118th CONGRESS 1st Session |
To require the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress annual reports on the unfunded priorities of the Department of Defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation activities, and for other purposes.
July 20, 2023
Mr. Rounds (for himself and Mr. Manchin) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services
To require the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress annual reports on the unfunded priorities of the Department of Defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation activities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
This Act may be cited as the “Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Unmet Needs Act of 2023”.
SEC. 2. Annual report on unfunded priorities for research, development, test, and evaluation activities.
(a) In general.—Chapter 9 of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting after section 222d the following new section:
Ҥ 222e. Unfunded priorities for research, development, test, and evaluation activities
“(a) Annual report.—Not later than 10 days after the date on which the budget of the President for a fiscal year is submitted to Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the unfunded priorities of the Department of Defense-wide research, development, test, and evaluation activities.
“(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection (c), each report submitted under subsection (a) shall specify, for each unfunded priority covered by such report, the following:
“(A) A summary description of such priority, including the objectives to be achieved if such priority is funded (whether in whole or in part).
“(B) The additional amount of funds recommended in connection with the objectives under subparagraph (A).
“(C) Account information with respect to such priority, including the following (as applicable):
“(i) Line Item Number (LIN) for applicable procurement accounts.
“(ii) Program Element (PE) number for applicable research, development, test, and evaluation accounts.
“(2) PRIORITIZATION OF PRIORITIES.—The report under subsection (a) shall present the unfunded priorities covered by such report in order of urgency of priority.
“(c) Exclusion of priorities covered in other reports.—The report submitted under subsection (a) shall not include unfunded priorities or requirements covered in reports submitted under—
“(1) section 222a or 222b; or
“(2) section 2806 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115–91; 10 U.S.C. 222a note).
“(d) Unfunded priority defined.—In this section, the term ‘unfunded priority’, in the case of a fiscal year, means a program, activity, or mission requirement, that—
“(1) is not funded in the budget of the President for the fiscal year as submitted to Congress pursuant to section 1105 of title 31; and
“(2) would have been recommended for funding through that budget if—
“(A) additional resources had been available for the budget to fund the program, activity, or mission requirement; or
“(B) the program, activity, or mission requirement has emerged since the budget was formulated.”.
(b) Clerical amendment.—The table of sections at the beginning of chapter 9 of such title is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 222d the following new item:
“222e. Annual report on unfunded priorities for research, development, test, and evaluation activities.”.