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[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5509 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5509

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 26, 2018

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

 
    To direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants for 
     research about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related 
                   workforce, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Innovations in Mentoring, Training, 
and Apprenticeships Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) To remain competitive in the global economy, foster 
        greater innovation, and provide a foundation for shared 
        prosperity, the United States needs a workforce with the right 
        mix of skills to meet the diverse needs of the economy.
            (2) Evidence indicates that the returns on investments in 
        technical skills in the labor market are strong when students 
        successfully complete their education and gain credentials 
        sought by employers.
            (3) The responsibility for developing and sustaining a 
        skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups, 
        including educators, students, workers, employers, Federal, 
        State, and local governments, civic associations, and other 
        stakeholders. Such groups need to be able to coordinate and 
        cooperate successfully with each other.
            (4) Coordination among students, community colleges, 
        secondary and post-secondary institutions, and employers would 
        improve educational outcomes.
            (5) Promising experiments currently underway may guide 
        innovation and reform, but scalability of some of those 
        experiments has not yet been tested.
            (6) Evidence suggests that integration of academic 
        education, technical skills development, and hands-on work 
        experience improves outcomes and return on investment for 
        students in secondary and post-secondary education and for 
        skilled technical workers in different career stages.
            (7) Outcomes show that mentoring can increase STEM student 
        engagement and the rate of completion of STEM post-secondary 
        degrees.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION STEM INNOVATION AND APPRENTICESHIP 
              GRANTS.

    (a) Establishment.--The Director of the National Science Foundation 
shall award competitive grants to eligible entities in accordance with 
this section.
    (b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Director shall 
consult and cooperate with the programs and policies of other relevant 
Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the 
effectiveness of, the provision of grants under this section.
    (c) Grants for Associate Degree Programs in STEM Fields.--
            (1) In general.--The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall award competitive grants to community colleges 
        to develop or improve associate or certificate programs in STEM 
        fields in, with respect to the region in which the respective 
        college is located, an in-demand industry sector or occupation 
        (as defined in section 3(23)) of the Workforce Innovation and 
        Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23))).
            (2) Application.--In considering applications for grants 
        under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
                    (A) applicants that consist of a partnership 
                between the applying community college and individual 
                employers or an employer consortia, or industry or 
                sector partnerships, and may include a university or 
                other organization with demonstrated expertise in 
                academic program development;
                    (B) applications that demonstrate current and 
                future workforce demand in occupations directly related 
                to the proposed associate degree or certificate 
                program;
                    (C) applications that include commitments by the 
                partnering employers or employer consortia, or industry 
                or sector partnerships, to offer apprenticeships, 
                internships or other applied learning opportunities to 
                students enrolled in the proposed associate degree 
                program;
                    (D) applications that include outreach plans and 
                goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other 
                historically underrepresented individuals in STEM 
                studies and careers in the proposed associate degree 
                program; and
                    (E) applications that describe how the applying 
                community college will support the collection of 
                information and data for purposes of evaluation of the 
                proposed associate degree program.
            (3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote 
        not less than $20,000,000 to awards described in this 
        subsection, which shall include not less than $5,000,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the 
        availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made 
        available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. 
        This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise 
        appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Grants for STEM Degree Applied Learning Opportunities.--
            (1) In general.--The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of 
        higher education partnering with employers or employer 
        consortia, or industry or sector partnerships, that commit to 
        offering apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, 
        or applied learning experiences to enrolled university students 
        in identified STEM baccalaureate degree programs.
            (2) Application.--In considering applications for grants 
        under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
                    (A) applicants that consist of a partnership 
                between--
                            (I) the applying university; and
                            (ii) individual employers or an employer 
                        consortia, or industry or sector partnerships;
                    (B) applications that demonstrate current and 
                future workforce demand in occupations directly related 
                to selected STEM fields;
                    (C) applications that include outreach plans and 
                goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other 
                populations historically underrepresented in STEM; and
                    (D) applications that describe how the university 
                will support the collection and information of data for 
                purposes of the evaluation of identified STEM degree 
                programs.
            (3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote 
        not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this 
        subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the 
        availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made 
        available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. 
        This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise 
        appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (e) Grants for Computer-Based and Online STEM Education Courses.--
            (1) In general.--The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of 
        higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research 
        on student outcomes and determine best practices for STEM 
        education and technical skills education through distance 
        learning or in a simulated work environment.
            (2) Research areas.--The research areas eligible for 
        funding under this subsection may include--
                    (A) post-secondary courses for technical skills 
                development for STEM occupations;
                    (B) improving high-school level career and 
                technical education in STEM subjects;
                    (C) encouraging and sustaining interest and 
                achievement levels in STEM subjects among women and 
                other populations historically underrepresented in STEM 
                studies and careers; and
                    (D) combining computer-based and online STEM 
                education and skills development with traditional 
                mentoring and other mentoring arrangements, 
                apprenticeships, internships, and other applied 
                learning opportunities.
            (3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote 
        not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this 
        subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for 
        each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the 
        availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made 
        available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate. 
        This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise 
        appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON EFFICIENCY OF SKILLED TECHNICAL LABOR MARKETS.

    (a) Efficiency of Skilled Technical Labor Markets.--The Directorate 
of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences of the National Science 
Foundation, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall support 
research on labor market analysis innovations, data and information 
sciences, electronic information tools and methodologies, and metrics.
    (b) Comparison of United States Workforce.--
            (1) Research.--The National Science Foundation shall 
        commission research that compares and contrasts skilled 
        technical workforce development between States and regions 
        within the United States and other developed countries, 
        including the diversity of skilled technical and professional 
        workforces, to the extent feasible.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall submit to Congress a report on the results of 
        the study under paragraph (1).
    (c) Skilled Technical Workforce.--
            (1) Review.--The National Center for Science and 
        Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation shall 
        consult and coordinate with other relevant Federal statistical 
        agencies, including the Institution of Education Science, and 
        the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
        Mathematics Education, to explore the feasibility of expanding 
        its surveys to include the collection of objective data on the 
        skilled technical workforce.
            (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall submit to Congress a report containing the 
        progress made in expanding the National Center for Science and 
        Engineering Statistics surveys to include the skilled technical 
        workforce. Such report shall include a plan for multi-agency 
        collaboration in order to effect data collection and reporting 
        of data on the skilled technical workforce.

SEC. 5. SPENDING LIMITATION.

    No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and this Act and such 
amendments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise available for 
such purpose.

SEC. 6. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

    (a) Evaluation.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall evaluate the grants and programs provided 
        under this Act.
            (2) Requirements.--In conducting the evaluation under 
        paragraph (1), the Director shall --
                    (A) use a common set of benchmarks and assessment 
                tools to identify best practices and materials 
                developed or demonstrated by the research conducted 
                pursuant to such grants and programs;
                    (B) include an assessment of the effectiveness of 
                the grant programs established under this Act in 
                expanding apprenticeships, internships, and other 
                applied learning opportunities offered by employers in 
                conjunction with community colleges and institutions of 
                higher education;
                    (C) assess the number of students who participated 
                in programs established under or pursuant to this Act;
                    (D) assess the percentage of students participating 
                in programs established under or pursuant to this Act 
                who successfully complete their education program; and
                    (E) assess the median earnings of students who have 
                completed a program with respect to which a grant was 
                awarded under section 3(c), as of the date that is two 
                calendar quarters after completing the program, as 
                practicable.
    (b) Report on Evaluations.--Not later than 180 days after the 
completion of the evaluation under subsection (a), the Director of the 
National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and make widely 
available to the public a report that includes--
            (1) the results of the evaluation; and
            (2) any recommendations for legislative action that could 
        optimize the effectiveness of the grants and programs under 
        this Act.
    (c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Director of 
the Foundation shall consult the programs and policies of other 
relevant Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the 
effectiveness of, the grants and programs under this Act.
    (d) Submission to Secretary of Education.--On the date on which the 
report is submitted under subsection (b), the Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall also submit to the Secretary of Education a 
copy of the report.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
            (2) Community college.--The term ``community college'' has 
        the meaning given the term ``junior and community college'' in 
        section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
        1058).
            (3) Region.--The term ``region'' means a labor market area, 
        as such term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce 
        Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
            (4) Skilled technical workforce.--The term ``skilled 
        technical workforce'' means workers with high school diplomas 
        and two-year technical 

              

        training or certifications who employ significant levels of 
        STEM knowledge in their jobs.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2018.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.
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