I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 4372 

To direct Federal science agencies and the Office of Science and Technology 

Policy to undertake activities to improve the quality of undergraduate 

STEM education and enhance the research capacity at the Nation’s 

HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019 

Ms. JOHNSON of Texas (for herself and Mr. WALTZ) introduced the following 

bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To direct Federal science agencies and the Office of Science 

and Technology Policy to undertake activities to improve 

the quality of undergraduate STEM education and enhance the research capacity at the Nation’s HBCUs, 

TCUs, and MSIs, 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 ‘‘MSI STEM Achieve5 ment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress makes the following findings: 


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1 (1) Evidence suggests that the supply of STEM 

2 workers is not keeping pace with the rapidly evolving 

3 needs of the public and private sector, resulting in 

4 a deficit often referred to as a STEM skills short5 age. 

6 (2) According to the Bureau of Labor Statis7 tics, the United States will need one million addi8 tional STEM professionals than it is on track to 

9 produce in the coming decade. 

10 (3) STEM occupations offer higher wages, more 

11 opportunities for advancement, and a higher degree 

12 of job security than non-STEM occupations. 

13 (4) The composition of the STEM workforce 

14 does not reflect the current or projected diversity of 

15 the Nation, with Hispanics, African Americans, and 

16 other racial and ethnic minorities, significantly 

17 underrepresented in the STEM workforce compared 

18 to their presence in the workforce more generally. 

19 (5) A stronger national commitment to increas20 ing the diversity of the STEM workforce is needed 

21 to help address the STEM skills shortage. 

22 (6) According to a 2019 National Academies of 

23 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report entitled 

24 ‘‘Minority Serving Institutions: America’s Underuti25 lized Resource for Strengthening the STEM WorkVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:43 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4372.IH H4372

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1 force’’, two- and four-year minority serving institu2 tions enroll nearly 30 percent of all undergraduate 

3 students—a percentage that is expected to grow in 

4 the coming years—in the United States higher edu5 cation system and play a critical role in providing 

6 important pathways to STEM-related education, 

7 training, and careers for students of color. 

8 (7) HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs are highly suc9 cessful at educating underrepresented minority stu10 dents in STEM fields and can serve as best practice 

11 models for other colleges and universities to further 

12 expand participation of underrepresented minorities 

13 in the STEM workforce. 

14 (8) Increased investment in STEM infrastruc15 ture at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs has the potential 

16 to increase these institutions’ ability to educate even 

17 more students in the STEM disciplines. 

18 (9) With the demand for STEM skills exceeding 

19 the supply of STEM graduates, success of HBCUs, 

20 TCUs, and MSIs in educating and training science 

21 and engineering leaders is increasingly important for 

22 United States economic growth and competitiveness. 


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1 SEC. 3. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW. 

2 Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 

3 of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 

4 shall report to Congress— 

5 (1) an inventory of competitive funding pro6 grams and initiatives carried out by Federal science 

7 agencies that are targeted to HBCUs, TCUs, and 

8 MSIs or partnerships with HBCUs, TCUs, and 

9 MSIs; 

10 (2) an assessment of Federal science agency 

11 outreach activities to increase the participation and 

12 competitiveness of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in the 

13 funding programs and initiatives identified in para14 graph (1); and 

15 (3) recommendations of the Comptroller Gen16 eral to increase the participation of and the rate of 

17 success of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in competitive 

18 funding programs offered by Federal science agen19 cies. 

20 SEC. 4. RESEARCH AND CAPACITY BUILDING. 

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

22 Science Foundation shall award grants, on a competitive 

23 basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit orga24 nizations (or consortia thereof) to— 

25 (1) conduct research described in subsection (b) 

26 with respect to HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; 


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1 (2) conduct activities described in subsection (c) 

2 to build the capacity of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs 

3 to graduate students who are competitive in attain4 ing and advancing in the STEM workforce; 

5 (3) build the research capacity and competitive6 ness of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in STEM dis7 ciplines; and 

8 (4) identify and broadly disseminate effective 

9 models for programs and practices at HBCUs, 

10 TCUs, and MSIs that promote the education and 

11 workforce preparation of minority students pursuing 

12 STEM studies and careers in which such students 

13 are underrepresented. 

14 (b) RESEARCH.—Research described in this sub15 section is research on the contribution of HBCUs, TCUs, 

16 and MSIs to the education and training of underrep17 resented minority students in STEM fields and to the 

18 meeting of national STEM workforce needs, including— 

19 (1) the diversity with respect to local context, 

20 cultural differences, and institutional structure 

21 among HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and any associ22 ated impact on education and research endeavors; 

23 (2) effective practices at HBCUs, TCUs, and 

24 MSIs and associated outcomes on student recruit25 ment, retention, and advancement in STEM fields, 


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1 including the ability for students to compete for fel2 lowships, employment, and advancement in the 

3 workforce; 

4 (3) contributions made by HBCUs, TCUs, and 

5 MSIs to local, regional, and national workforces; 

6 (4) the unique challenges and opportunities for 

7 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in attaining the resources 

8 needed for integrating effective practices in STEM 

9 education, including providing research experiences 

10 for underrepresented minority students; 

11 (5) the access of students at HBCUs, TCUs, 

12 and MSIs to STEM infrastructure and any associ13 ated outcomes for STEM competency; 

14 (6) models of STEM curriculum, learning, and 

15 teaching successful at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs for 

16 increasing participation, retention, and success of 

17 underrepresented minority students; and 

18 (7) successful or promising partnerships be19 tween HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and other institu20 tions of higher education, private sector and non21 profit organizations, Federal laboratories, and inter22 national research institutions. 

23 (c) CAPACITY BUILDING.—Activities described in this 

24 subsection include the design, development, implementa25 tion, expansion, and assessment of— 


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1 (1) metrics of success to best capture the 

2 achievements of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and stu3 dents of such institutions to account for institutional 

4 context and missions, faculty investment, student 

5 populations, student needs, and institutional re6 source constraints; 

7 (2) enhancements to undergraduate STEM cur8 riculum at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to increase the 

9 participation, retention, degree completion, and suc10 cess of underrepresented students; 

11 (3) professional development programs to in12 crease the numbers and the high-quality preparation 

13 of STEM faculty at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, in14 cluding programs to encourage STEM doctoral stu15 dents to teach at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; and 

16 (4) mechanisms for institutions of higher edu17 cation that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs to part18 ner with HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs on STEM edu19 cation, including the facilitation of student transfer, 

20 mentoring programs for students and junior faculty, 

21 joint research projects, and student access to grad22 uate education. 

23 (d) RESEARCH EXPERIENCES.—Grants under this 

24 section may fund the development or expansion of oppor25 tunities for the exchange of students and faculty to conVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:43 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4372.IH H4372

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1 duct research, including through partnerships with institu2 tions of higher education that are not HBCUs, TCUs, or 

3 MSIs, private sector and non-profit organizations, Federal 

4 laboratories, and international research institutions. 

5 (e) PARTNERSHIPS.—In awarding grants under this 

6 section, the Director of the National Science Foundation 

7 shall— 

8 (1) encourage HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs and 

9 consortia thereof and partnerships with one or more 

10 HBCU, TCU, or MSI, to submit proposals; 

11 (2) require proposals submitted in partnership 

12 with one or more HBCU, TCU, or MSI include a 

13 plan for establishing a sustained partnership that is 

14 jointly developed and managed, draws from the ca15 pacities of each institution, and is mutually bene16 ficial; and 

17 (3) encourage proposals submitted in partner18 ship with the private sector, non-profit organiza19 tions, Federal laboratories, and international re20 search institutions, as appropriate. 

21 (f) MSI CENTERS OF INNOVATION.—Grants under 

22 this section may fund the establishment of no more than 

23 five MSI Centers of Innovation to leverage successes of 

24 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in STEM education and re25 search training of underrepresented minority students as 


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1 models for other institutions, including both HBCUs, 

2 TCUs, and MSIs and institutions of higher education that 

3 are not HBCUs, TCUs, or MSIs. Such centers will be lo4 cated on campuses of selected institutions of higher edu5 cation and serve as incubators to allow institutions of 

6 higher education to experiment, pilot, evaluate, and scale 

7 up promising practices. 

8 SEC. 5. AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—In consultation with outside 

10 stakeholders and the heads of the Federal science agen11 cies, the Director shall develop a uniform set of policy 

12 guidelines for Federal science agencies to carry out a sus13 tained program of outreach activities to increase clarity, 

14 transparency, and accountability for Federal science agen15 cy investments in STEM education and research activities 

16 at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. 

17 (b) OUTREACH ACTIVITIES.—In developing policy 

18 guidelines under subsection (a) the Director shall include 

19 guidelines that require each Federal science agency— 

20 (1) to designate a liason for HBCUs, TCUs, 

21 and MSIs responsible for— 

22 (A) enhancing direct communication with 

23 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs to increase the Fed24 eral science agency’s understanding of the ca25 pacity and needs of such institutions and to 


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1 raise awareness of available Federal funding op2 portunities at such institutions; 

3 (B) coordinating programs, activities, and 

4 initiatives while accounting for the capacity and 

5 needs of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; 

6 (C) tracking Federal science agency invest7 ments in and engagement with HBCUs, TCUs, 

8 and MSIs; and 

9 (D) reporting progress toward increasing 

10 participation of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs in 

11 grant programs; 

12 (2) to publish annual forecasts of funding op13 portunities and proposal deadlines, including for 

14 grants, contracts, subcontracts, and cooperative 

15 agreements; 

16 (3) to conduct on-site reviews of research facili17 ties at HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, as practicable, 

18 and make recommendations regarding strategies for 

19 becoming more competitive in research; 

20 (4) to hold geographically accessible or virtual 

21 workshops on research priorities of the Federal 

22 science agency and on how to write competitive 

23 grant proposals; 

24 (5) to ensure opportunities for HBCUs, TCUs, 

25 and MSIs to directly communicate with Federal 


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1 science agency officials responsible for managing 

2 competitive grant programs in order to receive feed3 back on research ideas and proposals, including 

4 guidance on the Federal science agency’s peer review 

5 process; 

6 (6) to foster mutually beneficial public-private 

7 collaboration among Federal science agencies, indus8 try, Federal laboratories, academia, and nonprofit 

9 organizations to— 

10 (A) identify alternative sources of funding 

11 for STEM education and research at HBCUs, 

12 TCUs, and MSIs; 

13 (B) provide access to high-quality, relevant 

14 research experiences for students and faculty of 

15 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs; 

16 (C) expand the professional networks of 

17 students and faculty of HBCUs, TCUs, and 

18 MSIs; 

19 (D) broaden STEM educational opportuni20 ties for students and faculty of HBCUs, TCUs, 

21 and MSIs; and 

22 (E) support the transition of students of 

23 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs into the STEM 

24 workforce; and 


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1 (7) to publish an annual report that provides an 

2 account of Federal science agency investments in 

3 HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs, including data on the 

4 level of participation of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs 

5 as prime recipients/contractors or subrecipients/sub6 contractors. 

7 (c) STRATEGIC PLAN.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

9 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director, in 

10 collaboration with the head of each Federal science 

11 agency, shall submit to Congress a report containing 

12 a strategic plan for each Federal science agency to 

13 increase the capacity of HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs 

14 to compete effectively for grants, contracts, or coop15 erative agreements and to encourage HBCUs, 

16 TCUs, and MSIs to participate in Federal programs. 

17 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing a stra18 tegic plan under paragraph (1), the Director and 

19 each head of each Federal science agency shall con20 sider— 

21 (A) issuing new or expanding existing 

22 funding opportunities targeted to HBCUs, 

23 TCUs, and MSIs; 

24 (B) modifying existing research and devel25 opment program solicitations to incentivize efVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:43 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4372.IH H4372

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1 fective partnerships with HBCUs, TCUs, and 

2 MSIs; 

3 (C) offering planning grants for HBCUs, 

4 TCUs, and MSIs to develop or equip grant of5 fices with the requisite depth of knowledge to 

6 submit competitive grant proposals and manage 

7 awarded grants; 

8 (D) offering additional training programs 

9 and individualized and timely guidance to grant 

10 officers and faculty researchers at HBCUs, 

11 TCUs, and MSIs to ensure they understand the 

12 requirements for an effective grant proposal; 

13 and 

14 (E) other approaches for making current 

15 competitive funding models more accessible for 

16 under-resourced HBCUs, TCUs, and MSIs. 

17 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 

18 after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years 

19 thereafter, the Director shall report to Congress on the 

20 implementation by Federal science agencies of the policy 

21 guidelines developed under this section. 

22 SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 

23 In this Act: 


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

2 the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 

3 Policy. 

4 (2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed5 eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 

6 section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno7 vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 

8 (3) FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY.—The term 

9 ‘‘Federal science agency’’ means any Federal agency 

10 with an annual extramural research expenditure of 

11 over $100,000,000. 

12 (4) HBCU.—The term ‘‘HBCU’’ has the mean13 ing given the term ‘‘part B institution’’ in section 

14 322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

15 U.S.C. 1061). 

16 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

18 meaning given such term in section 101 of the High19 er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

20 (6) MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

21 term ‘‘minority serving institution’’ or ‘‘MSI’’ means 

22 Hispanic-Serving Institutions as defined in section 

23 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C 

24 1101a); Alaska Native Serving Institutions and Na25 tive Hawaiian-Serving Institutions as defined in secVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:43 Sep 20, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4372.IH H4372

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1 tion 317 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

2 U.S.C. 1059d); and Predominantly Black Institu3 tions, Asian American and Native American Pacific 

4 Islander-Serving Institutions, and Native American5 Serving Nontribal Institutions as defined in section 

6 371 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

7 U.S.C. 1067q(c)). 

8 (7) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ has the mean9 ing given the term in the STEM Education Act of 

10 2015 (42 U.S.C. 1861 et seq.). 

11 (8) TCU.—The term ‘‘TCU’’ has the meaning 

12 given the term ‘‘Tribal College or University’’ in sec13 tion 316 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 1059c). 

Æ 


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