National Technology Foundation Act of 1980
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
National Technology Foundation Act of 1980 - Establishes the National Technology Foundation as an independent agency to: (1) foster communication between scientific and technological agencies of the Federal Government and the small business community; (2) collect, analyze and publish information concerning grants and contracts awarded to small business concerns by such agencies; (3) operate programs of grants and contracts for the development of high-technology small businesses; and (4) operate the programs transferred to it by this Act. Transfers to the Foundation; (1) the Patent and Trademark Office; (2) the National Bureau of Standards; (3) the National Technical Information Service; (4) the Office of Small Business Research and Development of the National Science Foundation; (5) the directorate for Engineering and Applied Science of the National Science Foundation; and (6) the working groups on Innovation Processes and their Management and on Socioeconomic Effects of Science and Technology. Establishes specified offices within the Foundation to perform the functions of such organizations and other functions of the Foundation. Requires the Foundation to: (1) collect and analyze information on the availability of and the current and projected need for engineering, technical, and technology managerial resources in the United States; (2) support engineering, technical, and technological managerial training through grants, loans, or other assistance; (3) assist the establishment of Centers for Industrial Technology to enhance technological innovation through specified means; (4) conduct technology assessments; (5) determine the relationships of technological developments and international technology transfers to the productivity, employment, and world trade performance of the United States and foreign industrial sectors; (5) develop improved indicators of the state of technology; (6) determine the influence of economic conditions and government policies on industrial innovation and the development of technology; (7) promote technology transfer from the Federal government and private enterprise to State and local governments; (8) support applied research in engineering and other disciplines as necessary in the national interest; (9) promote United States interests in international voluntary standardization activities; and (10) promote technology transfer from the Federal Government to private enterprise. Establishes within the Foundation a National Technology Board to supervise and control the policy of the Foundation. Sets forth the composition, procedures, and terms of membership on such Board which is to be operated under the auspices of a Chairman, a Director, and a Deputy Director. Sets forth the general authority of the Foundation. Establishes a National Technology Medal to be awarded by the President to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the promotion of technology and technological manpower for the improvement of the economic, environmental, or social well-being of the United States. Requires the Director to coordinate the programs of the Foundation with other programs of the Federal, State, and local governments and the private sector. Sets forth the powers of the Director, including the exercise of authority over the transferred Federal divisions, the establishment and alteration of regional or field offices, and the transfer of funds within the Foundation. Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 25, 1980. 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 March 25, 1980: Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary.
- 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 96th Congress (1979-80), 613 of the 12,581 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.9 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?
GEORGE BROWN (D-CA) introduced it on March 25, 1980, and 12 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 9 Democrats, 3 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 March 25, 1980, 16970 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 16970 days ago, on March 25, 1980.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 96th Congress has not finished by January 3, 1981 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