Gary Peters

National R & D Strategy for Distributed Ledger Technology Act of 2022

This bill provides for a national strategy and research and development regarding technologies related to distributed ledgers (e.g., blockchain or Bitcoin). A distributed ledger is a ledger that is shared across and synchronized between a set of distributed nodes (i.e., devices or processes) in a network that store a complete or partial replica of the ledger and meet other requirements.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy must develop a national strategy for the research and development of distributed ledger technologies and their applications, with a particular focus on applications of public and permissionless distributed ledgers. The office must coordinate with the National Science and Technology Council and other relevant federal agencies, as appropriate, on the strategy. The national strategy shall include

• plans to support public and private sector investment and partnerships in research and technology development for societally beneficial applications of distributed ledger technologies, and

• an identification of additional resources, administrative action, or legislative action recommended to assist with the implementation of such strategy.

The National Science Foundation shall make competitive awards to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or their consortia) to support research, including socio-technical research, on distributed ledger technologies and their applications, with a particular focus on applications of public and permissionless distributed ledgers.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology shall carry out an applied research project to study and demonstrate the potential benefits and unique capabilities of distributed ledger technologies.

United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021

This bill addresses U.S. technology and communications, foreign relations and national security, domestic manufacturing, education, trade, and other matters.

Among other provisions, the bill

• provides funding for FY2022-FY2026 to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security;

• provides funding for wireless supply chain innovation;

• establishes a Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation;

• extends through 2025 the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lease its non-excess real property and related personal property;

• authorizes various programs and policies related to space exploration;

• authorizes various international affairs programs and activities, including foreign assistance for the Indo-Pacific region;

• requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States;

• imposes sanctions on China for cybersecurity and human rights abuses;

• requires the Department of Health and Human Services to consider national security risks associated with sensitive genetic information;

• includes initiatives related to elementary and secondary education, including those to increase computer science education;

• contains provisions related to higher education, including those reauthorizing through FY2027 international education programs and addressing China's influence on institutions of higher education;

• modifies and expands the schedule for graduated merger filing fees;

• prohibits federal funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology;

• requires the U.S. Trade Representative to take certain actions related to digital trade and censorship practices; and

• extends through 2027 the Generalized System of Preferences.