary's designee;
        and
            (G) the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space
        Administration, or the Administrator's designee.
    (2) The interagency advisory committee shall advise and provide
information to the Agency with respect to the needs and concerns of
their agencies in the field of environmental technologies.

SEC. 5. INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established the Industry and Academia
Advisory Council.
    (b) Membership.--(1) The Advisory Council shall consist of 9
members appointed by the Administrator, at least 5 of whom shall be
from United States industry.
    (2) The persons appointed as members of the Advisory Council--
            (A) shall be eminent in fields such as business, research,
        new product development, engineering, labor, education,
        management consulting, environment, and international
        relations;
            (B) shall be selected solely on the basis of established
        records of distinguished service; and
            (C) shall not be employees of the Federal Government.
    (3) In making appointments of persons as members of the Advisory
Council, the Administrator shall give due consideration to any
recommendations that may be submitted to the Director by the National
Academies, professional societies, business associations, labor
associations, and other appropriate organizations.
    (c) Terms.--(1)(A) Subject to paragraph (2), the term of office of
a member of the Advisory Council shall be 3 years.
    (B) A member appointed to fill a vacancy occurring prior to the
expiration of the term for which the member's predecessor was appointed
shall be appointed for the remainder of that term.
    (C) A member who has completed 2 consecutive full terms on the
Advisory Council shall not be eligible for reappointment until 1 year
after the expiration of the second such term.
    (2) The initial members of the Advisory Council shall be appointed
to 3 classes of 3 members each, one class having a term of 1 year, one
a term of 2 years, and one a term of 3 years.
    (3)(A) The Advisory Council shall meet at least quarterly at the
call of the chair or whenever one-third of the members so request in
writing.
    (B) A majority of the members of the council not having a conflict
of interest in a matter under consideration by the Advisory Council
shall constitute a quorum.
    (C) Each member shall be given appropriate notice of a meeting of
the Advisory Council, not less than 15 days prior to any meeting, if
possible.
    (4)(A) The Advisory Council shall appoint from among its members a
person to serve as chair and a person to serve as vice chair.
    (B) The vice chair of the Advisory Council shall perform the duties
of the chair in the absence of the chair.
    (5) The Advisory Council shall review and make recommendations
regarding general policy for the Agency, its organization, its budget,
and its programs within the framework of national policies set forth by
the President and the Congress.

SEC. 6. GENERAL AUTHORITY OF THE ADMINISTRATOR.

    (a) Authority.--In carrying out the functions of the Agency, the
Administrator may--
            (1) enter into, perform, and guarantee contracts, leases,
        grants, and cooperative agreements with any department, agency,
        or independent establishment of the United States or with any
        person;
            (2) use the services, equipment, personnel, or facilities
        of any other department, agency, or independent establishment
        of the United States, with the consent of the head of the
        department, agency, or independent establishment and with or
        without reimbursement, and cooperate with public and private
        entities in the use of such services, equipment, and
        facilities;
            (3) supervise, administer, and control the activities
        within the departments, agencies, and independent
        establishments of the United States relating to patents,
        inventions, trademarks, copyrights, royalty payments, and
        matters connected therewith that pertain to technologies
        relating to restoration and protection of the environment; and
            (4) appoint 1 or more advisory committees or councils, in
        addition to those established by sections 4(e) and 5, to
        consult with and advise the Administrator.
    (b) Transfer of Technology.--The Administrator may transfer to the
domestic private sector technology developed by or with the support of
the Agency if the Administrator determines that the technology may have
potential application in private activities relating to restoration and
protection of the environment.

SEC. 7. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS AND OTHER ARRANGEMENTS.

    (a) In General.--In carrying out the functions of the Agency, the
Administrator may enter into a cooperative agreement or other
arrangement with any department, agency, or independent establishment
of the United States, any unit of State or local government, any
educational institution, or any other public or private person or
entity.
    (b) Authority To Require Payment.--(1) A cooperative agreement or
other arrangement entered into under subsection (a) may include a
provision that requires a person or other entity to make payments to
the Agency (or any other department, agency, or independent
establishment of the United States) as a condition to receiving
assistance from the Agency under the agreement or other arrangement.
    (2) The amount of any payment received by a department, agency, or
independent establishment of the United States pursuant to a provision
required under paragraph (1) shall be credited to the Fund in such
amount as the Administrator may specify.
    (c) Nonduplication and Other Conditions.--The Administrator shall
ensure that--
            (1) the authority under this section is used only when the
        use of standard contracts or grants is not feasible or
        appropriate; and
            (2) to the maximum extent practicable, a cooperative
        agreement or other arrangement entered into under this
        section--
                    (A) does not provide for research that duplicates
                research being conducted under other programs carried
                out by a department, agency, or independent
                establishment of the United States; and
                    (B) requires the other party to the agreement or
                arrangement to share the cost of the project or
                activity concerned.

SEC. 8. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Selection Criteria.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall publish in the Federal
Register proposed criteria, and not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, following a public comment period, final
criteria, for the selection of recipients of contracts, leases, grants,
and cooperative agreements under this Act.
    (b) Financial Reporting and Auditing.--The Administrator shall
establish procedures regarding financial reporting and auditing to
ensure that contracts and awards are used for the purposes specified in
this section, are in accordance with sound accounting practices, and
are not funding existing or planned research programs that would be
conducted in the same time period in the absence of financial
assistance under this Act.
    (c) Advice of the Advisory Council.--The Administrator shall ensure
that the advice of the Advisory Council is considered routinely in
carrying out the responsibilities of the Agency.
    (d) Dissemination of Research Results.--The Administrator shall
provide for appropriate dissemination of research results of the
Agency's program.
    (e) Contracts or Awards; Criteria; Restrictions.--(1) No contract
or award may be made under this Act until the research project in
question has been subject to a merit review, and has, in the opinion of
the reviewers appointed by the Administrator, been shown to have
scientific and technical merit.
    (2) Federal funds made available under this Act shall be used only
for direct costs and not for indirect costs, profits, or management
fees of the contractor.
    (3) In determining whether to make an award to a joint venture, the
Administrator shall consider whether the members of the joint venture
have provided for the appropriate participation of small United States
businesses in the joint venture.
    (4) Section 552 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to
the following information obtained by the Federal Government on a
confidential basis in connection with the activities of any business or
any joint venture that receives funding under this Act:
            (A) Information on the business operation of a member of
        the business or joint venture.
            (B) Trade secrets possessed by any business or by a member
        of the joint venture.
    (5) Intellectual property owned and developed by a business or
joint venture that receives funding under this Act or by any member of
such a joint venture may not be disclosed by any officer or employee of
the United States except in accordance with a written agreement between
the owner or developer and the Administrator.
    (6) The United States shall be entitled to a share of the licensing
fees and royalty payments made to and retained by a business or joint
venture to which it contributes under this section in an amount
proportionate to the Federal share of the costs incurred by the
business or joint venture, as determined by independent audit.
    (7) A contract or award under this Act shall contain appropriate
provisions for discontinuance of the project and return of the unspent
Federal funds to the Agency (after payment of all allowable costs and
an audit) if--
            (A) due to technical difficulties, financial difficulty on
        the part of the recipient, or for any other reason, the
        recipient is not making satisfactory progress toward successful
        completion of the project; or
            (B) despite satisfactory progress on the progress, it
        appears that the project will not achieve satisfactorily the
        goals of the project.
    (8) Upon dissolution of a joint venture that receives funding under
this Act or at a time otherwise agreed upon, the United States shall be
entitled to a share of the residual assets of a joint venture that is
proportionate to the Federal share of the costs of the joint venture,
as determined by independent audit.

SEC. 9. REVOLVING FUND.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Treasury of the
United States a revolving fund to be known as the ``Environmental
Advanced Research Projects Revolving Fund'', which shall consist of
such amounts as are appropriated or credited to it from time to time.
    (b) Expenditures From the Fund.--Amounts in the Fund shall be
available, as provided in appropriations Acts, to carry out the
purposes of this Act.
    (c) Loans, Grants, and Other Financial Assistance.--(1) The
Administrator may use the Fund for the purpose of making loans, grants,
and other financial assistance to industrial and nonprofit research
centers, universities, and other entities that serve the long-term
environmental security needs of the United States, to carry out the
purposes of this Act.
    (2) A loan made under this section shall bear interest at a rate
determined by the Secretary of the Treasury (as of the close of the
calendar month preceding the month in which the loan is made) to be 3
percent less than the current market yield on outstanding marketable
obligations of the United States with remaining periods to maturity
comparable to the period for which the loan is made.
    (3) Repayments on a loan made under this section and the proceeds
from any other agreement entered into by the Administrator under this
Act shall be credited to the Fund.
    (d) Management of Fund.--(1) The Secretary of the Treasury shall
manage the Fund and, after consultation with the Administrator, report
to Congress each year on the financial condition and the results of the
operation of the Fund during the preceding fiscal year and on the
expected condition and operations of the Fund during the next 5 fiscal
years.
    (2)(A) The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest the portion of
the Fund that is not, in the judgment of the Secretary, required to
meet current withdrawals.
    (B) Investments of monies in the Fund may be made only in interest-
bearing obligations of the United States.

SEC. 10. ANNUAL REPORT.

    The Administrator shall submit a report to Congress annually
describing--
            (1) the activities of the Agency;
            (2) the Agency's plans for future activities;
            (3) the manner and extent to which technologies developed
        with assistance from the Agency have been used; and
            (4) the extent to which those technologies have been
        transferred overseas.

SEC. 11. APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Amounts.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Agency
to carry out this Act $75,000,000 for fiscal year 1993, $140,000,000
for fiscal year 1994, and $200,000,000 for fiscal year 1995.
    (b) Limitation on Use.--Of amounts appropriated to the Agency, no
more than 5 percent may be used to pay for administrative expenses of
the Agency.

S 425 IS----2


SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Fab Lab Network Act of
2013''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innovations are
        critical to the economic and national security of the United
        States.
            (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United States in
        science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will require
        a diverse population with the skills, interest, and access to
        tools required to advance these fields.
            (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in communications
        and computation provided individuals with the Internet and
        personal computers, a digital revolution in fabrication will
        allow anyone to make almost anything, anywhere.
            (4) Fab labs like the Center for Bits and Atoms at the
        Massachusetts Institute of Technology provide a model for a new
        kind of national laboratory that links local facilities for
        advanced manufacturing to expand access and empower
        communities.
            (5) A coordinated national public-private partnership will
        be the most effective way to accelerate the provision of this
        infrastructure for learning skills, developing inventions,
        creating businesses, and producing personalized products.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section--
            (1) the term ``fab lab'' means a facility--
                    (A) equipped with an integrated suite of
                fabrication tools to convert digital designs into
                functional physical things and scanning tools to
                convert physical things into digital designs; and
                    (B) available for a range of individual and
                collaborative educational, commercial, creative, and
                social purposes, based on guidelines established by the
                NFLN relating to sustainable operation; and
            (2) the term ``NFLN'' means the National Fab Lab Network.
    (b) Federal Charter.--The National Fab Lab Network is a federally
charted nonprofit corporation, which shall facilitate the creation of a
national network of local fab labs and serve as a resource to assist
stakeholders with the effective operation of fab labs.
    (c) Membership and Organization.--
            (1) In general.--Eligibility for membership in the NFLN and
        the rights and privileges of members shall be as provided in
        the constitution and bylaws of the NFLN. The Board of
        Directors, officers, and other employees of the NFLN, and their
        powers and duties, shall be provided in the bylaws of the NFLN.
            (2) Board of directors.--The Board of Directors of the NFLN
        shall include--
                    (A) the Director of the Fab Foundation;
                    (B) members of the manufacturing sector and
                entrepreneurial community; and
                    (C) leaders in science, technology, engineering,
                and mathematics education.
            (3) Coordination.--When appropriate, the NFLN should work
        with Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers of the
        National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Small
        Business Administration, and other agencies of the Federal
        Government to provide additional resources to fab lab users.
    (d) Functions.--The NFLN shall--
            (1) serve as the coordinating body for the creation of a
        national network of local fab labs in the United States;
            (2) provide a first point of contact for organizations and
        communities seeking to create fab labs, providing information,
        assessing suitability, advising on the lab lifecycle, and
        maintaining descriptions of prospective and operating sites;
            (3) link funders and sites with operational entities that
        can source and install fab labs, provide training, assist with
        operations, account for spending, and assess impact;
            (4) perform outreach for individuals and communities on the
        benefits available through the NFLN;
            (5) facilitate use of the NFLN in synergistic programs,
        such as workforce training, job creation, research broader
        impacts, and the production of civic infrastructure; and
            (6) offer transparency in the management, governance, and
        operation of the NFLN.
    (e) Purposes.--In carrying out its functions, the NFLN's purposes
and goals shall be to--
            (1) create a national network of connected local fab labs
        to empower individuals and communities in the United States;
        and
            (2) foster the use of distributed digital fabrication tools
        to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills,
        increase invention and innovation, create businesses and jobs,
        and fulfill needs.
    (f) Funding.--The NFLN may accept gifts from private individuals,
corporations, government agencies, or other organizations.