Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019

To provide for research to better understand the causes and consequences of sexual harassment affecting individuals in the scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics workforce and to examine policies to reduce the prevalence and negative impact of such harassment, and for other purposes. 1. Short title; table of contents (a) Short title This Act may be cited as the Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 (b) Table of contents The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Sec. 3. Definitions. Sec. 4. Research grants. Sec. 5. Data collection. Sec. 6. Responsible conduct guide. Sec. 7. Interagency working group. Sec. 8. National academies assessment. Sec. 9. Authorization of appropriations. 2. Findings Congress makes the following findings: (1) According to the report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2018 entitled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (A) sexual harassment is pervasive in institutions of higher education; (B) the most common type of sexual harassment is gender harassment, which includes verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile, and degrading attitudes about members of one gender; (C) 58 percent of individuals in the academic workplace experience sexual harassment, the second highest rate when compared to the military, the private sector, and Federal, State, and local government; (D) women who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups are more likely to experience sexual harassment and to feel unsafe at work than White women, White men, or men who are members of such groups; (E) the training for each individual who has a doctor of philosophy in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields is estimated to cost approximately $500,000; and (F) attrition of an individual so trained results in a loss of talent and money. (2) Sexual harassment undermines career advancement for women. (3) According to a 2017 study led by Dr. Kathryn Clancy at the University of Illinois, among astronomers and planetary scientists, 18 percent of women who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups and 12 percent of White women skipped professional events because they did not feel safe attending. (4) Many women report leaving employment at institutions of higher education due to sexual harassment. (5) Research shows the majority of individuals do not formally report experiences of sexual harassment due to a justified fear of retaliation or other negative professional or personal consequences. (6) Reporting procedures with respect to such harassment are inconsistent among Federal science agencies and have varying degrees of accessibility. (7) There is not adequate communication among Federal science agencies and between such agencies and grantees regarding reports of sexual harassment, which has resulted in harassers receiving Federal funding after moving to a different institution. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Academies The term Academies (2) Director The term Director (3) Federal science agency The term Federal science agency (4) Grantee The term grantee (5) Grant personnel The term grant personnel (6) Institution of higher education The term institution of higher education 20 U.S.C. 1001 (7) Sexual harassment The term sexual harassment (A) verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey hostility, objectification, exclusion, or second-class status about one’s gender, gender identity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, or pregnancy status; (B) unwelcome sexual advances; (C) unwanted physical contact that is sexual in nature, including assault; (D) unwanted sexual attention, including sexual comments and propositions for sexual activity; (E) conditioning professional or educational benefits on sexual activity; and (F) retaliation for rejecting unwanted sexual attention. 4. Research grants (a) In general The Director shall establish a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such institutions or organizations)— (1) to expand research efforts to better understand the factors contributing to, and consequences of, sexual harassment affecting individuals in the scientific, technical, engineering, and mathematics workforce, including students and trainees; and (2) to examine interventions to reduce the incidence and negative consequences of such harassment. (b) Use of funds Activities funded by a grant under this section may include— (1) research on the sexual harassment experiences of individuals in underrepresented or vulnerable groups, including racial and ethnic minority groups, disabled individuals, foreign nationals, sexual- and gender-minority individuals, and others; (2) development and assessment of policies, procedures, trainings, and interventions, with respect to sexual harassment, conflict management, and ways to foster respectful and inclusive climates; (3) research on approaches for remediating the negative impacts and outcomes of such harassment on individuals experiencing such harassment; (4) support for institutions of higher education to develop, adapt, implement, and assess the impact of innovative, evidence-based strategies, policies, and approaches to policy implementation to prevent and address sexual harassment; (5) research on alternatives to the hierarchical and dependent relationships in academia that have been shown to create higher levels of risk for sexual harassment; and (6) establishing a center for the ongoing compilation, management, and analysis of campus climate survey data. 5. Data collection Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall convene a working group composed of representatives of Federal statistical agencies— (1) to develop questions on sexual harassment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics departments to gather national data on the prevalence, nature, and implications of sexual harassment in institutions of higher education; and (2) to include such questions as appropriate, with sufficient protections of the privacy of respondents, in relevant surveys conducted by the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics and other relevant entities. 6. Responsible conduct guide (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall enter into an agreement with the Academies to update the report entitled On Being a Scientist: A Guide to Responsible Conduct in Research (1) updated professional standards of conduct in research; (2) standards of treatment individuals can expect to receive under such updated standards of conduct; (3) evidence-based practices for fostering a climate intolerant of sexual harassment; (4) methods, including bystander intervention, for identifying and addressing incidents of sexual harassment; and (5) professional standards for mentorship and teaching with an emphasis on preventing sexual harassment. (b) Recommendations In updating the report under subsection (a), the Academies shall take into account recommendations made in the report issued by the Academies in 2018 entitled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (c) Report Not later than 16 months after the effective date of the contract under subsection (a), the Academies, as part of such agreement, shall submit to the Director and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate the report referred to in such subsection, as updated pursuant to such subsection. 7. Interagency working group (a) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the National Science and Technology Council, shall establish an interagency working group for the purpose of coordinating Federal science agency efforts to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment involving grant personnel. The working group shall be chaired by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (or the Director’s designee) and shall include a representative from each Federal science agency with annual extramural research expenditures totaling over $1,000,000,000. (b) Responsibilities of working group The interagency working group established under subsection (a) shall coordinate Federal science agency efforts to implement the policy guidelines developed under subsection (c)(2). (c) Responsibilities of OSTP The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall— (1) not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an inventory of Federal science agency policies, procedures, and resources dedicated to preventing and responding to reports of sexual harassment; (2) not later than 6 months after the date on which the inventory is submitted under paragraph (1)— (A) in consultation with outside stakeholders, develop a uniform set of policy guidelines for Federal science agencies; and (B) submit a report to the committees referred to in paragraph (1) containing such guidelines; (3) encourage and monitor efforts of Federal science agencies to develop or maintain and implement policies based on the guidelines developed under paragraph (2); (4) not later than 1 year after the date on which the inventory under paragraph (1) is submitted, and every 5 years thereafter, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall report to Congress on the implementation by Federal science agencies of the policy guidelines developed under paragraph (2); and (5) update such policy guidelines as needed. (d) Requirements (1) In General In developing policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall include guidelines that require— (A) grantees to submit to the Federal science agency or agencies from which the grantees receive funding reports relating to— (i) findings or determinations of sexual harassment; and (ii) any decisions made to place grant personnel on administrative leave or impose any administrative action on grant personnel related to any sexual harassment investigation; (B) the sharing and archiving of reports of sexual harassment from grantees submitted under paragraph (1) with relevant Federal science agencies on a quarterly basis; and (C) to the extent practicable, ensure consistency among relevant Federal agencies with regards to the policies and procedures for receiving reports submitted pursuant to paragraph (1), which may include the designation of a single agency to field reports so submitted. (2) FERPA The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall ensure that such guidelines and requirements are consistent with the requirements of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1232g (e) Considerations In developing policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall consider guidelines that— (1) require grantees to periodically assess their organizational climate using climate surveys, focus groups, or exit interviews; (2) require grantees to publish on a publicly available internet website the results of assessments conducted pursuant to paragraph (1), disaggregated by gender and, if possible, race, ethnicity, disability status, and sexual orientation; (3) require grantees to make public on an annual basis the number of reports of sexual harassment at each such institution; (4) require grantees to regularly assess and improve policies, procedures, and interventions to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment; (5) require each grantee to describe in its grant proposal a code of conduct for maintaining a healthy and welcoming workplace for grant personnel; and (6) reward and incentivize grantees working to create a climate intolerant of sexual harassment. (f) Federal science agency implementation Each Federal science agency shall— (1) develop or maintain and implement policies with respect to sexual harassment that are consistent with policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2) and that protect the privacy of all parties involved in any report and investigation of sexual harassment, except to the extent necessary to carry out an investigation; and (2) broadly disseminate such policies to current and potential recipients of research grants awarded by such agency. (g) Sunset The interagency working group established under subsection (a) shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of the enactment of this Act. 8. National academies assessment (a) In general (1) the state of research on sexual harassment in such workforce; (2) whether research demonstrates a decrease in the prevalence of sexual harassment in such workforce; (3) the progress made with respect to implementing recommendations promulgated in the Academies consensus study report entitled Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (4) the degree to which Federal science agencies have implemented the policy guidelines developed under section 7(c)(2) and the effectiveness of that implementation; and (5) where to focus future efforts with respect to decreasing sexual harassment in such institutions. 9. Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry out this Act, $17,400,000.

Summary: Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019 This bill addresses sexual harassment in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by supporting sexual harassment research and efforts to prevent and respond to sexual harassment. This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or their consortia) to expand research into sexual harassment in the STEM workforce, including students and trainees; and examine interventions for reducing the incidence and negative consequences of such harassment. The NSF must convene a working group composed of representatives of federal statistical agencies to develop questions on sexual harassment in STEM departments in order to gather national data on the prevalence, nature, and implications of such harassment in institutions of higher education. The NSF shall enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to (1) update a responsible conduct guide issued by the National Academies, and (2) study the influence of sexual harassment in institutions of higher education on the career advancement of individuals in the STEM workforce. The National Science and Technology Council shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate the federal science agencies' efforts to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment involving grant personnel. The Office of Science and Technology Policy must develop a uniform set of policy guidelines for such agencies to prevent and respond to reports of sexual harassment.