II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2224 

To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to 

carry out programs and activities to ensure that Federal science agencies 

and institutions of higher education receiving Federal research and development funding are fully engaging their entire talent pool, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 24, 2021 

Ms. HIRONO (for herself, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. MARKEY, 

Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. 

MERKLEY, Mr. BROWN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. PADILLA, Ms. SMITH, and Ms. 

ROSEN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to carry out programs and activities to 

ensure that Federal science agencies and institutions of 

higher education receiving Federal research and development funding are fully engaging their entire talent pool, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS; FINDINGS. 

2 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

3 ‘‘STEM Opportunities Act’’. 

4 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

5 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents; findings. 

Sec. 2. Purposes. 

Sec. 3. Federal science agency policies for caregivers. 

Sec. 4. Collection and reporting of data on Federal research grants. 

Sec. 5. Policies for review of Federal research grants. 

Sec. 6. Collection of data on demographics of faculty. 

Sec. 7. Cultural and institutional barriers to expanding the academic and Federal STEM workforce. 

Sec. 8. Research and dissemination at the National Science Foundation. 

Sec. 9. Research and related activities to expand STEM opportunities. 

Sec. 10. Tribal Colleges and Universities Program. 

Sec. 11. Report to Congress. 

Sec. 12. Merit review. 

Sec. 13. Definitions. 

6 (c) FINDINGS.—The Congress finds the following: 

7 (1) Many reports over the past decade have 

8 found that it is critical to our Nation’s economic 

9 leadership and global competitiveness that the 

10 United States educates and trains more scientists 

11 and engineers. 

12 (2) Research shows that women and minorities 

13 who are interested in STEM careers are dispropor14 tionately lost at nearly every educational transition 

15 and at every career milestone. 

16 (3) The National Center for Science and Engi17 neering Statistics at the National Science Founda18 tion collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes data 


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1 on the demographics of STEM degrees and STEM 

2 jobs in the United States. 

3 (4) Women now earn nearly 37 percent of all 

4 STEM bachelor’s degrees, but major variations per5 sist among fields. In 2017, women earned only 20 

6 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in engi7 neering and 19 percent of bachelor’s degrees award8 ed in computer sciences. Based on Bureau of Labor 

9 Statistics data, jobs in computing occupations are 

10 expected to account for nearly 60 percent of the pro11 jected annual growth of newly created STEM job 

12 openings from 2016 to 2026. 

13 (5) In 2017, underrepresented minority groups 

14 comprised 39 percent of the college-age population 

15 of the United States, but only 18 percent of stu16 dents who earned bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields. 

17 The Higher Education Research Institute at the 

18 University of California, Los Angeles, found that, 

19 while freshmen from underrepresented minority 

20 groups express an interest in pursuing a STEM un21 dergraduate degree at the same rate as all other 

22 freshmen, only 22.1 percent of Latino students, 18.4 

23 percent of African-American students, and 18.8 per24 cent of Native American students studying in STEM 

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1 pared to approximately 33 percent of White students 

2 and 42 percent of Asian students who complete their 

3 degree within 5 years. 

4 (6) In some STEM fields, including the com5 puter sciences, women persist at about the same rate 

6 through doctorate degrees. In other STEM fields, 

7 women persist through doctorate degrees at a lower 

8 rate. In mathematics, women earn just 26 percent of 

9 doctorate degrees compared with 42 percent of un10 dergraduate degrees. Overall, women earned 38 per11 cent of STEM doctorate degrees in 2016. The rate 

12 of minority students earning STEM doctorate de13 grees in physics is 9 percent, compared with 15 per14 cent for bachelor’s degrees. Students from underrep15 resented minority groups accounted for only 11.5 

16 percent of STEM doctorate degrees awarded in 

17 2016. 

18 (7) The representation of women in STEM 

19 drops significantly from the doctorate degree level to 

20 the faculty level. Overall, women hold only 26 per21 cent of all tenured and tenure-track positions and 27 

22 percent of full professor positions in STEM fields in 

23 our Nation’s universities and 4-year colleges. Black 

24 and Hispanic faculty together hold about 6.8 percent 

25 of all tenured and tenure-track positions and 7.5 


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1 percent of full professor positions. Many of the num2 bers in the American Indian or Alaskan Native and 

3 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander cat4 egories for different faculty ranks were too small for 

5 the National Science Foundation to report publicly 

6 without potentially compromising confidential infor7 mation about the individuals being surveyed. 

8 (8) The representation of women is especially 

9 low at our Nation’s top research universities. Even 

10 in the biological sciences, in which women now earn 

11 more than 50 percent of the doctorates and passed 

12 the 25 percent level 37 years ago, women make up 

13 only 25 percent of the full professors at the approxi14 mately 100 most research-intensive universities in 

15 the United States. In the physical sciences and 

16 mathematics, women make up only 11 percent of full 

17 professors, in computer sciences only 10 percent, 

18 and across engineering fields only 7 percent. The 

19 data suggest that approximately 6 percent of all ten20 ure-track STEM faculty members at the most re21 search-intensive universities are from underrep22 resented minority groups, but in some fields the 

23 numbers are too small to report publicly. 

24 (9) By 2050, underrepresented minorities will 

25 comprise 52 percent of the college-age population of 


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1 the United States. If the percentage of female stu2 dents and students from underrepresented minority 

3 groups earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields 

4 does not significantly increase, the United States 

5 will face an acute shortfall in the overall number of 

6 students who earn degrees in STEM fields just as 

7 United States companies are increasingly seeking 

8 students with those skills. With this impending 

9 shortfall, the United States will almost certainly lose 

10 its competitive edge in the 21st century global econ11 omy. 

12 (10) According to a 2014 Association for 

13 Women in Science survey of over 4,000 scientists 

14 across the globe, 70 percent of whom were men, 

15 STEM researchers face significant challenges in 

16 work-life integration. Researchers in the United 

17 States were among the most likely to experience a 

18 conflict between work and their personal life at least 

19 weekly. One-third of researchers surveyed said that 

20 ensuring good work-life integration has negatively 

21 impacted their careers, and, of researchers intending 

22 to leave their current job within the next year, 9 

23 percent indicated it was because they were unable to 

24 balance work and life demands. 


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1 (11) Female students and students from under2 represented minority groups at institutions of higher 

3 education who see few others ‘‘like themselves’’ 

4 among faculty and student populations often do not 

5 experience the social integration that is necessary for 

6 success in all disciplines, including STEM. 

7 (12) One in five children in the United States 

8 attend school in a rural community. The data shows 

9 that rural students are at a disadvantage with re10 spect to STEM readiness. Among STEM-interested 

11 students, 17 percent of students in rural high 

12 schools and 18 percent of students in town-located 

13 high schools meet the ACT STEM Benchmark, com14 pared with 33 percent of students in suburban high 

15 schools and 27 percent of students in urban high 

16 schools. 

17 (13) A substantial body of evidence establishes 

18 that most people hold implicit biases. Decades of 

19 cognitive psychology research reveal that most peo20 ple carry prejudices of which they are unaware but 

21 that nonetheless play a large role in evaluations of 

22 people and their work. Unintentional biases and out23 moded institutional structures are hindering the ac24 cess and advancement of women, minorities, and 

25 other groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 


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1 (14) Workshops held to educate faculty about 

2 unintentional biases have demonstrated success in 

3 raising awareness of such biases. 

4 (15) In 2012, the Office of Diversity and Equal 

5 Opportunity of the National Aeronautics and Space 

6 Administration (in this Act referred to as ‘‘NASA’’) 

7 completed a report that— 

8 (A) is specifically designed to help NASA 

9 grant recipients identify why the dearth of 

10 women in STEM fields continues and to ensure 

11 that it is not due to discrimination; and 

12 (B) provides guidance that is usable by all 

13 institutions of higher education receiving sig14 nificant Federal research funding on how to 

15 conduct meaningful self-evaluations of campus 

16 culture and policies. 

17 (16) The Federal Government provides 55 per18 cent of research funding at institutions of higher 

19 education and, through its grant-making policies, 

20 has had significant influence on institution of higher 

21 education policies, including policies related to insti22 tutional culture and structure. 

23 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

24 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 


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1 (1) To ensure that Federal science agencies and 

2 institutions of higher education receiving Federal re3 search and development funding are fully engaging 

4 the entire talent pool of the United States. 

5 (2) To promote research on, and increase un6 derstanding of, the participation and trajectories of 

7 women, minorities, and other groups historically 

8 underrepresented in STEM studies and careers, in9 cluding persons with disabilities, older learners, vet10 erans, and rural, poor, and tribal populations, at in11 stitutions of higher education and Federal science 

12 agencies, including Federal laboratories. 

13 (3) To raise awareness within Federal science 

14 agencies, including Federal laboratories, and institu15 tions of higher education about cultural and institu16 tional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, 

17 promotion, and other indicators of participation and 

18 achievement of women, minorities, and other groups 

19 historically underrepresented in academic and Gov20 ernment STEM research careers at all levels. 

21 (4) To identify, disseminate, and implement 

22 best practices at Federal science agencies, including 

23 Federal laboratories, and at institutions of higher 

24 education to remove or reduce cultural and institu25 tional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, 


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1 and success of women, minorities, and other groups 

2 historically underrepresented in academic and Gov3 ernment STEM research careers. 

4 (5) To provide grants to institutions of higher 

5 education to recruit, retain, and advance STEM fac6 ulty members from underrepresented minority 

7 groups and to implement or expand reforms in un8 dergraduate STEM education in order to increase 

9 the number of students from underrepresented mi10 nority groups receiving degrees in these fields. 

11 SEC. 3. FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY POLICIES FOR CARE12 GIVERS. 

13 (a) OSTP GUIDANCE.—Not later than 6 months 

14 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in 

15 consultation with relevant agencies, shall provide guidance 

16 to each Federal science agency to establish policies that— 

17 (1) apply to all— 

18 (A) research awards granted by such agen19 cy; and 

20 (B) principal investigators of such research 

21 who have caregiving responsibilities, including 

22 care for a newborn or newly adopted child and 

23 care for an immediate family member who is 

24 sick or disabled; and 

25 (2) provide— 


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1 (A) flexibility in timing for the initiation of 

2 approved research awards granted by such 

3 agency; 

4 (B) no-cost extensions of such research 

5 awards; 

6 (C) grant supplements, as appropriate, to 

7 research awards for research technicians or 

8 equivalent positions to sustain research activi9 ties conducted under such awards; and 

10 (D) any other appropriate accommodations 

11 at the discretion of the director of each such 

12 agency. 

13 (b) UNIFORMITY OF GUIDANCE.—In providing guid14 ance under subsection (a), the Director shall encourage 

15 uniformity and consistency in the policies established pur16 suant to such guidance across all Federal science agencies. 

17 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Consistent with 

18 the guidance under subsection (a), Federal science agen19 cies shall— 

20 (1) maintain or develop and implement policies 

21 for individuals described in paragraph (1)(B) of 

22 such subsection; and 

23 (2) broadly disseminate such policies to current 

24 and potential grantees. 


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1 (d) DATA ON USAGE.—Federal science agencies 

2 shall— 

3 (1) collect data on the usage of the policies 

4 under subsection (c), by gender, at both institutions 

5 of higher education and Federal laboratories; and 

6 (2) report such data on an annual basis to the 

7 Director in such form as required by the Director. 

8 SEC. 4. COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF DATA ON FED9 ERAL RESEARCH GRANTS. 

10 (a) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal science agency 

12 shall collect, as practicable, with respect to all appli13 cations for merit-reviewed research and development 

14 grants to institutions of higher education and Fed15 eral laboratories supported by that agency, the 

16 standardized record-level annual information on de17 mographics, primary field, award type, institution 

18 type, review rating, budget request, funding out19 come, and awarded budget. 

20 (2) UNIFORMITY AND STANDARDIZATION.—The 

21 Director, in consultation with the Director of the 

22 National Science Foundation, shall establish a policy 

23 to ensure uniformity and standardization of the data 

24 collection required under paragraph (1). 

25 (3) RECORD-LEVEL DATA.— 


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1 (A) REQUIREMENT.—Beginning not later 

2 than 2 years after the date of the enactment of 

3 this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter, 

4 each Federal science agency shall submit to the 

5 Director of the National Science Foundation 

6 record-level data collected under paragraph (1) 

7 in the form required by such Director. 

8 (B) PREVIOUS DATA.—As part of the first 

9 submission under subparagraph (A), each Fed10 eral science agency, to the extent practicable, 

11 shall also submit comparable record-level data 

12 for the 5 years preceding the date of such sub13 mission. 

14 (b) REPORTING OF DATA.—The Director of the Na15 tional Science Foundation shall publish statistical sum16 mary data, as practicable, collected under this section, 

17 disaggregated and cross-tabulated by race, ethnicity, gen18 der, and years since completion of doctoral degree, includ19 ing in conjunction with the National Science Foundation’s 

20 report required by section 37 of the Science and Engineer21 ing Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d). 

22 SEC. 5. POLICIES FOR REVIEW OF FEDERAL RESEARCH 

23 GRANTS. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—Each Federal science agency shall 

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1 ducing the impact of implicit bias at Federal science agen2 cies and grantee institutions as developed by the Office 

3 of Science and Technology Policy in the 2016 report enti4 tled ‘‘Reducing the Impact of Bias in the STEM Work5 force’’ and any subsequent updates. 

6 (b) PILOT ACTIVITY.—In consultation with the Na7 tional Science Foundation and consistent with policy rec8 ommendations referenced in subsection (a), each Federal 

9 science agency shall implement a 2-year pilot orientation 

10 activity for program officers and members of standing re11 view committees to educate reviewers on research related 

12 to, and minimize the effects of, implicit bias in the review 

13 of extramural and intramural Federal research grants. 

14 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Drawing upon 

15 lessons learned from the pilot activity under subsection 

16 (b), each Federal science agency shall maintain or develop 

17 and implement evidence-based policies and practices to 

18 minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of extra19 mural and intramural Federal research grants. 

20 (d) ASSESSMENT OF POLICIES.—Federal science 

21 agencies shall regularly assess, and amend as necessary, 

22 the policies and practices implemented pursuant to sub23 section (c) to ensure effective measures are in place to 

24 minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of extra25 mural and intramural Federal research grants. 


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1 SEC. 6. COLLECTION OF DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS OF FAC2 ULTY. 

3 (a) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, and at least every 

6 5 years thereafter, the Director of the National 

7 Science Foundation shall carry out a survey to col8 lect data from grantees on the demographics of 

9 STEM faculty, by broad fields of STEM, at dif10 ferent types of institutions of higher education. 

11 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—To the extent prac12 ticable, the Director of the National Science Foun13 dation shall consider, by gender, race, ethnicity, citi14 zenship status, and years since completion of doc15 toral degree— 

16 (A) the number and percentage of faculty; 

17 (B) the number and percentage of faculty 

18 at each rank; 

19 (C) the number and percentage of faculty 

20 who are in nontenure-track positions, including 

21 teaching and research; 

22 (D) the number and percentage of faculty 

23 who are reviewed for promotion, including ten24 ure, and the percentage of that number who are 

25 promoted, including being awarded tenure; 

26 (E) faculty years in rank; 


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1 (F) the number and percentage of faculty 

2 to leave tenure-track positions; 

3 (G) the number and percentage of faculty 

4 hired, by rank; and 

5 (H) the number and percentage of faculty 

6 in leadership positions. 

7 (b) EXISTING SURVEYS.—The Director of the Na8 tional Science Foundation, may, in modifying or expand9 ing existing Federal surveys of higher education (as nec10 essary)— 

11 (1) take into account the considerations under 

12 subsection (a)(2) by collaborating with statistical 

13 centers at other Federal agencies; or 

14 (2) award a grant or contract to an institution 

15 of higher education or other nonprofit organization 

16 to take such considerations into account. 

17 (c) REPORTING DATA.—The Director of the National 

18 Science Foundation shall publish statistical summary data 

19 collected under this section, including as part of the Na20 tional Science Foundation’s report required by section 37 

21 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act 

22 (42 U.S.C. 1885d). 

23 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

24 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

25 National Science Foundation $3,000,000 in each of fiscal 


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1 years 2021 through 2023 to develop and carry out the 

2 initial survey required under subsection (a). 

3 SEC. 7. CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EX4 PANDING THE ACADEMIC AND FEDERAL 

5 STEM WORKFORCE. 

6 (a) BEST PRACTICES AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER

7 EDUCATION AND FEDERAL LABORATORIES.— 

8 (1) DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDANCE.—Not later 

9 than 12 months after the date of enactment of this 

10 Act, the Director, in consultation with the inter11 agency working group on inclusion in STEM, shall 

12 develop written guidance for institutions of higher 

13 education and Federal laboratories on the best prac14 tices for— 

15 (A) conducting periodic climate surveys of 

16 STEM departments and divisions, with a par17 ticular focus on identifying any cultural or in18 stitutional barriers to the recruitment, reten19 tion, or advancement of women, racial and eth20 nic minorities, and other groups historically 

21 underrepresented in STEM studies and careers; 

22 and 

23 (B) providing educational opportunities, in24 cluding workshops as described in subsection 

25 (b), for STEM faculty, research personnel, and 


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1 administrators to learn about current research 

2 on implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation, and 

3 promotion of undergraduate and graduate stu4 dents and research personnel. 

5 (2) EXISTING GUIDANCE.—In developing the 

6 guidance under paragraph (1), the Director shall 

7 utilize guidance already developed by Federal science 

8 agencies. 

9 (3) DISSEMINATION OF GUIDANCE.—Federal 

10 science agencies shall broadly disseminate the guid11 ance developed under paragraph (1) to institutions 

12 of higher education that receive Federal research 

13 funding and Federal laboratories. 

14 (4) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Consistent 

15 with the guidance developed under paragraph (1)— 

16 (A) the Director of the National Science 

17 Foundation shall develop a policy that— 

18 (i) applies to, at a minimum, doctoral 

19 degree granting institutions that receive 

20 Federal research funding; and 

21 (ii) requires each such institution, not 

22 later than 3 years after the date of enact23 ment of this Act, to report to the Director 

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1 mented based on the guidance developed 

2 under paragraph (1); and 

3 (B) each Federal science agency with a 

4 Federal laboratory shall maintain or develop 

5 and implement practices and policies for the 

6 purposes described in paragraph (1) for such 

7 laboratory. 

8 (b) WORKSHOPS TO ADDRESS CULTURAL BARRIERS

9 TO EXPANDING THE ACADEMIC AND FEDERAL STEM 

10 WORKFORCE.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 

12 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, 

13 in consultation with the interagency working group 

14 on inclusion in STEM, shall recommend a uniform 

15 policy for Federal science agencies to carry out a 

16 program of workshops that educate STEM depart17 ment chairs at institutions of higher education, sen18 ior managers at Federal laboratories, and other fed19 erally funded researchers about methods that mini20 mize the effects of implicit bias in the career ad21 vancement, including hiring, tenure, promotion, and 

22 selection for any honor based in part on the recipi23 ent’s research record, of academic and Federal 

24 STEM researchers. 


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1 (2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The Direc2 tor shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that work3 shops supported under this subsection are coordi4 nated across Federal science agencies and jointly 

5 supported as appropriate. 

6 (3) MINIMIZING COSTS.—To the extent prac7 ticable, workshops shall be held in conjunction with 

8 national or regional STEM disciplinary meetings to 

9 minimize costs associated with participant travel. 

10 (4) PRIORITY FIELDS FOR ACADEMIC PARTICI11 PANTS.—In considering the participation of STEM 

12 department chairs and other academic researchers, 

13 the Director shall prioritize workshops for the broad 

14 fields of STEM in which the national rate of rep15 resentation of women among tenured or tenure-track 

16 faculty or nonfaculty researchers at doctorate-grant17 ing institutions of higher education is less than 25 

18 percent, according to the most recent data available 

19 from the National Center for Science and Engineer20 ing Statistics. 

21 (5) ORGANIZATIONS ELIGIBLE TO CARRY OUT

22 WORKSHOPS.—A Federal science agency may carry 

23 out the program of workshops under this subsection 

24 by making grants to organizations made eligible by 


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1 the Federal science agency and any of the following 

2 organizations: 

3 (A) Nonprofit scientific and professional 

4 societies and organizations that represent one 

5 or more STEM disciplines. 

6 (B) Nonprofit organizations that have the 

7 primary mission of advancing the participation 

8 of women, minorities, or other groups histori9 cally underrepresented in STEM. 

10 (6) CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKSHOPS.—The 

11 workshops shall have the following characteristics: 

12 (A) Invitees to workshops shall include at 

13 least— 

14 (i) the chairs of departments in the 

15 relevant STEM discipline or disciplines 

16 from doctoral degree granting institutions 

17 that receive Federal research funding; and 

18 (ii) in the case of Federal laboratories, 

19 individuals with personnel management re20 sponsibilities comparable to those of an in21 stitution of higher education department 

22 chair. 

23 (B) Activities at the workshops shall in24 clude research presentations and interactive dis25 cussions or other activities that increase the 


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1 awareness of the existence of implicit bias in re2 cruitment, hiring, tenure review, promotion, and 

3 other forms of formal recognition of individual 

4 achievement for faculty and other federally 

5 funded STEM researchers and shall provide 

6 strategies to overcome such bias. 

7 (C) Research presentations and other 

8 workshop programs, as appropriate, shall in9 clude a discussion of the unique challenges 

10 faced by different underrepresented groups, in11 cluding minority women, minority men, persons 

12 from rural and underserved areas, persons with 

13 disabilities, gender and sexual minority individ14 uals, and first generation graduates in research. 

15 (D) Workshop programs shall include in16 formation on best practices for mentoring un17 dergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral 

18 women, minorities, and other students from 

19 groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 

20 (7) DATA ON WORKSHOPS.—Any proposal for 

21 funding by an organization seeking to carry out a 

22 workshop under this subsection shall include a de23 scription of how such organization will— 

24 (A) collect data on the rates of attendance 

25 by invitees in workshops, including information 


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1 on the home institution and department of 

2 attendees, and the rank of faculty attendees; 

3 (B) conduct attitudinal surveys on work4 shop attendees before and after the workshops; 

5 and 

6 (C) collect follow-up data on any relevant 

7 institutional policy or practice changes reported 

8 by attendees not later than 1 year after attend9 ance in such a workshop. 

10 (8) REPORT TO NSF.—Organizations receiving 

11 funding to carry out workshops under this sub12 section shall report the data required in paragraph 

13 (7) to the Director of the National Science Founda14 tion in such form as required by such Director. 

15 (c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 4 years 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

17 the National Science Foundation shall submit a report to 

18 Congress that includes— 

19 (1) a summary and analysis of the types and 

20 frequency of activities and policies developed and 

21 carried out under subsection (a) based on the re22 ports submitted under paragraph (4) of such sub23 section; and 

24 (2) a description and evaluation of the status 

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1 quired under subsection (b), including a summary of 

2 any data reported under paragraph (8) of such sub3 section. 

4 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

5 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

6 National Science Foundation $1,000,000 in each of fiscal 

7 years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

8 SEC. 8. RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION AT THE NATIONAL 

9 SCIENCE FOUNDATION. 

10 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 

11 Science Foundation shall award research grants and carry 

12 out dissemination activities consistent with the purposes 

13 of this Act, including— 

14 (1) research grants to analyze the record-level 

15 data collected under section 4 and section 6, con16 sistent with policies to ensure the privacy of individ17 uals identifiable by such data; 

18 (2) research grants to study best practices for 

19 work-life accommodation; 

20 (3) research grants to study the impact of poli21 cies and practices that are implemented under this 

22 Act or that are otherwise consistent with the pur23 poses of this Act; 

24 (4) collaboration with other Federal science 

25 agencies and professional associations to exchange 


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1 best practices, harmonize work-life accommodation 

2 policies and practices, and overcome common bar3 riers to work-life accommodation; and 

4 (5) collaboration with institutions of higher 

5 education in order to clarify and catalyze the adop6 tion of a coherent and consistent set of work-life ac7 commodation policies and practices. 

8 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

10 National Science Foundation $5,000,000 in each of fiscal 

11 years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this section. 

12 SEC. 9. RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES TO EXPAND 

13 STEM OPPORTUNITIES. 

14 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR

15 INCREASING DIVERSITY AMONG STEM FACULTY AT IN16 STITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—Section 305 of the 

17 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 

18 1862s–5) is amended— 

19 (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as 

20 subsections (g) and (h), respectively; and 

21 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘(e) SUPPORT FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY AMONG

24 STEM FACULTY AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDU25 CATION.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Foun2 dation shall award grants to institutions of higher 

3 education (or consortia thereof) for the development 

4 and assessment of innovative reform efforts designed 

5 to increase the recruitment, retention, and advance6 ment of individuals from underrepresented minority 

7 groups in academic STEM careers. 

8 ‘‘(2) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants 

9 shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit10 reviewed, competitive basis. 

11 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by 

12 grants under this subsection may include— 

13 ‘‘(A) institutional assessment activities, 

14 such as data analyses and policy review, in 

15 order to identify and address specific issues in 

16 the recruitment, retention, and advancement of 

17 faculty members from underrepresented minor18 ity groups; 

19 ‘‘(B) implementation of institution-wide 

20 improvements in workload distribution, such 

21 that faculty members from underrepresented 

22 minority groups are not disadvantaged in the 

23 amount of time available to focus on research, 

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1 ties required to achieve tenure status and run 

2 a productive research program; 

3 ‘‘(C) development and implementation of 

4 training courses for administrators and search 

5 committee members to ensure that candidates 

6 from underrepresented minority groups are not 

7 subject to implicit biases in the search and hir8 ing process; 

9 ‘‘(D) development and hosting of intra- or 

10 inter-institutional workshops to propagate best 

11 practices in recruiting, retaining, and advancing 

12 faculty members from underrepresented minor13 ity groups; 

14 ‘‘(E) professional development opportuni15 ties for faculty members from underrepresented 

16 minority groups; 

17 ‘‘(F) activities aimed at making under18 graduate STEM students from underrep19 resented minority groups aware of opportunities 

20 for academic careers in STEM fields; 

21 ‘‘(G) activities to identify and engage ex22 ceptional graduate students and postdoctoral 

23 researchers from underrepresented minority 

24 groups at various stages of their studies and to 

25 encourage them to enter academic careers; and 


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1 ‘‘(H) other activities consistent with para2 graph (1), as determined by the Director of the 

3 Foundation. 

4 ‘‘(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 

5 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—An institution of 

6 higher education (or a consortium of such insti7 tutions) seeking funding under this subsection 

8 shall submit an application to the Director of 

9 the Foundation at such time, in such manner, 

10 and containing such information and assur11 ances as such Director may require. The appli12 cation shall include, at a minimum, a descrip13 tion of— 

14 ‘‘(i) the reform effort that is being 

15 proposed for implementation by the insti16 tution of higher education; 

17 ‘‘(ii) any available evidence of specific 

18 difficulties in the recruitment, retention, 

19 and advancement of faculty members from 

20 underrepresented minority groups in 

21 STEM academic careers within the institu22 tion of higher education submitting an ap23 plication, and how the proposed reform ef24 fort would address such issues; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) how the institution of higher 

2 education submitting an application plans 

3 to sustain the proposed reform effort be4 yond the duration of the grant; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) how the success and effective6 ness of the proposed reform effort will be 

7 evaluated and assessed in order to con8 tribute to the national knowledge base 

9 about models for catalyzing institutional 

10 change. 

11 ‘‘(B) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In se12 lecting grant recipients under this subsection, 

13 the Director of the Foundation shall consider, 

14 at a minimum— 

15 ‘‘(i) the likelihood of success in under16 taking the proposed reform effort at the 

17 institution of higher education submitting 

18 the application, including the extent to 

19 which the administrators of the institution 

20 are committed to making the proposed re21 form effort a priority; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the degree to which the proposed 

23 reform effort will contribute to change in 

24 institutional culture and policy such that 

25 greater value is placed on the recruitment, 


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1 retention, and advancement of faculty 

2 members from underrepresented minority 

3 groups; 

4 ‘‘(iii) the likelihood that the institu5 tion of higher education will sustain or ex6 pand the proposed reform effort beyond 

7 the period of the grant; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) the degree to which evaluation 

9 and assessment plans are included in the 

10 design of the proposed reform effort. 

11 ‘‘(C) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director 

12 of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent 

13 practicable, that grants awarded under this sec14 tion are made to a variety of types of institu15 tions of higher education. 

16 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

17 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

18 this subsection $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

19 2021 through 2025.’’. 

20 (b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR

21 BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN UNDERGRADUATE

22 STEM EDUCATION.—Section 305 of the American Inno23 vation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–5), as 

24 amended by subsection (a), is further amended by insert25 ing after subsection (e) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(f) SUPPORT FOR BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN

2 UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION.— 

3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Foun4 dation shall award grants to institutions of higher 

5 education (or a consortium of such institutions) to 

6 implement or expand research-based reforms in un7 dergraduate STEM education for the purpose of re8 cruiting and retaining students from minority 

9 groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields. 

10 ‘‘(2) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants 

11 shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit12 reviewed, competitive basis. 

13 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by 

14 grants under this subsection may include— 

15 ‘‘(A) implementation or expansion of inno16 vative, research-based approaches to broaden 

17 participation of underrepresented minority 

18 groups in STEM fields; 

19 ‘‘(B) implementation or expansion of 

20 bridge, cohort, tutoring, or mentoring pro21 grams, including those involving community col22 leges and technical schools, designed to enhance 

23 the recruitment and retention of students from 

24 underrepresented minority groups in STEM 

25 fields; 


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1 ‘‘(C) implementation or expansion of out2 reach programs linking institutions of higher 

3 education and K–12 school systems in order to 

4 heighten awareness among pre-college students 

5 from underrepresented minority groups of op6 portunities in college-level STEM fields and 

7 STEM careers; 

8 ‘‘(D) implementation or expansion of fac9 ulty development programs focused on improv10 ing retention of undergraduate STEM students 

11 from underrepresented minority groups; 

12 ‘‘(E) implementation or expansion of 

13 mechanisms designed to recognize and reward 

14 faculty members who demonstrate a commit15 ment to increasing the participation of students 

16 from underrepresented minority groups in 

17 STEM fields; 

18 ‘‘(F) expansion of successful reforms 

19 aimed at increasing the number of STEM stu20 dents from underrepresented minority groups 

21 beyond a single course or group of courses to 

22 achieve reform within an entire academic unit, 

23 or expansion of successful reform efforts beyond 

24 a single academic unit or field to other STEM 


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1 academic units or fields within an institution of 

2 higher education; 

3 ‘‘(G) expansion of opportunities for stu4 dents from underrepresented minority groups to 

5 conduct STEM research in industry, at Federal 

6 labs, and at international research institutions 

7 or research sites; 

8 ‘‘(H) provision of stipends for students 

9 from underrepresented minority groups partici10 pating in research; 

11 ‘‘(I) development of research collaborations 

12 between research-intensive universities and pri13 marily undergraduate minority-serving institu14 tions; 

15 ‘‘(J) support for graduate students and 

16 postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented mi17 nority groups to participate in instructional or 

18 assessment activities at primarily under19 graduate institutions, including primarily un20 dergraduate minority-serving institutions and 2- 

21 year institutions of higher education; and 

22 ‘‘(K) other activities consistent with para23 graph (1), as determined by the Director of the 

24 Foundation. 

25 ‘‘(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—An institution of 

2 higher education (or a consortium thereof) 

3 seeking a grant under this subsection shall sub4 mit an application to the Director of the Foun5 dation at such time, in such manner, and con6 taining such information and assurances as 

7 such Director may require. The application 

8 shall include, at a minimum— 

9 ‘‘(i) a description of the proposed re10 form effort; 

11 ‘‘(ii) a description of the research 

12 findings that will serve as the basis for the 

13 proposed reform effort or, in the case of 

14 applications that propose an expansion of a 

15 previously implemented reform, a descrip16 tion of the previously implemented reform 

17 effort, including data about the recruit18 ment, retention, and academic achievement 

19 of students from underrepresented minor20 ity groups; 

21 ‘‘(iii) evidence of an institutional com22 mitment to, and support for, the proposed 

23 reform effort, including a long-term com24 mitment to implement successful strategies 

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1 demic unit or units included in the grant 

2 proposal; 

3 ‘‘(iv) a description of existing or 

4 planned institutional policies and practices 

5 regarding faculty hiring, promotion, ten6 ure, and teaching assignment that reward 

7 faculty contributions to improving the edu8 cation of students from underrepresented 

9 minority groups in STEM; and 

10 ‘‘(v) how the success and effectiveness 

11 of the proposed reform effort will be evalu12 ated and assessed in order to contribute to 

13 the national knowledge base about models 

14 for catalyzing institutional change. 

15 ‘‘(B) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In se16 lecting grant recipients under this subsection, 

17 the Director of the Foundation shall consider, 

18 at a minimum— 

19 ‘‘(i) the likelihood of success of the 

20 proposed reform effort at the institution 

21 submitting the application, including the 

22 extent to which the faculty, staff, and ad23 ministrators of the institution are com24 mitted to making the proposed instituVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:27 Jul 02, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2224.IS S2224

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1 tional reform a priority of the participating 

2 academic unit or units; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the degree to which the proposed 

4 reform effort will contribute to change in 

5 institutional culture and policy such that 

6 greater value is placed on faculty engage7 ment in the retention of students from 

8 underrepresented minority groups; 

9 ‘‘(iii) the likelihood that the institu10 tion will sustain or expand the proposed 

11 reform effort beyond the period of the 

12 grant; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) the degree to which evaluation 

14 and assessment plans are included in the 

15 design of the proposed reform effort. 

16 ‘‘(C) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director 

17 of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent 

18 practicable, that grants awarded under this 

19 subsection are made to a variety of types of in20 stitutions of higher education, including 2-year 

21 and minority-serving institutions of higher edu22 cation. 

23 ‘‘(5) EDUCATION RESEARCH.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—All grants made under 

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1 search component that will support the design 

2 and implementation of a system for data collec3 tion and evaluation of proposed reform efforts 

4 in order to build the knowledge base on prom5 ising models for increasing recruitment and re6 tention of students from underrepresented mi7 nority groups in STEM education at the under8 graduate level across a diverse set of institu9 tions. 

10 ‘‘(B) DISSEMINATION.—The Director of 

11 the Foundation shall coordinate with relevant 

12 Federal agencies in disseminating the results of 

13 the research under this paragraph to ensure 

14 that best practices in broadening participation 

15 in STEM education at the undergraduate level 

16 are made readily available to all institutions of 

17 higher education, other Federal agencies that 

18 support STEM programs, non-Federal funders 

19 of STEM education, and the general public. 

20 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

21 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

22 this subsection $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

23 2021 through 2025.’’. 


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1 SEC. 10. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM. 

2 (a) GRANTS TO BROADEN TRIBAL COLLEGE AND

3 UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTER

4 SCIENCE.—Section 525 of the America COMPETES Re5 authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–13) is 

6 amended by inserting after subsection (c) the following: 

7 ‘‘(d) GRANTS TO BROADEN TRIBAL COLLEGE AND

8 UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTER

9 SCIENCE.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, as part of 

11 the program authorized under this section, shall 

12 award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis 

13 to eligible entities to increase the participation of 

14 tribal populations in computer science and computa15 tional thinking education programs to enable stu16 dents to develop skills and competencies in coding, 

17 problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and col18 laboration. 

19 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Grants awarded under this 

20 subsection shall support— 

21 ‘‘(A) research and development needed to 

22 bring computer science and computational 

23 thinking courses and degrees to tribal colleges 

24 and universities; 

25 ‘‘(B) research and development of instruc26 tional materials needed to integrate computer 


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1 science and computational thinking into pro2 grams that are culturally relevant to students 

3 attending tribal colleges and universities; 

4 ‘‘(C) research, development, and evaluation 

5 of distance education for computer science and 

6 computational thinking courses and degree pro7 grams for students attending tribal colleges and 

8 universities; and 

9 ‘‘(D) other activities consistent with the 

10 activities described in paragraphs (1) through 

11 (4) of subsection (b), as determined by the Di12 rector. 

13 ‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS.—A tribal college or uni14 versity seeking a grant under this subsection, or a 

15 consortia thereof, may partner with an institution of 

16 higher education or nonprofit organization with dem17 onstrated expertise in academic program develop18 ment. 

19 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub20 section, the Director shall consult and cooperate 

21 with the programs and policies of other relevant 

22 Federal agencies to avoid duplication with and en23 hance the effectiveness of the program under this 

24 subsection. 


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1 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Di3 rector of the Foundation $2,000,000 in each of fis4 cal years 2021 through 2025 to carry out this sub5 section.’’. 

6 (b) EVALUATION.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

8 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of 

9 the National Science Foundation shall evaluate the 

10 grant program authorized under section 525 of the 

11 America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 

12 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–13), as amended by subsection 

13 (a). 

14 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In conducting the evalua15 tion under paragraph (1), the Director of the Na16 tional Science Foundation shall, as practicable— 

17 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 

18 assessment tools to identify best practices and 

19 materials developed or demonstrated by the re20 search conducted pursuant to grants programs 

21 under section 525 of the America COMPETES 

22 Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 

23 1862p–13); 

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1 cess to high quality STEM education, research, 

2 and outreach at tribal colleges and universities, 

3 as applicable; 

4 (C) assess the number of students who 

5 participated in such grant programs; and 

6 (D) assess the percentage of students par7 ticipating in such grant programs who success8 fully complete their education programs. 

9 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 

10 the date on which the evaluation under paragraph 

11 (1) is completed, the Director of the National 

12 Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and 

13 make available to the public, a report on the results 

14 of the evaluation, including any recommendations for 

15 legislative action that could optimize the effective16 ness of the grant program authorized under section 

17 525 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization 

18 Act of 2010, as amended by subsection (a). 

19 SEC. 11. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

20 Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 

21 of this Act, the Director shall submit a report to Congress 

22 that includes— 

23 (1) a description and evaluation of the status 

24 and usage of policies implemented pursuant to sec25 tion 3 at all Federal science agencies, including any 


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1 recommendations for revising or expanding such 

2 policies; 

3 (2) with respect to efforts to minimize the ef4 fects of implicit bias in the review of extramural and 

5 intramural Federal research grants under section 

6 5— 

7 (A) what steps all Federal science agencies 

8 have taken to implement policies and practices 

9 to minimize such effects; 

10 (B) a description of any significant up11 dates to the policies for review of Federal re12 search grants required under such section; and 

13 (C) any evidence of the impact of such 

14 policies on the review or awarding of Federal 

15 research grants; and 

16 (3) a description and evaluation of the status of 

17 institution of higher education and Federal labora18 tory policies and practices required under section 

19 7(a), including any recommendations for revising or 

20 expanding such policies. 

21 SEC. 12. MERIT REVIEW. 

22 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as altering any 

23 intellectual or broader impacts criteria at Federal science 

24 agencies for evaluating grant applications. 


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1 SEC. 13. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

4 the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

5 Policy. 

6 (2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed7 eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 

8 section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno9 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 

10 (3) FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY.—The term 

11 ‘‘Federal science agency’’ means any Federal agency 

12 with an annual extramural research expenditure of 

13 more than $100,000,000. 

14 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

15 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

16 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

17 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

18 (5) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON INCLU19 SION IN STEM.—The term ‘‘interagency working 

20 group on inclusion in STEM’’ means the interagency 

21 working group established by section 308 of the 

22 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 

23 U.S.C. 6626). 


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1 (6) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, 

2 technology, engineering, and mathematics, including 

3 computer science. 

Æ 


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