Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73
§1862n–4 Major research equipment and facilities construction plan
Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 16— - NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION › § 1862n–4
Summary
The Director must make a numbered priority list of projects the Board has approved for future budgets under the major research equipment and facilities construction account and give it to the Board to approve. The list must consider readiness to build and run the project, how certain the total life‑cycle cost estimates are, and the planned completion schedule. The Director must update the list when the Board adds a project. No project paid from that account may be run by someone in a temporary Foundation appointment. The Board must explicitly approve any project before money can be spent on it.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §1862n–4
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)The Director shall—
(A)develop a list indicating by number the relative priority for funding under the major research equipment and facilities construction account that the Director assigns to each project the Board has approved for inclusion in a future budget request; and
(B)submit the list described in subparagraph (A) to the Board for approval.
(2)The Director shall include in the criteria for developing the list under paragraph (1) the readiness of plans for construction and operation, including confidence in the estimates of the full life-cycle cost (as defined in section 2 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 1862k note)) and the proposed schedule of completion.
(3)The Director shall update the list prepared under paragraph (1) each time the Board approves a new project that would receive funding under the major research equipment and facilities construction account and periodically submit any updated list to the Board for approval.
(b)No national research facility project funded under the major research equipment and facilities construction account shall be managed by an individual whose appointment to the Foundation is temporary.
(c)The Board shall explicitly approve any project to be funded out of the major research equipment and facilities construction account before any funds may be obligated from such account for such project.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 2 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1998, referred to in subsec. (a)(2), is section 2 of Pub. L. 105–207, July 29, 1998, 112 Stat. 869, which is set out as a note under section 1862k of this title. Codification Section is comprised of section 14 of Pub. L. 107–368. As originally enacted, subsec. (b)(1), (2) of section 14 of Pub. L. 107–368 amended section 1862l of this title, and subsec. (b)(3) of section 14 of Pub. L. 107–368 amended provisions set out as a note under section 1862k of this title. Subsec. (c) of section 14 of Pub. L. 107–368 was redesignated subsec. (b) by section 204(c)(3) of Pub. L. 114–329 without reference to the original
Amendments
made by subsec. (b) of section 14 of Pub. L. 107–368. Section was enacted as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter.
Amendments
2017—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–329, § 204(c)(1), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) related to prioritization of proposed major research equipment and facilities
Construction
and annual reports. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–329, § 204(c)(3), redesignated subsec. (c) as (b). Prior to amendment, subsec. (b) had been omitted from this section, see Codification note above. Subsecs. (c), (d). Pub. L. 114–329, § 204(c)(3), (4), redesignated subsec. (d) as (c) and amended it generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (c) related to Board approval of major research equipment and facilities projects. Former subsec. (c) redesignated (b). Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 114–329, § 204(c)(2), struck out subsec. (e) which related to National Academy of Sciences study on major research equipment and facilities
Construction
.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Definitions For definitions of terms used in this section, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–368, set out as a note under section 1862n of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 1862n–4
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73