#aaeth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4   
,r4 #eijg  ,,an ,,act  ,to provide      
directors of the ,national ,laboratories
 signature authority for certain        
agreements1 and for other purposes4  #a4
 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as
 the ,national ,innovation              
,modernization by ,laboratory           
,empowerment ,act or the ,,nimble ,act4 
#b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3  7#a7   
,department ,the term ,department means 
the ,department of ,energy4  7#b7       
,national laboratory ,the term ,national
 ,laboratory means a ,department of     
,energy nonmilitary national laboratory1
 including--  7,a7 ,ames ,laboratory2   
7,b7 ,argonne ,national ,laboratory2    
7,c7 ,brookhaven ,national ,laboratory2 
7,d7 ,fermi ,national ,accelerator      
,laboratory2  7,e7 ,idaho ,national     
,laboratory2  7,f7 ,lawrence ,berkeley  
,national ,laboratory2  7,g7 ,national  
,energy ,technology ,laboratory2  7,h7  
,national ,renewable ,energy            
,laboratory2  7,i7 ,oak ,ridge ,national

 ,laboratory2  7,j7 ,pacific ,northwest 
,national ,laboratory2  7,k7 ,princeton 
,plasma ,physics ,laboratory2  7,l7     
,savannah ,river ,national ,laboratory2 
7,m7 ,stanford ,linear ,accelerator     
,center2  7,n7 ,thomas ,jefferson       
,national ,accelerator ,facility2 and   
7,o7 any laboratory operated by the     
,national ,nuclear ,security            
,administration1 but only with respect  
to the civilian energy activities       
thereof4  7#c7 ,secretary ,the term     
,secretary means the ,secretary of      
,energy4  #c4 ,public-private           
partnerships for commercialization  7a7 
,in general ,subject to subsections 7b7 
and 7c71 the ,secretary shall delegate  
to directors of the ,national           
,laboratories signature authority with  
respect to any agreement described in   
subsection 7b7 the total cost of which  
7including the ,national ,laboratory    
contributions and project recipient cost
 share7 is less than #a million1 if such
 an agreement falls within the scope    

of-- 7#a7 a strategic plan for the      
,national ,laboratory that has been     
approved by the ,department2 or  7#b7   
the most recent congressionally approved
 budget for ,department activities to be
 carried out by the ,national           
,laboratory4  7b7 ,agreements           
,subsection 7a7 applies to--  7#a7 a    
cooperative research and development    
agreement2  7#b7 a non-,federal         
work-for-others agreement2 and  7#c7 any
 other agreement determined to be       
appropriate by the ,secretary1 in       
collaboration with the directors of the 
,national ,laboratories4  7c7           
,administration  7#a7 ,accountability   
,the director of the affected ,national 
,laboratory and the affected contractor 
shall carry out an agreement under this 
section in accordance with applicable   
policies of the ,department1 including  
by ensuring that the agreement does not 
compromise any national security1       
economic1 or environmental interest of  
the ,united ,states4  7#b7              

,certification ,the director of the     
affected ,national ,laboratory and the  
affected contractor shall certify that  
each activity carried out under a       
project for which an agreement is       
entered into under this section does not
 present1 or minimizes1 any apparent    
conflict of interest1 and avoids or     
neutralizes any actual conflict of      
interest1 as a result of the agreement  
under this section4  7#c7 ,availability 
of records ,within #cj days of entering 
an agreement under this section1 the    
director of a ,national ,laboratory     
shall submit to the ,secretary for      
monitoring and review all records of the
 ,national ,laboratory relating to the  
agreement4  7#d7 ,rates ,the director of
 a ,national ,laboratory may charge     
higher rates for services performed     
under a partnership agreement entered   
into pursuant to this section1          
regardless of the full cost of recovery1
 if such funds are used exclusively to  
support further research and development

 activities at the respective ,national 
,laboratory4  7d7 ,exception ,this      
section does not apply to any agreement 
with a majority foreign-owned company4  
7e7 ,conforming amendment ,section #ab  
of the ,stevenson-,wydler ,technology   
,innovation ,act of #aihj 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4
 #cgaj;a7 is amended-- 7#a7 in          
subsection 7a7--  7,a7 by redesignating 
paragraphs 7#a7 and 7#b7 as             
subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b71            
respectively1 and indenting the         
subparagraphs appropriately2  7,b7 by   
striking ,each ,federal agency and      
inserting the following3  7#a7 ,in      
general ,except as provided in paragraph
 7#b71 each ,federal agency  2 and  7,c7
 by adding at the end the following3    
7#b7 ,exception ,notwithstanding        
paragraph 7#a71 in accordance with      
section #c7;a7 of the ,,nimble ,act1    
approval by the ,secretary of ,energy   
shall not be required for any technology
 transfer agreement proposed to be      
entered into by a ,national ,laboratory 

of the ,department of ,energy1 the total
 cost of which 7including the ,national 
,laboratory contributions and project   
recipient cost share7 is less than #a   
million4  2 and  7#b7 in subsection 7b71
 by striking subsection 7a77#a7 each    
place it appears and inserting          
subsection 7a77#a77;,a74  #d4 ,savings  
clause ,nothing in this ,act or an      
amendment made by this ,act abrogates or
 otherwise affects the primary          
responsibilities of any ,national       
,laboratory to the ,department4  ,passed
 the ,house of ,representatives ,june   
#bg1 #bjah4;,clerk4