IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO NATIONAL NETWORK FOR MICROELECTRONICS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

SEC. 217. [15 U.S.C. 4653] IMPROVEMENTS RELATING TO NATIONAL NETWORK FOR MICROELECTRONICS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT. Section 9903(b) of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116-283) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “may” and inserting “shall”; and (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: “(3) Selection of entities.— “(A) In general.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, through a competitive process, select two or more entities to carry out the activities described in paragraph (2) as part of the network established under paragraph (1). “(B) Geographic diversity.—The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that the entities selected under subparagraph (A) collectively represent the geographic diversity of the United States.” .