,,ii  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #cebj  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #ah1    
#bjbj,mr4 ,coons 7for himself1 ,mr4     
,gardner1 ,mr4 ,kaine1 ,mrs4 ,shaheen1  
,ms4 ,hassan1 and ,mr4 ,peters7         
introduced the following bill2 which was
 read twice and referred to the         
,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and  
,transportation  ,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