This Act may be cited as the “Leadership in Global Tech Standards Act of 2021”.

(a) Definition.—In this section:

(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the Small Business Administration.

(2) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES.—The term “appropriate congressional committees” means the following:

(A) The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives.

(B) The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

(C) The Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.

(D) The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate.

(E) The Committee on Small Business of the House of Representatives.

(F) The Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate.

(3) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term “artificial intelligence” has the meaning given the term in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (10 U.S.C. 2358 note).

(4) COVERED ENTITY.—The term “covered entity” means a small business concern that is incorporated and maintains a primary place of business in the United States.

(5) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—The term “small business concern” has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632).

(b) Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a program to support participation by covered entities in meetings and proceedings of standards development organizations in the development of voluntary technical standards.

(c) Activities.—In carrying out the program established under subsection (a), the Administrator shall award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to covered entities to cover the reasonable costs, up to a specified ceiling, of participation of employees of those covered entities in meetings and proceedings of standards development organizations, including—

(1) regularly attending meetings;

(2) contributing expertise and research;

(3) proposing new work items; and

(4) volunteering for leadership roles such as a convener or editor.

(d) Award criteria.—The Administrator may only provide a grant under this section to a covered entity that—

(1) demonstrates deep technical expertise in key emerging technologies and technical standards, including artificial intelligence and related technologies;

(2) commits personnel with such expertise to regular participation in global bodies responsible for developing standards for such technologies over the period of the grant;

(3) agrees to participate in efforts to coordinate between the Federal Government and industry to ensure protection of national security interests in the setting of global standards so long as such standards are not dictated by the Federal Government; and

(4) provides a plan to the Administrator that details the relationship between the activities described in paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) and the proposed standards to be adopted.

(e) No matching contribution.—A recipient of an award under this section shall not be required to provide a matching contribution.

(f) Evaluation.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—In making awards under this section, the Administrator shall coordinate with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, who shall provide support in the assessment of technical expertise in emerging technologies and standards setting needs.

(2) PANEL RANKING.—In carrying out the requirements under paragraph (1), the Administrator and the Director shall jointly establish a panel of experts to rank the proposed standards, based on merit and relevance, to be composed of experts from—

(A) private industry;

(B) non-profit institutions;

(C) non-profit standards development organizations;

(D) academia; and

(E) the Federal Government.

(g) Report.—Not less than annually, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on—

(1) the efficacy of the program;

(2) an explanation of any standard adopted as a result of the program;

(3) any challenges faced in carrying out the program; and

(4) proposed solutions to the challenges identified in paragraph (3).

(h) Authorization of appropriation.—There is authorized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter $1,000,000 to carry out the program established under this section.