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S 239 112th Congress Senate

Innovate America Act

Official title: A bill to support innovation, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 24, 2012 Introduced by: Klobuchar, Amy Democratic · Minnesota See on congress.gov
Science, Technology, Communications Advanced technology and technological innovationsBusiness investment and capitalCompetitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficitsEducation programs funding
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Elementary and secondary educationExecutive agency funding and structureFree trade and trade barriersGovernment information and archivesGovernment lending and loan guaranteesHigher educationIncome tax creditsManufacturingResearch administration and fundingResearch and developmentScience and engineering educationSmall businessSocial work, volunteer service, charitable organizationsTechnology transfer and commercialization
This bill died when the 112th Congress ended
It never became law before the 112th Congress (2011–2012) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 31, 2011
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Jan 31, 2011
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action January 31, 2011

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Innovate America Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) revise the definition of "basic research," for purposes of the research tax credit, to remove the prohibition against such research having a specific commercial objective; and (2) provide a tax credit for charitable contributions of equipment to secondary schools and technical and community colleges.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish the the Innovation Technology Development Loan Guarantee Program to help small and medium-sized high growth technology companies operating in a business life cycle phase in which technological, market, or regulatory uncertainty constrains available capital, and unable to progress to the next phase because of such constraints.

Directs the Secretary of Education to award grants to state educational agencies in order to expand science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) secondary schools.

Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide awards to four-year degree-granting educational institutions which have: (1) dramatically increased their percentage and number of students intending to major in a STEM subject and who graduate with a degree in such subject; and (2) sustained such increase for more than five years.

Directs the President to ensure that not less than 10% of all federal funds available each fiscal year for undergraduate student research opportunities are used to fund research opportunities for postsecondary students during the students' first academic year or the summer following such year.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish and maintain a website that connects federally funded researchers who have ideas for technologies they believe could be commercialized with persons expressing an interest in working with such researchers.

Requires the NSF Director to administer a Technology Commercialization Awards Pilot Program through which promising technology advances derived from NSF research grants shall be eligible for funding to move the technology through the prototype and demonstration phases.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a manufacturing assistance program for small and medium-sized domestic manufacturers to promote the manufacturing of goods in the United States and enable those manufacturers to be competitive in global markets.

Requires a report from the Under Secretary for International Trade of the Department of Commerce on the removal of export barriers for U.S. industries. Authorizes appropriations to the U.S. Trade Representative for resolving disputes relating to market access barriers with certain foreign countries.

Requires: (1) the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to devise a strategy to reduce overall government printing costs over a 10-year period; and (2) each federal department and agency to issue guidance on the appropriate use of award and incentive fees in their programs.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 239: Innovate America Act. 112th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-239/
MLA
"S. 239: Innovate America Act." 112th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-239/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 239, 112th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-239/.
Markdown link
[S. 239: Innovate America Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/112-S-239/)
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