,,ii  #aacth ,,congress  #ast ,session  
,s4 #agje  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,november #ad1 
#bjac,mr4 ,durbin 7for himself1 ,mrs4   
,gillibrand1 and ,mr4 ,markey7          
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a ,,bill 
,to provide a ,federal charter for the  
,national ,fab ,lab ,network1 a national
 network of local digital fabrication   
facilities providing community access to
 advanced manufacturing tools for       
learning skills1 developing inventions1 
creating businesses1 and producing      
personalized products4  #a4 ,short title
 ,this ,act may be cited as the         
,national ,fab ,lab ,network ,act of    
#bjac4  #b4 ,findings ,congress finds   
the following3 7#a7 ,scientific         
discoveries and technical innovations   
are critical to the economic and        
national security of the ,united        
,states4  7#b7 ,maintaining the         
leadership of the ,united ,states in    

science1 technology1 engineering1 and   
mathematics will require a diverse      
population with the skills1 interest1   
and access to tools required to advance 
these fields4  7#c7 ,just as earlier    
digital revolutions in communications   
and computation provided individuals    
with the ,internet and personal         
computers1 a digital revolution in      
fabrication will allow anyone to make   
almost anything1 anywhere4  7#d7 ,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 communities4  7#e7 ,a           
coordinated national public-private     
partnership will be the most effective  
way to accelerate the provision of this 
infrastructure for learning skills1     
developing inventions1 creating         
businesses1 and producing personalized  
products4  #c4 ,establishment of        

,national ,fab ,lab ,network  7a7       
,definitions ,in this section-- 7#a7 the
 term fab lab means a facility-- 7,a7   
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 designs2 and  7,b7  
available for a range of individual and 
collaborative educational1 commercial1  
creative1 and social purposes1 based on 
guidelines established by the ,,nfln    
relating to sustainable operation2 and  
7#b7 the term ,,nfln means the ,national
 ,fab ,lab ,network4  7b7 ,federal      
charter ,the ,national ,fab ,lab        
,network is a federally charted         
nonprofit corporation1 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 labs4    
7c7 ,membership and organization  7#a7  
,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 ,,nfln4 ,the ,board of           
,directors1 officers1 and other         
employees of the ,,nfln1 and their      
powers and duties1 shall be provided in 
the bylaws of the ,,nfln4  7#b7 ,board  
of ,directors ,the ,board of ,directors 
of the ,,nfln shall include-- 7,a7 the  
,director of the ,fab ,foundation2  7,b7
 members of the manufacturing sector and
 entrepreneurial community2 and  7,c7   
leaders in science1 technology1         
engineering1 and mathematics education4 
7#c7 ,coordination ,when appropriate1   
the ,,nfln should work with             
,manufacturing ,extension ,partnership  
,centers of the ,national ,institute of 
,standards and ,technology1 the ,small  
,business ,administration1 and other    
agencies of the ,federal ,government to 
provide additional resources to fab lab 
users4  7d7 ,functions ,the ,,nfln      
shall-- 7#a7 serve as the coordinating  
body for the creation of a national     

network of local fab labs in the ,united
 ,states2  7#b7 provide a first point of
 contact for organizations and          
communities seeking to create fab labs1 
providing information1 assessing        
suitability1 advising on the lab        
lifecycle1 and maintaining descriptions 
of prospective and operating sites2     
7#c7 link funders and sites with        
operational entities that can source and
 install fab labs1 provide training1    
assist with operations1 account for     
spending1 and assess impact2  7#d7      
perform outreach for individuals and    
communities on the benefits available   
through the ,,nfln2  7#e7 facilitate use
 of the ,,nfln in synergistic programs1 
such as workforce training1 job         
creation1 research broader impacts1 and 
the production of civic infrastructure2 
and  7#f7 offer transparency in the     
management1 governance1 and operation of
 the ,,nfln4  7e7 ,purposes ,in carrying
 out its functions1 the ,,nfln's        
purposes and goals shall be to-- 7#a7   

create a national network of connected  
local fab labs to empower individuals   
and communities in the ,united ,states2 
and  7#b7 foster the use of distributed 
digital fabrication tools to promote    
science1 technology1 engineering and    
math skills1 increase invention and     
innovation1 create businesses and jobs1 
and fulfill needs4  7f7 ,funding ,the   
,,nfln may accept gifts from private    
individuals1 corporations1 government   
agencies1 or other organizations4