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# Legislative Bulletin..........................................April 24, 2007

**Contents:**

> **H.R. 362 ---** 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math
> Scholarship Act

H.R. 362 --- 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math
Scholarship Act *(Gordon, D-TN)*

**[Order of Business]{.underline}**: The bill is scheduled for
consideration on April 24, 2007, likely subject to a structured rule.

**[Summary]{.underline}**: H.R. 362 would create several new federal
programs related to science, technology, math, and engineering
education. The specific provisions of the bill are summarized below.

States the following findings:

-   "The National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of
    Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine were tasked in a
    congressional request to recommend actions that the Federal
    Government could take to enhance the science and technology
    enterprise so that the United States can successfully compete,
    prosper, and be secure in the global community of the 21st century;
    and

-   "The Academies' highest priority recommendation in its report,
    'Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America
    for a Brighter Economic Future', is to improve K-12 mathematics and
    science education, and the Academies' first recommended action item
    is to institute a major scholarship program to recruit and educate
    annually 10,000 mathematics and science teachers."

States the following policy objective:

-   "In carrying out the program under section 104, the National Science
    Foundation shall seek **to increase by up to 10,000 per year the
    number of elementary and secondary mathematics and science
    teachers** in the Nation's schools having both exemplary subject
    knowledge and pedagogical skills" (emphasis added).

Amends the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program in current law,
operated by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which is a
competitive grant program to institutes of higher education. H.R. 362
amends the program to provide assistance to IHEs that ensure teachers
from both the math and science and the education departments work
together to recruit students to pursue degrees in science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM), as well as to become certified K-12
teachers. The bill also increases the scholarships provided to students
through this program from \$7,500 to \$10,000. Scholarship recipients
would be required to teach up to six years (based on number of years
receiving the scholarship), and the teaching requirement would be
reduced by one for those who teach in high-need schools. If a student
chose not to fulfill their teaching requirement, the scholarship would
be converted to a loan, which must be repaid by the individual.
**Authorizes \$664 million for this program over the FY 2008 through FY
2012 period.**

Amends the Mathematics and Science Education Partnership program
operated by NSF, authorizing teacher training activities under the
program to prepare teachers to teach certain STEM classes, such as
advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses.

Requires NSF to **establish a new grant program** to provide summer or
academic year teacher institutes or workshops funds to operate one- or
two-week summer teacher institutes with the goal of "reaching the
maximum number of in-service mathematics and science teachers,
particularly elementary and middle school teachers. **Authorizes \$195.5
million over the FY 2008 through FY 2012 period. Also authorizes \$41
million over the FY 2008 through FY 2012 period for the Secretary of
Energy for the Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development
program.**

Requires NSF to **establish a new grant program** to provide assistance
to IHEs that maintain master's degree programs designed for current
teachers, who will enroll as part-time students and allow participants
to obtain master's degrees within a period of three years. **Authorizes
\$280.2 million over the FY 2008 through FY 2012 for this new program**.

Requires NSF and the Secretary of Education to establish a national
panel of experts on math and science education to identify K-12 math,
science, and technology teaching materials that have been demonstrated
to be effective.

Requires NSF, through the STEM Talent Expansion program, **to create a
new program** for the creation of centers to develop undergraduate
curriculum, teaching methods for undergraduate courses, and methods to
better train professors and teaching assistants who teach undergraduate
courses to increase the number of students completing these courses in
STEM fields. **Authorizes \$279 million for the STEM Talent Expansion
program over five years, \$44 million of which is for the new centers.**

Requires NSF to **create a new research pilot program** (the
Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science), which will fund
partnerships between IHEs, businesses, and high-need public schools, to
improve laboratories as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the
quality of STEM instruction at the high school level. The federal share
of the cost of activities carried out using a grant from this program is
limited to 50 percent. **Authorizes \$5 million in FY 2008, and such
sums as necessary for the following three years for this program.**

**[Possible Conservative Concerns]{.underline}: Some conservatives may
be concerned that H.R. 362 would create four new federal programs, and
CBO estimates implementing the bill would authorize \$1.5 billion over
five years. In addition, some conservatives may be concerned that these
four new programs are highly duplicative of current federal efforts.**
**An October 2005 Government Accountability Office (GAO) study reported
that in FY04, 13 federal agencies reported [spending roughly \$2.8
billion on 207 different education programs]{.underline} directly
related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).**

**[Committee Action]{.underline}**: H.R. 362 was introduced on January
10, 2007, and referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology,
which held a mark-up and reported the bill, as amended, on April 16,
2007.

**[Cost to Taxpayers]{.underline}**: According to CBO, enacting H.R. 362
would authorize \$202 million in FY2008, and \$1.5 billion over five
years.

**[Does the Bill Expand the Size and Scope of the Federal
Government?]{.underline}**: Yes. The bill creates four new programs.

**[Does the Bill Contain Any New State-Government, Local-Government, or
Private-Sector Mandates?]{.underline}**: No.

**[Earmark Compliance]{.underline}**: According to Committee Report
110-85 , the "H.R. 362 does not contain any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause
9(d), 9(e), or 9(t) of rule XXI."

**[Constitutional Authority]{.underline}**: The Science and Technology
Committee, in Committee Report 110-85 cites constitutional authority in
Article I, Section 8, but fails to cite a specific clause.

House Rule XIII, Section 3(d)(1), requires that all committee reports
contain "a statement citing the *specific* powers granted to Congress in
the Constitution to enact the law proposed by the bill or joint
resolution" *(emphasis added).*

**[RSC Staff Contact:]{.underline}** Joelle Cannon;
<joelle.cannon@mail.house.gov>, 202.226.0718.

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