I 
113TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2159 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct 
the Secretary of Education to carry out a STEM grant program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 23, 2013 
Mr. FOSTER (for himself, Mr. COURTNEY, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of 
New York, Ms. ESTY, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. LANGEVIN, 
Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. NEGRETE MCLEOD, and Mr. MCGOVERN) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Edu-
cation and the Workforce 
A BILL 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act 
of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry 
out a STEM grant program. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century STEM 
Competitive Jobs Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
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(1) The Harvard Graduate School of Edu-
cation’s report ‘‘Pathways to Prosperity’’ cites re-
search that shows employers across the country con-
tinue to see that young adults are not equipped with 
the skills and work experience needed to succeed in 
the 21st century workforce. In addition, research 
shows that courses that include a vocational or 
work-based component best prepare students to suc-
ceed in the workplace. 
(2) Numerous reports by national advisory 
groups, including the President’s Council of Advisors 
on Science and Technology and National Academies’ 
committees, have highlighted the need to raise stu-
dent achievement in STEM fields to enable the 
United States to maintain its competitive edge in the 
global economy. 
(3) Nearly all of the top 30 fastest growing oc-
cupations require science, technology, engineering, or 
mathematics skills, according to the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics. 
(4) Recent standardized tests show United 
States students’ mathematics and science perform-
ance is only average or below average compared with 
their international peers. American students placed 
25th in mathematics and 17th in science out of 34 
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Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Devel-
opment countries in the 2009 Program for Inter-
national Student Assessment. 
(5) Too few American students graduate from 
high school with the interest and the preparation to 
successfully pursue STEM degrees in college. Well 
over half of college students in China and Japan 
major in STEM fields, compared with only a third 
of students in America. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE ESEA. 
(a) TITLE IV.—Title IV of the Elementary and Sec-
ondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘PART D—STEM GRANT PROGRAM 
‘‘SEC. 4401. GRANT PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—From the amounts appropriated 
under subsection (f), the Secretary shall award grants to 
local educational agencies to improve the education of stu-
dents in science, technology, engineering, and mathe-
matics (in this section referred to as ‘STEM’) and prepare 
such students to pursue undergraduate and graduate de-
grees and careers in such fields. 
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.—To receive a grant under this 
section, a local educational agency shall submit an applica-
tion to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and 
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containing such information as the Secretary may require, 
which shall include a description of— 
‘‘(1) the local, regional, or national employer in 
a STEM field with whom the local educational agen-
cy will partner or collaborate to carry out the re-
quired activities under subsection (c)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(2) the dual-credit courses the will be carried 
out with the grant under subsection (c)(1)(B). 
‘‘(c) USES OF FUNDS.—A local educational agency 
receiving a grant under this section— 
‘‘(1) shall use such funds to— 
‘‘(A) partner or collaborate with the local, 
regional, or national employer described in the 
agency’s application under subsection (b) to— 
‘‘(i) assist students in being placed in 
internships or apprenticeships with such 
employers; and 
‘‘(ii) develop the curriculum and 
metrics of STEM coursework; and 
‘‘(B) collaborate with institutions of higher 
education to— 
‘‘(i) carry out dual-credit courses that 
offer both secondary school credit and col-
lege credit and incorporate STEM edu-
cation and STEM workplace training; 
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‘‘(ii) assist students in being placed in 
internships or apprenticeships with the em-
ployers described in subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(iii) develop the curriculum and 
metrics described in subparagraph (A)(ii); 
and 
‘‘(2) may use such funds to— 
‘‘(A) provide tutoring in STEM coursework 
and mentoring programs for academic advice 
and assistance in discussing future career op-
portunities in STEM fields; 
‘‘(B) enable students and their teachers to 
attend STEM events outside the classroom; 
‘‘(C) provide after-school and summer 
STEM programs for students; and 
‘‘(D) purchase education materials or 
equipment to facilitate STEM instruction. 
‘‘(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Each local educational 
agency that receives a grant under this section shall 
provide, from non-Federal sources, an amount equal 
to 50 percent of the grant. Such non-Federal con-
tribution may be provided in cash or in kind. 
‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIP AUTHORIZED.—A local edu-
cational agency may partner with a public and pri-
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vate entity that may assist the local educational 
agency in meeting the matching requirement under 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) WAIVER.—The Secretary may waive all or 
part of the matching requirement under paragraph 
(1) for a local educational agency if the local edu-
cational agency demonstrates that such requirement 
would result in a serious financial hardship or a fi-
nancial inability to carry out the goals of the grant. 
‘‘(e) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds 
provided to a local educational agency under this section 
shall be used to supplement, and not supplant, funds that 
would otherwise be used for activities authorized under 
this section. 
‘‘(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriate such sums as may be nec-
essary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2014 and 
each succeeding fiscal year.’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to part C 
of title IV of such Act, the following new item: 
‘‘PART D—STEM GRANT PROGRAM 
‘‘Sec. 4401. Grant program.’’. 
Æ 
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