119-s1269

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1269 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1269

To promote United States leadership in technical standards by directing 
 the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department 
of State to take certain actions to encourage and enable United States 
participation in developing standards and specifications for artificial 
 intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies, and for 
 other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 2, 2025

 Mrs. Blackburn (for herself and Mr. Warner) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
 Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To promote United States leadership in technical standards by directing 
 the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Department 
of State to take certain actions to encourage and enable United States 
participation in developing standards and specifications for artificial 
 intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies, and for 
 other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting United States Leadership 
in Standards Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging 
 technologies.--The term ``artificial intelligence and other 
 critical and emerging technologies'' means a subset of 
 artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging 
 technologies included in the list of such technologies 
 identified and maintained by the National Science and 
 Technology Council of the Office of Science and Technology 
 Policy as the Director considers appropriate for purposes of 
 this Act.

    (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
 the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

SEC. 3. UNITED STATES PARTICIPATION IN ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOPING 
 STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 
 AND OTHER CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Briefing Required.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, the Director shall, in coordination 
 with the Secretary of State, provide to Congress a briefing to 
 assist in the evaluation and identification of opportunities 
 for Federal Government support for industry-led efforts in the 
 development of technical standards for artificial intelligence 
 and other critical and emerging technologies.

    (2) Interagency consultation.--In preparing the briefing 
 required by paragraph

    (1) , the Director and the Secretary of 
 State shall jointly consult with the heads of such Federal 
 agencies as they jointly consider relevant.

    (3) Elements.--The briefing provided pursuant to paragraph

    (1) shall include the following:
        (A) An overview of standards activities relating to 
 artificial intelligence and other critical and emerging 
 technologies and information about the following:
            (i) Key technical standards that are the 
 subject of ongoing activity.
            (ii) Key standards bodies hosting these 
 activities.
            (iii) Any Federal agency that is 
 participating in these activities.
        (B) An analysis identifying where participation by 
 United States industry and Federal agencies in 
 standards activities in artificial intelligence and 
 other critical and emerging technologies would be 
 facilitated or enhanced by conducting standards 
 meetings hosted in the United States.
            (C) Recommendations for effectively informing 
 United States industry and Federal agencies on ongoing 
 standardization activities with the objective of 
 increasing participation of such industry and agencies 
 in such activities.

    (4) Federal agency notice requirement.--
        (A) In general.--Using the mechanism established 
 pursuant to subparagraph
        (B) , each head of a Federal 
 agency shall transmit to the Secretary of State and the 
 Director notice of the participation of their 
 respective Federal agency in a standards activity 
 relating to artificial intelligence and other critical 
 and emerging technologies.
        (B) Mechanism.--The Secretary of State and the 
 Director shall, in coordination with the Director of 
 the Office of Management and Budget, jointly develop a 
 mechanism for reporting participation by Federal 
 agencies in standards activities.

    (b) Web Portal.--

    (1) In general.--In order to inform United States industry 
 and Federal agencies about existing and ongoing international 
 efforts to develop technical standards for artificial 
 intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies and 
 opportunities for participation in such efforts, the Director 
 shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State, establish 
 an accessible web portal to help such industry and agencies 
 navigate and participate in such efforts.

    (2) Contents.--The web portal established pursuant to 
 paragraph

    (1) shall include regularly updated lists of the 
 following:
        (A) International efforts described in paragraph

    (1) and information on opportunities for participation 
 in such efforts.
        (B) Information on accessing standards, both in 
 development and published, for artificial intelligence 
 and other critical and emerging technologies.

    (3) Administration.--The Director may, in coordination with 
 the Secretary of State, enter into such cooperative agreements 
 with such nongovernmental organizations as the Director 
 considers appropriate to establish the web portal required by 
 paragraph

    (1) .

SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM TO SUPPORT STANDARDS MEETINGS FOR ARTIFICIAL 
 INTELLIGENCE AND OTHER CRITICAL AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES 
 IN THE UNITED STATES.

    (a) Pilot Program Required.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, and subject to the availability of 
 appropriated funds, the Director shall, in coordination with 
 the Secretary of State and the heads of such other Federal 
 agencies as the Director considers appropriate, establish a 
 pilot program on supporting standards meetings for artificial 
 intelligence and other critical and emerging technologies in 
 the United States by awarding grants to eligible entities 
 described in subsection

    (b) hosting meetings of organizations 
 described in paragraph

    (1) of such subsection to support the 
 hosting of such meetings in the United States.

    (2) Administration.--The Director may, in coordination with 
 the Secretary of State, carry out the pilot program required by 
 paragraph

    (1) by entering into such cooperative agreements with 
 such nongovernmental organizations as the Director considers 
 appropriate to establish and administer the pilot program.

    (b) Eligible Entities.--For purposes of the pilot program required 
by subsection

    (a) , an eligible entity is--

    (1) an organization that is developing standards and 
 specifications for artificial intelligence and other critical 
 and emerging technologies for at least 1 technical standard 
 that affects the interests of 1 or more Federal agencies; or

    (2) an entity that hosts an organization described in 
 paragraph

    (1) .
            (c) Grants.--

    (1) In general.--In carrying out the pilot program required 
 by subsection

    (a) , the Director shall, in coordination with the 
 Secretary of State, award grants to eligible entities to host 
 meetings as described in such subsection.

    (2) Use of funds.--An eligible entity receiving a grant 
 under this subsection to host a meeting in the United States 
 may use the amount of the grant for such costs as the Director 
 considers reasonable for hosting the meeting in the United 
 States, but not more than fifty percent of anticipated cost of 
 hosting the meeting and not more than a maximum amount that the 
 Director shall establish for purposes of this subsection. Such 
 costs may include the following:
        (A) Costs related to the preparation and planning 
 of meetings described in subsection

    (a) .
        (B) Meeting venue-related expenses.
            (C) Such other costs that may support the eligible 
 entity in conducting a standards meeting in the United 
 States.

    (3) Considerations.--In deciding whether to award a grant 
 under this subsection to an eligible entity to host a meeting, 
 the Director may, in coordination with the Secretary of State, 
 consider the extent to which the eligible entity--
        (A) is or hosts an organization that administers 
 technical standards activity in artificial intelligence 
 and other critical and emerging technologies that 
 involves United States-based participants, including 
 but not limited to participants from Federal agencies 
 of the United States;
        (B) has a demonstrable history of participating in 
 or hosting successful meetings; and
            (C) has a stable or growing participant base.
            (d) Guidance.--

    (1) In general.--The Director shall, in coordination with 
 the Secretary of State, develop and periodically update 
 guidance for the pilot program carried out under this section.

    (2) Elements.--The guidance developed and updated pursuant 
 to paragraph

    (1) shall cover the following:
        (A) Eligibility for grants awarded under the pilot 
 program.
        (B) How grants are awarded under subsection
            (c) .
            (C) The duration and amounts of grants awarded 
 under subsection
            (c) .
            (D) The merit review process for the pilot program.
        (E) Priority areas for technical standards 
 activity.
        (F) Means for recipients of grants under the pilot 
 program to report expenses relating to costs described 
 in subsection
            (c) (2)
            (D) .
        (G) Such additional matters as the Director 
 determines appropriate for purposes of the pilot 
 program.

    (e) Briefings for Congress.--

    (1) In general.--During the third year of the pilot program 
 carried out under this section and in each subsequent year of 
 the pilot program, the Director and the Secretary of State 
 shall jointly provide Congress with a briefing on the pilot 
 program.

    (2) Elements.--Each briefing provided pursuant to paragraph

    (1) shall include the following:
        (A) An assessment of the effectiveness of the pilot 
 program with respect to improving the hosting of 
 standards meetings in the United States.
        (B) Identification of the recipients of grants 
 under the pilot program.
            (C) The geographic distribution of attendees at 
 meetings supported with grants under the pilot program.
            (D) A summary of the expenses for which the amounts 
 of grants awarded under the pilot program were used.

    (f) Recommendations for Permanent Implementation.--If, before the 
date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Director determines, in consultation with the Secretary of State, that 
providing support as described in subsection

    (a) is feasible and 
advisable, the Director shall, not later than 2 years after the date of 
the enactment of this Act--

    (1) develop recommendations for such legislative or 
 administrative action as the Director considers appropriate to 
 establish a permanent implementation of the pilot program; and

    (2) submit to Congress the recommendations developed 
 pursuant to paragraph

    (1) .

    (g) Termination.--The pilot program required by subsection

    (a)

    (1) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.

    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
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