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HR 4121 115th Congress House

Global Development Lab Act of 2017

Official title: To establish in the United States Agency for International Development an entity to be known as the United States Global Development Lab, and for other purposes.

Introduced: October 25, 2017 Introduced by: Castro, Joaquin Democratic · Texas See on congress.gov
International Affairs Advanced technology and technological innovationsExecutive agency funding and structureForeign aid and international reliefResearch administration and fundingU.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
This bill died when the 115th Congress ended
It never became law before the 115th Congress (2017–2018) 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
Oct 25, 2017
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Oct 25, 2017
Introduced in House
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 Latest action October 25, 2017

Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Global Development Lab Act of 2017

This bill establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) the United States Global Development Lab, the duties of which shall include:

  • increasing the application of science, technology, innovation and partnerships to develop new solutions to end extreme poverty;
  • discovering and testing development innovations to increase cost effectiveness and support U.S. foreign policy and development goals;
  • leveraging the expertise, resources, and investment of businesses, nongovernmental organizations, science and research organizations, and universities to increase program impact and sustainability;
  • utilizing innovation-driven competitions to expand the number and diversity of solutions to development challenges; and
  • supporting USAID missions and bureaus in applying science, technology, innovation, and partnership approaches to decision making, procurement, and program design.

The lab is authorized to provide innovation incentive awards on a competitive basis that: (1) encourages and rewards the development of solutions for a particular, well-defined problem relating to the alleviation of poverty; or (2) helps identify and promote a broad range of ideas and practices, facilitating further development of an idea or practice by third parties.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4121: Global Development Lab Act of 2017. 115th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-4121/
MLA
"H.R. 4121: Global Development Lab Act of 2017." 115th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-4121/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4121, 115th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-4121/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4121: Global Development Lab Act of 2017](https://openamerica.io/bill/115-HR-4121/)
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