[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4472 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 4472
To provide for the establishment of a grant program to support United
States-Israeli cooperation for neuroscience-related research, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 10, 2014
Mr. Fattah introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a grant program to support United
States-Israeli cooperation for neuroscience-related research, and for
other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``US-Israel Global Neuroscience
Partnership Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) it is in the highest national security interests of the
United States to develop neuroscience-related research and
neurotechnology;
(2) the State of Israel is a steadfast ally of the United
States;
(3) the special relationship between the United States and
Israel is manifested in a variety of cooperative scientific
research and development programs, such as--
(A) the United States-Israel Binational Science
Foundation; and
(B) the United States-Israel Binational Industrial
Research and Development Foundation;
(4) those programs have made possible many scientific,
technological, and commercial breakthroughs in the fields of
life sciences, medicine, bioengineering, agriculture,
biotechnology, communications, and others;
(5) in December 2011 the Office of Science and Technology
Policy was directed by Congress to establish an Interagency
Working Group on Neuroscience which was chartered on June 20,
2012, is housed at the White House, and is currently convening
representatives across the Federal Government to make
recommendations about the future of neuroscience research;
(6) Israeli scientists and engineers are at the forefront
of research and development in the field of neuroscience;
(7) Israel Brain Technologies is a nonprofit organization
whose mission is to turn Israel into a global brain technology
and research leader by--
(A) supporting applied brain research;
(B) accelerating brain technology development;
(C) creating and fostering a community around
neurotechnology; and
(D) attracting key stakeholders to partner and
support brain technology in Israel; and
(8) enhanced cooperation between the United States and
Israel for the purpose of research and development of
neuroscience would be in the national interests of both
countries.
SEC. 3. GRANTS FOR NEUROSCIENCE-RELATED RESEARCH.
(a) Authority.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
National Institutes of Health, in consultation with the BIRD or BSF,
shall award grants to eligible entities for neuroscience-related
research.
(b) Application.--
(1) Submission of applications.--To receive a grant under
this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to
the Secretary containing such information and assurances as the
Secretary, in consultation with the BIRD or BSF, may require.
(2) Selection of eligible entities.--The Secretary, in
consultation with the Directors of the BIRD and BSF, may review
any application submitted by any eligible entity and select any
eligible entity meeting criteria established by the Secretary,
in consultation with the Advisory Board, for a grant under this
section.
(c) Amount of Grant.--The amount of each grant awarded for a fiscal
year under this section shall be determined by the Secretary, in
consultation with the BIRD or BSF.
(d) Recoupment.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish procedures
and criteria for recoupment in connection with any eligible
project carried out by an eligible entity that receives a grant
under this section, which has led to the development of a
product or process which is marketed or used.
(2) Amount required.--
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), such
recoupment shall be required as a condition for award
and be proportional to the Federal share of the costs
of such project, and shall be derived from the proceeds
of royalties or licensing fees received in connection
with such product or process.
(B) In the case where a product or process is used
by the recipient of a grant under this section for the
production and sale of its own products or processes,
the recoupment shall consist of a payment equivalent to
the payment which would be made under subparagraph (A).
(3) Waiver.--The Secretary may at any time waive or defer
all or some of the recoupment requirements of this subsection
as necessary, depending on--
(A) the commercial competitiveness of the entity or
entities developing or using the product or process;
(B) the profitability of the project; and
(C) the commercial viability of the product or
process utilized.
(e) Private Funds.--The Secretary may accept contributions of funds
from private sources to carry out this Act.
(f) Report.--Not later than 180 days after receiving a grant under
this section, each recipient shall submit a report to the Secretary--
(1) documenting how the recipient used the grant funds; and
(2) evaluating the level of success of each project funded
by the grant.
SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE-RELATED RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) Establishment.--There is established in the National Institutes
of Health an International Neuroscience-Related Research Advisory
Board.
(b) Duties.--The Advisory Board shall advise the Secretary on--
(1) criteria for the recipients of grants awarded under
section 3(a);
(2) the total amount of grant money to be awarded to all
grantees selected by the Secretary, in consultation with the
BIRD; and
(3) the total amount of grant money to be awarded to all
grantees selected by the Secretary, in consultation with the
BSF, for each fiscal year.
(c) Membership.--
(1) Composition.--The Advisory Board shall be composed of--
(A) 1 member appointed by the Director of the
National Science Foundation;
(B) 1 member appointed by the Director of the
National Institutes of Health;
(C) 1 member appointed by the Director of the
National Institute of Standards and Technology; and
(D) in addition to the member appointed under
subparagraph (B), 3 members who shall be Israeli
citizens, appointed by the Director of the National
Institutes of Health after consultation with
appropriate officials in the Israeli Government.
(2) Deadline for appointments.--The initial appointments
under paragraph (1) shall be made not later than 60 days after
the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Term.--Each member of the Advisory Board shall be
appointed for a term of 4 years.
(4) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Advisory Board shall be
filled in the manner in which the original appointment was
made.
(5) Basic pay.--
(A) Compensation.--A member of the Advisory Board
shall serve without pay.
(B) Travel expenses.--Each member of the Advisory
Board shall receive travel expenses, including per diem
in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable
provisions of subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5,
United States Code.
(6) Quorum.--Three members of the Advisory Board shall
constitute a quorum.
(7) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Advisory Board
shall be designated by the Director of the National Institutes
of Health from among the members appointed by the Director at
the time of the appointment.
(8) Meetings.--The Advisory Board shall meet at least once
annually at the call of the Chairperson.
(d) Termination.--Section 14(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory Board.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Advisory board.--The term ``Advisory Board'' means the
International Neuroscience-Related Research Advisory Board
established by section 4(a).
(2) BIRD.--The term ``BIRD'' means the Israel-United States
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation.
(3) BSF.--The term ``BSF'' means the United States-Israel
Binational Science Foundation.
(4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a
joint venture comprised of both Israeli and United States
private business entities or a joint venture comprised of both
Israeli academic persons (who reside and work in Israel) and
United States academic persons, that--
(A) carries out an eligible project; and
(B) is selected by the Secretary, in consultation
with the BIRD or BSF, using the criteria established by
the Secretary, in consultation with the Advisory Board.
(5) Eligible project.--The term ``eligible project'' means
a project to encourage cooperation between the United States
and Israel on neuroscience-related research.
(6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Health and Human Services.
SEC. 6. TERMINATION.
The grant program authorized under section 3 and the Advisory Board
shall terminate upon the expiration of the 7-year period which begins
on the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
The Secretary is authorized to expend not more than $20,000,000 to
carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2020.
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