,i  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #fcbc  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,march #bc1 #bjbj,ms4
 ,stevens 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,balderson1
 and ,ms4 ,bonamici7 introduced the     
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and 
,technology  ,a ,,bill  ,to waive1 for  
#a year1 the cost sharing requirements  
of the ,hollings ,manufacturing         
,extension ,partnership1 and for other  
purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,,mep ,crisis       
,response ,act of #bjbj4  #b4 ,one-year 
waiver of cost sharing requirements of  
,hollings ,manufacturing ,extension     
,partnership  7a7 ,definition of ,center
 ,in this section1 the term ,center has 
the meaning given such term in section  
#be7;a7 of the ,national ,institute of  
,standards and ,technology ,act 7#ae    
,u4,s4,c4 #bghk7a774  7b7 ,temporary    
waiver  7#a7 ,in general ,except as     
provided in paragraph 7#b7 of this      
subsection1 paragraph 7#b7 of section   

#be7;e7 of such ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4     
#bghk7e77 shall not apply during the    
#a-year period beginning on the date of 
the enactment of this ,act4  7#b7       
,exception ,paragraph 7#a7 of this      
subsection shall not apply to the extent
 that a ,center receives funding from a 
,state that is conditioned upon the     
application of a ,federal cost sharing  
requirement to the ,center4  7c7        
,authorization of appropriations  7#a7  
,in general ,there is authorized to be  
appropriated to the ,secretary of       
,commerce #adf1jjj1jjj for fiscal year  
#bjbj to support ,centers4  7#b7        
,supplement not supplant ,amounts       
appropriated pursuant to paragraph 7#a7 
shall supplement and not supplant       
amounts already appropriated or         
otherwise made available to support     
,centers in fiscal year #bjbj4  7d7     
,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of 
,congress that-- 7#a7 the centers of the
 ,hollings ,manufacturing ,extension    
,partnership are front-line resources   

for manufacturers to improve supply     
chain resilience1 workforce readiness1  
and technological expertise2 and  7#b7  
such ,centers are positioned to mitigate
 damage and accelerate recovery from the
 ,national public health and economic   
crisis caused by ,,covid-#ai4