79–006 

115TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 115–471 

STEM RESEARCH AND EDUCATION EFFECTIVENESS AND 

TRANSPARENCY ACT 

DECEMBER 18, 2017.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State 

of the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. SMITH of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 4375] 

The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom was 

referred the bill (H.R. 4375) to provide for a study on broadening 

participation in certain National Science Foundation research and 

education programs, to collect data on Federal research grants to 

science agencies, and for other purposes, having considered the 

same, report favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Committee Statement and Views ........................................................................... 1 

Section-by-Section .................................................................................................... 4 

Explanation of Amendments ................................................................................... 4 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 4 

Application of Law to the Legislative Branch ....................................................... 4 

Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee ...... 5 

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 5 

Duplication of Federal Programs ............................................................................ 5 

Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings ..................................................................... 5 

Federal Advisory Committee Act ............................................................................ 5 

Unfunded Mandate Statement ............................................................................... 5 

Earmark Identification ............................................................................................ 5 

Committee Estimate ................................................................................................ 5 

Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate .................... 6 

COMMITTEE STATEMENT AND VIEWS

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 4375, the ‘‘STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and 

Transparency Act,’’ is sponsored by Rep. Barbara Comstock and 

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Rep. Eddie Bernie Johnson. The purpose of H.R. 4375 is for the 

National Science Foundation (NSF) to study and make recommendations to Congress regarding the effectiveness of its research and education programs aimed at broadening the participation of women and historically underrepresented individuals in 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. The bill also requires each Federal science agency to collect 

standardized information, including demographics, for each application received for research and development grants from universities, research institutions, and federal laboratories. Agencies are 

to submit their standardized information annually to NSF, to be 

published in an annual summary. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

During the past decade, employment in STEM occupations has 

grown six times as fast as non-STEM occupations. The average 

wage for STEM occupations is nearly double the average for all occupations. By 2018, however, projections are that 2.4 million STEM 

jobs will go unfilled. 

Women continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields and 

therefore represent a prime opportunity to help fill the STEM void. 

According to the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) women comprise 48 percent of the U.S. workforce 

but just 24 percent of STEM workers. For instance, 86 percent of 

engineers and 74 percent of computer professionals are male. 

Many minority groups are also significantly under-represented in 

many STEM fields. Hispanics account for 6 percent of employment 

in STEM occupations, which is lower than their share of the U.S. 

population age 21 and older (15 percent), and African Americans 

account for 5 percent of science and engineering employment, 

which is lower than their share of the U.S. population age 21 and 

older (12 percent). 

Attracting more women and individuals from historically underrepresented populations to STEM studies and careers will create 

economic opportunities in higher-paying occupations and bolster 

the nation’s capabilities in areas of science and technology that are 

crucial to our future economic and national security. 

The National Science Foundation is the second largest federal resource for STEM education. NSF invests millions of taxpayer dollars annually in education and research programs aimed at increasing STEM participation among women and under-represented 

populations. The study required in H.R. 4375 will give Congress, 

NSF, and other stakeholders objective information about what 

kinds of interventions and assistance are efficient, scalable, and effective, and which are not. 

H.R. 4375 also requires all Federal science agencies to collect 

standardized information, including demographics, for each application received for research and developments grants. Agencies are 

to submit the information annually to NSF and it is to be reported 

as part of the agency’s annual science and engineering indicators 

report. This information will provide better transparency as to how 

taxpayer dollars are spent on research and scientists across the 

Federal government. 

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LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

On March 9, 2017, the Research and Technology Subcommittee 

held a hearing entitled, ‘‘National Science Foundation Part 1: Overview and Oversight.’’ Witnesses were: Dr. France Co ́rdova, Director, National Science Foundation; Ms. Allison Lerner, Inspector 

General, National Science Foundation. 

On March 21, 2017, the Research and Technology Subcommittee 

held a hearing entitled, ‘‘National Science Foundation Part II: Future Opportunities and Challenges for Science.’’ Witnesses were: 

Dr. Joan Ferrini-Mundy, Acting Chief Operating Officer, National 

Science Foundation; Dr. Maria Zuber, Chair, National Science 

Board; Dr. Jeffrey Spies, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer, 

Center for Open Science and Assistant Professor, University of Virginia; Dr. Keith Yamamoto, Vice Chancellor for Science Policy and 

Strategy, University of California, San Francisco. 

On July 26, 2017, the Research and Technology Subcommittee 

held a hearing entitled, ‘‘STEM and Computer Science Education: 

Preparing the 21st Century Workforce.’’ Witnesses were: Mr. 

James Brown, Executive Director, STEM Education Coalition; Mr. 

Pat Yongpradit, Chief Academic Officer, Code.org; Dr. A. Paul 

Alivisatos, Executive Vice Chancellor & Provost, Vice Chancellor 

for Research, and Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science & 

Engineering, University of California, Berkeley; Ms. Dee Mooney, 

Executive Director, Micron Technology Foundation. 

On November 15, the full Committee approved by voice vote H.R. 

4375, the STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency Act. 

COMMITTEE VIEWS

Broadening Participation Report 

The National Science Foundation has invested billions of dollars 

in research and programs to broaden participation in STEM studies and research. The Committee recognizes the importance of 

these efforts, but is concerned that there has not been enough collection and dissemination of outcomes data on these investments. 

The Committee believes that the collection and sharing of best 

practices will save taxpayer dollars and accelerate the advancement of broader participation in STEM. The Committee understands that NSF is working to address this issue through the new 

NSF initiative Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of 

Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and 

Science (INCLUDES). The Committee further understands that a 

key objective of NSF INCLUDES is to engage current NSF awardees working on broadening participation, as well as the broader 

STEM community, in the creation and development of a network 

to help provide connections to this community. The Committee is 

aware that NSF is supporting efforts that create, analyze and aggregate knowledge and assessments, and also implement, expand, 

and sustain effective practices. The Committee determines that a 

report to Congress is complementary to this effort, and will give 

the committees, NSF, and other stakeholders objective information 

about what kinds of interventions and assistance are efficient, scalable and effective, and which are not effective, efficient, or useful. 

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Collection and Reporting of Data on Federal Research Grants 

The Committee believes that the collection and reporting of data 

on federal research grant applications will provide better transparency to how taxpayer dollars are spent on research and scientists across the Federal government. The Committee finds that 

the data and reporting requirements of this bill are complementary 

to the Digital Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (DATA 

Act) and should not make implementation overly burdensome. 

However, the Committee is concerned by the results of a November 

2017 independent audit of NSF’s implementation of the DATA Act 

and urges NSF to adopt the recommendations made by auditors to 

comply with the DATA Act and this provision of H.R. 4375. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION

Sec. 1. Short title 

STEM Research and Education Effectiveness and Transparency 

Act. 

Sec. 2. Broadening participation in STEM program effectiveness 

study 

This section requires the NSF Director to submit a report to Congress, one year after enactment, on the effectiveness of all NSF research and education programs in broadening the participation of 

women and other underrepresented individuals in STEM studies 

and careers. 

Sec. 3. Collection and reporting of data on Federal research grants 

This section requires each Federal science agency to collect 

standardized record-level annual information on demographics, primary field, award type, review rating, budget request, funding outcome, and awarded budget for each application for merit-reviewed 

research and development grants to institutions of higher education and Federal laboratories supported by that agency. This section also requires the Director of NSF to publish a statistical summary of all the data collected. 

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

There were no amendments to this bill. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

On November 15, 2017, the Committee met in open session and 

ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 4375, by voice vote, a 

quorum being present. 

APPLICATION OF LAW TO THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104–1 requires a description of 

the application of this bill to the legislative branch where the bill 

relates to the terms and conditions of employment or access to public services and accommodations. This bill provides for a report 

from the NSF to make recommendations to Congress regarding the 

effectiveness of its research and education programs aimed at 

broadening the participation of women and historically underrepresented individuals in STEM studies and careers. As such this bill 

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does not relate to employment or access to public services and accommodations. 

STATEMENT OF OVERSIGHT FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF

THE COMMITTEE

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause (2)(b)(1) 

of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, the Committee’s oversight findings and recommendations are reflected in the 

descriptive portions of this report. 

STATEMENT OF GENERAL PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

H.R. 4375 provides for a report from the NSF to make recommendations to Congress regarding the effectiveness of its research and education programs aimed at broadening the participation of women and historically underrepresented individuals in 

STEM studies and careers. 

DUPLICATION OF FEDERAL PROGRAMS

No provision of H.R. 4375 establishes or reauthorizes a program 

of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of another Federal program, a program that was included in any report from the 

Government Accountability Office to Congress pursuant to section 

21 of Public Law 111–139, or a program related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. 

DISCLOSURE OF DIRECTED RULE MAKINGS

The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 4375 does not direct 

the completion of any specific rule makings within the meaning of 

5 U.S.C. 551. 

FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT

The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish or 

authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within the 

definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b). 

UNFUNDED MANDATE STATEMENT

Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act, P.L. 104–4) requires a statement as to whether 

the provisions of the reported include unfunded mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has received a letter 

from the Congressional Budget Office included herein. 

EARMARK IDENTIFICATION

H.R. 4375 does not include any congressional earmarks, limited 

tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in clause 9 of rule 

XXI. 

COMMITTEE ESTIMATE

The Committee estimates that implementing H.R. 4375 would 

have no effect on direct spending or revenue. 

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BUDGET AUTHORITY AND CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE COST

ESTIMATE

The Committee advises that a Congressional Budget Office cost 

estimate was not available at the time this report was printed. 

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