Archived SI output (machine-generated)

Regional Innovation Reauthorization with Performance-Based Safeguards Act of 2025

Mode: Bill Generated by VFA SI Solutions Drafted: 2026.08.04

Archived SI output (machine-generated) · No editorial review recorded

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Real bill

Build to Scale Reauthorization Act of 2026

External ID
S/119/5198
Policy area
Science, Technology, Communications
Latest action
2026-07-30
→ View original
Archived SI draft (machine-generated)

Regional Innovation Reauthorization with Performance-Based Safeguards Act of 2025

To continue federal support for regional technology-based innovation clusters by reauthorizing the regional innovation program under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act, helping local research hubs create jobs and spur economic growth.

Constitutional concerns with the original

  1. The original bill is constitutional under the Commerce Clause and Patent/Copyright Clause, but it lacks explicit safeguards to ensure awarded projects demonstrably affect interstate commerce or promote technological progress.
  2. Potential Tenth Amendment tension if program directs state or local land-use or economic development policies rather than supporting interstate economic activities.

Solution text

This Act reauthorizes the regional innovation program under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act for a period of five years. The program shall provide competitive grants to multi-jurisdictional coalitions—including universities, private businesses, nonprofit organizations, and state or local government entities—to support innovation in science and technology fields that demonstrably affect interstate commerce or promote the progress of science and useful arts. Grants shall be awarded only for projects that (1) connect two or more States or include an out-of-State commercial partner, (2) address a documented national or regional technology challenge, and (3) pledge non-federal matching funds equal to at least 25% of the federal share.

Operative provisions

funding source
Authorized appropriations from the General Fund, offset by a 5% reduction in non-essential administrative expenses across the Department of Commerce for each of the five fiscal years.
funding amount
$50 million per fiscal year for five fiscal years, not to exceed $250 million total.
sunset years
5
oversight body
Government Accountability Office (GAO), with audits conducted annually and a joint report to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
enforcement mechanism
Grant recipients must submit annual performance reports demonstrating quantifiable milestones; failure to meet contractual milestones results in recoupment of federal funds and ineligibility for new awards for three years. The Inspector General of the Department of Commerce shall investigate any alleged misuse of funds; false claims are subject to penalties under the False Claims Act.
effective date
October 1, 2025, if enacted, with all funds obligated within two years of award.

Bipartisan rationale

Honors Democratic priorities by maintaining robust federal investment in regional innovation ecosystems, particularly in underserved areas, and supporting workforce development through university-community partnerships. Honors Republican priorities by imposing a strict 5-year sunset, mandatory performance metrics, a 25% non-federal match requirement, and a full offset through administrative spending reductions, ensuring fiscal restraint and limited federal footprint.

Constitutional citations

  • → Article I, Section 8, Clause 3
  • → Article I, Section 8, Clause 8
  • → Article I, Section 8, Clause 18
  • → Tenth Amendment

Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 Article I, Section 8, Clause 8 Article I, Section 8, Clause 18 Amendment X

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