Text of Senate Amendment 6347

On 2026-06-24, Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6347" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6347

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3473-S3474] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6347. Mr. VAN HOLLEN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following: SEC. 10____. NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK. (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following: (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innovations are critical to the economic and national security of the United States. (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United States in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will require a diverse population with the skills, interest, and access to tools required to advance these fields. (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in communications and computation provided individuals with the internet and personal computers, a digital revolution in fabrication will allow anyone to make almost anything, anywhere. (4) These creations include elements of a typical household basket of goods (furnishings, apparel, food production equipment, shelter, transportation, education and communication, recreation, and other goods and services), personal technology, means for personal expression, the production of digital fabrication machinery, community design, and manufacturing capability. (5) The Center for Bits and Atoms of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has contributed significantly to the advancement of these goals through its work in creating and advancing digital fabrication facilities, or ``fab labs'' in the United States and abroad. (6) Such digital fabrication facilities may include MakerSpaces, Hackerspaces, and other creative spaces that use digital fabrication as a platform for education, innovation, entrepreneurship, personal expression, public access, and social impact. (7) Such digital fabrication facilities provide a model for a new kind of national laboratory that operates as a network, linking local facilities for advanced manufacturing, providing universal access, cultivating new literacies, and empowering communities. (8) The nonprofit Fab Foundation was established to support the growth of the international network of digital fabrication facilities, to amplify the educational, entrepreneurial, and social impacts of digital fabrication facilities, and to support the development of regional capacity building organizations to broaden impact as well as address local, regional, and global challenges through the use of digital fabrication technologies. (9) A coordinated array of national public-private partnerships will be the most effective way to accelerate the provision of universal access to this infrastructure for workforce development, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, developing inventions, creating businesses, producing personalized products, and mitigating risks. (b) Establishment.--There is hereby established a nonprofit corporation to be known as the ``National Fab Lab Network'' (in this section referred to as the ``corporation''), which shall not be an agency or establishment of the United States Government. The corporation shall be subject to the provisions of this section, and, to the extent consistent with this section, to the District of Columbia Nonprofit Corporation Act (D.C. Code, section 29-501 et seq.). (c) Goals and Activities.-- (1) Goals.--The goals of the corporation are as follows: (A) To provide universal access to digital fabrication. (B) To foster current and future fab labs. (C) To create a national network of connected local fab labs to empower individuals and communities in the United States. (D) To foster the use of distributed digital fabrication tools-- (i) to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills; (ii) to increase invention and innovation; (iii) to create businesses and jobs; (iv) to fulfill personal, professional, and community needs; (v) to create value and mitigate harm; (vi) to increase self-sufficiency for individuals, households, and communities; and (vii) to align workforce development with new and emerging jobs. (E) To provide a platform for education and research, to catalyze new methods in [[Page S3474]] science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and to introduce digital fabrication as an essential new literacy. (F) To create new ways of educating the workforce that will enable workers to compete in a 21st century global marketplace. (2) Activities.--To attain the goals described in paragraph (1), the corporation shall carry out activities, including the following: (A) Seek to establish a minimum of one fab lab in each congressional district, prioritizing underserved communities. (B) Seek to establish additional fab labs within the network created under paragraph (1)(C), in response to local demand, and provide guidelines for their sustainable operation. (C) Link fab labs into a national network and promote further expansion of fab labs across the United States. (D) Serve as a resource to assist diverse public and private stakeholders with the effective operation of fab labs and the training of fab lab leaders and mentors. (E) Maintain a national registry of fab labs. (F) Provide standards and protocols for connecting fab labs regionally, nationally, and globally. (G) Assist existing fab labs in producing additional fab labs. (d) Membership and Organization.--Except as provided in this section, eligibility for membership in the corporation and the rights and privileges of members shall be in accordance with the laws governing tax exempt organizations in the District of Columbia. (e) Governing Body.-- (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), directors, officers, and other staff of the corporation, and their powers and duties, shall be in accordance with the laws governing tax exempt organizations in the District of Columbia. (2) Board membership.-- (A) Composition.--The board of the corporation shall be composed of not fewer than 7 members and not more than 15 members. (B) Representation.-- (i) In general.--The membership of the board of the corporation shall collectively represent the diversity of fab labs. (ii) Requirement.--At a minimum, the board of the corporation shall be composed of members from geographic regions across the United States, Tribal communities, educational and research institutions, libraries, nonprofit and commercial organizations, diverse demographic groups, and the Fab Foundation. (iii) Individual representation.--An individual member of the board of the corporation may represent more than one board role and additional roles may be added to reflect the diversity of the fab lab ecosystem. (C) Selection.--The initial board of the corporation shall be chosen, in consultation with representatives from the Fab Foundation and in accordance with subparagraph (B)(i), as follows: (i) Two shall be appointed by the majority leader of the Senate. (ii) Two shall be appointed by the minority leader of the Senate. (iii) Two shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives. (iv) Two shall be appointed by the minority leader of the House of Representatives. (f) Powers.--The corporation may-- (1) coordinate the creation of a national network of local fab labs in the United States; (2) issue guidelines for the sustainable operation of fab labs; (3) issue standards and guidelines for fab labs; (4) serve as a resource for organizations and communities seeking to create fab labs by providing information, assessing suitability, advising on the lab lifecycle, and maintaining descriptions of prospective and operating sites; (5) accept funds from private individuals, organizations, government agencies, or other organizations; (6) distribute funds to other organizations to establish and operate fab labs as members of the corporation; (7) facilitate communication between other organizations seeking to join the corporation with operational entities that can source and install fab labs, provide training, assist with operations, account for spending, and assess impact; (8) communicate the benefits available through membership in the corporation to communities and the public; (9) facilitate and participate in synergistic programs, including workforce training, job creation, researching the enabling technology and broader impacts of such programs, and the production of civic infrastructure; (10) develop processes and methods to mitigate risks associated with digital fabrication; (11) develop and amend a constitution and bylaws for the management of its property and the regulation of its affairs; (12) choose directors, officers, trustees, managers, employees, and agents as the activities of the corporation require; (13) make contracts; (14) acquire, own, lease, encumber, and transfer property as necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes of the corporation; (15) borrow money, issue instruments of indebtedness, and secure its obligations by granting security interests in its property; (16) charge and collect membership dues and subscription fees; and (17) sue and be sued. (g) Exclusive Right to Name, Term, Seals, Emblems, and Badges.--The corporation and its participating digital fabrication labs have the exclusive right to use-- (1) the name ``National Fab Lab Network''; and (2) any seals, emblems, and badges the corporation adopts. (h) Restrictions.-- (1) Stock and dividends.--The corporation may not issue securities of any kind or declare or pay a dividend. (2) Distribution of income or ass