National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018
This bill reauthorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through FY2019.
NIST shall carry out specified quantum information science and technology activities and convene a workshop to discuss the development of quantum information science.
NIST shall:
enhance and expand its guidance and assistance to federal agencies in helping them to effectively use its Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity;
expand fundamental and applied research to address key questions related to the measurement of privacy, security, and vulnerability of software tools and communications networks; and
implement the recommendations in the December 2017 Road Mapping Workshop Report on Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Composites in Sustainable Infrastructure.
NIST shall continue to:
support the development of artificial intelligence and data science; and
conduct research on the expanded connectivity, interoperability, and security of interconnected systems and other aspects of the Internet of things.
The bill grants NIST the authority to appoint scientific, engineering, and professional personnel regardless of the civil service laws to carry out research and development that requires the services of personnel who are specially qualified.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on June 26, 2018. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on September 26, 2018: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Barbara Comstock (R-VA) introduced it on June 26, 2018, and 11 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 9 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 26, 2018, 2998 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2906 days ago, on September 26, 2018.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers