On June 26, 2018, Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology introduced H.R. 6227, the National Quantum Initiative Act. The same day, Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) introduced a companion bill, S. 3143, in the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
The bill proposed a 10-year federal program to accelerate quantum information science (QIS) research and technology development. Key provisions included the establishment of a National Quantum Coordination Office within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, authorization for the Department of Energy to create up to five National QIS Research Centers, authorization for the National Science Foundation to establish Multidisciplinary Centers for Quantum Research and Education, and direction to the National Institute of Standards and Technology to expand QIS research and convene a stakeholder consortium.
According to Congress.gov, the bill’s stated purpose was to provide for a coordinated federal program to accelerate quantum research and development for the economic and national security of the United States. The Congressional Budget Office estimated that implementing the legislation would cost $1.1 billion over the 2019-2023 period.
The House Science Committee approved H.R. 6227 by voice vote on June 27, 2018, the day after introduction. The bill’s introduction followed the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s chartering of a new NSTC Subcommittee on Quantum Information Science earlier in 2018, which held its first meeting on April 27, 2018. H.R. 6227 subsequently passed the House by voice vote on September 13, 2018, was passed by the Senate in December, and was signed into law by President Trump on December 21, 2018.