I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3054 
To require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research 
agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
postdoctoral researchers, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 29, 2025 
Ms. MCCLELLAN (for herself, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. 
LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. THANEDAR, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. 
TONKO, Ms. NORTON, Mrs. CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK, Mr. FROST, and 
Mr. FOSTER) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To require the Director of the Office of Science and Tech-
nology Policy to develop a consistent set of policy guide-
lines for Federal research agencies to address financial 
instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral re-
searchers, 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 ‘‘Relieving Economic 
Strain to Enhance American Resilience and Competitive-
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ness in Higher Education and Research Act’’ or the ‘‘RE-
SEARCHER Act’’. 
SEC. 2. POLICY GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL RESEARCH 
AGENCIES TO ADDRESS FINANCIAL INSTA-
BILITY OF GRADUATE RESEARCHERS AND 
POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS. 
(a) DEFINITION.—In this section: 
(1) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 
term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 
meaning given such term in section 101 of the High-
er Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 
(2) 
GRADUATE
RESEARCHERS.—The 
term 
‘‘graduate researchers’’ means individuals enrolled in 
a degree program leading to an advanced degree who 
receive stipends or other compensation to conduct 
research in any discipline at an institution of higher 
education that is a recipient of Federal funding. 
(3) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.—The term 
‘‘postdoctoral researchers’’ means individuals in 
training-focused positions who have received a doc-
toral degree or equivalent and receive stipends or 
other compensation to conduct research in any dis-
cipline at an institution of higher education that is 
a recipient of Federal funding. 
(b) OSTP GUIDELINES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than six months 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Technology Pol-
icy, in consultation with the National Science and 
Technology Council, the Committee on STEM Edu-
cation, PCAST, institutions of higher education, 
graduate and postdoctoral organizations, and other 
relevant stakeholders, shall develop a consistent set 
of policy guidelines for Federal research agencies to 
address financial instability of graduate researchers 
and postdoctoral researchers. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—In developing the policy 
guidelines under paragraph (1), the Director of the 
Office of Science and Technology Policy shall include 
guidelines that address, to the extent practicable, the 
following: 
(A) Opportunities to increase stipends for 
graduate researchers and postdoctoral research-
ers, including indexing based on location. 
(B) Increasing stipends for postdoctoral 
researchers conducting research in rural or un-
derserved areas, or in States eligible to receive 
funding from the Established Program to Stim-
ulate Competitive Research under section 113 
of the National Science Foundation Authoriza-
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tion Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g), to support 
the recruitment and retention of researchers in 
such regions. 
(C) Opportunities to increase access to 
quality, affordable medical, dental, and vision 
care. 
(D) Opportunities to increase access to af-
fordable housing and transportation. 
(E) Opportunities to reduce food insecu-
rity. 
(F) Opportunities to address costs of car-
ing for family members, including child care. 
(3) APPLICATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy shall en-
courage and monitor efforts of Federal research 
agencies to develop and implement policies 
based on the policy guidelines under paragraph 
(1). 
(B) FEDERAL RESEARCH AGENCY IMPLE-
MENTATION.—Not later than six months after 
receiving the policy guidelines under paragraph 
(1), the head of each Federal research agency 
shall— 
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(i) develop and implement policies 
with respect to financial instability of grad-
uate researchers and postdoctoral research-
ers that are consistent with such policy 
guidelines; and 
(ii) broadly disseminate such policies 
to current and potential recipients of re-
search and development awards made by 
such agency. 
(4) UPDATES.—The Director of the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy shall update the pol-
icy guidelines under paragraph (1) as the Director 
determines necessary. 
(5) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 
date after the policy guidelines under paragraph (1) 
are developed and every five years thereafter, the Di-
rector of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology, the Committee on Education and 
the Workforce, and the Committee on Energy and 
Commerce of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation and the Committee on Health, Education, 
Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report con-
taining information relating to the following: 
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(A) Such policy guidelines. 
(B) Progress on the implementation of 
such guidelines by Federal research agencies. 
(c) DATA COLLECTION.—The Research and Develop-
ment, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as divi-
sion B of Public Law 117–167) is amended— 
(1) in section 10314(b) (42 U.S.C. 18994)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph 
(E) as subparagraph (F); and 
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph 
(D) the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(E) graduate researcher and postdoctoral 
researcher stipend amounts and financial insta-
bility (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, 
by demographics); and’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(5) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) 
INSTITUTION
OF
HIGHER
EDU-
CATION.—The term ‘institution of higher edu-
cation’ has the meaning given such term in sec-
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tion 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
(20 U.S.C. 1001). 
‘‘(B) 
GRADUATE
RESEARCHERS.—The 
term ‘graduate researchers’ means individuals 
enrolled in a degree program leading to an ad-
vanced degree who receive stipends or other 
compensation to conduct research in any dis-
cipline at an institution of higher education 
that is a recipient of Federal funding. 
‘‘(C) POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.—The 
term ‘postdoctoral researchers’ means individ-
uals in training-focused positions who have re-
ceived a doctoral degree or equivalent and re-
ceive stipends or other compensation to conduct 
research in any discipline at an institution of 
higher education that is a recipient of Federal 
funding.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (1) of section 10502(a) (42 
U.S.C. 19152(a)), by inserting ‘‘graduate and 
postdoctoral 
research 
stipend 
amounts 
(disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demo-
graphics),’’ before ‘‘and awarded budget’’. 
(d) DATA ON FINANCIAL INSTABILITY OF GRADUATE 
RESEARCHERS
AND POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.— 
The Director of the National Science Foundation shall 
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