H.R. 4121: Global Development Lab Act of 2017

115th Congress · introduced 2017-10-25 · International Affairs · Latest: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2017-10-25 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 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

Global Development Lab Act of 2017

Plain summary

Global Development Lab Act of 2017 This bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the United States Global Development Lab, the duties of which shall include: increasing the application of science, technology, innovation and partnerships to develop new solutions to end extreme poverty; discovering and testing development innovations to increase cost effectiveness and support U.S. foreign policy and development goals; leveraging the expertise, resources, and investment of businesses, nongovernmental organizations, science and research organizations, and universities to increase program impact and sustainability; utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand the number and diversity of solutions to development challenges; and supporting USAID missions and bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design. The lab is authorized to provide innovation incentive awards on a competitive basis that: (1) encourages and rewards the development of solutions for a particular, well-defined problem relating to the alleviation of poverty; or (2) helps identify and promote a broad range of ideas and practices, facilitating further development of an idea or practice by third parties.

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

What a vote does

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Global Development Lab Act of 2017

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] · 4 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Michael T. McCaul (R-TX), Brad Sherman (D-CA)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Castro, Joaquin [D-TX-20] reported raising $592,416 (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

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 (2)

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).

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-115hr4121.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/115/hr>

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4121 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115