S. 1398: Energy Title of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-05-20 · Energy · Latest: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-05-20 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Energy Title of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015

Plain summary

Energy Title of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015 This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2020 designated energy research, development, and commercial application programs conducted through the Office of Science of the Department of Energy (DOE). The America COMPETES Act is amended to require the Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to ensure that ARPA-E funding for a project is not available unless the prospective grantee demonstrates sufficient attempts to secure private financing or indicates that the project is not independently commercially viable. Specified information collected by ARPA-E from financial assistance recipients shall be considered privileged, confidential, and exempt from certain federal information disclosure requirements. The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2020 for the Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund. The bill repeals funding and authorities for the following programs: the Nuclear Science Talent Expansion Program For Institutions of Higher Education; Hydrocarbon Systems Science Competitiveness Grants For Institutions of Higher Education; Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes; National Laboratories Centers of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics secondary school education, certain Summer Institutes hosted by a National Laboratory; and a mentoring program under the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act to recruit mentors for women and underrepresented minorities interested in careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. With respect to the University Nuclear Science and Engineering Support program, DOE shall award grants of up to five years to institutions of higher education with existing academic degree programs in nuclear sciences and related fields, including nuclear chemistry. Funds are authorized for FY2016-FY2020 for the DOE early career awards for science, engineering, and mathematics researchers program, as well as for its distinguished scientist program. The diversity requirement for awarding grants under the program for early career awards for science, engineering, and mathematics researchers is revised to substitute a required variety of types of National Laboratories in lieu of a variety of types of nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organizations. The Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act is amended to direct the Office of Science to coordinate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs across all functions of DOE. The bill amends the America COMPETES Act to: (1) change the criteria for awarding Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) graduate fellowships, and (2) allow such fellowships to cover either full or partial graduate tuition.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Energy Title of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN] · 7 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s1398.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>

Record fed-us-cong114-s1398 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114