,,ii #aafth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #djec ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,june #bd1 #bjbj,mr4 ,reed 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,inhofe1 ,mr4 ,moran1 ,mr4 ,jones1 and ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,energy ,policy ,act of #aiib to modernize the ,e,p,s,co,r program of the ,department of ,energy1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,,doe ,e,p,s,co,r ,modernization ,act4 #b4 ,established ,program to ,stimulate ,competitive ,research ,section #bbjc7;b7 of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #aiib 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #acejc7;b77 is amended by striking paragraph 7#c7 and inserting the following3 7#c7 ,established ,program to ,stimulate ,competitive ,research 7,a7 ,definitions ,in this paragraph3 7i7 ,eligible jurisdiction ,the term eligible jurisdiction means a ,state that is determined to be eligible for a grant under this paragraph in accordance with subparagraph 7,d74 7ii7 ,e,p,s,co,r ,the term ,e,p,s,co,r means the ,established ,program to ,stimulate ,competitive ,research operated under subparagraph 7,b74 7iii7 ,national ,laboratory ,the term ,national ,laboratory has the meaning given the term in section #b of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aehja74 7iv7 ,state ,the term ,state means-- 7,i7 a ,state2 7,,ii7 the ,district of ,columbia2 7,,iii7 the ,commonwealth of ,puerto ,rico2 7,,iv7 ,guam2 and 7,v7 the ,united ,states ,virgin ,islands4 7,b7 ,program operation ,the ,secretary shall operate an ,established ,program to ,stimulate ,competitive ,research4 7,c7 ,objectives ,the objectives of ,e,p,s,co,r shall be-- 7i7 to increase the number of researchers in eligible jurisdictions1 especially at institutions of higher education1 capable of performing nationally competitive science and engineering research in support of the mission of the ,department of ,energy in the areas of applied energy research1 environmental management1 and basic science2 7ii7 to improve science and engineering research and education programs at institutions of higher education in eligible jurisdictions and enhance the capabilities of eligible jurisdictions to develop1 plan1 and execute research that is competitive1 including through investing in research equipment and instrumentation2 and 7iii7 to increase the probability of long-term growth of competitive funding to eligible jurisdictions4 7,d7 ,eligible jurisdictions 7i7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may establish criteria for determining whether a ,state is eligible for a grant under this paragraph4 7ii7 ,requirement ,except as provided in clause 7iii71 in establishing criteria under clause 7i71 the ,secretary shall ensure that a ,state is eligible for a grant under this paragraph if the ,state1 as determined by the ,secretary1 is a ,state that-- 7,i7 historically has received relatively little ,federal research and development funding2 and 7,,ii7 has demonstrated a commitment-- 7aa7 to develop the research bases in the ,state2 and 7bb7 to improve science and engineering research and education programs at institutions of higher education in the ,state4 7iii7 ,eligibility under ,,nsf ,e,p,s,co,r ,at the election of the ,secretary1 or if the ,secretary determines not to establish criteria under clause 7i71 a ,state is eligible for a grant under this paragraph if the ,state is eligible to receive funding under the ,established ,program to ,stimulate ,competitive ,research of the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7,e7 ,grants in areas of applied energy research1 environmental management1 and basic science 7i7 ,in general ,e,p,s,co,r shall make grants to eligible jurisdictions to carry out and support applied energy research and research in all areas of environmental management and basic science sponsored by the ,department of ,energy1 including-- 7,i7 energy efficiency1 fossil energy1 renewable energy1 and other applied energy research2 7,,ii7 electricity delivery research2 7,,iii7 cybersecurity1 energy security1 and emergency response2 7,,iv7 environmental management2 and 7,v7 basic science research4 7ii7 ,activities ,e,p,s,co,r shall make grants under this subparagraph for activities consistent with the objectives described in subparagraph 7,c7 in the areas of applied energy research1 environmental management1 and basic science described in clause 7i71 including-- 7,i7 to support research that is carried out in partnership with the ,national ,laboratories2 7,,ii7 to provide for graduate traineeships2 7,,iii7 to support research by early career faculty2 and 7,,iv7 to improve research capabilities through biennial research implementation grants4 7iii7 ,no cost sharing ,e,p,s,co,r shall not impose any cost-sharing requirement with respect to a grant made under this subparagraph1 but may require letters of commitment from ,national ,laboratories4 7,f7 ,other activities ,e,p,s,co,r may carry out such activities as may be necessary to meet the objectives described in subparagraph 7,c7 in the areas of applied energy research1 environmental management1 and basic science described in subparagraph 7,e77i74 7,g7 ,program implementation 7i7 ,in general ,not later than #bgj days after the date of enactment of the ,,doe ,e,p,s,co,r ,modernization ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committees on ,energy and ,natural ,resources and ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committees on ,energy and ,commerce and ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives a plan describing how the ,secretary shall implement ,e,p,s,co,r4 7ii7 ,contents of plan ,the plan described in clause 7i7 shall include a description of-- 7,i7 the management structure of ,e,p,s,co,r1 which shall ensure that all research areas and activities described in this paragraph are incorporated into ,e,p,s,co,r2 7,,ii7 efforts to conduct outreach to inform eligible jurisdictions and faculty of changes to1 and opportunities under1 ,e,p,s,co,r2 7,,iii7 how ,e,p,s,co,r plans to increase engagement with eligible jurisdictions1 faculty1 and ,state committees1 including by holding regular workshops1 to increase participation in ,e,p,s,co,r2 and 7,,iv7 any other issues relating to ,e,p,s,co,r that the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7,h7 ,program evaluation 7i7 ,in general ,not later than #e years after the date of enactment of the ,,doe ,e,p,s,co,r ,modernization ,act1 the ,secretary shall contract with a federally funded research and development center1 the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 or a similar organization to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of ,e,p,s,co,r1 including an assessment of-- 7,i7 the tangible progress made towards achieving the objectives described in subparagraph 7,c72 7,,ii7 the impact of research supported by ,e,p,s,co,r on the mission of the ,department of ,energy2 and 7,,iii7 any other issues relating to ,e,p,s,co,r that the ,secretary determines appropriate4 7ii7 ,limitation ,the organization with which the ,secretary contracts under clause 7i7 shall not be a ,national ,laboratory4 7iii7 ,report ,not later than #f years after the date of enactment of the ,,doe ,e,p,s,co,r ,modernization ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committees on ,energy and ,natural ,resources and ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committees on ,energy and ,commerce and ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives a report describing the results of the assessment carried out under clause 7i71 including recommendations for improvements that would enable the ,secretary to achieve the objectives described in subparagraph 7,c74 4