,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #eccb ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,august #f1 #bjbf,ms4 ,cantwell 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,wicker1 ,mr4 ,hickenlooper1 and ,mrs4 ,hyde-,smith7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration to maintain the ,cooperative ,institute program4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,cooperative ,institute ,act of #bjbf4 #b4 ,cooperative ,institutes 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,administration ,the term ,administration means ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration4 7#b7 ,appropriate congressional committees ,the term appropriate congressional committees means the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committees on ,natural ,resources and ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives4 7#c7 ,cooperative ,institute ,the term ,cooperative ,institute means-- 7,a7 an academic or research partnership between-- 7i7 the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration2 and 7ii7 an eligible research institution1 or an association or alliance of #b or more eligible research institutions2 and 7,b7 that was or is formed either through cooperative agreements previously established under the authority of section #djf of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,authorization ,act of #aiib 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #aedj7 or under the authority of this section4 7#d7 ,eligible research institution ,the term eligible research institution means a research institution that-- 7,a7 is a non-,federal academic or nonprofit institution2 7,b7 has an established research program in one or more areas relevant to the ,administration's mission2 7,c7 promotes the involvement of students and postdoctoral scientists in research and education2 and 7,d7 cooperates with other research institutes included in ,cooperative ,institutes4 7#e7 ,under ,secretary ,the term ,under ,secretary means the ,under ,secretary of ,commerce for ,oceans and ,atmosphere4 7b7 ,in general 7#a7 ,program goals ,the ,under ,secretary shall maintain within the ,administration a ,cooperative ,institute program1 which shall promote basic and applied research1 education1 training1 and outreach that aligns with the ,administration's mission1 fund research capabilities that do not exist within the ,administration1 and expand research capacity in sciences that are related to the work of the ,administration4 7#b7 ,cooperative ,institute activities ,to achieve these goals1 the ,cooperative ,institutes shall-- 7,a7 conduct collaborative1 long-term research relevant to the ,administration's mission1 with substantial involvement between ,administration scientists and those at eligible research institutions in one or more scientific disciplines of interest to the ,administration2 7,b7 leverage scientific1 educational1 and outreach expertise at eligible research institutions which1 depending on the research needs determined by the ,administration1 may or may not be located near an ,administration facility2 7,c7 support the participation of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scientists in ,administration-related research studies2 and 7,d7 strengthen or expand research capacity within the research institutions in ,administration-related research by providing funding to support administrative and scientific research activities4 7#c7 ,emerging research ,every #b years1 the ,under ,secretary shall conduct an assessment of the need for additional ,cooperative ,institutes to address emerging research needs that align with the program goals described in paragraph 7#a74 7c7 ,establishment of ,cooperative ,institutes 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the ,under ,secretary may establish a ,cooperative ,institute by entering into a cooperative agreement with an eligible research institution1 or an association or alliance of #b or more eligible research institutions4 7#b7 ,competition and review 7,a7 ,in ,general ,subject to subparagraph 7,b71 the ,under ,secretary shall use an open competition and merit-based peer-review process for selecting eligible research institutions for each new ,cooperative ,institute1 except as specified in subparagraph4 7,b7 ,restricted pool ,the ,under ,secretary may use a limited competition when the ,administration determines that it is in the best interest of the ,federal ,government to restrict the pool of qualified eligible research institution applicants4 ,the ,under ,secretary shall justify the rationale for such a restriction under the ,department of ,commerce and ,administration policies related to ,federal assistance4 7#c7 ,consolidation ,in cases where multiple eligible research institutions join to form a ,cooperative ,institute1 the ,administration shall encourage these eligible research institutions to consolidate management1 administrative1 and oversight activities into one lead ,cooperative ,institute1 provided the benefit of consolidation outweighs the costs4 7#d7 ,collaboration 7,a7 ,in general ,to foster collaborations1 the ,administration is authorized to collocate ,federal employees and staff from eligible research institutions of ,cooperative ,institutes4 ,these collocations may involve-- 7i7 ,cooperative ,institute staff hosted at ,federal facilities2 and 7ii7 ,federal staff assigned their duty station at the eligible research institutions4 7,b7 ,choice of arrangement ,the ,administration may choose the arrangement described in this paragraph that best fits the needs of the ,cooperative ,institute when the benefits outweigh the costs4 7d7 ,financial assistance 7#a7 ,in ,general ,the cooperative agreements described in subsection 7c77#a7 shall be carried out in accordance with section #fcje of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 and may be facilitated by a #e-year ,federal financial assistance award4 7#b7 ,second award ,the ,under ,secretary may award a second #e-year ,federal financial assistance award after a ,cooperative ,institute renewal review1 which shall-- 7,a7 be based on the outcome of an externally led peer review process that occurs at or about the beginning of the fourth year of the initial award2 7,b7 be conducted with the help and support of the ,science ,advisory ,board of the ,administration2 7,c7 include a measurement of ,cooperative ,institute performance relative to well-established1 mutually agreed-upon performance measures defined by the ,administration and the research institutions2 and 7,d7 determine a potential renewal period of not more than #e additional years and the level of funding commensurate with the final review rating4 7e7 ,discontinuance ,the ,under ,secretary may terminate or decide not to renew an established ,cooperative ,institute if the following is submitted to the appropriate congressional committees not less than #fj days prior to termination or expiration of the ,cooperative ,institute cooperative agreement3 7#a7 ,a timeline for the planned termination or expiration of the ,cooperative ,institute4 7#b7 ,a detailed written report1 including-- 7,a7 the justification for termination or expiration of the ,cooperative ,institute2 7,b7 any failures of the ,cooperative ,institute to meet its stated objectives1 including poor management1 poor research quality1 or poor fiscal management2 7,c7 measurements of the ,cooperative ,institute performance relative to the mutually agreed-upon performance measures defined by the ,administration and the eligible research institutions2 7,d7 plans for reassignment of ,administration staff assigned to the ,cooperative ,institute2 and 7,e7 an explanation of how the research needs that are being met by the ,cooperative ,institute will be fulfilled by other entities within the ,administration1 or an explanation of why the research needs no longer exist4 7f7 ,handbook ,the ,under ,secretary shall maintain a ,cooperative ,institute ,handbook that outlines how the ,administration will manage the ,cooperative ,institutes4 ,the ,under ,secretary shall consult the ,directors of ,cooperative ,institutes when updating the ,cooperative ,institute ,handbook4 7g7 ,maintenance of ,cooperative ,institutes ,the ,under ,secretary shall maintain the ,cooperative ,institutes1 or their successor bodies1 in existence as of the date of enactment of this ,act1 unless terminated as specified in subsection 7e74