I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4906 

To improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 8, 2006 

Mr. FORD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Science, and in addition to the Committees on Education and the 

Workforce and Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by 

the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics education, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Innova5 tion Act of 2006’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TEACHER RECRUITING. 

7 (a) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this section to 

8 encourage individuals educated in science, technology, en9 gineering, and mathematics to enter and continue in the 


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1 teaching profession, with the goal of attracting 10,000 of 

2 America’s brightest students to the teaching profession 

3 over the next 5 years. 

4 (b) SCHOLARSHIPS.—Title II of the Higher Edu5 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is amended 

6 by adding at the end the following new part: 

7 ‘‘PART C—STEM TEACHER SCHOLARSHIPS 

8 ‘‘SEC. 231. PROGRAM ESTABLISHED. 

9 ‘‘The Secretary shall award scholarships, on a com10 petitive basis and in accordance with this part, to students 

11 who are enrolled in studies leading to bachelor’s degrees, 

12 with concurrent certification as kindergarten, elementary, 

13 and secondary school teachers, in science, technology, en14 gineering, and mathematics, and who have agreed to per15 form qualified service. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 232. SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS. 

17 ‘‘(a) SELECTION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall de18 velop selection criteria that the Secretary will use to award 

19 scholarships, and to renew those awards, based on estab20 lished measurements of merit available to secondary stu21 dents who wish to pursue degrees in science, technology, 

22 engineering, and mathematics. 

23 ‘‘(b) APPLICATIONS.—Any student desiring to receive 

24 a scholarship under this part shall submit an application 


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1 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con2 taining such information as the Secretary may require. 

3 ‘‘(c) DURATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS; RENEWAL.— 

4 Scholarships shall be awarded for only one academic year 

5 of study at a time, and shall be renewable on an annual 

6 basis for the established length of the recipient’s academic 

7 program, not to exceed 6 academic years. The Secretary 

8 shall condition the renewal of scholarships on measures 

9 of academic progress and achievement. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 233. QUALIFIED SERVICE REQUIREMENT. 

11 ‘‘(a) QUALIFIED SERVICE AGREEMENT.—Any stu12 dent who receives a scholarship under this part shall enter 

13 into an agreement with the Secretary to complete no less 

14 than 5 academic years of qualified service during a 7-year 

15 period, to begin no later than 12 months following the 

16 completion of a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, 

17 engineering, or mathematics. 

18 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENT ENFORCED.—The Secretary 

19 shall establish such requirements as the Secretary finds 

20 necessary to ensure that recipients of scholarships under 

21 this subsection who complete bachelor’s degrees in science, 

22 technology, engineering, and mathematics, with teacher 

23 certification, subsequently perform 5 academic years of 

24 qualified service during a 7-year period, or repay the por25 tion of the scholarship received for which the recipient did 


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1 not perform the required qualified service, as determined 

2 by the Secretary. The Secretary shall use any such repay3 ments to carry out additional activities under this part. 

4 ‘‘(c) DEFINITION.—For the purpose of this section, 

5 the term ‘qualified service’ means full-time employment at 

6 a public or private kindergarten, elementary school, or sec7 ondary school as a teacher of a course in a science, tech8 nology, engineering, or mathematics field. 

9 ‘‘SEC. 234. AWARDS. 

10 ‘‘(a) SCHOLARSHIP AWARD.—The Secretary shall 

11 provide each recipient with a scholarship in the amount 

12 of up to $20,000 to pay for the cost of attendance of the 

13 student for each academic year the student is eligible to 

14 receive the scholarship. The Secretary shall transfer such 

15 funds to the institution of higher education at which the 

16 recipient is enrolled. 

17 ‘‘(b) BONUS AWARD.— 

18 ‘‘(1) OPTION FOR BONUS AWARD.—Any student 

19 who receives a scholarship under this part may elect 

20 to enter into a bonus agreement with the Secretary, 

21 in accordance with this subsection, for any academic 

22 year during which the student receives a scholarship 

23 under this part. 

24 ‘‘(2) BONUS AGREEMENT.—A bonus agreement 

25 under paragraph (1) shall provide that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the student shall perform one aca2 demic year of the qualified service agreed to 

3 under section 233(a) in a high-need local edu4 cational agency, as defined in section 201(b); 

5 and 

6 ‘‘(B) the Secretary shall provide $10,000, 

7 in addition to the amount the student receives 

8 under subsection (a), for each academic year in 

9 which the student enters into such bonus agree10 ment. 

11 ‘‘(3) SERVICE REQUIREMENT ENFORCED.—The 

12 Secretary shall establish such requirements as the 

13 Secretary finds necessary to ensure that recipients 

14 of bonuses under this subsection fulfill the qualified 

15 service requirement in a high-need local educational 

16 agency, as defined in section 201(b), for a period of 

17 time equivalent to the period for which the recipient 

18 receives the bonus, or repays the portion of the 

19 bonus received for which the recipient did not per20 form the required qualified service in a high-need 

21 local educational agency, as determined by the Sec22 retary. The Secretary shall use any such repayments 

23 to carry out additional activities under this sub24 section. 


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1 ‘‘(c) MAXIMUM AWARD.—The maximum award any 

2 student may receive under this section for an academic 

3 year shall be the student’s cost of attendance minus any 

4 grant aid such student receives from sources other than 

5 this section. 

6 ‘‘SEC. 235. REGULATIONS. 

7 ‘‘The Secretary is authorized to issue such regula8 tions as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of 

9 this part.’’. 

10 (c) INSTITUTIONAL GRANTS FOR INTEGRATED DE11 GREE PROGRAMS.—Title II of the Higher Education Act 

12 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1021 et seq.) is further amended by 

13 adding after Part C, as added by subsection (b) of this 

14 section, the following new part: 

15 ‘‘PART D—INTEGRATED DEGREE PROGRAMS 

16 ‘‘SEC. 241. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary is authorized to 

18 award grants to institutions of higher education, on a 

19 competitive basis, in order to pay for the Federal share 

20 of the cost of projects to establish, strengthen, and operate 

21 4-year undergraduate degree programs through which stu22 dents may concurrently— 

23 ‘‘(1) earn a bachelor’s degree in science, tech24 nology, engineering, or mathematics; and 


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1 ‘‘(2) be certified to teach kindergarten, elemen2 tary, or secondary school. 

3 ‘‘(b) GRANT AMOUNT; AWARD PERIOD.—The Sec4 retary may award grants to no more than 50 institutions 

5 of higher education each fiscal year, and a grant to an 

6 institution for a fiscal year shall not exceed $1,000,000. 

7 Grants shall be awarded for only one fiscal year at a time, 

8 and shall be renewable on an annual basis for up to 5 

9 years. 

10 ‘‘SEC. 242. SELECTION OF GRANT RECIPIENTS. 

11 ‘‘(a) CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall set criteria to 

12 evaluate the applications for grants under this part and 

13 the projects proposed to establish, strengthen, and operate 

14 4-year integrated undergraduate degree programs. 

15 ‘‘(b) EQUITABLE DISTRIBUTION OF GRANTS.—To 

16 the extent practicable and consistent with the criteria 

17 under subsection (a), the Secretary shall make grants 

18 under this part in such manner as to achieve an equitable 

19 distribution of the grant funds throughout the United 

20 States, considering geographic distribution, rural and 

21 urban areas, and range and type of institutions. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 243. APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS. 

23 ‘‘In order to receive a grant under this part, an insti24 tution of higher education shall submit an application to 

25 the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and conVerDate Aug 31 2005 23:44 Mar 09, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4906.IH H4906

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1 taining such information as the Secretary may require. 

2 Such application shall include the following: 

3 ‘‘(1) A description of the proposed project. 

4 ‘‘(2) A demonstration of— 

5 ‘‘(A) the commitment, including the finan6 cial commitment, of the institution for the pro7 posed project; and 

8 ‘‘(B) the active support of the leadership of 

9 the institution for the proposed project. 

10 ‘‘(3) A description of how the proposed project 

11 will be continued after Federal funds are no longer 

12 awarded under this part for the project. 

13 ‘‘(4) A plan for the evaluation of the project, 

14 which shall include benchmarks to monitor progress 

15 toward specific project objectives. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 244. MATCHING REQUIREMENT. 

17 ‘‘Each institution of higher education receiving a 

18 grant under this part shall provide, from non-Federal 

19 sources, an amount equal to the amount of the grant (in 

20 cash or in kind) to carry out the project supported by the 

21 grant. 

22 ‘‘SEC. 245. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 ‘‘The are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

24 this part $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2007 

25 through 2012.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. TEACHER TRAINING. 

2 (a) SUMMER INSTITUTES.— 

3 (1) GRANTS.—The Secretary of Education may 

4 make grants to State educational agencies and local 

5 educational agencies to develop and operate summer 

6 institutes described in paragraph (2) to enable 

7 science, technology, engineering, and mathematic 

8 teachers in elementary schools and secondary schools 

9 to upgrade their skills. 

10 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—A summer institute fund11 ed under this section— 

12 (A) shall be up to 4 weeks in duration; and 

13 (B) shall be designed to enable science, 

14 technology, engineering, and mathematics 

15 teachers in elementary schools and secondary 

16 schools to upgrade their skills, including by 

17 keeping informed of recent developments in 

18 their respective fields and by exchanging best 

19 practices. 

20 (b) ADVANCED TECHNICAL DEGREES.— 

21 (1) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary is 

22 authorized to make grants, on a competitive basis, 

23 to institutions of higher education that offer part24 time master’s degree programs with rigorous science, 

25 technology, engineering, and mathematics content to 

26 individuals employed full-time as middle school and 


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1 secondary school science, technology, engineering, 

2 and mathematics teachers. 

3 (2) USES OF FUNDS.—Each recipient of a 

4 grant under this subsection shall use— 

5 (A) 50 percent of the grant funds to award 

6 scholarships to individuals employed full-time as 

7 middle school and secondary school science, 

8 technology, engineering, and mathematics 

9 teachers who are enrolled in a part-time mas10 ter’s degree program with rigorous science, 

11 technology, engineering, or mathematics con12 tent, to pay the cost of attendance related to 

13 such program; and 

14 (B) 50 percent of the grant funds to estab15 lish, strengthen, and operate part-time master’s 

16 degree programs with rigorous science, tech17 nology, engineering, and mathematics content. 

18 (3) DURATION; RENEWAL.—Grants under this 

19 subsection shall be awarded for a period of 5 years, 

20 and shall be renewable for one 5-year period. 

21 (4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Each institu22 tion of higher education receiving a grant under this 

23 subsection shall provide, from non-Federal sources, 

24 an amount equal to the amount of the grant (in cash 


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1 or in kind) to carry out the activities supported by 

2 the grant. 

3 (5) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this 

4 subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to insti5 tutions of higher education that— 

6 (A) include in the application for the grant 

7 a description of how the activities supported by 

8 the grant will be continued after Federal funds 

9 are no longer awarded under this subsection; or 

10 (B) demonstrate prior experience in, or ex11 ceptional programs for, operating part-time 

12 master’s degree programs with rigorous science, 

13 technology, engineering, and mathematics con14 tent that target full-time middle school and sec15 ondary school science, technology, engineering, 

16 and mathematics teachers as students. 

17 (c) ADVANCED COURSES.—The Secretary may make 

18 grants to State educational agencies and local educational 

19 agencies to provide training to elementary school and sec20 ondary school teachers on the provision of advanced 

21 courses, including advanced placement courses, in science, 

22 technology, engineering, and mathematics. 

23 (d) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant under this sec24 tion, an entity shall submit an application to the Secretary 


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1 at such time, in such manner, and containing such infor2 mation as the Secretary may require. 

3 (e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) The term ‘‘elementary school’’ has the 

5 meaning given to that term in section 9101 of the 

6 Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 

7 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

8 (2) The term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ 

9 has the meaning given to that term in section 101 

10 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

11 1001). 

12 (3) The term ‘‘local educational agency’’ has 

13 the meaning given to that term in section 9101 of 

14 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

15 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

16 (4) The term ‘‘secondary school’’ has the mean17 ing given to that term in section 9101 of the Ele18 mentary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 

19 U.S.C. 7801). 

20 (5) The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

21 of Education. 

22 (6) The term ‘‘State educational agency’’ has 

23 the meaning given to that term in section 9101 of 

24 the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 

25 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 


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1 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

2 out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated 

3 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2011. 

4 SEC. 4. EARLY CAREER SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEER 

5 AWARDS. 

6 In addition to amounts otherwise available for sup7 port of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists 

8 and Engineers program, the following amounts are au9 thorized to be appropriated for the designated agencies: 

10 (1) For the National Science Foundation, 

11 $8,200,000 for fiscal year 2007, $16,400,000 for 

12 fiscal year 2008, $24,600,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

13 $32,800,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $41,000,000 

14 for fiscal year 2011. 

15 (2) For the National Institutes of Health, 

16 $4,800,000 for fiscal year 2007, $9,600,000 for fis17 cal year 2008, $14,400,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

18 $19,200,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $24,000,000 

19 for fiscal year 2011. 

20 (3) For the Department of Energy, $3,600,000 

21 for fiscal year 2007, $7,200,000 for fiscal year 

22 2008, $10,800,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

23 $14,400,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $18,000,000 

24 for fiscal year 2011. 


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1 (4) For the Department of Defense, $2,400,000 

2 for fiscal year 2007, $4,800,000 for fiscal year 

3 2008, $7,200,000 for fiscal year 2009, $9,600,000 

4 for fiscal year 2010, and $12,000,000 for fiscal year 

5 2011. 

6 (5) For the National Aeronautics and Space 

7 Administration, $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, 

8 $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, $3,000,000 for fis9 cal year 2009, $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, and 

10 $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

11 SEC. 5. UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARDS IN SCIENCE, 

12 TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, OR MATHE13 MATICS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Foundation 

15 shall institute a program, to be known as the Under16 graduate Scholar Awards in Science, Technology, Engi17 neering, or Mathematics program, or the USA–STEM 

18 program, to award undergraduate scholarships in science, 

19 technology, engineering, or mathematics to individuals fol20 lowing criteria and procedures to be established by the 

21 Secretary of Education in consultation with the Director 

22 of the National Science Foundation, except as provided 

23 in subsection (b). 

24 (b) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS.— 


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1 (1) SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT.—Scholarships 

2 awarded under the USA–STEM program shall pro3 vide up to $20,000 a year (as determined by the 

4 Secretary of Education) for four years for qualified 

5 educational expenses, including tuition and fees. 

6 (2) ADVISORY BOARD.—(A) The Director of the 

7 National Science Foundation shall establish a board 

8 of advisors for the program. The board shall identify 

9 areas of national need for which shortages of 

10 science, technology, engineering, or mathematics per11 sonnel with undergraduate academic degrees are an12 ticipated. 

13 (B) The members of the advisory board estab14 lished under subparagraph (A) shall be selected from 

15 among the principal Federal agencies that support 

16 research and development activities in science, tech17 nology, engineering, and mathematics. 

18 (3) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Selection criteria 

19 for scholarship awards established under subsection 

20 (a) shall include whether an applicant proposes to 

21 pursue an advanced degree in an area of national 

22 need, identified by the advisory board under para23 graph (2)(A). 

24 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 


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1 Foundation for the purposes of this section, $150,000,000 

2 for fiscal year 2007, $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, 

3 and $450,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 

4 2011. 

5 SEC. 6. GRADUATE SCHOLAR AWARDS IN SCIENCE, TECH6 NOLOGY, ENGINEERING, OR MATHEMATICS. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The National Science Foundation 

8 shall institute a program, to be known as the Graduate 

9 Scholar Awards in Science, Technology, Engineering, or 

10 Mathematics program, or the GSA–STEM program, to 

11 award graduate fellowships in science, technology, engi12 neering, or mathematics to individuals following the cri13 teria and procedures of the Foundation’s Graduate Re14 search Fellowship program, except as provided in sub15 section (b). 

16 (b) SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS.— 

17 (1) FELLOWSHIP AMOUNT.—Fellowships 

18 awarded under the GSA–STEM program shall pro19 vide an annual stipend of $30,000 to the recipient 

20 and $15,000, in lieu of tuition, to the institution of 

21 higher education at which the recipient is enrolled. 

22 (2) ADVISORY BOARD.—(A) The Director of the 

23 National Science Foundation shall establish a board 

24 of advisors for the program. The board shall identify 

25 areas of national need for which shortages of 


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1 science, technology, engineering, or mathematics per2 sonnel with advanced academic degrees are antici3 pated. 

4 (B) The members of the advisory board estab5 lished under subparagraph (A) shall be selected from 

6 among the principal Federal agencies that support 

7 research and development activities in science, tech8 nology, engineering, and mathematics. 

9 (3) SELECTION CRITERIA.—Selection criteria 

10 for fellowship awards used in the Foundation’s 

11 Graduate Research Fellowship program shall be ap12 plied to the GSA–STEM program. An additional cri13 terion for awards under the GSA–STEM program 

14 shall be whether an applicant proposes to pursue an 

15 advanced degree in an area of national need, identi16 fied by the advisory board under paragraph (2)(A). 

17 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

19 Foundation for the purposes of this section, $225,000,000 

20 for fiscal year 2007, $450,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, 

21 and $675,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009 through 

22 2011. 

23 SEC. 7. PRESIDENTIAL INNOVATION AWARD. 

24 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a 

25 Presidential Innovation Award, signified by a medal which 


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1 shall be of such design and materials and bear such in2 scriptions as the President, on the basis of recommenda3 tions submitted by the Director of the Office of Science 

4 and Technology Policy, may prescribe. 

5 (b) AWARD.—The President shall periodically award 

6 the medal, on the basis of recommendations received from 

7 the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Pol8 icy or on the basis of such other information as the Presi9 dent considers appropriate, to individuals who develop one 

10 or more unique scientific or engineering ideas in the na11 tional interest at the time the innovation occurs. 

12 (c) PURPOSE.—The awards under this section shall 

13 be made to— 

14 (1) stimulate scientific and engineering ad15 vances in the national interest; 

16 (2) illustrate the linkage between science and 

17 engineering and national needs; and 

18 (3) provide an example to students of the con19 tribution they could make to society by entering the 

20 science and engineering profession. 

21 (d) CITIZENSHIP.—An individual may not be award22 ed a medal under this section unless at the time such 

23 award is made the individual— 

24 (1) is a citizen or other national of the United 

25 States; or 


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1 (2) is an alien lawfully admitted to the United 

2 States for permanent residence who— 

3 (A) has filed an application for petition for 

4 naturalization in the manner prescribed by sec5 tion 334 of the Immigration and Nationality 

6 Act (8 U.S.C. 1445); and 

7 (B) is not permanently ineligible to become 

8 a citizen of the United States. 

9 (e) PRESENTATION.—The presentation of the award 

10 shall be made by the President with such ceremonies as 

11 he may deem proper, including attendance by appropriate 

12 Members of Congress. 

13 SEC. 8. NATIONAL COORDINATION OFFICE FOR RESEARCH 

14 INFRASTRUCTURE. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Office of Science and Tech16 nology Policy shall establish a National Coordination Of17 fice for Research Infrastructure, which shall identify and 

18 prioritize deficiencies in research facilities and instrumen19 tation in academic institutions and in national laboratories 

20 and shall make recommendations for the allocation of re21 sources provided under subsection (e). 

22 (b) STAFFING.—The Director of the Office of Science 

23 and Technology Policy shall appoint individuals to serve 

24 in the office established under subsection (a) from among 

25 the principal Federal agencies that support research in the 


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1 sciences, mathematics, and engineering, and shall at a 

2 minimum include individuals from the National Science 

3 Foundation and the Department of Energy. 

4 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—The amounts authorized by 

5 subsection (e) shall be available on a competitive, merit6 reviewed basis for construction and maintenance of re7 search facilities at institutions of higher education or na8 tional laboratories, including instrumentation, computing 

9 and networking equipment, and other physical resources 

10 necessary for performing leading-edge research. 

11 (d) REPORT.—The Director of the Office of Science 

12 and Technology Policy shall provide annually a report to 

13 Congress at the time of the President’s budget proposal 

14 describing the research infrastructure needs identified in 

15 accordance with subsection (a) and a list of infrastructure 

16 projects proposed for funding using the resources author17 ized by subsection (e). 

18 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

19 (1) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—There 

20 are authorized to be appropriated to the National 

21 Science Foundation for the purposes of this section, 

22 $333,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 

23 2011. 

24 (2) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—There are au25 thorized to be appropriated to the Department of 


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1 Energy for the purposes of this section, 

2 $167,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 

3 2011. 

4 SEC. 9. EXTENSION OF AUTHORIZED STAY IN THE UNITED 

5 STATES FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS AND EX6 CHANGE VISITOR PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS 

7 STUDYING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGI8 NEERING, OR MATHEMATICS TO SEEK EM9 PLOYMENT. 

10 Section 214 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

11 (8 U.S.C. 1184) is amended by adding at the end the fol12 lowing new subsection: 

13 ‘‘(r)(1) In the case of an alien described in paragraph 

14 (2), upon application by the alien and the satisfactory 

15 completion of such security screening as the Secretary of 

16 Homeland Security may specify, the Secretary may extend 

17 the alien’s period of authorized admission as a principal 

18 nonimmigrant described in such paragraph for 12 months 

19 for the purpose of permitting the alien to secure employ20 ment in the United States in the alien’s field described 

21 in such paragraph. 

22 ‘‘(2) An alien referred to in paragraph (1) is a prin23 cipal nonimmigrant described in subparagraph (F) or (J) 

24 of section 101(a)(15) who obtains a doctorate degree or 

25 its equivalent in the United States in science, technology, 


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1 engineering, mathematics, or other similar field deter2 mined by the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consulta3 tion with the Secretary of State, to be important to the 

4 national interest of the United States during the period 

5 of stay as such a nonimmigrant. 

6 ‘‘(3) An alien granted an extended period of author7 ized admission under paragraph (1) shall be granted au8 thorization to engage in employment in the United States 

9 in any field described in paragraph 2 and be provided an 

10 ‘employment authorized’ endorsement or other appro11 priate work permit for such employment during such pe12 riod of extended admission. 

13 ‘‘(4) If, during an alien’s period of extended admis14 sion described in paragraph (1)— 

15 ‘‘(A) the alien obtains employment referred to 

16 in such paragraph, and 

17 ‘‘(B) an application is filed on behalf of such 

18 alien for a change of classification under section 248 

19 to that of a nonimmigrant described in subpara20 graph (H) of section 101(a)(15) on the basis of such 

21 employment, 

22 then the period of extended admission under paragraph 

23 (1) and the employment authorization described in para24 graph (3) shall be further extended during the pendency 

25 of such application. 


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1 ‘‘(5) The spouse and minor children of an alien grant2 ed a period of extended admission under paragraph (1), 

3 and if applicable, under paragraph (4), if accompanying 

4 or following to join such alien, are eligible to be provided 

5 nonimmigrant status in the same classification during 

6 such period of authorized stay as the spouse or children 

7 would have with respect to the alien immediately before 

8 the alien was granted such a period of extended admis9 sion.’’. 

10 SEC. 10. ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY-EN11 ERGY. 

12 (a) AGENCY.— 

13 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the 

14 Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (in this 

15 section referred to as ‘‘ARPA–E’’) within the De16 partment of Energy. 

17 (2) GOAL.—The goal of ARPA–E is to reduce 

18 the amount of energy the United States imports 

19 from foreign sources by 50 percent over the next 10 

20 years by— 

21 (A) promoting revolutionary changes in the 

22 critical technologies that would promote energy 

23 independence; 


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1 (B) turning cutting-edge science and engi2 neering into technologies for energy and envi3 ronmental application; and 

4 (C) accelerating innovation in energy and 

5 the environment for both traditional and alter6 native energy sources and in energy efficiency 

7 mechanisms to decrease the Nation’s reliance 

8 on foreign energy sources. 

9 (3) DIRECTOR.—ARPA–E shall be headed by a 

10 Director who shall be appointed by the Secretary of 

11 Energy. The Director shall report to the Secretary. 

12 (4) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director of 

13 ARPA–E shall administer the Fund established 

14 under subsection (b) to award competitive grants, 

15 cooperative agreements, or contracts to institutions 

16 of higher education, companies, or consortia of such 

17 entities which may include federally funded research 

18 and development centers, to achieve the goals stated 

19 in paragraph (2) through targeted acceleration of— 

20 (A) energy-related research; 

21 (B) development of resultant techniques, 

22 processes, and technologies, and related testing 

23 and evaluation; and 


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1 (C) demonstration and commercial applica2 tion of the most promising technologies and re3 search applications. 

4 (5) PERSONNEL.— 

5 (A) PROGRAM MANAGERS.—The Director 

6 of ARPA–E shall designate employees to serve 

7 as program managers for each of the programs 

8 established pursuant to the responsibilities es9 tablished for ARPA–E under paragraph (4). 

10 Program managers shall be responsible for— 

11 (i) establishing research and develop12 ment goals for the program, including 

13 through the convening of workshops and 

14 conferring with outside experts, as well as 

15 publicizing its goals to the public and pri16 vate sectors; 

17 (ii) soliciting applications for specific 

18 areas of particular promise, especially 

19 those which the private sector cannot or 

20 will not provide funding; 

21 (iii) selecting research projects for 

22 support under the program from among 

23 application submitted to ARPA–E, fol24 lowing consideration of— 


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1 (I) the novelty and scientific and 

2 technical merit of the proposed 

3 projects; 

4 (II) the demonstrated capabilities 

5 of the applicants to successfully carry 

6 out the proposed research project; and 

7 (III) such other criteria as are 

8 established by the Director; and 

9 (iv) monitoring the progress of 

10 projects supported under the program. 

11 (B) HIRING AND MANAGEMENT.—In hiring 

12 personnel for ARPA–E, the Secretary shall 

13 have the hiring and management authorities de14 scribed in section 1101 of the Strom Thurmond 

15 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

16 Year 1999 (5 U.S.C. 3104 note). For purposes 

17 of subsection (c)(1) of that section, the term of 

18 appointments for employees may not exceed 5 

19 years before the granting of any extension. 

20 (6) COORDINATION.—The Director of ARPA–E 

21 shall ensure that the activities of ARPA–E are co22 ordinated with those of other relevant research agen23 cies, and may carry out projects jointly with other 

24 agencies. 

25 (b) FUND.— 


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1 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 

2 the Treasury the Energy Independence Acceleration 

3 Fund (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Fund’’), 

4 which shall be administered by the Director of 

5 ARPA–E for the purposes of carrying out this sec6 tion. 

7 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

8 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Di9 rector of ARPA–E for deposit in the Fund 

10 $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2007, $375,000,000 for 

11 fiscal year 2008, $468,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, 

12 $585,000,000 for fiscal year 2010, $732,000,000 for 

13 fiscal year 2011, and $915,000,000 for fiscal year 

14 2012, to remain available until expended. 

15 (c) RECOUPMENT.— 

16 (1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 days 

17 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec18 retary shall establish procedures and criteria for the 

19 recoupment of the Federal share of each project sup20 ported under this section. Such recoupment shall 

21 occur within a reasonable period of time following 

22 the date of the completion of such project, but not 

23 later than 20 years following such date, taking into 

24 account the effect of recoupment on— 


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1 (A) the commercial competitiveness of the 

2 entity carrying out the project; 

3 (B) the profitability of the project; and 

4 (C) the commercial viability of the tech5 nology utilized. 

6 (2) WAIVER.—The Secretary may at any time 

7 waive or defer all or some portion of the recoupment 

8 requirement as necessary for the commercial viabil9 ity of the project. 

10 (3) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Revenue re11 ceived by the Federal Government pursuant to this 

12 subsection shall be deposited into the Fund and 

13 shall be available with further appropriation to fund 

14 future grants, contracts, and cooperative agreement 

15 as authorized by the Director of ARPA–E. 

16 (d) ADVICE.— 

17 (1) ADVISORY COMMITTEES.—The Director of 

18 ARPA–E may seek advice on any aspect of ARPA– 

19 E from— 

20 (A) existing Department of Energy advi21 sory committees; and 

22 (B) new advisory committees organized to 

23 support the programs of ARPA–E and to pro24 vide advice and assistance on— 

25 (i) specific program tasks; or 


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1 (ii) overall direction of ARPA–E. 

2 (2) APPLICABILITY.—Section 14 of the Federal 

3 Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to advisory 

4 committees organized under paragraph (1)(B). 

5 (3) ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF ADVICE.—The 

6 Director of ARPA–E may seek advice and review 

7 from the National Academy of Sciences, the Na8 tional Academy for Engineering, and any other pro9 fessional or scientific organization with expertise in 

10 specific processes or technologies under development 

11 by ARPA–E. 

12 (e) ARPA–E EVALUATION.—After ARPA–E has 

13 been in operation for 54 months, the President’s Com14 mittee on Science and Technology shall begin an evalua15 tion (to be completed within 12 months) of how well 

16 ARPA–E is achieving its goals and mission. The evalua17 tion shall include the recommendation of such Committee 

18 on whether ARPA–E should be continued or terminated, 

19 as well as lessons-learned from its operation. The evalua20 tion shall be made available to Congress and to the public 

21 upon completion. 

Æ 


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