The Director of the National Science Foundation shall establish the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation that will upgrade, link, and integrate a system of geographically distributed experimental facilities for earthquake engineering testing of full-sized structures and their components and partial-scale physical models. The system shall be integrated through networking software so that integrated models and databases can be used to create model-based simulation, and the components of the system shall be interconnected with a computer network and allow for remote access, information sharing, and collaborative research.

In addition to amounts appropriated under section 7706(c) of this title, there are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation—

(1) $28,200,000 for fiscal year 2001;

(2) $24,400,000 for fiscal year 2002;

(3) $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2003;

(4) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2004;

(5) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, all of which shall be available for operations and maintenance;

(6) $20,400,000 for fiscal year 2006, all of which shall be available for operations and maintenance;

(7) $20,870,000 for fiscal year 2007, all of which shall be available for operations and maintenance;

(8) $21,390,000 for fiscal year 2008, all of which shall be available for operations and maintenance; and

(9) $21,930,000 for fiscal year 2009, all of which shall be available for operations and maintenance.

(Pub. L. 95–124, § 14, as added Pub. L. 106–503, title II, § 205, Nov. 13, 2000, 114 Stat. 2306; amended Pub. L. 108–360, title I, § 104(c), Oct. 25, 2004, 118 Stat. 1675.)