I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4999 
To support fusion education and related skilled technical workforce activities, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 19, 2025 
Ms. LOFGREN (for herself and Mr. OBERNOLTE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To support fusion education and related skilled technical 
workforce activities, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘STEM Education and 
Skilled Technical Workforce for Fusion Act’’ or the ‘‘Fu-
sion Workforce Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the National Science Foundation. 
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(2) 
EPSCOR 
INSTITUTION.—The 
term 
‘‘EPSCoR institution’’ means an institution of high-
er education, nonprofit organization, or other insti-
tution located in a jurisdiction eligible to participate 
in the program under section 113 of the National 
Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988 (42 
U.S.C. 1862g). 
(3) 
HISPANIC-SERVING
INSTITUTION.—The 
term ‘‘Hispanic-serving institution’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 502(a) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)). 
(4) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNI-
VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college and 
university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 
institution’’ in section 322 of the Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 
(5) 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)). 
(6) JUNIOR
OR
COMMUNITY
COLLEGE.—The 
term ‘‘junior or community college’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 312(f) of the Higher 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058(f)). 
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(7) LABOR ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘labor 
organization’’ has the meaning given such term in 
section 2(5) of the National Labor Relations Act (29 
U.S.C. 152(5)), except that such term shall also in-
clude the following: 
(A) Any organization composed of labor 
organizations, such as a labor union federation 
or a State or municipal labor body. 
(B) Any organization which would be in-
cluded in the definition for such term under 
such section 2(5) but for the fact that such or-
ganization represents any of the following: 
(i) Individuals employed by the United 
States, any wholly owned Government cor-
poration, any Federal Reserve Bank, or 
any State or political subdivision thereof. 
(ii) Individuals employed by persons 
subject to the Railway Labor Act (45 
U.S.C. 151 et seq.). 
(iii) Individuals employed as agricul-
tural laborers. 
(8) MINORITY-SERVING
INSTITUTIONS.—The 
term ‘‘minority serving institution’’ means an Alaska 
Native-serving institution or Native Hawaiian-serv-
ing institution (as such term is defined in section 
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317(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b))), or a Pre-
dominantly Black institution, Asian American and 
Native American Pacific Islander-serving institution, 
or Native American-serving nontribal institution (as 
such terms are defined in section 371(c) of such Act 
(20 U.S.C. 1067q(c))). 
(9) NATIONAL LABORATORY.—The term ‘‘Na-
tional Laboratory’’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801). 
(10) NONPROFIT
ORGANIZATION.—The term 
‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization de-
scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 
501(a) of such Code. 
(11) PREK–12.—The term ‘‘PreK–12’’ means 
pre-kindergarten through grade 12. 
(12) 
SECRETARY.—The 
term 
‘‘Secretary’’ 
means the Secretary of Energy. 
(13) SKILLED
TECHNICAL
WORKFORCE.—The 
term ‘‘skilled technical workforce’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 4(b)(3) of the Innovations 
in Mentoring, Training, and Apprenticeships Act (42 
U.S.C. 1862p note; Public Law 115–402). 
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(14) 
STEM.—The 
term 
‘‘STEM’’ 
means 
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
(15) TRIBAL COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.—The 
term ‘‘Tribal College or University’’ has the meaning 
given such term in section 316 of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059c). 
SEC. 3. FUSION EDUCATION AND SKILLED TECHNICAL 
WORKFORCE ACTIVITIES. 
(a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in coordina-
tion, and as appropriate, in collaboration, with the 
Secretary, may make awards to institutions of high-
er education, including junior and community col-
leges, nonprofit organizations, labor organizations, 
or consortia thereof, for research, development, and 
related activities to advance innovative approaches to 
developing, improving, and expanding education and 
workforce development (including supporting the re-
tention, development, and growth of a diverse and 
sustainable workforce for fusion related fields to sat-
isfy the evolving needs of industry, academia, Na-
tional Laboratories, and Federal, State, local, and 
Tribal governments) activities and learning experi-
ences at all levels of education in fields and dis-
ciplines related to fusion. 
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(2) USES OF FUNDS.—Awards made under this 
section shall be used to support activities and learn-
ing experiences referred to in paragraph (1), includ-
ing the following: 
(A) Development of industry-oriented cur-
ricula, teaching modules, and stackable creden-
tials for topics relevant to fusion, including 
such curricula, teaching modules, and stackable 
credentials that provide meaningful hands-on 
learning experiences. 
(B) Development and implementation of 
training, research, and professional development 
programs for teachers, including innovative pre- 
service and in-service programs, in fusion and 
related fields. 
(C) Identification of critical skills and core 
competencies required for the successful com-
mercial application of fusion technologies. 
(D) Support for learning activities and ex-
periences that provide physical, simulated, or 
remote access to National Laboratories, Federal 
training facilities, and industry-standard proc-
esses and tools, including equipment and soft-
ware tools for both traditional and nontradi-
tional students. 
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(E) Increasing the integration of fusion 
content into STEM curricula at all education 
levels. 
(F) Growing academic research capacity in 
fusion by incentivizing the hiring and retention 
of faculty in fields critical to fusion sciences 
and engineering. 
(G) Support for innovative industry path-
way programs that connect PreK–12 schools, 
junior or community colleges, nonprofit organi-
zations, labor organizations, and institutions of 
higher education programs or programs that 
serve or support veterans. 
(H) Providing informal hands-on learning 
opportunities relating to fusion sciences and en-
gineering for PreK–12 students in different 
learning environments, including regional and 
national competitions. 
(I) Support for STEM programs for the 
skilled technical workforce that are aligned with 
the needs the fusion industry workforce, includ-
ing internships and other hands-on activities in 
industry. 
(J) Support for research and evaluation of 
the activities described in subparagraphs (A) 
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through (H) to identify successful programs 
and resources. 
(3) FUSION
RESEARCH
EXPERIENCES.—The 
Director shall seek to increase opportunities for fu-
sion research for students and trainees at all levels 
by encouraging the following: 
(A) Research experiences for undergradu-
ates pursuant to section 514 of the America 
COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 
U.S.C. 1862p–6). 
(B) Postdoctoral fellowship programs es-
tablished pursuant to section 522 of the Amer-
ica COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 
(42 U.S.C. 1862p–11). 
(C) Graduate fellowships, traineeships, and 
other training opportunities established pursu-
ant to section 10 of the National Science Foun-
dation Act of 1950 (42 U.S.C. 1869). 
(D) Informal STEM education programs 
established pursuant to section 3 of the STEM 
Education Act of 2015 (42 U.S.C. 1862q). 
(E) The Robert Noyce Teacher Scholar-
ship Program established pursuant to section 
10 of the National Science Foundation Author-
ization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n–1). 
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(F) Major research instrumentation pro-
grams established pursuant to section 7036 of 
the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 
1862o–14). 
(G) The low-income scholar program estab-
lished pursuant to section 414(d) of the Amer-
ican Competitiveness and Workforce Improve-
ment Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 1869c). 
(4) EXISTING PROGRAMS.—In carrying out this 
subsection, the Director may leverage existing pro-
grams of the National Science Foundation. 
(5) NON-FEDERAL
PARTNERSHIPS.—In car-
rying out this subsection, the Director shall encour-
age awardees to partner with nonprofit organiza-
tions, labor organizations, industry, and other pri-
vate sector organizations. 
(b) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) 
IN
GENERAL.—The 
Secretary, 
acting 
through the Director of the Office of Science, in co-
ordination, and as appropriate, in collaboration, with 
the Director of National Science Foundation, may 
make awards to institutions of higher education, 
nonprofit organizations, labor organizations, Na-
tional Laboratories, or consortia thereof, for re-
search, development, and related activities to ad-
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vance innovative approaches to developing, improv-
ing, and expanding education and workforce develop-
ment activities and learning experiences at all levels 
of education in fields and disciplines related to fu-
sion. 
(2) USES OF FUNDS.—Awards made under this 
section shall be used to support activities, such as 
the following: 
(A) Internships, fellowships, apprentice-
ships, traineeships, and other research or work- 
based learning opportunities relating to fusion. 
(B) Educational programming for students 
at all levels, especially experiential and project- 
based learning opportunities relating to fusion. 
(C) The acquisition, development, and 
maintenance of state-of-the-art equipment and 
facilities essential for fusion research and work-
force development, including the following: 
(i) Purchasing advanced instrumenta-
tion and equipment to support experi-
mental and computational fusion research. 
(ii) Renovating and modernizing lab-
oratory and teaching facilities to satisfy 
the evolving requirements of fusion science. 
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(iii) Funding ongoing maintenance 
and calibration of critical equipment to en-
sure operational readiness. 
(D) Professional development opportunities 
for educators and researchers relating to fusion. 
(3) EXISTING PROGRAMS.—In carrying out this 
subsection, the Secretary may leverage existing pro-
grams of the Department of Energy. 
(c) PILOT PROGRAM FOR INDUSTRY PROFESSIONAL 
INSTRUCTORS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary, may implement one or more 
pilot programs to award grants to institutions of 
higher education, nonprofit organizations, or con-
sortia thereof, to establish short-term appointments 
for professionals from the private sector, to educate 
students on fusion sciences and engineering or re-
lated skills required for the fusion industry. 
(2) USE OF FUNDS.—An institution may use 
grant funds awarded under this subsection for the 
following: 
(A) Paying a stipend or living expenses for 
short-term instructors who are industry profes-
sionals referred to in paragraph (1). 
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(B) Training of industry professionals in 
relevant pedagogical or teaching methods. 
(C) Developing or updating course mate-
rials. 
(D) Administrative costs related to recruit-
ing or on-boarding instructors. 
(3) PERIOD
OF
PERFORMANCE.—Subject to 
paragraph (5), a pilot program under paragraph (1) 
shall be for not more than three years. 
(4) CONTINUATION AUTHORITY.—The Director 
may extend the period specified in paragraph (4) if 
the Director determines it is feasible and advisable 
to do so. 
(5) OUTREACH.—To increase the diversity of 
participants in a pilot program under paragraph (1), 
the Director shall support symposia, forums, con-
ferences, or other activities to expand and enhance 
outreach to the following: 
(A) Junior or community colleges. 
(B) Hispanic-serving institutions. 
(C) Historically Black colleges and univer-
sities. 
(D) Tribal Colleges or Universities. 
(E) Minority-serving institutions. 
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(F) Institutions of higher education that 
are located near or serve rural communities, in-
cluding EPSCoR institutions. 
(G) Other institutions of higher education. 
SEC. 4. FUSION EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE COORDINA-
TION HUB. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director, in consultation with 
the Secretary and the heads of other relevant Federal de-
partments and agencies, as appropriate, shall make an 
award to a consortium led by an institution of higher edu-
cation or nonprofit organization to establish a Fusion 
Skilled Technical Workforce and STEM Education Co-
ordination Hub (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Hub’’). 
(b) CONSORTIUM.—The Hub— 
(1) shall not include fewer than four institu-
tions of higher education, including not fewer than 
one junior or community college; and 
(2) may include National Laboratories, labor 
organizations, nonprofit organizations, and private 
sector entities. 
(c) PURPOSE.—The purposes of the Hub are the fol-
lowing: 
(1) To identify and address cross-cutting work-
force development challenges in fusion sciences and 
engineering, and the fusion industry, by serving as 
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a national and regional clearinghouse of relevant 
Federal programs. 
(2) To facilitate the establishment of programs 
to disseminate to institutions of higher education 
and career and technical education entities model 
curricula, best practices, and instructional materials. 
(d) USES OF FUNDS.—The activities of the Hub may 
include the following: 
(1) Testing, implementing, scaling, dissemi-
nating, assessing, and standardizing materials, 
methods, open-source hardware and software, best 
practices, and other outputs developed through ac-
tivities under this Act, including through the estab-
lishment of a publicly-accessible database and online 
portal. 
(2) Facilitating post-education employment op-
portunities and workforce pathways in fusion-related 
industries, including by facilitating opportunities for 
internships, externships, continuing education and 
upskilling, and such other activities as determined 
appropriate by the Director. 
(3) Coordinating with fusion industry and non- 
profit entities to enhance the quality and availability 
of fusion education in STEM degree programs and 
skilled technical education programs, including 
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