this subsection $8,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2020 through 2024.’’. 
(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR 
BROADENING
PARTICIPATION
IN
UNDERGRADUATE 
STEM EDUCATION.—Section 305 of the American Inno-
vation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–5), as 
amended by subsection (b), is further amended by insert-
ing after subsection (e) the following: 
‘‘(f) SUPPORT FOR BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN 
UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Foun-
dation shall award grants to institutions of higher 
education (or a consortium of such institutions) to 
implement or expand research-based reforms in un-
dergraduate STEM education for the purpose of re-
cruiting and retaining students from minority 
groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields. 
‘‘(2) MERIT
REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants 
shall be awarded under this subsection on a merit- 
reviewed, competitive basis. 
‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Activities supported by 
grants under this subsection may include— 
‘‘(A) implementation or expansion of inno-
vative, research-based approaches to broaden
participation 
of 
underrepresented 
minority 
groups in STEM fields; 
‘‘(B) implementation or expansion of 
bridge, cohort, tutoring, or mentoring pro-
grams, including those involving community col-
leges and technical schools, designed to enhance 
the recruitment and retention of students from 
underrepresented minority groups in STEM 
fields; 
‘‘(C) implementation or expansion of out-
reach programs linking institutions of higher 
education and K–12 school systems in order to 
heighten awareness among pre-college students 
from underrepresented minority groups of op-
portunities in college-level STEM fields and 
STEM careers; 
‘‘(D) implementation or expansion of fac-
ulty development programs focused on improv-
ing retention of undergraduate STEM students 
from underrepresented minority groups; 
‘‘(E) implementation or expansion of 
mechanisms designed to recognize and reward 
faculty members who demonstrate a commit-
ment to increasing the participation of students
from underrepresented minority groups in 
STEM fields; 
‘‘(F) expansion of successful reforms 
aimed at increasing the number of STEM stu-
dents from underrepresented minority groups 
beyond a single course or group of courses to 
achieve reform within an entire academic unit, 
or expansion of successful reform efforts beyond 
a single academic unit or field to other STEM 
academic units or fields within an institution of 
higher education; 
‘‘(G) expansion of opportunities for stu-
dents from underrepresented minority groups to 
conduct STEM research in industry, at Federal 
labs, and at international research institutions 
or research sites; 
‘‘(H) provision of stipends for students 
from underrepresented minority groups partici-
pating in research; 
‘‘(I) development of research collaborations 
between research-intensive universities and pri-
marily undergraduate minority-serving institu-
tions; 
‘‘(J) support for graduate students and 
postdoctoral fellows from underrepresented mi-
nority groups to participate in instructional or 
assessment 
activities 
at 
primarily 
under-
graduate institutions, including primarily un-
dergraduate minority-serving institutions and 2- 
year institutions of higher education; and 
‘‘(K) other activities consistent with para-
graph (1), as determined by the Director of the 
Foundation. 
‘‘(4) SELECTION PROCESS.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—An institution of 
higher education (or a consortia thereof) seek-
ing a grant under this subsection shall submit 
an application to the Director of the Founda-
tion at such time, in such manner, and con-
taining such information and assurances as 
such Director may require. The application 
shall include, at a minimum— 
‘‘(i) a description of the proposed re-
form effort; 
‘‘(ii) a description of the research 
findings that will serve as the basis for the 
proposed reform effort or, in the case of 
applications that propose an expansion of a 
previously implemented reform, a descrip-
tion of the previously implemented reform
effort, including data about the recruit-
ment, retention, and academic achievement 
of students from underrepresented minor-
ity groups; 
‘‘(iii) evidence of an institutional com-
mitment to, and support for, the proposed 
reform effort, including a long-term com-
mitment to implement successful strategies 
from the current reform beyond the aca-
demic unit or units included in the grant 
proposal; 
‘‘(iv) a description of existing or 
planned institutional policies and practices 
regarding faculty hiring, promotion, ten-
ure, and teaching assignment that reward 
faculty contributions to improving the edu-
cation of students from underrepresented 
minority groups in STEM; and 
‘‘(v) how the success and effectiveness 
of the proposed reform effort will be evalu-
ated and assessed in order to contribute to 
the national knowledge base about models 
for catalyzing institutional change. 
‘‘(B) REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS.—In se-
lecting grant recipients under this subsection,
the Director of the Foundation shall consider, 
at a minimum— 
‘‘(i) the likelihood of success of the 
proposed reform effort at the institution 
submitting the application, including the 
extent to which the faculty, staff, and ad-
ministrators of the institution are com-
mitted to making the proposed institu-
tional reform a priority of the participating 
academic unit or units; 
‘‘(ii) the degree to which the proposed 
reform effort will contribute to change in 
institutional culture and policy such that 
greater value is placed on faculty engage-
ment in the retention of students from 
underrepresented minority groups; 
‘‘(iii) the likelihood that the institu-
tion will sustain or expand the proposed 
reform effort beyond the period of the 
grant; and 
‘‘(iv) the degree to which evaluation 
and assessment plans are included in the 
design of the proposed reform effort. 
‘‘(C) GRANT DISTRIBUTION.—The Director 
of the Foundation shall ensure, to the extent
practicable, that grants awarded under this 
subsection are made to a variety of types of in-
stitutions of higher education, including 2-year 
and minority-serving institutions of higher edu-
cation. 
‘‘(5) EDUCATION RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—All grants made under 
this subsection shall include an education re-
search component that will support the design 
and implementation of a system for data collec-
tion and evaluation of proposed reform efforts 
in order to build the knowledge base on prom-
ising models for increasing recruitment and re-
tention of students from underrepresented mi-
nority groups in STEM education at the under-
graduate level across a diverse set of institu-
tions. 
‘‘(B) DISSEMINATION.—The Director of 
the Foundation shall coordinate with relevant 
Federal agencies in disseminating the results of 
the research under this paragraph to ensure 
that best practices in broadening participation 
in STEM education at the undergraduate level 
are made readily available to all institutions of 
higher education, other Federal agencies that
support STEM programs, non-Federal funders 
of STEM education, and the general public. 
‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this subsection $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2020 through 2024.’’. 
SEC. 10. TRIBAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES PROGRAM. 
(a) GRANTS TO BROADEN TRIBAL COLLEGE AND 
UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION
IN COMPUTER 
SCIENCE.—Section 525 of the America COMPETES Re-
authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 1862p–13) is 
amended by inserting after subsection (c) the following: 
‘‘(d) GRANTS TO BROADEN TRIBAL COLLEGE AND 
UNIVERSITY STUDENT PARTICIPATION
IN COMPUTER 
SCIENCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, as part of 
the program authorized under this section, shall 
award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis 
to eligible entities to increase the participation of 
tribal populations in computer science and computa-
tional thinking education programs to enable stu-
dents to develop skills and competencies in coding, 
problem-solving, critical thinking, creativity and col-
laboration.
‘‘(2) PURPOSE.—Grants awarded under this 
subsection shall support— 
‘‘(A) research and development needed to 
bring computer science and computational 
thinking courses and degrees to tribal colleges 
and universities; 
‘‘(B) research and development of instruc-
tional materials needed to integrate computer 
science and computational thinking into pro-
grams that are culturally relevant to students 
attending tribal colleges and universities; 
‘‘(C) research, development and evaluation 
of distance education for computer science and 
computational thinking courses and degree pro-
grams for students attending tribal colleges and 
universities; and 
‘‘(D) other activities consistent with the 
activities described in paragraphs (1) through 
(4) of subsection (b), as determined by the Di-
rector. 
‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS.—A tribal college or uni-
versity seeking a grant under this subsection, or a 
consortia thereof, may partner with an institution of 
higher education or nonprofit organization with dem-
onstrated expertise in academic program develop-
ment. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION.—In carrying out this sub-
section, the Director shall consult and cooperate 
with the programs and policies of other relevant 
Federal agencies to avoid duplication with and en-
hance the effectiveness of the program under this 
subsection. 
‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Di-
rector of the Foundation $2,000,000 in each of fis-
cal years 2020 through 2024 to carry out this sub-
section.’’. 
(b) 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 
grant program authorized under section 525 of the 
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 
(42 U.S.C. 1862p–13), as amended. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In conducting the evalua-
tion under paragraph (1), the Director of the Na-
tional Science Foundation shall, as practicable— 
(A) use a common set of benchmarks and 
assessment tools to identify best practices and
materials developed or demonstrated by the re-
search conducted pursuant to grants programs 
under section 525 of the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 
1862p–13); 
(B) include an assessment of the effective-
ness of such grant programs in expanding ac-
cess to high quality STEM education, research, 
and outreach at tribal colleges and universities, 
as applicable; 
(C) assess the number of students who 
participated in such grant programs; and 
(D) assess the percentage of students par-
ticipating in such grant programs who success-
fully complete their education programs. 
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date on which the evaluation under paragraph 
(1) is completed, the Director of the National 
Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and 
make available to the public, a report on the results 
of the evaluation, including any recommendations for 
legislative action that could optimize the effective-
ness of the grant program authorized under section 
525 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization 
Act of 2010, as amended by subsection (a).
7(a), including any recommendations for revising or 
expanding such policies. 
SEC. 12. MERIT REVIEW. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as altering any 
intellectual or broader impacts criteria at Federal science 
agencies for evaluating grant applications. 
SEC. 13. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy. 
(2) FEDERAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Fed-
eral laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 4 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Inno-
vation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703). 
(3) FEDERAL
SCIENCE
AGENCY.—The term 
‘‘Federal science agency’’ means any Federal agency 
with at least $100,000,000 in research and develop-
ment expenditures in fiscal year 2018. 
(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 
(5) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP ON INCLU-
SION
IN
STEM.—The term ‘‘interagency working
group on inclusion in STEM’’ means the interagency 
working group established by section 308 of the 
American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 
U.S.C. 6626). 
(6) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics, including 
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 
Technology Policy to carry out programs and ac-
tivities 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.