15 U.S.C. § 7464 — Identity management research and devel-

Page 2368 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7451 untary program for the exchange of employees engaged in one of the cybersecurity work roles identified in the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Framework (NIST Special Publication 800–181), or successor framework, between the National Institute of Standards and Technology and private sector institutions, including nonpublic or commercial businesses, research institutions, or insti- tutions of higher education, as the Director of the Na- tional Institute of Standards and Technology considers feasible.’’ PROFICIENCY TO PERFORM CYBERSECURITY TASKS Pub. L. 116–283, div. H, title XCIV, § 9401(d), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4806, provided that: ‘‘Not later than 540 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 1, 2021], the Director of the National Institute of Stand- ards and Technology shall, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Secu- rity, and the heads of other appropriate agencies— ‘‘(1) in carrying out subsection (a) of such section [meaning 15 U.S.C. 7451(a), now 15 U.S.C. 7443(a)], as- sess the scope and sufficiency of efforts to measure an individual’s capability to perform specific tasks found in the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) Cybersecurity Workforce Frame- work (NIST Special Publication 800–181) at all pro- ficiency levels; and ‘‘(2) submit to Congress a report— ‘‘(A) on the findings of the Director with respect to the assessment carried out under paragraph (1); and ‘‘(B) with recommendations for effective methods for measuring the cybersecurity proficiency of learners.’’ SUBCHAPTER III—CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS AND PREPAREDNESS Editorial Notes CODIFICATION This subchapter was comprised of title IV of Pub. L. 113–274, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2985, prior to its repeal by Pub. L. 116–283, div. H, title XCIV, § 9401(g)(2), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4809. § 7451. Transferred Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section, Pub. L. 113–274, title IV, § 401, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2985, which related to national cybersecurity awareness and education program, was renumbered § 303 of title III of Pub. L. 113–274, by Pub. L. 116–283, div. H, title XCIV, § 9401(g)(1), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 4809, and transferred to section 7443 of this title. SUBCHAPTER IV—ADVANCEMENT OF CYBERSECURITY TECHNICAL STANDARDS § 7461. Definitions In this subchapter: (1) Director The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Tech- nology. (2) Institute The term ‘‘Institute’’ means the National In- stitute of Standards and Technology. (Pub. L. 113–274, title V, § 501, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2986.) § 7462. International cybersecurity technical standards (a) In general The Director, in coordination with appropriate Federal authorities, shall— (1) as appropriate, ensure coordination of Federal agencies engaged in the development of international technical standards related to information system security; and (2) not later than 1 year after December 18, 2014, develop and transmit to Congress a plan for ensuring such Federal agency coordina- tion. (b) Consultation with the private sector In carrying out the activities specified in sub- section (a)(1), the Director shall ensure con- sultation with appropriate private sector stake- holders. (Pub. L. 113–274, title V, § 502, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2986.) § 7463. Cloud computing strategy (a) In general The Director, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, in collaboration with the Federal Chief Information Officers Council, and in consultation with other relevant Federal agencies and stakeholders from the pri- vate sector, shall continue to develop and en- courage the implementation of a comprehensive strategy for the use and adoption of cloud com- puting services by the Federal Government. (b) Activities In carrying out the strategy described under subsection (a), the Director shall give consider- ation to activities that— (1) accelerate the development, in collabora- tion with the private sector, of standards that address interoperability and portability of cloud computing services; (2) advance the development of conformance testing performed by the private sector in sup- port of cloud computing standardization; and (3) support, in coordination with the Office of Management and Budget, and in consulta- tion with the private sector, the development of appropriate security frameworks and ref- erence materials, and the identification of best practices, for use by Federal agencies to address security and privacy requirements to enable the use and adoption of cloud com- puting services, including activities— (A) to ensure the physical security of cloud computing data centers and the data stored in such centers; (B) to ensure secure access to the data stored in cloud computing data centers; (C) to develop security standards as re- quired under section 278g–3 of this title; and (D) to support the development of the au- tomation of continuous monitoring systems. (Pub. L. 113–274, title V, § 503, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2986.) § 7464. Identity management research and devel- opment (a) In general The Director shall carry out a program of re- search to support the development of voluntary, Page 2369 TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE § 7501 consensus-based technical standards, best prac- tices, benchmarks, methodologies, metrology, testbeds, and conformance criteria for identity management, taking into account appropriate user concerns to— (1) improve interoperability and portability among identity management technologies; (2) strengthen identity proofing and verification methods used in identity manage- ment systems commensurate with the level of risk, including identity and attribute valida- tion services provided by Federal, State, and local governments; (3) improve privacy protection in identity management systems; and (4) improve the accuracy, usability, and inclusivity of identity management systems. (b) Digital identity technical roadmap The Director, in consultation with other rel- evant Federal agencies and stakeholders from the private sector, shall develop and maintain a technical roadmap for digital identity manage- ment research and development focused on ena- bling the voluntary use and adoption of modern digital identity solutions that align with the four criteria in subsection (a). (c) Digital identity management guidance (1) In general The Director shall develop, and periodically update, in collaboration with other public and private sector organizations, common defini- tions and voluntary guidance for digital iden- tity management systems, including identity and attribute validation services provided by Federal, State, and local governments. (2) Guidance The Guidance shall— (A) align with the four criteria in sub- section (a), as practicable; (B) provide case studies of implementation of guidance; (C) incorporate voluntary technical stand- ards and industry best practices; and (D) not prescribe or otherwise require the use of specific technology products or serv- ices. (3) Consultation In carrying out this subsection, the Director shall consult with— (A) Federal and State agencies; (B) industry; (C) potential end-users and individuals that will use services related to digital iden- tity verification; and (D) experts with relevant experience in the systems that enable digital identity verification, as determined by the Director. (Pub. L. 113–274, title V, § 504, Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2987; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title II, § 10225, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1478.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2022—Pub. L. 117–167 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to Director’s continu- ance of program to support development of voluntary and cost-effective technical standards, metrology, testbeds, and conformance criteria, taking into ac- count appropriate user concerns. CHAPTER 101—NANOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT Sec. 7501. National Nanotechnology Program. 7502. Program coordination. 7503. Advisory Panel. 7504. Quadrennial external review of the National Nanotechnology Program. 7505. Authorization of appropriations. 7506. Department of Commerce programs. 7507. Department of Energy programs. 7508. Additional centers. 7509. Definitions. § 7501. National Nanotechnology Program (a) National Nanotechnology Program The President shall implement a National Nanotechnology Program. Through appropriate agencies, councils, and the National Nanotechnology Coordination Office established in section 7502 of this title, the Program shall— (1) establish the goals, priorities, and metrics for evaluation for Federal nanotechnology research, development, and other activities; (2) invest in Federal research and develop- ment programs in nanotechnology and related sciences to achieve those goals; and (3) provide for interagency coordination of Federal nanotechnology research, develop- ment, and other activities undertaken pursu- ant to the Program. (b) Program activities The activities of the Program shall include— (1) developing a fundamental understanding of matter that enables control and manipula- tion at the nanoscale; (2) providing grants to individual investiga- tors and interdisciplinary teams of investiga- tors; (3) establishing a network of advanced tech- nology user facilities and centers; (4) establishing, on a merit-reviewed and competitive basis, interdisciplinary nanotechnology research centers, which shall— (A) interact and collaborate to foster the exchange of technical information and best practices; (B) involve academic institutions or na- tional laboratories and other partners, which may include States and industry; (C) make use of existing expertise in nanotechnology in their regions and nation- ally; (D) make use of ongoing research and de- velopment at the micrometer scale to sup- port their work in nanotechnology; and (E) to the greatest extent possible, be es- tablished in geographically diverse loca- tions, encourage the participation of His- torically Black Colleges and Universities that are part B institutions as defined in section 1061(2) of title 20 and minority insti- tutions (as defined in section 1067k(3) of title 20), and include institutions located in States participating in the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR);