The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS” mentioning John Thune was published in the Senate section on pages S1942-S1943 on April 14.
Of the 100 senators in 117th Congress, 24 percent were women, and 76 percent were men, according to the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Senators' salaries are historically higher than the median US income.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Mr. THUNE (for himself and Mr. Schatz):
S. 1127. A bill to require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to make certain operational models available to the public, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Mr. THUNE. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 1127
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Learning Excellence and Good Examples from New Developers Act of 2021'' or the ``LEGEND Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(2) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(3) Earth prediction innovation center.--The term ``Earth Prediction Innovation Center'' means the community global weather research modeling system described in paragraph
(5)(E) of section 102(b) of the Weather Research Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)), as redesignated by section 4(g).
(4) Model.--The term ``model'' means any vetted numerical model and associated data assimilation of the Earth's system or its components--
(A) developed, in whole or in part, by scientists and engineers employed by the Administration; or
(B) otherwise developed using Federal funds.
(5) Operational model.--The term ``operational model'' means any model that has an output used by the Administration for operational functions.
(6) Suitable model.--The term ``suitable model'' means a model that meets the requirements described in paragraph
(5)(E)(ii) of section 102(b) of the Weather Research Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)), as redesignated by section 4(g), as determined by the Administrator.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are--
(1) to support innovation in modeling by allowing interested stakeholders to have easy and complete access to the models used by the Administration, as the Administrator determines appropriate; and
(2) to use vetted innovations arising from access described in paragraph (1) to improve modeling by the Administration.
SEC. 4. PLAN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN TO MAKE CERTAIN
MODELS AND DATA AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC.
(a) In General.--The Administrator shall develop and implement a plan to make available to the public the following:
(1) Operational models developed by the Administration.
(2) Models that are not operational models, including experimental and developmental models, as the Administrator determines appropriate.
(3) Applicable information and documentation for models described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
(4) Subject to section 7, all data owned by the Federal Government and data that the Administrator has the legal right to redistribute that are associated with models made available to the public pursuant to the plan and used in operational forecasting by the Administration, including--
(A) relevant metadata;
(B) data used for operational models used by the Administration as of the date of the enactment of this Act; and
(C) a description of intended model outputs.
(b) Accommodations.--In developing and implementing the plan under subsection (a), the Administrator may make such accommodations as the Administrator considers appropriate to ensure that the public release of any model, information, documentation, or data pursuant to the plan does not jeopardize--
(1) national security;
(2) intellectual property or redistribution rights, including under titles 17 and 35, United States Code;
(3) any trade secret or commercial or financial information subject to section 552(b)(4) of title 5, United States Code;
(4) any models or data that are otherwise restricted by contract or other written agreement; or
(5) the mission of the Administration to protect lives and property.
(c) Priority.--In developing and implementing the plan under subsection (a), the Administrator shall prioritize making available to the public the models described in subsection (a)(1).
(d) Exclusion of Certain Models.--In developing and implementing the plan under subsection (a), the Administrator may exclude models that the Administrator determines will be retired or superseded in fewer than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Platforms.--In carrying out subsections (a) and (b), the Administrator may use government servers, contracts or agreements with a private vendor, or any other platform consistent with the purpose of this Act.
(f) Support Program.--The Administrator shall plan for and establish a program to support infrastructure, including telecommunications and technology infrastructure of the Administration and the platforms described in subsection (e), relevant to making operational models and data available to the public pursuant to the plan under subsection (a).
(g) Technical Correction.--Section 102(b) of the Weather Research Forecasting and Innovation Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 8512(b)) is amended by redesignating the second paragraph (4)
(as added by section 4(a) of the National Integrated Drought Information System Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-423; 132 Stat. 5456)) as paragraph (5).
SEC. 5. REQUIREMENT TO REVIEW MODELS AND LEVERAGE
INNOVATIONS.
The Administrator shall--
(1) consistent with the mission of the Earth Prediction Innovation Center, periodically review innovations and improvements made by persons outside the Administration to the operational models made available to the public pursuant to the plan under section 4(a) in order to improve the accuracy and timeliness of forecasts of the Administration; and
(2) if the Administrator identifies an innovation for a suitable model, develop and implement a plan to use the innovation to improve the model.
SEC. 6. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the implementation of this Act that includes a description of--
(1) the implementation of the plan required by section 4;
(2) the process of the Administration under section 5--
(A) for engaging with interested stakeholders to learn what innovations those stakeholders have found;
(B) for reviewing those innovations; and
(C) for operationalizing innovations to improve suitable models.
(b) Appropriate Congressional Committees Defined.--In this section, the term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(2) the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
SEC. 7. PROTECTION OF NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, as appropriate, may withhold any model or data if the Administrator determines doing so to be necessary to protect the national security interests of the United States.
(b) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede any other provision of law governing the protection of the national security interests of the United States.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
(b) Derivation of Funds.--Funds to carry out this section shall be derived from amounts authorized to be appropriated to the National Weather Service that are enacted after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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By Mr. REED (for himself and Mr. Young):
S. 1126. A bill to amend the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002 and the Educational Technical Assistance Act of 2002 to strengthen research in adult education; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce the bipartisan Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act with my colleague, Senator Young. We are in urgent need of identifying and disseminating innovative and effective methods for supporting adult learners. Our legislation will ensure that there is a strong research base to improve the teaching provided for, and the learning of, adults seeking to advance their literacy, numeracy, and digital literacy skills.
The most recent data from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies show an urgent need for action in adult education with an estimated 19 percent of adults ages 16-65 in the United States performing at the lowest levels of literacy; twenty-
nine percent at the lowest levels of numeracy; and 24 percent at the lowest levels of digital problem solving. This is a dire situation. These are essential skills for postsecondary education and the workplace. Beyond their value in the labor market, these skills are also correlated with health and civic participation, making adult education critically important to the health and well-being of our people, our economy, and our democracy.
In Rhode Island, it is estimated that nearly 82,000 working age adults have less than a high school education. Over 55,000 have limited English proficiency. Yet, we are reaching just over 5,000 through the current adult education program. Clearly, we need more resources and innovative, research-based ways to reach more people.
The Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act will support the key reforms to adult education in the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act by ensuring that adult education is included in our national education research priorities. Specifically, the Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act will amend the Education Sciences Reform Act to require the Institute for Education Sciences and the National Center for Education Statistics to collect data and carry out research on: successful State and local adult education and literacy activities, the characteristics and academic achievement of adult learners, and access to and opportunity for adult education, including digital literacy skills development, in communities across the Nation. It will also ensure that the Institute of Education Sciences draws on the expertise of adult educators when developing policies and priorities. Finally, the legislation would require that at least one research center would focus on adult education.
These straightforward amendments to the Education Sciences Reform Act will go a long way to strengthening the research base that will support the improvement of adult education across the country. I was pleased to work with the adult education community, and particularly, the Coalition of Adult Basic Educators and the National Coalition for Literacy in developing this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support the Strengthening Research in Adult Education Act and to work with me to ensure that its provisions are included in the reauthorization of the Education Sciences Reform Act.
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