II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3324 

To provide leadership regarding science, technology, engineering, and 

mathematics education programs, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 24 (legislative day, JULY 23), 2008 

Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself and Mr. COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide leadership regarding science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs, 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 ‘‘Science, Technology, 

5 Engineering, and Mathematics Education for the 21st 

6 Century Act of 2008’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, 

2 ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDU3 CATION. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a feder5 ally chartered corporation to be known as the National 

6 Council for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathe7 matics Education (referred to in this section as the 

8 ‘‘STEM Council’’) which shall be incorporated under the 

9 laws of the District of Columbia and which shall have the 

10 powers granted in this section. Notwithstanding any other 

11 provision of law, the STEM Council is a private entity and 

12 is not an agency, instrumentality, authority, entity, or es13 tablishment of the United States Government. 

14 (b) MISSION.—The mission of the STEM Council is 

15 to— 

16 (1) provide guidance and coordinate and facili17 tate the flow of information about science, tech18 nology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in 

19 this section as ‘‘STEM’’) education among State, 

20 local, and private entities, as well as the general 

21 public; 

22 (2) provide leadership by identifying critical de23 ficiencies in the Nation’s STEM education systems 

24 and proposing strategies for members of the STEM 

25 Council to collaborate to address such deficiencies; 


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1 (3) serve as a primary focal point for Federal 

2 agencies to improve their coordination with, and 

3 service to, State and local school systems; and 

4 (4) promote STEM fields and educate the gen5 eral public about the value of a STEM education. 

6 (c) BOARD OF DIRECTORS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The management of the 

8 STEM Council shall be vested in a Board of Direc9 tors composed of 23 voting members and 10 non10 voting members, who shall meet not less frequently 

11 than quarterly. 

12 (2) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Director of 

13 the National Science Foundation, in consultation 

14 with the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the 

15 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pen16 sions of the Senate, the Committee on Commerce, 

17 Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Com18 mittee on Education and Labor of the House of 

19 Representatives, and the Committee on Science and 

20 Technology of the House of Representatives, shall 

21 appoint, in accordance with this subsection, the ini22 tial voting members of the Board of Directors of the 

23 STEM Council. 

24 (3) APPOINTMENTS.—The Director of the Na25 tional Science Foundation, in consultation with the 


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1 STEM Council, shall appoint, in accordance with 

2 this subsection, a new voting member of the Board 

3 of Directors of the STEM Council after a voting 

4 member has completed service on the STEM Coun5 cil. 

6 (4) REPRESENTATIVES ON THE STEM COUN7 CIL.— 

8 (A) VOTING SEATS.—The Board of Direc9 tors of the STEM Council shall consist of the 

10 following voting members: 

11 (i) Two State Governors or former 

12 Governors. 

13 (ii) Two chief State school officers. 

14 (iii) One local school board represent15 ative. 

16 (iv) One representative from the Na17 tional Science Board. 

18 (v) One active classroom teacher in 

19 science or mathematics. 

20 (vi) One active classroom teacher in 

21 engineering. 

22 (vii) One school administrator. 

23 (viii) One representative from organi24 zations representing community colleges. 


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1 (ix) One representative from organiza2 tions representing research universities. 

3 (x) One representative from techno4 logical institutes or organizations rep5 resenting technological institutes. 

6 (xi) One representative from informal 

7 STEM education organizations. 

8 (xii) Three representatives from local 

9 school boards, State legislatures, and other 

10 State and local officials. 

11 (xiii) Two representatives from var12 ious teacher, parent-teacher, and STEM 

13 education organizations. 

14 (xiv) Three representatives from var15 ious organizations representing industry 

16 and business associations with an interest 

17 in hiring a STEM-educated workforce. 

18 (xv) Two representatives from various 

19 organizations that support educational ini20 tiatives, the Nation’s global competitive21 ness, or STEM education specifically. 

22 (B) NONVOTING SEATS.—The Board of 

23 Directors of the STEM Council shall consist of 

24 nonvoting members for the following seats: 


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1 (i) The two co-chairs of the STEM 

2 Committee established under section 3. 

3 (ii) One representative from the ma4 jority party and 1 representative from the 

5 minority party from each of the following 

6 committees: 

7 (I) The Committee on Health, 

8 Education, Labor, and Pensions of 

9 the Senate. 

10 (II) The Committee on Com11 merce, Science, and Transportation of 

12 the Senate. 

13 (III) The Committee on Edu14 cation and Labor of the House of 

15 Representatives. 

16 (IV) The Committee on Science 

17 and Technology of the House of Rep18 resentatives. 

19 (C) CO-CHAIRS.—The Board of Directors 

20 of the STEM Council shall have 2 co-chairs 

21 who shall be a Governor, or former Governor, 

22 and a chief State school officer appointed by 

23 the Director of the National Science Founda24 tion in consultation with the Chairmen and 

25 Ranking Members of the Committee on Health, 


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1 Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, 

2 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

3 Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on 

4 Education and Labor of the House of Rep5 resentatives, and the Committee on Science and 

6 Technology of the House of Representatives. 

7 (5) NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES SUP8 PORT.—The Director of the National Science Foun9 dation shall enter into an agreement with the Na10 tional Academy of Sciences— 

11 (A) to provide staff support to the Board 

12 of Directors of the STEM Council; and 

13 (B) to carry out any projects proposed by 

14 the Board of Directors or required under this 

15 Act. 

16 (d) ACTIVITIES.— 

17 (1) MANDATORY ACTIVITIES.— 

18 (A) IN GENERAL.—The STEM Council 

19 shall carry out the following activities: 

20 (i) Provide leadership by identifying 

21 critical deficiencies in the Nation’s STEM 

22 education systems and proposing strategies 

23 for members of the STEM Council to col24 laborate to address such deficiencies. 


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1 (ii) Not later than 18 months after 

2 the date of enactment of this Act, and an3 nually thereafter, the STEM Council shall 

4 submit a report that highlights the status 

5 of STEM education in the Nation and the 

6 States to the Committee on Health, Edu7 cation, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate, 

8 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 

9 Transportation of the Senate, the Com10 mittee on Education and Labor of the 

11 House of Representatives, the Committee 

12 on Science and Technology of the House of 

13 Representatives, the Governor of each of 

14 the 50 States, and the STEM Committee 

15 established in section 3. Each report sub16 mitted under this clause shall be widely 

17 available to the public and posted on the 

18 website of the STEM Council. 

19 (iii) Evaluate progress toward the 

20 goals described in the National Action 

21 Plan of the National Science Board on a 

22 regular and sustained basis, including the 

23 effectiveness of the STEM Committee, es24 tablished under section 3, in coordinating 


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1 kindergarten through graduate-level Fed2 eral STEM education programs. 

3 (iv) Serve as a national resource by 

4 disseminating through the Department of 

5 Education to State and local educational 

6 agencies information on research on teach7 ing and learning, including best edu8 cational practices, and encouraging the 

9 adoption of such practices. 

10 (v) Help States establish or strength11 en existing P–16 or P–20 STEM councils 

12 and serve as a technical resource center for 

13 P–16 or P–20 STEM councils. 

14 (vi) Utilize scientifically valid studies 

15 to determine programs that raise student 

16 achievement or interest in STEM fields. 

17 (vii) Direct the Department of Edu18 cation to promote the programs described 

19 in clause (vi) to State educational agencies 

20 and local educational agencies. 

21 (viii) Work with all stakeholders to 

22 address— 

23 (I) the removal of barriers that 

24 exist throughout the Nation in reVerDate Aug 31 2005 22:54 Jul 25, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3324.IS S3324

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1 cruiting and retaining effective STEM 

2 educators; and 

3 (II) the removal of barriers im4 posed by local educational agencies on 

5 the movement of STEM educators be6 tween local educational agencies both 

7 within and across States. 

8 (ix) Propose models for effective 

9 teacher professional development. 

10 (x) Launch a public education initia11 tive to— 

12 (I) promote STEM fields to the 

13 general public, especially to stake14 holders that represent individuals 

15 identified in section 33 or 34 of the 

16 Science and Engineering Equal Op17 portunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885a, 

18 1885b); and 

19 (II) raise awareness that STEM 

20 education is essential for the Nation’s 

21 success. 

22 (B) DATABASE ON FEDERAL AND NON23 FEDERAL SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEER24 ING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATIONAL INITIA25 TIVES.— 


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1 (i) ESTABLISHMENT AND MAINTE2 NANCE OF DATABASE.— 

3 (I) DATABASE.—The STEM 

4 Council shall establish and maintain, 

5 on a public website of the STEM 

6 Council, a database consisting of in7 formation on Federal scholarships, 

8 fellowships, and other Federal STEM 

9 and relevant non-STEM education 

10 programs recommended by the STEM 

11 Committee established under section 

12 3, as well as non-Federal STEM and 

13 relevant non-STEM programs that 

14 have been recommended by the Board 

15 of Directors of the STEM Council. 

16 The database may include information 

17 on grants, fellowships, internships, 

18 and summer programs at the primary 

19 through graduate levels. 

20 (II) SPECIFIC INFORMATION.— 

21 The database established under sub22 clause (I) shall include specific infor23 mation on any programs of financial 

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1 nicity, or other demographic group, 

2 especially individuals identified in sec3 tion 33 or 34 of the Science and En4 gineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 

5 U.S.C. 1885a or 1885b). 

6 (ii) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION

7 ON DATABASE.—The STEM Council shall 

8 take such actions as may be necessary on 

9 an ongoing basis, including sending notices 

10 to educational institutions, to disseminate 

11 information on the database established 

12 and maintained under this subparagraph. 

13 (iii) LISTING DIRECT CONTACT INFOR14 MATION.—The database established under 

15 clause (i) shall provide contact information 

16 for awards, including the sponsor’s 

17 website. 

18 (iv) APPROVAL.—The STEM Council 

19 shall review submissions for inclusion on 

20 the database established under clause (i) 

21 from prospective sponsors to exclude fraud22 ulent scholarship offers and scholarship 

23 programs that require the payment of an 

24 application fee or other charge. The STEM 

25 Council may— 


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1 (I) remove information from the 

2 database if the STEM Council deter3 mines the information is not in ac4 cordance with the purpose of the 

5 database; or 

6 (II) promote those programs 

7 most effective at improving student 

8 achievement or interest in STEM 

9 fields. 

10 (v) ACCURACY.—Information on 

11 scholarships included in the database es12 tablished under clause (i) shall be updated 

13 not less often than quarterly in order to 

14 provide current and accurate information 

15 regarding available scholarships. 

16 (vi) LINKS.—The database established 

17 under clause (i) may have links to other 

18 privately operated online tools designed to 

19 help students find scholarships and edu20 cational opportunities that are approved by 

21 the STEM Council. 

22 (2) PERMISSIVE ACTIVITIES.—The STEM 

23 Council may carry out any of the following activities: 

24 (A) Coordinate the development and main25 tenance of integrated data management systems 


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1 to consolidate and share information among 

2 States on STEM educational practices, re3 search, and outcomes, including student assess4 ment results, teacher quality measures, and 

5 high school graduation requirements. 

6 (B) Assemble a database of opportunities 

7 for teachers interested in summer research in a 

8 STEM field in a Government research labora9 tory, institution of higher education, or STEM10 related business or industry. 

11 (C) Assemble a database of grants and 

12 other funding opportunities for STEM class13 room resources to be used by teachers and local 

14 educational agencies. 

15 (e) CORPORATE POWERS.—Not later than 1 year 

16 after the date of enactment of this Act, the STEM Council 

17 shall become a body corporate and as such shall have the 

18 authority to do the following: 

19 (1) To adopt and use a corporate seal. 

20 (2) To have succession until dissolved by an Act 

21 of Congress. 

22 (3) To appoint, through the actions of its 

23 Board of Directors, officers and employees of the 

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1 sibilities, fix their compensations, and to dismiss at 

2 will such officers or employees. 

3 (4) To prescribe, through the actions of its 

4 Board of Directors, bylaws not inconsistent with 

5 Federal law and the laws of the District of Colum6 bia, regulating the manner in which its general busi7 ness may be conducted and the manner in which the 

8 privileges granted to it by law may be exercised. 

9 (5) To exercise, through the actions of its 

10 Board of Directors, all powers specifically granted 

11 by the provisions of this section, and such incidental 

12 powers as shall be necessary. 

13 (6) To develop a source of revenue that is in 

14 addition to Federal funds provided under this sec15 tion and that extends later than fiscal year 2013. 

16 (7) To pay for a small personnel staff, office 

17 space, equipment, and travel, including employing 

18 not less than 1 executive staff member and 2 profes19 sional staff members. 

20 (f) CORPORATE FUNDS.— 

21 (1) DEPOSIT OF FUNDS.—The Board of Direc22 tors shall deposit all funds of the STEM Council in 

23 federally chartered and insured depository institu24 tions until such funds are disbursed under para25 graph (2). 


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1 (2) DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.—Funds of the 

2 STEM Council may be disbursed only for purposes 

3 that are— 

4 (A) approved by the chief executive of the 

5 STEM Council; and 

6 (B) in accordance with the mission of the 

7 STEM Council as specified in subsection (b). 

8 (g) USE OF MAILS.—The STEM Council may use the 

9 United States mails in the same manner and under the 

10 same conditions as the departments and agencies of the 

11 United States. 

12 (h) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—Section 

13 14 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App) 

14 shall not apply to the STEM Council. 

15 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated to the STEM Council 

17 to carry out this section $2,000,000 for each of fiscal 

18 years 2009 through 2013. 

19 SEC. 3. COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGI20 NEERING, AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

22 the National Science and Technology Council a standing 

23 committee on science, technology, engineering, and mathe24 matics education (referred to in this section as the 

25 ‘‘STEM Committee’’). 


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1 (b) MEMBERS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The STEM Committee shall 

3 be composed of representatives from all Federal de4 partments and agencies involved in STEM edu5 cation, including the National Laboratories. 

6 (2) CO-CHAIRS.—The STEM Committee shall 

7 have 2 co-chairs— 

8 (A) one of whom shall be a representative 

9 from the National Science Foundation; and 

10 (B) one of whom shall be the Secretary of 

11 Education or a designee of the Secretary. 

12 (c) DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The STEM 

13 Committee shall— 

14 (1) coordinate all programs related to education 

15 in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 

16 (referred to in this section as ‘‘STEM’’) fields fund17 ed or administered by the Federal Government; 

18 (2) conduct an ongoing inventory and assess19 ment of the effectiveness of all Federal education 

20 initiatives related to STEM fields, especially with re21 gard to how the initiatives are serving those individ22 uals identified in section 33 or 34 of the Science and 

23 Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 

24 1885a, 1885b); 


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1 (3) disseminate the annual report received from 

2 the STEM Council under section 2(d)(1)(A)(ii) to 

3 each Federal Agency engaged in STEM education 

4 efforts; 

5 (4) coordinate among all Federal departments 

6 and agencies involved in STEM education research 

7 and programs to inventory and assess the effective8 ness and coherence of Federally funded STEM edu9 cation programs; and 

10 (5) represent all Federal agencies on the Na11 tional Council for STEM Education and coordinate 

12 the STEM education efforts of the Federal govern13 ment with State and local governments through the 

14 National Council for STEM Education. 

15 (d) MEETINGS.—The STEM Committee shall meet 

16 not less frequently than quarterly. 

17 SEC. 4. EVALUATION OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGI18 NEERING, AND MATHEMATICS PROGRAMS OF 

19 THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Education shall 

21 conduct, directly or though contract, a comprehensive 

22 evaluation of all science, technology, engineering, and 

23 mathematics education (referred to in this section as 

24 ‘‘STEM education’’) programs of the Department of Edu25 cation. 


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1 (b) PROGRAMS TO EVALUATE.—The STEM edu2 cation programs that shall be evaluated under subsection 

3 (a) shall include the following: 

4 (1) The Mathematics and Science Partnerships 

5 program. 

6 (2) The Math Now for Elementary School and 

7 Middle School Students program. 

8 (3) The Math Skills for Secondary School Stu9 dents program. 

10 (4) The Minority Science and Engineering Im11 provement program. 

12 (5) The Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow 

13 program. 

14 (6) The National Science and Mathematics Ac15 cess to Retain Talent grant program (the National 

16 SMART grant program). 

17 (7) The Teacher Education Assistance for Col18 lege and Higher Education Grants program (the 

19 TEACH Grants program). 

20 (8) The Academic Competitiveness Grant pro21 gram. 

22 (9) Grant programs authorized under the Carl 

23 D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 

24 2006. 


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1 (c) CONTENT OF EVALUATION.—The evaluation con2 ducted under subsection (a) shall— 

3 (1) examine the coherence of the Department of 

4 Education in administering STEM education pro5 grams, including identifying unnecessary or harmful 

6 overlap; 

7 (2) identify the unmet State and local education 

8 needs that could be filled with reorganization or ex9 pansion of STEM education programs existing on 

10 the date of the evaluation; 

11 (3) evaluate the ease of access to information 

12 on STEM education programs by students, edu13 cators, and others target populations; 

14 (4) evaluate the ability of the Department of 

15 Education to disseminate information from the 

16 STEM Council established under section 2; and 

17 (5) propose how the Department of Education 

18 can address any needs or problems identified in 

19 paragraphs (2), (3), and (4). 

20 (d) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

21 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Education, or 

22 the entity with whom the Secretary contracts to conduct 

23 the evaluation under subsection (a), shall submit to Con24 gress a report of such evaluation. 

Æ 


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