116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2528 

AN ACT 

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. 
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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; TABLE OF CONTENTS; FINDINGS. 

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

5 ‘‘STEM Opportunities Act of 2019’’. 

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

7 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. 

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

9 (1) Many reports over the past decade have 

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

11 leadership and global competitiveness that the 

12 United States educates and trains more scientists 

13 and engineers. 

14 (2) Research shows that women and minorities 

15 who are interested in STEM careers are dispropor16 tionately lost at nearly every educational transition 

17 and at every career milestone. 

18 (3) The National Center for Science and Engi19 neering Statistics at the National Science Founda-
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1 tion collects, compiles, analyzes, and publishes data 

2 on the demographics of STEM degrees and STEM 

3 jobs in the United States. 

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

5 STEM bachelor’s degrees, but major variations per6 sist among fields. In 2017, women earned only 20 

7 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in engi8 neering and 19 percent of bachelor’s degrees award9 ed in computer sciences. Based on Bureau of Labor 

10 Statistics data, jobs in computing occupations are 

11 expected to account for nearly 60 percent of the pro12 jected annual growth of newly created STEM job 

13 openings from 2016 to 2026. 

14 (5) In 2017, underrepresented minority groups 

15 comprised 39 percent of the college-age population 

16 of the United States, but only 18 percent of stu17 dents who earned bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields. 

18 The Higher Education Research Institute at the 

19 University of California, Los Angeles, found that, 

20 while freshmen from underrepresented minority 

21 groups express an interest in pursuing a STEM un22 dergraduate degree at the same rate as all other 

23 freshmen, only 22.1 percent of Latino students, 18.4 

24 percent of African-American students, and 18.8 per25 cent of Native American students studying in STEM 
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1 fields complete their degree within 5 years, com2 pared to approximately 33 percent of White students 

3 and 42 percent of Asian students who complete their 

4 degree within 5 years. 

5 (6) In some STEM fields, including the com6 puter sciences, women persist at about the same rate 

7 through doctorate degrees. In other STEM fields, 

8 women persist through doctorate degrees at a lower 

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

10 doctorate degrees compared with 42 percent of un11 dergraduate degrees. Overall, women earned 38 per12 cent of STEM doctorate degrees in 2016. The rate 

13 of minority students earning STEM doctorate de14 grees in physics is 9 percent, compared with 15 per15 cent for bachelor’s degree. Students from underrep16 resented minority groups accounted for only 11.5 

17 percent of STEM doctorate degrees awarded in 

18 2016. 

19 (7) The representation of women in STEM 

20 drops significantly from the doctorate degree level to 

21 the faculty level. Overall, women hold only 26 per22 cent of all tenured and tenure-track positions and 27 

23 percent of full professor positions in STEM fields in 

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

25 and Hispanic faculty together hold about 6.8 percent 
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1 of all tenured and tenure-track positions and 7.5 

2 percent of full professor positions. Many of the num3 bers in the American Indian or Alaskan Native and 

4 Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander cat5 egories for different faculty ranks were too small for 

6 the National Science Foundation to report publicly 

7 without potentially compromising confidential infor8 mation about the individuals being surveyed. 

9 (8) The representation of women is especially 

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

11 in the biological sciences, in which women now earn 

12 more than 50 percent of the doctorates and passed 

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

14 only 25 percent of the full professors at the approxi15 mately 100 most research-intensive universities in 

16 the United States. In the physical sciences and 

17 mathematics, women make up only 11 percent of full 

18 professors, in computer sciences only 10 percent, 

19 and across engineering fields only 7 percent. The 

20 data suggest that approximately 6 percent of all ten21 ure-track STEM faculty members at the most re22 search-intensive universities are from underrep23 resented minority groups, but in some fields the 

24 numbers are too small to report publicly. 
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1 (9) By 2050, underrepresented minorities will 

2 comprise 52 percent of the college-age population of 

3 the United States. If the percentage of female stu4 dents and students from underrepresented minority 

5 groups earning bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields 

6 does not significantly increase, the United States 

7 will face an acute shortfall in the overall number of 

8 students who earn degrees in STEM fields just as 

9 United States companies are increasingly seeking 

10 students with those skills. With this impending 

11 shortfall, the United States will almost certainly lose 

12 its competitive edge in the 21st century global econ13 omy. 

14 (10) According to a 2014 Association for 

15 Women in Science survey of over 4,000 scientists 

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

17 STEM researchers face significant challenges in 

18 work-life integration. Researchers in the United 

19 States were among the most likely to experience a 

20 conflict between work and their personal life at least 

21 weekly. One-third of researchers surveyed said that 

22 ensuring good work-life integration has negatively 

23 impacted their careers, and, of researchers intending 

24 to leave their current job within the next year, 9 
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1 percent indicated it was because they were unable to 

2 balance work and life demands. 

3 (11) Female students and students from under4 represented minority groups at institutions of higher 

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

6 among faculty and student populations often do not 

7 experience the social integration that is necessary for 

8 success in all disciplines, including STEM. 

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

10 attend school in a rural community. The data shows 

11 that rural students are at a disadvantage with re12 spect to STEM readiness. Among STEM-interested 

13 students, 17 percent of students in rural high 

14 schools and 18 percent of students in town-located 

15 high schools meet the ACT STEM Benchmark, com16 pared with 33 percent of students in suburban high 

17 schools and 27 percent of students in urban high 

18 schools. 

19 (13) A substantial body of evidence establishes 

20 that most people hold implicit biases. Decades of 

21 cognitive psychology research reveal that most peo22 ple carry prejudices of which they are unaware but 

23 that nonetheless play a large role in evaluations of 

24 people and their work. Unintentional biases and out25 moded institutional structures are hindering the ac-
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1 cess and advancement of women, minorities, and 

2 other groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 

3 (14) Workshops held to educate faculty about 

4 unintentional biases have demonstrated success in 

5 raising awareness of such biases. 

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

7 Opportunity of the National Aeronautics and Space 

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

9 completed a report that— 

10 (A) is specifically designed to help NASA 

11 grant recipients identify why the dearth of 

12 women in STEM fields continues and to ensure 

13 that it is not due to discrimination; and 

14 (B) provides guidance that is usable by all 

15 institutions of higher education receiving sig16 nificant Federal research funding on how to 

17 conduct meaningful self-evaluations of campus 

18 culture and policies. 

19 (16) The Federal Government provides 55 per20 cent of research funding at institutions of higher 

21 education and, through its grant-making policies, 

22 has had significant influence on institution of higher 

23 education policies, including policies related to insti24 tutional culture and structure. 
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1 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

2 The purposes of this Act are as follows: 

3 (1) To ensure that Federal science agencies and 

4 institutions of higher education receiving Federal re5 search and development funding are fully engaging 

6 the entire talent pool of the United States. 

7 (2) To promote research on, and increase un8 derstanding of, the participation and trajectories of 

9 women, minorities, and other groups historically 

10 underrepresented in STEM studies and careers, in11 cluding persons with disabilities, older learners, vet12 erans, and rural, poor, and tribal populations, at in13 stitutions of higher education and Federal science 

14 agencies, including Federal laboratories. 

15 (3) To raise awareness within Federal science 

16 agencies, including Federal laboratories, and institu17 tions of higher education about cultural and institu18 tional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, 

19 promotion, and other indicators of participation and 

20 achievement of women, minorities, and other groups 

21 historically underrepresented in academic and Gov22 ernment STEM research careers at all levels. 

23 (4) To identify, disseminate, and implement 

24 best practices at Federal science agencies, including 

25 Federal laboratories, and at institutions of higher 

26 education to remove or reduce cultural and institu-
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1 tional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, 

2 and success of women, minorities, and other groups 

3 historically underrepresented in academic and Gov4 ernment STEM research careers. 

5 (5) To provide grants to institutions of higher 

6 education to recruit, retain, and advance STEM fac7 ulty members from underrepresented minority 

8 groups and to implement or expand reforms in un9 dergraduate STEM education in order to increase 

10 the number of students from underrepresented mi11 nority groups receiving degrees in these fields. 

12 SEC. 3. FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY POLICIES FOR CARE13 GIVERS. 

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

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

16 consultation with relevant agencies, shall provide guidance 

17 to each Federal science agency to establish policies that— 

18 (1) apply to all— 

19 (A) research awards granted by such agen20 cy; and 

21 (B) principal investigators of such research 

22 who have caregiving responsibilities, including 

23 care for a newborn or newly adopted child and 

24 care for an immediate family member who is 

25 sick or disabled; and 
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1 (2) provide— 

2 (A) flexibility in timing for the initiation of 

3 approved research awards granted by such 

4 agency; 

5 (B) no-cost extensions of such research 

6 awards; 

7 (C) grant supplements, as appropriate, to 

8 research awards for research technicians or 

9 equivalent positions to sustain research activi10 ties conducted under such awards; and 

11 (D) any other appropriate accommodations 

12 at the discretion of the director of each such 

13 agency. 

14 (b) UNIFORMITY OF GUIDANCE.—In providing guid15 ance under subsection (a), the Director shall encourage 

16 uniformity and consistency in the policies established pur17 suant to such guidance across all Federal science agencies. 

18 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Consistent with 

19 the guidance under subsection (a), Federal science agen20 cies shall— 

21 (1) maintain or develop and implement policies 

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

23 such subsection; and 

24 (2) broadly disseminate such policies to current 

25 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 Tech21 nology Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d; Public 

22 Law 96–516). 
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1 SEC. 5. POLICIES FOR REVIEW OF FEDERAL RESEARCH 

2 GRANTS. 

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

4 implement the policy recommendations with respect to re5 ducing the impact of implicit bias at Federal science agen6 cies and grantee institutions as developed by the Office 

7 of Science and Technology Policy in the 2016 report enti8 tled ‘‘Reducing the Impact of Bias in the STEM Work9 force’’ and any subsequent updates. 

10 (b) PILOT ACTIVITY.—In consultation with the Na11 tional Science Foundation and consistent with policy rec12 ommendations referenced in subsection (a), each Federal 

13 science agency shall implement a 2-year pilot orientation 

14 activity for program officers and members of standing re15 view committees to educate reviewers on research related 

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

17 of extramural and intramural Federal research grants. 

18 (c) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Drawing upon 

19 lessons learned from the pilot activity under subsection 

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

21 and implement evidence-based policies and practices to 

22 minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of extra23 mural and intramural Federal research grants. 

24 (d) ASSESSMENT OF POLICIES.—Federal science 

25 agencies shall regularly assess, and amend as necessary, 

26 the policies and practices implemented pursuant to sub-
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1 section (c) to ensure effective measures are in place to 

2 minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of extra3 mural and intramural Federal research grants. 

4 SEC. 6. COLLECTION OF DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS OF FAC5 ULTY. 

6 (a) COLLECTION OF DATA.— 

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

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

9 5 years thereafter, the Director of the National 

10 Science Foundation shall carry out a survey to col11 lect data from grantees on the demographics of 

12 STEM faculty, by broad fields of STEM, at dif13 ferent types of institutions of higher education. 

14 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—To the extent prac15 ticable, the Director of the National Science Foun16 dation shall consider, by gender, race, ethnicity, citi17 zenship status, and years since completion of doc18 toral degree— 

19 (A) the number and percentage of faculty; 

20 (B) the number and percentage of faculty 

21 at each rank; 

22 (C) the number and percentage of faculty 

23 who are in nontenure-track positions, including 

24 teaching and research; 
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1 (D) the number and percentage of faculty 

2 who are reviewed for promotion, including ten3 ure, and the percentage of that number who are 

4 promoted, including being awarded tenure; 

5 (E) faculty years in rank; 

6 (F) the number and percentage of faculty 

7 to leave tenure-track positions; 

8 (G) the number and percentage of faculty 

9 hired, by rank; and 

10 (H) the number and percentage of faculty 

11 in leadership positions. 

12 (b) EXISTING SURVEYS.—The Director of the Na13 tional Science Foundation, may, in modifying or expand14 ing existing Federal surveys of higher education (as nec15 essary)— 

16 (1) take into account the considerations under 

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

18 centers at other Federal agencies; or 

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

20 of higher education or other nonprofit organization 

21 to take such considerations into account. 

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

23 Science Foundation shall publish statistical summary data 

24 collected under this section, including as part of the Na25 tional Science Foundation’s report required by section 37 
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1 of the Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act 

2 (42 U.S.C. 1885d; Public Law 96–516). 

3 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

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

6 years 2020 through 2022 to develop and carry out the 

7 initial survey required under subsection (a). 

8 SEC. 7. CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EX9 PANDING THE ACADEMIC AND FEDERAL 

10 STEM WORKFORCE. 

11 (a) BEST PRACTICES AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER

12 EDUCATION AND FEDERAL LABORATORIES.— 

13 (1) DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDANCE.—Not later 

14 than 12 months after the date of enactment of this 

15 Act, the Director, in consultation with the inter16 agency working group on inclusion in STEM, shall 

17 develop written guidance for institutions of higher 

18 education and Federal laboratories on the best prac19 tices for— 

20 (A) conducting periodic climate surveys of 

21 STEM departments and divisions, with a par22 ticular focus on identifying any cultural or in23 stitutional barriers to the recruitment, reten24 tion, or advancement of women, racial and eth25 nic minorities, and other groups historically 
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1 underrepresented in STEM studies and careers; 

2 and 

3 (B) providing educational opportunities, in4 cluding workshops as described in subsection 

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

6 administrators to learn about current research 

7 on implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation, and 

8 promotion of undergraduate and graduate stu9 dents and research personnel. 

10 (2) EXISTING GUIDANCE.—In developing the 

11 guidance under paragraph (1), the Director shall 

12 utilize guidance already developed by Federal science 

13 agencies. 

14 (3) DISSEMINATION OF GUIDANCE.—Federal 

15 science agencies shall broadly disseminate the guid16 ance developed under paragraph (1) to institutions 

17 of higher education that receive Federal research 

18 funding and Federal laboratories. 

19 (4) ESTABLISHMENT OF POLICIES.—Consistent 

20 with the guidance developed under paragraph (1)— 

21 (A) the Director of the National Science 

22 Foundation shall develop a policy that— 

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

24 degree granting institutions that receive 

25 Federal research funding; and 
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1 (ii) requires each such institution, not 

2 later than 3 years after the date of enact3 ment of this Act, to report to the Director 

4 of the National Science Foundation on ac5 tivities and policies developed and imple6 mented based on the guidance developed 

7 under paragraph (1); and 

8 (B) each Federal science agency with a 

9 Federal laboratory shall maintain or develop 

10 and implement practices and policies for the 

11 purposes described in paragraph (1) for such 

12 laboratory. 

13 (b) WORKSHOPS TO ADDRESS CULTURAL BARRIERS

14 TO EXPANDING THE ACADEMIC AND FEDERAL STEM 

15 WORKFORCE.— 

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

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

18 in consultation with the interagency working group 

19 on inclusion in STEM, shall recommend a uniform 

20 policy for Federal science agencies to carry out a 

21 program of workshops that educate STEM depart22 ment chairs at institutions of higher education, sen23 ior managers at Federal laboratories, and other fed24 erally funded researchers about methods that mini25 mize the effects of implicit bias in the career ad-
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1 vancement, including hiring, tenure, promotion, and 

2 selection for any honor based in part on the recipi3 ent’s research record, of academic and Federal 

4 STEM researchers. 

5 (2) INTERAGENCY COORDINATION.—The Direc6 tor shall, to the extent practicable, ensure that work7 shops supported under this subsection are coordi8 nated across Federal science agencies and jointly 

9 supported as appropriate. 

10 (3) MINIMIZING COSTS.—To the extent prac11 ticable, workshops shall be held in conjunction with 

12 national or regional STEM disciplinary meetings to 

13 minimize costs associated with participant travel. 

14 (4) PRIORITY FIELDS FOR ACADEMIC PARTICI15 PANTS.—In considering the participation of STEM 

16 department chairs and other academic researchers, 

17 the Director shall prioritize workshops for the broad 

18 fields of STEM in which the national rate of rep19 resentation of women among tenured or tenure-track 

20 faculty or nonfaculty researchers at doctorate-grant21 ing institutions of higher education is less than 25 

22 percent, according to the most recent data available 

23 from the National Center for Science and Engineer24 ing Statistics. 
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1 (5) ORGANIZATIONS ELIGIBLE TO CARRY OUT

2 WORKSHOPS.—A Federal science agency may carry 

3 out the program of workshops under this subsection 

4 by making grants to organizations made eligible by 

5 the Federal science agency and any of the following 

6 organizations: 

7 (A) Nonprofit scientific and professional 

8 societies and organizations that represent one 

9 or more STEM disciplines. 

10 (B) Nonprofit organizations that have the 

11 primary mission of advancing the participation 

12 of women, minorities, or other groups histori13 cally underrepresented in STEM. 

14 (6) CHARACTERISTICS OF WORKSHOPS.—The 

15 workshops shall have the following characteristics: 

16 (A) Invitees to workshops shall include at 

17 least— 

18 (i) the chairs of departments in the 

19 relevant STEM discipline or disciplines 

20 from doctoral degree granting institutions 

21 that receive Federal research funding; and 

22 (ii) in the case of Federal laboratories, 

23 individuals with personnel management re24 sponsibilities comparable to those of an in-
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1 stitution of higher education department 

2 chair. 

3 (B) Activities at the workshops shall in4 clude research presentations and interactive dis5 cussions or other activities that increase the 

6 awareness of the existence of implicit bias in re7 cruitment, hiring, tenure review, promotion, and 

8 other forms of formal recognition of individual 

9 achievement for faculty and other federally 

10 funded STEM researchers and shall provide 

11 strategies to overcome such bias. 

12 (C) Research presentations and other 

13 workshop programs, as appropriate, shall in14 clude a discussion of the unique challenges 

15 faced by different underrepresented groups, in16 cluding minority women, minority men, persons 

17 from rural and underserved areas, persons with 

18 disabilities, gender and sexual minority individ19 uals, and first generation graduates in research. 

20 (D) Workshop programs shall include in21 formation on best practices for mentoring un22 dergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral 

23 women, minorities, and other students from 

24 groups historically underrepresented in STEM. 
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1 (7) DATA ON WORKSHOPS.—Any proposal for 

2 funding by an organization seeking to carry out a 

3 workshop under this subsection shall include a de4 scription of how such organization will— 

5 (A) collect data on the rates of attendance 

6 by invitees in workshops, including information 

7 on the home institution and department of 

8 attendees, and the rank of faculty attendees; 

9 (B) conduct attitudinal surveys on work10 shop attendees before and after the workshops; 

11 and 

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

13 institutional policy or practice changes reported 

14 by attendees not later than 1 year after attend15 ance in such a workshop. 

16 (8) REPORT TO NSF.—Organizations receiving 

17 funding to carry out workshops under this sub18 section shall report the data required in paragraph 

19 (7) to the Director of the National Science Founda20 tion in such form as required by such Director. 

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

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

23 the National Science Foundation shall submit a report to 

24 Congress that includes— 
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1 (1) a summary and analysis of the types and 

2 frequency of activities and policies developed and 

3 carried out under subsection (a) based on the re4 ports submitted under paragraph (4) of such sub5 section; and 

6 (2) a description and evaluation of the status 

7 and effectiveness of the program of workshops re8 quired under subsection (b), including a summary of 

9 any data reported under paragraph (8) of such sub10 section. 

11 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

12 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

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

14 years 2020 through 2024 to carry out this section. 

15 SEC. 8. RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION AT THE NATIONAL 

16 SCIENCE FOUNDATION. 

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

18 Science Foundation shall award research grants and carry 

19 out dissemination activities consistent with the purposes 

20 of this Act, including— 

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

22 data collected under section 4 and section 6, con23 sistent with policies to ensure the privacy of individ24 uals identifiable by such data; 
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1 (2) research grants to study best practices for 

2 work-life accommodation; 

3 (3) research grants to study the impact of poli4 cies and practices that are implemented under this 

5 Act or that are otherwise consistent with the pur6 poses of this Act; 

7 (4) collaboration with other Federal science 

8 agencies and professional associations to exchange 

9 best practices, harmonize work-life accommodation 

10 policies and practices, and overcome common bar11 riers to work-life accommodation; and 

12 (5) collaboration with institutions of higher 

13 education in order to clarify and catalyze the adop14 tion of a coherent and consistent set of work-life ac15 commodation policies and practices. 

16 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

17 are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 

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

19 years 2020 through 2024 to carry out this section. 

20 SEC. 9. RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES TO EXPAND 

21 STEM OPPORTUNITIES. 

22 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR

23 INCREASING DIVERSITY AMONG STEM FACULTY AT IN24 STITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—Section 305 of the 
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1 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 

2 1862s–5) is amended— 

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

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

5 (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the fol6 lowing: 

7 ‘‘(e) SUPPORT FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY AMONG

8 STEM FACULTY AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDU9 CATION.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Foun11 dation shall award grants to institutions of higher 

12 education (or consortia thereof) for the development 

13 and assessment of innovative reform efforts designed 

14 to increase the recruitment, retention, and advance15 ment of individuals from underrepresented minority 

16 groups in academic STEM careers. 

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

18 shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit19 reviewed, competitive basis. 

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

21 grants under this subsection may include— 

22 ‘‘(A) institutional assessment activities, 

23 such as data analyses and policy review, in 

24 order to identify and address specific issues in 

25 the recruitment, retention, and advancement of 
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1 faculty members from underrepresented minor2 ity groups; 

3 ‘‘(B) implementation of institution-wide 

4 improvements in workload distribution, such 

5 that faculty members from underrepresented 

6 minority groups are not disadvantaged in the 

7 amount of time available to focus on research, 

8 publishing papers, and engaging in other activi9 ties required to achieve tenure status and run 

10 a productive research program; 

11 ‘‘(C) development and implementation of 

12 training courses for administrators and search 

13 committee members to ensure that candidates 

14 from underrepresented minority groups are not 

15 subject to implicit biases in the search and hir16 ing process; 

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

18 inter-institutional workshops to propagate best 

19 practices in recruiting, retaining, and advancing 

20 faculty members from underrepresented minor21 ity groups; 

22 ‘‘(E) professional development opportuni23 ties for faculty members from underrepresented 

24 minority groups; 
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1 ‘‘(F) activities aimed at making under2 graduate STEM students from underrep3 resented minority groups aware of opportunities 

4 for academic careers in STEM fields; 

5 ‘‘(G) activities to identify and engage ex6 ceptional graduate students and postdoctoral 

7 researchers from underrepresented minority 

8 groups at various stages of their studies and to 

9 encourage them to enter academic careers; and 

10 ‘‘(H) other activities consistent with para11 graph (1), as determined by the Director of the 

12 Foundation. 

13 ‘‘(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 

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

15 higher education (or a consortium of such insti16 tutions) seeking funding under this subsection 

17 shall submit an application to the Director of 

18 the Foundation at such time, in such manner, 

19 and containing such information and assur20 ances as such Director may require. The appli21 cation shall include, at a minimum, a descrip22 tion of— 

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

24 proposed for implementation by the insti25 tution of higher education; 
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1 ‘‘(ii) any available evidence of specific 

2 difficulties in the recruitment, retention, 

3 and advancement of faculty members from 

4 underrepresented minority groups in 

5 STEM academic careers within the institu6 tion of higher education submitting an ap7 plication, and how the proposed reform ef8 fort would address such issues; 

9 ‘‘(iii) how the institution of higher 

10 education submitting an application plans 

11 to sustain the proposed reform effort be12 yond the duration of the grant; and 

13 ‘‘(iv) how the success and effective14 ness of the proposed reform effort will be 

15 evaluated and assessed in order to con16 tribute to the national knowledge base 

17 about models for catalyzing institutional 

18 change. 

19 ‘‘(B) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In se20 lecting grant recipients under this subsection, 

21 the Director of the Foundation shall consider, 

22 at a minimum— 

23 ‘‘(i) the likelihood of success in under24 taking the proposed reform effort at the 

25 institution of higher education submitting 
30 

•HR 2528 EH

1 the application, including the extent to 

2 which the administrators of the institution 

3 are committed to making the proposed re4 form effort a priority; 

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

6 reform effort will contribute to change in 

7 institutional culture and policy such that 

8 greater value is placed on the recruitment, 

9 retention, and advancement of faculty 

10 members from underrepresented minority 

11 groups; 

12 ‘‘(iii) the likelihood that the institu13 tion of higher education will sustain or ex14 pand the proposed reform effort beyond 

15 the period of the grant; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) the degree to which evaluation 

17 and assessment plans are included in the 

18 design of the proposed reform effort. 

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

20 of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent 

21 practicable, that grants awarded under this sec22 tion are made to a variety of types of institu23 tions of higher education. 

24 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

25 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
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1 this subsection $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

2 2020 through 2024.’’. 

3 (b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR

4 BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN UNDERGRADUATE

5 STEM EDUCATION.—Section 305 of the American Inno6 vation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–5), as 

7 amended by subsection (b), is further amended by insert8 ing after subsection (e) the following: 

9 ‘‘(f) SUPPORT FOR BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN

10 UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION.— 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Foun12 dation shall award grants to institutions of higher 

13 education (or a consortium of such institutions) to 

14 implement or expand research-based reforms in un15 dergraduate STEM education for the purpose of re16 cruiting and retaining students from minority 

17 groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields. 

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

19 shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit20 reviewed, competitive basis. 

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

22 grants under this subsection may include— 

23 ‘‘(A) implementation or expansion of inno24 vative, research-based approaches to broaden 
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1 participation of underrepresented minority 

2 groups in STEM fields; 

3 ‘‘(B) implementation or expansion of 

4 bridge, cohort, tutoring, or mentoring pro5 grams, including those involving community col6 leges and technical schools, designed to enhance 

7 the recruitment and retention of students from 

8 underrepresented minority groups in STEM 

9 fields; 

10 ‘‘(C) implementation or expansion of out11 reach programs linking institutions of higher 

12 education and K–12 school systems in order to 

13 heighten awareness among pre-college students 

14 from underrepresented minority groups of op15 portunities in college-level STEM fields and 

16 STEM careers; 

17 ‘‘(D) implementation or expansion of fac18 ulty development programs focused on improv19 ing retention of undergraduate STEM students 

20 from underrepresented minority groups; 

21 ‘‘(E) implementation or expansion of 

22 mechanisms designed to recognize and reward 

23 faculty members who demonstrate a commit24 ment to increasing the participation of students 
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•HR 2528 EH

1 from underrepresented minority groups in 

2 STEM fields; 

3 ‘‘(F) expansion of successful reforms 

4 aimed at increasing the number of STEM stu5 dents from underrepresented minority groups 

6 beyond a single course or group of courses to 

7 achieve reform within an entire academic unit, 

8 or expansion of successful reform efforts beyond 

9 a single academic unit or field to other STEM 

10 academic units or fields within an institution of 

11 higher education; 

12 ‘‘(G) expansion of opportunities for stu13 dents from underrepresented minority groups to 

14 conduct STEM research in industry, at Federal 

15 labs, and at international research institutions 

16 or research sites; 

17 ‘‘(H) provision of stipends for students 

18 from underrepresented minority groups partici19 pating in research; 

20 ‘‘(I) development of research collaborations 

21 between research-intensive universities and pri22 marily undergraduate minority-serving institu23 tions; 

24 ‘‘(J) support for graduate students and 

25 postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented mi-
34 

•HR 2528 EH

1 nority groups to participate in instructional or 

2 assessment activities at primarily under3 graduate institutions, including primarily un4 dergraduate minority-serving institutions and 2- 

5 year institutions of higher education; and 

6 ‘‘(K) other activities consistent with para7 graph (1), as determined by the Director of the 

8 Foundation. 

9 ‘‘(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 

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

11 higher education (or a consortia thereof) seek12 ing a grant under this subsection shall submit 

13 an application to the Director of the Founda14 tion at such time, in such manner, and con15 taining such information and assurances as 

16 such Director may require. The application 

17 shall include, at a minimum— 

18 ‘‘(i) a description of the proposed re19 form effort; 

20 ‘‘(ii) a description of the research 

21 findings that will serve as the basis for the 

22 proposed reform effort or, in the case of 

23 applications that propose an expansion of a 

24 previously implemented reform, a descrip25 tion of the previously implemented reform 
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•HR 2528 EH

1 effort, including data about the recruit2 ment, retention, and academic achievement 

3 of students from underrepresented minor4 ity groups; 

5 ‘‘(iii) evidence of an institutional com6 mitment to, and support for, the proposed 

7 reform effort, including a long-term com8 mitment to implement successful strategies 

9 from the current reform beyond the aca10 demic unit or units included in the grant 

11 proposal; 

12 ‘‘(iv) a description of existing or 

13 planned institutional policies and practices 

14 regarding faculty hiring, promotion, ten15 ure, and teaching assignment that reward 

16 faculty contributions to improving the edu17 cation of students from underrepresented 

18 minority groups in STEM; and 

19 ‘‘(v) how the success and effectiveness 

20 of the proposed reform effort will be evalu21 ated and assessed in order to contribute to 

22 the national knowledge base about models 

23 for catalyzing institutional change. 

24 ‘‘(B) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In se25 lecting grant recipients under this subsection, 
36 

•HR 2528 EH

1 the Director of the Foundation shall consider, 

2 at a minimum— 

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

4 proposed reform effort at the institution 

5 submitting the application, including the 

6 extent to which the faculty, staff, and ad7 ministrators of the institution are com8 mitted to making the proposed institu9 tional reform a priority of the participating 

10 academic unit or units; 

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

12 reform effort will contribute to change in 

13 institutional culture and policy such that 

14 greater value is placed on faculty engage15 ment in the retention of students from 

16 underrepresented minority groups; 

17 ‘‘(iii) the likelihood that the institu18 tion will sustain or expand the proposed 

19 reform effort beyond the period of the 

20 grant; and 

21 ‘‘(iv) the degree to which evaluation 

22 and assessment plans are included in the 

23 design of the proposed reform effort. 

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

25 of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent 
37 

•HR 2528 EH

1 practicable, that grants awarded under this 

2 subsection are made to a variety of types of in3 stitutions of higher education, including 2-year 

4 and minority-serving institutions of higher edu5 cation. 

6 ‘‘(5) EDUCATION RESEARCH.— 

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

8 this subsection shall include an education re9 search component that will support the design 

10 and implementation of a system for data collec11 tion and evaluation of proposed reform efforts 

12 in order to build the knowledge base on prom13 ising models for increasing recruitment and re14 tention of students from underrepresented mi15 nority groups in STEM education at the under16 graduate level across a diverse set of institu17 tions. 

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

19 the Foundation shall coordinate with relevant 

20 Federal agencies in disseminating the results of 

21 the research under this paragraph to ensure 

22 that best practices in broadening participation 

23 in STEM education at the undergraduate level 

24 are made readily available to all institutions of 

25 higher education, other Federal agencies that 
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1 support STEM programs, non-Federal funders 

2 of STEM education, and the general public. 

3 ‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

4 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

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

6 2020 through 2024.’’. 

7 SEC. 10. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM. 

8 (a) GRANTS TO BROADEN TRIBAL COLLEGE AND

9 UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTER

10 SCIENCE.—Section 525 of the America COMPETES Re11 authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–13) is 

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

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

14 UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTER

15 SCIENCE.— 

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

17 the program authorized under this section, shall 

18 award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis 

19 to eligible entities to increase the participation of 

20 tribal populations in computer science and computa21 tional thinking education programs to enable stu22 dents to develop skills and competencies in coding, 

23 problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and col24 laboration. 
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1 ‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Grants awarded under this 

2 subsection shall support— 

3 ‘‘(A) research and development needed to 

4 bring computer science and computational 

5 thinking courses and degrees to tribal colleges 

6 and universities; 

7 ‘‘(B) research and development of instruc8 tional materials needed to integrate computer 

9 science and computational thinking into pro10 grams that are culturally relevant to students 

11 attending tribal colleges and universities; 

12 ‘‘(C) research, development and evaluation 

13 of distance education for computer science and 

14 computational thinking courses and degree pro15 grams for students attending tribal colleges and 

16 universities; and 

17 ‘‘(D) other activities consistent with the 

18 activities described in paragraphs (1) through 

19 (4) of subsection (b), as determined by the Di20 rector. 

21 ‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS.—A tribal college or uni22 versity seeking a grant under this subsection, or a 

23 consortia thereof, may partner with an institution of 

24 higher education or nonprofit organization with dem-
40 

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1 onstrated expertise in academic program develop2 ment. 

3 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub4 section, the Director shall consult and cooperate 

5 with the programs and policies of other relevant 

6 Federal agencies to avoid duplication with and en7 hance the effectiveness of the program under this 

8 subsection. 

9 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

10 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Di11 rector of the Foundation $2,000,000 in each of fis12 cal years 2020 through 2024 to carry out this sub13 section.’’. 

14 (b) EVALUATION.— 

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

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

17 the National Science Foundation shall evaluate the 

18 grant program authorized under section 525 of the 

19 America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 

20 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–13), as amended. 

21 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—In conducting the evalua22 tion under paragraph (1), the Director of the Na23 tional Science Foundation shall, as practicable— 

24 (A) use a common set of benchmarks and 

25 assessment tools to identify best practices and 
41 

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1 materials developed or demonstrated by the re2 search conducted pursuant to grants programs 

3 under section 525 of the America COMPETES 

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

5 1862p–13); 

6 (B) include an assessment of the effective7 ness of such grant programs in expanding ac8 cess to high quality STEM education, research, 

9 and outreach at tribal colleges and universities, 

10 as applicable; 

11 (C) assess the number of students who 

12 participated in such grant programs; and 

13 (D) assess the percentage of students par14 ticipating in such grant programs who success15 fully complete their education programs. 

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

17 the date on which the evaluation under paragraph 

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

19 Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and 

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

21 of the evaluation, including any recommendations for 

22 legislative action that could optimize the effective23 ness of the grant program authorized under section 

24 525 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization 

25 Act of 2010, as amended by subsection (a). 
42 

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1 SEC. 11. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

2 Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment 

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

4 that includes— 

5 (1) a description and evaluation of the status 

6 and usage of policies implemented pursuant to sec7 tion 3 at all Federal science agencies, including any 

8 recommendations for revising or expanding such 

9 policies; 

10 (2) with respect to efforts to minimize the ef11 fects of implicit bias in the review of extramural and 

12 intramural Federal research grants under section 

13 5— 

14 (A) what steps all Federal science agencies 

15 have taken to implement policies and practices 

16 to minimize such effects; 

17 (B) a description of any significant up18 dates to the policies for review of Federal re19 search grants required under such section; and 

20 (C) any evidence of the impact of such 

21 policies on the review or awarding of Federal 

22 research grants; and 

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

24 institution of higher education and Federal labora25 tory policies and practices required under section 
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1 7(a), including any recommendations for revising or 

2 expanding such policies. 

3 SEC. 12. MERIT REVIEW. 

4 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as altering any 

5 intellectual or broader impacts criteria at Federal science 

6 agencies for evaluating grant applications. 

7 SEC. 13. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

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

10 the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

11 Policy. 

12 (2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed13 eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 

14 section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno15 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 

16 (3) FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY.—The term 

17 ‘‘Federal science agency’’ means any Federal agency 

18 with at least $100,000,000 in research and develop19 ment expenditures in fiscal year 2018. 

20 (4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

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

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

24 (5) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON INCLU25 SION IN STEM.—The term ‘‘interagency working 
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1 group on inclusion in STEM’’ means the interagency 

2 working group established by section 308 of the 

3 American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 

4 U.S.C. 6626). 

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

6 technology, engineering, and mathematics, including 

7 computer science. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 26, 

2019. 

Attest: 

Clerk. 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2528 

AN ACT 

To direct the Director of the Office of Science and 

other purposes. fully engaging their entire talent pool, and for Federal research and development funding are and institutions of higher education receiving tivities to ensure that Federal science agencies Technology Policy to carry out programs and ac-