(3) serving as a liaison to the National Science 
Board for approval and oversight of major multi- 
user research facilities; and 
(4) periodically reviewing and updating as nec-
essary Foundation policies and guidelines for the de-
velopment and construction of major multi-user re-
search facilities. 
(c) POLICIES FOR LARGE FACILITY COSTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall ensure 
that the Foundation’s policies for developing and 
managing major multi-user research facility con-
struction costs are consistent with the best practices 
described in the March 2009 Government Account-
ability Office Report GAO–09–3SP, or any successor 
report thereto. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall 
submit to Congress the results of a study and a re-
port reforming the Foundation’s policies on financial 
management of major multi-user research facilities, 
including a description of any aspects of the policies 
that diverge from the best practices recommended in 
Government Accountability Office Report GAO–09– 
3SP and the Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR Part 200. 
(3) MANAGEMENT FEES.—
(A) DEFINITION.—In this paragraph, the 
term ‘‘management fee’’ means a portion of an 
award made by the Foundation for the purpose 
of covering ordinary and necessary business ex-
penses necessary to maintain operational sta-
bility which are not otherwise allowable under 
Cost Principles Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR 
part 200, Subpart E, or any successor regula-
tion thereto. 
(B) LIMITATION.—The Foundation may 
provide management fees under an award only 
if the awardee has demonstrated that it has 
limited or no other financial resources available 
for covering the expenses for which the manage-
ment fees are sought. 
(C) 
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION.—The 
Foundation shall require award applicants to 
provide income and financial information cov-
ering a period of no less than 3 prior years (or 
in the case of an entity established less than 3 
years prior to the entity’s application date, the 
period beginning on the date of establishment 
and ending on the application date), including 
cash on hand and net asset information, in sup-
port of a request for management fees. The
Foundation shall also require awardees seeking 
subsequent management fees to report to the 
Foundation, prior to the consideration of such 
a request, any sources of non-Federal funds re-
ceived in excess of $100,000. This reporting 
shall apply to the period following any initial 
management fee award and for the consider-
ation of any subsequent fee. 
(D) EXPENSE REPORTING.—The Founda-
tion shall require awardees to track and report 
to the Foundation annually all expenses reim-
bursed or otherwise paid for with management 
fee funds, in accordance with Federal account-
ing practices as established in Government Ac-
countability Office Report GAO–12–331G, or 
any successor report thereto. 
(E) REVIEW.—The Inspector General of 
the Foundation may audit or review any Foun-
dation award for compliance with this sub-
section. 
(F) PROHIBITED USES.—An awardee may 
not use management fees for— 
(i) costs allowable under Cost Prin-
ciples Uniform Guidance in 2 CFR part
200, Subpart E, or any successor regula-
tion thereto; 
(ii) alcoholic beverages; 
(iii) tickets to concerts, or sporting 
and other entertainment events; 
(iv) vacation or other travel for non-
business purposes; 
(v) charitable contributions; 
(vi) social or sporting club member-
ships; 
(vii) meals or social activities for non-
business purposes; 
(viii) luxury or personal items; 
(ix) lobbying, as described in the Uni-
form Guidance at 2 CFR 200.450 or FAR 
31.205–22; or 
(x) any other purpose the Foundation 
determines is inappropriate. 
(G) REVIEW.—The Foundation shall re-
view management fee usage under each Foun-
dation award on at least an annual basis for 
compliance with this paragraph and the Foun-
dation’s Large Facilities Manual. 
(4) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
submit to Congress a report describing the Founda-
tion’s policies for developing and managing major 
multi-user research facility construction costs, in-
cluding a description of any aspects of the policies 
that diverge from the best practices recommended in 
Government Accountability Office Report GAO–09– 
3SP, or any successor report thereto, and the Uni-
form Guidance in 2 CFR part 200. 
SEC. 109. WHISTLEBLOWER EDUCATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Foundation shall be subject 
to section 4712 of title 41, United States Code. 
(b) EDUCATION AND TRAINING.—The Foundation 
shall provide education and training for Foundation man-
agers and staff on the requirements of such section 4712, 
and provide information on the law to all grantees, con-
tractors, and employees of such grantees and contractors. 
SEC. 110. GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the essential elements of the NSF Research 
Traineeship Program, formerly the Integrative Graduate 
Education and Research Traineeship program, (or any 
successor thereto) should be maintained, including— 
(1) collaborative research that transcends tradi-
tional disciplinary boundaries to solve large and
complex research problems of significant scientific 
and societal importance; and 
(2) providing students the opportunity to be-
come leaders in the science and engineering of the 
future. 
(b) MODELS
FOR SUPPORT.—The Director shall 
enter into an agreement with the National Research Coun-
cil to convene a workshop or roundtable to examine models 
of Federal support for STEM graduate students, includ-
ing the Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship pro-
gram and comparable fellowship programs at other agen-
cies, traineeship programs, and the research assistant 
model. 
(c) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the workshop or 
roundtable shall be to compare and evaluate the extent 
to which each of these models helps to prepare graduate 
students for diverse careers utilizing STEM degrees, in-
cluding at diverse types of institutions of higher education, 
in industry, and at government agencies and research lab-
oratories, and to make recommendations regarding— 
(1) how current Federal programs and models, 
including programs and models at the Foundation, 
can be improved;