text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``National Fab Lab Network Act of 
  2013''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds the following:
              (1) Scientific discoveries and technical innovations are 
          critical to the economic and national security of the United 
          States.
              (2) Maintaining the leadership of the United States in 
          science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will require 
          a diverse population with the skills, interest, and access to 
          tools required to advance these fields.
              (3) Just as earlier digital revolutions in communications 
          and computation provided individuals with the Internet and 
          personal computers, a digital revolution in fabrication will 
          allow anyone to make almost anything, anywhere.
              (4) Fab labs like the Center for Bits and Atoms at the 
          Massachusetts Institute of Technology provide a model for a new 
          kind of national laboratory that links local facilities for 
          advanced manufacturing to expand access and empower 
          communities.
              (5) A coordinated national public-private partnership will 
          be the most effective way to accelerate the provision of this 
          infrastructure for learning skills, developing inventions, 
          creating businesses, and producing personalized products.
  
  SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL FAB LAB NETWORK.
  
      (a) Definitions.--In this section--
              (1) the term ``fab lab'' means a facility--
                      (A) equipped with an integrated suite of 
                  fabrication tools to convert digital designs into 
                  functional physical things and scanning tools to 
                  convert physical things into digital designs; and
                      (B) available for a range of individual and 
                  collaborative educational, commercial, creative, and 
                  social purposes, based on guidelines established by the 
                  NFLN relating to sustainable operation; and
              (2) the term ``NFLN'' means the National Fab Lab Network.
      (b) Federal Charter.--The National Fab Lab Network is a federally 
  charted nonprofit corporation, which shall facilitate the creation of a 
  national network of local fab labs and serve as a resource to assist 
  stakeholders with the effective operation of fab labs.
      (c) Membership and Organization.--
              (1) In general.--Eligibility for membership in the NFLN and 
          the rights and privileges of members shall be as provided in 
          the constitution and bylaws of the NFLN. The Board of 
          Directors, officers, and other employees of the NFLN, and their 
          powers and duties, shall be provided in the bylaws of the NFLN.
              (2) Board of directors.--The Board of Directors of the NFLN 
          shall include--
                      (A) the Director of the Fab Foundation;
                      (B) members of the manufacturing sector and 
                  entrepreneurial community; and
                      (C) leaders in science, technology, engineering, 
                  and mathematics education.
              (3) Coordination.--When appropriate, the NFLN should work 
          with Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers of the 
          National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Small 
          Business Administration, and other agencies of the Federal 
          Government to provide additional resources to fab lab users.
      (d) Functions.--The NFLN shall--
              (1) serve as the coordinating body for the creation of a 
          national network of local fab labs in the United States;
              (2) provide a first point of contact for organizations and 
          communities seeking to create fab labs, providing information, 
          assessing suitability, advising on the lab lifecycle, and 
          maintaining descriptions of prospective and operating sites;
              (3) link funders and sites with operational entities that 
          can source and install fab labs, provide training, assist with 
          operations, account for spending, and assess impact;
              (4) perform outreach for individuals and communities on the 
          benefits available through the NFLN;
              (5) facilitate use of the NFLN in synergistic programs, 
          such as workforce training, job creation, research broader 
          impacts, and the production of civic infrastructure; and
              (6) offer transparency in the management, governance, and 
          operation of the NFLN.
      (e) Purposes.--In carrying out its functions, the NFLN's purposes 
  and goals shall be to--
              (1) create a national network of connected local fab labs 
          to empower individuals and communities in the United States; 
          and
              (2) foster the use of distributed digital fabrication tools 
          to promote science, technology, engineering and math skills, 
          increase invention and innovation, create businesses and jobs, 
          and fulfill needs.
      (f) Funding.--The NFLN may accept gifts from private individuals, 
  corporations, government agencies, or other organizations.
target: National Fab Lab Network Act of 2013 - Grants a federal charter to the National Fab Lab Network.
feat_title: National Fab Lab Network Act of 2013