Quantum Network Infrastructure and Workforce Development Act of 2021

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 1161 To promote focused research and innovation in quantum communications and quantum network infrastructure to bolster internet security, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 15, 2021 Mr. THUNE (for himself and Ms. HASSAN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation A BILL To promote focused research and innovation in quantum communications and quantum network infrastructure to bolster internet security, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quantum Network In- 4 frastructure and Workforce Development Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 6 In this Act: 7 (1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘elemen- 8 tary school’’, ‘‘high school’’, ‘‘local educational agen- 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 2 •S 1161 IS cy’’, and ‘‘secondary school’’ have the meanings 1 given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary 2 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 3 7801). 4 (2) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CON- 5 GRESS.—The term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con- 6 gress’’ has the meaning given such term in section 7 2 of the National Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8 8801). 9 (3) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The term 10 ‘‘Interagency Working Group’’ means the Inter- 11 agency Working Group on Workforce, Industry, and 12 Infrastructure under the Subcommittee on Quantum 13 Information Science of the National Science and 14 Technology Council. 15 (4) Q2WORK PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Q2Work 16 Program’’ means the Q2Work Program supported 17 by the National Science Foundation. 18 (5) QUANTUM INFORMATION SCIENCE.—The 19 term ‘‘quantum information science’’ has the mean- 20 ing given such term in section 2 of the National 21 Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8801). 22 (6) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, 23 technology, engineering, and mathematics. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 3 •S 1161 IS SEC. 3. QUANTUM NETWORKING WORKING GROUP REPORT 1 ON QUANTUM NETWORKING AND COMMU- 2 NICATIONS. 3 (a) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the date 4 of the enactment of this Act, the Quantum Networking 5 Working Group within the Subcommittee on Quantum In- 6 formation Science of the National Science and Technology 7 Council shall submit to the appropriate committees of 8 Congress a report detailing a plan for the advancement 9 of quantum networking and communications technology in 10 the United States. 11 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The report under subsection 12 (a) shall include— 13 (1) a framework for interagency collaboration 14 on the advancement of quantum networking and 15 communications research; 16 (2) a plan for interagency collaboration on the 17 development and drafting of international standards 18 for quantum communications technology, including 19 standards relating to— 20 (A) quantum cryptography and post-quan- 21 tum classical cryptography; 22 (B) network security; 23 (C) quantum network infrastructure; 24 (D) transmission of quantum information 25 through optical fiber networks; and 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 4 •S 1161 IS (E) any other technologies considered ap- 1 propriate by the Working Group; 2 (3) a proposal for the protection of national se- 3 curity interests relating to the advancement of quan- 4 tum networking and communications technology; 5 (4) recommendations to Congress for legislative 6 action relating to the framework, plan, and proposal 7 set forth pursuant to paragraphs (1), (2), and (3), 8 respectively; and 9 (5) such other matters as the Working Group 10 considers necessary to advance the security of com- 11 munications and network infrastructure, remain at 12 the forefront of scientific discovery in the quantum 13 information science domain, and transition quantum 14 information science research into the emerging 15 quantum technology economy. 16 SEC. 4. QUANTUM NETWORKING AND COMMUNICATIONS 17 RESEARCH. 18 (a) RESEARCH.—The Under Secretary of Commerce 19 for Standards and Technology shall carry out research to 20 facilitate the development and standardization of quantum 21 networking and communications technologies and applica- 22 tions, including research on the following: 23 (1) Quantum cryptography and post-quantum 24 classical cryptography. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 5 •S 1161 IS (2) Quantum repeater technology. 1 (3) Quantum network traffic management. 2 (4) Quantum transduction. 3 (5) Long baseline entanglement and teleporta- 4 tion. 5 (6) Such other technologies, processes, or appli- 6 cations as the Under Secretary considers appro- 7 priate. 8 (b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Under Secretary shall 9 carry out the research required by subsection (a) through 10 such divisions, laboratories, offices and programs of the 11 National Institute of Standards and Technology as the 12 Under Secretary considers appropriate and actively en- 13 gaged in activities relating to quantum information 14 science. 15 (c) DEVELOPMENT OF STANDARDS.—For quantum 16 technologies deemed by the Under Secretary to be at a 17 readiness level sufficient for standardization, the Under 18 Secretary shall provide technical review and assistance to 19 such other Federal agencies as the Under Secretary con- 20 siders appropriate for the development of quantum net- 21 work infrastructure standards. 22 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 23 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 24 appropriated to the Scientific and Technical Re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 6 •S 1161 IS search and Services account of the National Insti- 1 tute of Standards and Technology to carry out this 2 section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 3 through 2026. 4 (2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—The 5 amounts authorized to be appropriated under para- 6 graph (1) shall supplement and not supplant 7 amounts already appropriated to the account de- 8 scribed in such paragraph. 9 SEC. 5. ENERGY SCIENCES NETWORK. 10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy (referred 11 to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall supplement the 12 Energy Sciences Network User Facility (referred to in this 13 section as the ‘‘Network’’) with dedicated quantum net- 14 work infrastructure to advance development of quantum 15 networking and communications technology. 16 (b) PURPOSE.—The purpose of subsection (a) is to 17 utilize the Network to advance a broad range of testing 18 and research, including relating to— 19 (1) the establishment of stable, long-baseline 20 quantum entanglement and teleportation; 21 (2) quantum repeater technologies for long- 22 baseline communication purposes; 23 (3) quantum transduction; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 7 •S 1161 IS (4) the coexistence of quantum and classical in- 1 formation; 2 (5) multiplexing, forward error correction, 3 wavelength routing algorithms, and other quantum 4 networking infrastructure; and 5 (6) any other technologies or applications deter- 6 mined necessary by the Secretary. 7 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 8 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 9 out this section such sums as are necessary for each of 10 fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 11 SEC. 6. QUANTUM WORKFORCE EVALUATION AND ACCEL- 12 ERATION. 13 (a) IDENTIFICATION OF GAPS.—The National 14 Science Foundation shall enter into an agreement with the 15 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi- 16 cine to conduct a study of ways to support the next gen- 17 eration of quantum leaders. 18 (b) SCOPE OF STUDY.—In carrying out the study de- 19 scribed in subsection (a), the National Academies of 20 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall identify— 21 (1) education gaps, including foundational 22 courses in STEM and areas in need of standardiza- 23 tion, in elementary school, middle school, high 24 school, and higher education curricula, that need to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 8 •S 1161 IS be rectified in order to prepare students to partici- 1 pate in the quantum workforce; 2 (2) the skills and workforce needs of industry, 3 specifically identifying the cross-disciplinary aca- 4 demic degrees or academic courses necessary— 5 (A) to qualify students for multiple career 6 pathways in quantum information sciences and 7 related fields; 8 (B) to ensure the United States is com- 9 petitive in the field of quantum information 10 science while preserving national security; and 11 (C) to support the development of quan- 12 tum applications; and 13 (3) the resources and materials needed to train 14 elementary, middle, and high school educators to ef- 15 fectively teach curricula relevant to the development 16 of a quantum workforce. 17 (c) REPORTS.— 18 (1) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.—Not later than 1 19 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Na- 20 tional Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medi- 21 cine shall prepare and submit to the National 22 Science Foundation, and programs or projects fund- 23 ed by the National Science Foundation, an executive 24 summary of progress regarding the study conducted 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 9 •S 1161 IS under subsection (a) that outlines the findings of the 1 Academies as of such date. 2 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the 3 date of enactment of this Act, the National Acad- 4 emies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine shall 5 prepare and submit a report containing the results 6 of the study conducted under subsection (a) to Con- 7 gress, the National Science Foundation, and pro- 8 grams or projects funded by the National Science 9 Foundation that are relevant to the acceleration of 10 a quantum workforce. 11 SEC. 7. INCORPORATING QISE INTO STEM CURRICULUM. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Foundation 13 shall, through programs carried out or supported by the 14 National Science Foundation, prioritize the better integra- 15 tion of quantum information science and engineering (re- 16 ferred to in this section as ‘‘QISE’’) into the STEM cur- 17 riculum for each grade level from kindergarten through 18 grade 12. 19 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The curriculum integration 20 under subsection (a) shall include— 21 (1) methods to conceptualize QISE for each 22 grade level from kindergarten through grade 12; 23 (2) methods for strengthening foundational 24 mathematics and science curricula; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 10 •S 1161 IS (3) age-appropriate materials that apply the 1 principles of quantum information science in STEM 2 fields; 3 (4) recommendations for the standardization of 4 key concepts, definitions, and curriculum criteria 5 across government, academia, and industry; and 6 (5) materials that specifically address the find- 7 ings and outcomes of the study conducted under sec- 8 tion 6 and strategies to account for the skills and 9 workforce needs identified through the study. 10 (c) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this section, the 11 National Science Foundation, including the STEM Edu- 12 cation Advisory Panel and the Advancing Informal STEM 13 Learning program and through the National Science 14 Foundation’s role in the National Q–12 Education Part- 15 nership and the Q2Work Program, shall coordinate with 16 the Office of Science and Technology Policy, EPSCoR eli- 17 gible universities, and any Federal agencies or working 18 groups determined necessary by the National Science 19 Foundation. 20 (d) REVIEW.—In implementing this section, the Na- 21 tional Science Foundation shall review and provide nec- 22 essary updates to the related report entitled ‘‘Key Con- 23 cepts for Future QIS Learners’’ (May 2020). 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 11 •S 1161 IS SEC. 8. QUANTUM EDUCATION PILOT PROGRAM. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Founda- 2 tion, through the National Science Foundation’s role in 3 the National Q–12 Education Partnership and the 4 Q2Work Program, and in coordination with the Direc- 5 torate for Education and Human Resources, shall carry 6 out a pilot program, to be known as the ‘‘Next Generation 7 Quantum Leaders Pilot Program’’, to provide funding for 8 the education and training of the next generation of stu- 9 dents in the fundamental principles of quantum mechan- 10 ics. 11 (b) REQUIREMENTS.— 12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the pilot 13 program required by subsection (a), the National 14 Science Foundation shall— 15 (A) publish a call for applications through 16 the National Q–12 Education Partnership 17 website (or similar website) for participation in 18 the pilot program from elementary schools, sec- 19 ondary schools, and State educational agencies; 20 (B) coordinate with educational service 21 agencies, associations that support STEM edu- 22 cators or local educational agencies, and part- 23 nerships through the Q–12 Education Partner- 24 ship, to encourage elementary schools, sec- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:07 May 11, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1161.IS S1161 12 •S 1161 IS ondary schools, and State educational agencies 1 to participate in the program; 2 (C) accept applications for a period of 5 3 months in advance of the academic year in 4 which the program shall begin; 5 (D) select elementary schools, secondary 6 schools, and State educational agencies to par- 7 ticipate in the program, in accordance with 8 qualifications determined by the Interagency 9 Working Group, in coordination with the Na- 10 tional Q–12 Education Partnership; and 11 (E) in coordination with the National Q– 12 12 Education Partnership, identify qualifying 13 advanced degree students, or recent advanced 14 degree graduates, with experience in the field of 15 quantum information science to provide feed- 16 back and assistance to educators selected to 17 participate in the pilot program. 18 (2) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting program 19 participants under paragraph (1)(D), the Director of 20 [Text truncated for display. 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