Title: STEM Opportunities Act of 2017
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
STEM Opportunities Act of 2017
This bill provides for guidance, data collection, and grants related to women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics at institutions of higher education and at federal science agencies.


[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1270 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1270

 To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
  to carry out programs and activities 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 25, 2017

   Mr. Schumer (for Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Blumenthal, and Mr. 
   Merkley)) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
  referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To direct the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
  to carry out programs and activities 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.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; FINDINGS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``STEM Opportunities 
Act of 2017''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Many reports over the past decade have found that it is 
        critical to our Nation's economic leadership and global 
        competitiveness that we educate and train more scientists and 
        engineers.
            (2) Research shows that women and minorities who are 
        interested in STEM careers are disproportionately lost at 
        nearly every educational transition.
            (3) The National Center for Science and Engineering 
        Statistics at the National Science Foundation collects, 
        compiles, and publishes data on the demographics of STEM 
        degrees and STEM jobs in the United States.
            (4) Women now earn nearly 37 percent of all STEM bachelor's 
        degrees, but major variations persist among fields. In 2015, 
        women earned only 19 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded 
        in engineering and 18 percent in computer sciences. Based on 
        Bureau of Labor Statistics data, jobs in computing occupations 
        are expected to account for nearly \2/3\ of the projected 
        annual growth of newly created STEM job openings from 2014 to 
        2024.
            (5) In 2015, underrepresented minority groups comprised 39 
        percent of the college-age population of the United States, but 
        only 17 percent of students earning bachelor's degrees in STEM 
        fields. The Higher Education Research Institute at the 
        University of California, Los Angeles, found that, while 
        freshmen from underrepresented minority groups express an 
        interest in pursuing a STEM undergraduate degree at the same 
        rate as all other freshmen, only 22.1 percent of Latino 
        students, 18.4 percent of African-American students, and 18.8 
        percent of Native American students studying in STEM fields 
        complete their degree within 5 years, compared to approximately 
        33 percent and 42 percent 5-year completion rate for White and 
        Asian students, respectively.
            (6) In some STEM fields, including the computer sciences, 
        women persist at about the same rate through doctorate degrees. 
        In other fields, including the physical sciences and 
        mathematics, their numbers decrease by as much as 1 in 3. 
        Overall, women earned 39 percent of STEM doctorate degrees in 
        2014. The number of minority students earning STEM doctorate 
        degrees drops by nearly 40 percent. Students from 
        underrepresented minority groups accounted for only 10.5 
        percent of STEM doctorate degrees awarded in 2014.
            (7) The representation of women in STEM drops significantly 
        again at the faculty level. Overall, women hold only 23 percent 
        of all tenured and tenure-track positions and 24 percent of 
        full professor positions in STEM fields in our Nation's 
        universities and 4-year colleges. Black and Hispanic faculty 
        together hold about 6.4 percent of all tenured and tenure-track 
        positions and 7 percent of full professor positions. Many of 
        the numbers in the American Indian or Alaskan Native and Native 
        Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander categories for different 
        faculty ranks were too small for the National Science 
        Foundation to report publicly without potentially compromising 
        confidential information about the individuals being surveyed.
            (8) The representation of women is especially low at our 
        Nation's top research universities. Even in the biological 
        sciences, in which women now earn more than 50 percent of the 
        doctorates and passed the 25 percent level 37 years ago, women 
        make up only 25 percent of the full professors at the 100 or so 
        most research-intensive universities. In the physical sciences 
        and mathematics, they make up only 11 percent of these senior 
        positions, in computer sciences only 10 percent, and across 
        engineering fields only 7 percent. The data suggest that 
        approximately 6 percent of all tenure-track STEM faculty 
        members at the most research intensive universities are from 
        underrepresented minority groups, but in some fields the 
        numbers are too small to report publicly.
            (9) By 2050 underrepresented minorities will comprise 52 
        percent of the college-age population of the United States. If 
        the percentage of female students and students from 
        underrepresented minority groups earning bachelor's degrees in 
        STEM fields does not significantly increase, the United States 
        will face an acute shortfall in the overall number of students 
        who earn degrees in STEM fields just as United States companies 
        are increasingly seeking students with those skills. With this 
        impending shortfall, the United States will almost certainly 
        lose its competitive edge in the 21st century global economy.
            (10) According to a recent Association for Women in Science 
        survey of more than 4,000 scientists across the globe, 70 
        percent of whom were men, STEM researchers face significant 
        challenges in work-life integration. Researchers in the United 
        States were among the most likely to experience a conflict 
        between work and their personal life at least weekly. One-third 
        of researchers surveyed said that ensuring good work-life 
        integration has negatively impacted their careers, and, of 
        researchers intending to leave their current job within the 
        next year, 9 percent indicated it was because they were unable 
        to balance work and life demands.
            (11) Female students and students from underrepresented 
        minority groups at institutions of higher education who see few 
        others ``like themselves'' among faculty and student 
        populations often do not experience the social integration that 
        is necessary for success in all disciplines, including STEM.
            (12) A substantial body of evidence establishes that most 
        people hold implicit biases. Decades of cognitive psychology 
        research reveal that most people carry prejudices of which they 
        are unaware but that nonetheless play a large role in 
        evaluations of people and their work. Unintentional biases and 
        outmoded institutional structures are hindering the access and 
        advancement of women and minorities in science and engineering.
            (13) Workshops held to educate faculty about unintentional 
        biases have demonstrated success in raising awareness of such 
        biases.
            (14) In 2012 the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration's Office of Diversity and Equal Opportunity 
        completed a report specifically designed to help NASA grant 
        recipients identify why the dearth of women in STEM fields 
        continues and to ensure that it is not due to discrimination. 
        The report provides guidance to institutions of higher 
        education on how to conduct meaningful self-evaluations of 
        campus culture and policies. This report and its guidance are 
        equally applicable to all institutions of higher education 
        receiving significant Federal research funding.
            (15) The Federal Government provides more than 60 percent 
        of research funding at institutions of higher education and, 
        through its grant-making policies, has had significant 
        influence on institution of higher education policies, 
        including policies related to institutional culture and 
        structure.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    (a) In General.--The Director, acting through the Federal science 
agencies, shall carry out programs and activities with the purpose of 
ensuring that Federal science agencies and institutions of higher 
education receiving Federal research and development funding are fully 
engaging their entire talent pool.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To promote research on and increase understanding of 
        the participation and trajectories of women and 
        underrepresented minorities in STEM careers at institutions of 
        higher education and Federal science agencies, including 
        Federal laboratories.
            (2) To raise awareness within Federal science agencies, 
        including Federal laboratories, and institutions of higher 
        education about cultural and institutional barriers limiting 
        the recruitment, retention, promotion, and other indicators of 
        participation and achievement of women and underrepresented 
        minorities in academic and Government STEM research careers at 
        all levels.
            (3) To identify, disseminate, and implement best practices 
        at Federal science agencies, including Federal laboratories, 
        and at institutions of higher education to remove or reduce 
        cultural and institutional barriers limiting the recruitment, 
        retention, and success of women and underrepresented minorities 
        in academic and Government STEM research careers.
            (4) To provide grants to institutions of higher education 
        to recruit, retain, and advance STEM faculty members from 
        underrepresented minority groups and to implement or expand 
        reforms in undergraduate STEM education in order to increase 
        the number of students from underrepresented minority groups 
        receiving degrees in these fields.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL SCIENCE AGENCY POLICIES FOR CAREGIVERS.

    (a) OSTP Guidance.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall provide guidance to Federal 
science agencies to establish policies that--
            (1) apply to all--
                    (A) intramural and extramural research awards; and
                    (B) primary investigators who have caregiving 
                responsibilities, including care for a newborn or newly 
                adopted child and care for an immediate family member 
                who is sick or disabled; and
            (2) provide--
                    (A) flexibility in timing for the initiation of 
                approved research awards;
                    (B) no-cost extensions of research awards;
                    (C) grant supplements as appropriate to research 
                awards for research technicians or equivalent to 
                sustain research activities; and
                    (D) any other appropriate accommodations at the 
                discretion of the director of each agency.
    (b) Uniformity of Guidance.--In providing such guidance, the 
Director shall encourage uniformity and consistency in the policies 
across all agencies.
    (c) Establishment of Policies.--Consistent with the guidance 
provided under this section, Federal science agencies shall maintain or 
develop and implement policies for caregivers and shall broadly 
disseminate such policies to current and potential grantees.
    (d) Data on Usage.--Federal science agencies shall--
            (1) collect data on the usage of the policies under 
        subsection (c), by gender, at both institutions of higher 
        education and Federal laboratories; and
            (2) report such data on an annual basis to the Director in 
        such form as required by the Director.

SEC. 4. COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF DATA ON FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS.

    (a) Collection of Data.--
            (1) In general.--Each Federal science agency shall collect 
        standardized record-level annual information on demographics, 
        primary field, award type, review rating (as practicable), 
        budget request, funding outcome, and awarded budget for all 
        applications for merit-reviewed research and development grants 
        to institutions of higher education and Federal laboratories 
        supported by that agency.
            (2) Uniformity and standardization.--The Director shall 
        establish a policy to ensure uniformity and standardization of 
        the data collection required under paragraph (1).
            (3) Record-level data.--
                    (A) Requirement.--On an annual basis, beginning 
                with the deadline under subparagraph (C), each Federal 
                science agency shall submit to the Director of the 
                National Science Foundation record-level data collected 
                under paragraph (1) in the form required by such 
                Director.
                    (B) Previous data.--As part of the first submission 
                under subparagraph (A), each Federal science agency, to 
                the extent practicable, shall also submit comparable 
                record-level data for the 5 years preceding the 
                deadline under subparagraph (C).
                    (C) Deadline.--The deadline under this paragraph is 
                a date that is not later than 2 years after the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
    (b) Reporting of Data.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall publish statistical summary data collected under this 
section, disaggregated and cross-tabulated by race, ethnicity, gender, 
age, and years since completion of doctoral degree, including in 
conjunction with the National Science Foundation's report required by 
section 37 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act (42 
U.S.C. 1885d; Public Law 96-516).

SEC. 5. POLICIES FOR REVIEW OF FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Director, in collaboration with the 
interagency working group on inclusion in STEM, shall identify 
information and best practices useful for educating program officers 
and members of standing peer review committees at Federal science 
agencies about--
            (1) research on implicit bias based on gender, race, or 
        ethnicity; and
            (2) methods to minimize the effect of such bias in the 
        review of extramural and intramural Federal research grants.
    (b) Guidance to All Federal Science Agencies.--The Director shall 
disseminate the information and best practices identified in subsection 
(a) to all Federal science agencies and provide guidance as necessary 
on policies to implement such practices within each agency.
    (c) Pilot Program at Federal Science Agencies.--In consultation 
with the National Science Foundation and consistent with guidance 
provided in subsection (b), each Federal science agency shall implement 
a 2-year pilot orientation activity for program officers and members of 
standing review committees to educate reviewers and mitigate the 
effects of implicit bias in the review of extramural and intramural 
Federal research grants.
    (d) Establishment of Policies.--Drawing upon lessons learned from 
the pilot activity in subsection (c), Federal science agencies shall 
maintain or develop and implement policies and practices to minimize 
the effects of implicit bias in the review of extramural and intramural 
Federal research grants.
    (e) Assessment of Policies.--Federal science agencies shall 
regularly assess and amend as necessary the policies and practices in 
subsection (d) to ensure effective measures are in place to minimize 
the impact of implicit bias on the grant review process.
    (f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall report to Congress on what 
steps all Federal science agencies have taken to implement policies and 
practices to minimize the effects of bias in the review of extramural 
and intramural Federal research grants.

SEC. 6. COLLECTION OF DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS OF FACULTY.

    (a) Collection of Data.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and at least every 5 years thereafter, 
        the Director of the National Science Foundation shall carry out 
        a survey to collect institution-level data on the demographics 
        of STEM faculty, by broad fields of STEM, at different types of 
        institutions of higher education.
            (2) Considerations.--To the extent practicable, the 
        Director of the National Science Foundation shall consider, by 
        gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, age, and years 
        since completion of doctoral degree--
                    (A) the number and percentage of faculty;
                    (B) the number and percentage of faculty at each 
                rank;
                    (C) the number and percentage of faculty who are in 
                nontenure-track positions, including teaching and 
                research;
                    (D) the number and percentage of faculty who are 
                reviewed for promotion, including tenure, and the 
                percentage of that number who are promoted, including 
                being awarded tenure;
                    (E) faculty years in rank;
                    (F) the number and percentage of faculty to leave 
                tenure-track positions;
                    (G) the number and percentage of faculty hired, by 
                rank; and
                    (H) the number and percentage of faculty in 
                leadership positions.
    (b) Existing Surveys.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation--
            (1) may carry out the requirements under subsection (a) by 
        collaborating with statistical centers at other Federal 
        agencies to modify or expand, as necessary, existing Federal 
        surveys of higher education; or
            (2) may award a grant or contract to an institution of 
        higher education or other nonprofit organization to design and 
        carry out the requirements under subsection (a).
    (c) Reporting Data.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall publish statistical summary data collected under this 
section, including as part of the National Science Foundation's report 
required by section 37 of the Science and Engineering Equal 
Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d; Public Law 96-516).
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation 
$3,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2020 to develop and 
carry out the initial survey required in subsection (a).

SEC. 7. CULTURAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS TO EXPANDING THE ACADEMIC 
              AND FEDERAL STEM WORKFORCE.

    (a) Best Practices at Institutions of Higher Education.--
            (1) Development of guidance.--Not later than 6 months after 
        the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
        Science Foundation shall develop written guidance for 
        institutions of higher education on the best practices for--
                    (A) conducting periodic campus culture surveys of 
                STEM departments, with a particular focus on 
                identifying any cultural or institutional barriers to 
                or successful enablers for the recruitment, retention, 
                promotion, and other indicators of participation and 
                achievement, of women and underrepresented minorities 
                in STEM degree programs and academic STEM careers; and
                    (B) providing educational opportunities, including 
                workshops as described in subsection (c), for STEM 
                faculty and administrators to learn about current 
                research on implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation, 
                and promotion of faculty in STEM and recruitment and 
                evaluation of undergraduate and graduate students in 
                STEM degree programs.
            (2) Existing guidance.--In developing the guidance in 
        paragraph (1), the Director of the National Science Foundation 
        shall utilize guidance already developed by the National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy, 
        and the Department of Education.
            (3) Dissemination of guidance.--The Director of the 
        National Science Foundation shall broadly disseminate the 
        guidance developed in paragraph (1) to institutions of higher 
        education that receive Federal research funding.
            (4) Reports to the national science foundation.--The 
        Director of the National Science Foundation shall develop a 
        policy that--
                    (A) applies to, at a minimum, the institutions 
                classified under the Indiana University Center for 
                Postsecondary Research Carnegie Classification on 
                January 1, 2015, as a doctorate-granting university 
                with a very high level of research activity; and
                    (B) requires each institution identified in 
                subparagraph (A), not later than 3 years after the date 
                of enactment of this Act, to report to the Director of 
                the National Science Foundation on activities and 
                policies developed and implemented based on the 
                guidance provided in paragraph (1).
    (b) Best Practices at Federal Laboratories.--
            (1) Development of guidance.--Not later than 6 months after 
        the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop 
        written guidance for Federal laboratories to develop and 
        implement practices and policies to--
                    (A) conduct periodic laboratory-wide culture 
                surveys of research personnel at all levels, with a 
                particular focus on identifying any cultural or 
                institutional barriers to the recruitment, retention, 
                and success of women and underrepresented minorities in 
                STEM careers at Federal laboratories; and
                    (B) provide educational opportunities, including 
                workshops as described in subsection (c), for STEM 
                research personnel to learn about current research in 
                implicit bias in recruitment, evaluation, and promotion 
                of research personnel at Federal laboratories.
            (2) Establishment of policies.--Consistent with the 
        guidance provided in paragraph (1), Federal science agencies 
        with Federal laboratories shall maintain or develop and 
        implement policies for their respective Federal laboratories.
    (c) Workshops To Address Cultural Barriers To Expanding the 
Academic and Federal STEM Workforce.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director, in consultation with the 
        interagency working group on inclusion in STEM, shall recommend 
        a uniform policy for Federal science agencies to carry out a 
        program of workshops that educate STEM department chairs at 
        institutions of higher education, senior managers at Federal 
        laboratories, and other federally funded researchers about 
        methods that minimize the effects of implicit bias in the 
        career advancement, including hiring, tenure, promotion, and 
        selection for any honor based in part on the recipient's 
        research record, of academic and Federal STEM researchers.
            (2) Interagency coordination.--The Director shall ensure 
        that workshops supported under this subsection are coordinated 
        across Federal science agencies and jointly supported as 
        appropriate.
            (3) Minimizing costs.--To the extent practicable, workshops 
        shall be held in conjunction with national or regional STEM 
        disciplinary meetings to minimize costs associated with 
        participant travel.
            (4) Priority fields for academic participants.--In 
        considering the participation of STEM department chairs and 
        other academic researchers, the Director shall prioritize 
        workshops for the broad fields of STEM in which the national 
        rate of representation of women among tenured or tenure-track 
        faculty or non-faculty researchers at doctorate-granting 
        institutions of higher education is less than 25 percent, 
        according to the most recent data available from the National 
        Center for Science and Engineering Statistics.
            (5) Organizations eligible to carry out workshops.--Federal 
        science agencies may carry out the program of workshops under 
        this subsection by making grants to eligible organizations. In 
        addition to any other organizations made eligible by the 
        Federal science agencies, the following organizations are 
        eligible for grants under this subsection:
                    (A) Nonprofit scientific and professional societies 
                and organizations that represent one or more STEM 
                disciplines.
                    (B) Nonprofit organizations that have the primary 
                mission of advancing the participation of women or 
                underrepresented minorities in STEM.
            (6) Characteristics of workshops.--The workshops shall have 
        the following characteristics:
                    (A) Invitees to workshops shall include at least--
                            (i) the chairs of departments in the 
                        relevant STEM discipline or disciplines from at 
                        least the top 50 institutions of higher 
                        education, as determined by the amount of 
                        Federal research and development funds 
                        obligated to each institution of higher 
                        education in the prior year based on data 
                        available from the National Science Foundation; 
                        and
                            (ii) in the case of Federal laboratories, 
                        individuals with personnel management 
                        responsibilities comparable to those of an 
                        institution of higher education department 
                        chair.
                    (B) Activities at the workshops shall include 
                research presentations and interactive discussions or 
                other activities that increase the awareness of the 
                existence of implicit bias in recruitment, hiring, 
                tenure review, promotion, and other forms of formal 
                recognition of individual achievement for faculty and 
                other federally funded STEM researchers and shall 
                provide strategies to overcome such bias.
                    (C) Research presentations and other workshop 
                programs, as appropriate, shall include a discussion of 
                the unique challenges faced by underrepresented sub-
                groups, including minority women, minority men, and 
                first generation minority graduates in research.
                    (D) Workshop programs shall include information on 
                best practices for mentoring undergraduate and graduate 
                women and underrepresented minority students.
            (7) Data on workshops.--Any proposal for funding by an 
        organization seeking to carry out a workshop under this 
        subsection shall include a description of how such organization 
        will--
                    (A) collect data on the rates of attendance by 
                invitees in workshops, including information on the 
                home institution and department of attendees, and the 
                rank of faculty attendees;
                    (B) conduct attitudinal surveys on workshop 
                attendees before and after the workshops; and
                    (C) collect follow-up data on any relevant 
                institutional policy or practice changes reported by 
                attendees not later than one year after attendance in 
                such a workshop.
            (8) Report to nsf.--Organizations receiving funding to 
        carry out workshops under this subsection shall report the data 
        required in paragraph (7) to the Director of the National 
        Science Foundation in such form as required by such Director.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation 
shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
            (1) a summary and analysis of the types and frequency of 
        activities and policies developed and carried out under 
        subsection (a) based on the reports submitted under paragraph 
        (4) of such subsection; and
            (2) a description and evaluation of the status and 
        effectiveness of the program of workshops required under 
        subsection (c), including a summary of any data reported under 
        paragraph (8) of such subsection.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation 
$2,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 8. RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATION AT THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.

    (a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation 
shall award research grants and carry out dissemination activities 
consistent with the purposes of this Act, including--
            (1) research grants to analyze the record-level data 
        collected under section 4 and section 6, consistent with 
        policies to ensure the privacy of individuals identifiable by 
        such data;
            (2) research grants to study best practices for work-life 
        accommodation;
            (3) research grants to study the impact of policies and 
        practices that are implemented under this Act or that are 
        otherwise consistent with the purposes of this Act;
            (4) collaboration with other Federal science agencies and 
        professional associations to exchange best practices, harmonize 
        work-life accommodation policies and practices, and overcome 
        common barriers to work-life accommodation;
            (5) collaboration with institutions of higher education in 
        order to clarify and catalyze the adoption of a coherent and 
        consistent set of work-life accommodation policies and 
        practices; and
            (6) research grants to study the use of standardized 
        graduate student admission exams and its impact on the 
        recruitment, retention, and success of women, underrepresented 
        minorities, and first generation graduates in graduate STEM 
        degree programs.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation 
$5,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 9. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

    Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Director shall submit a report to Congress that includes--
            (1) a description and evaluation of the status and usage of 
        caregiver policies at all Federal science agencies, including 
        any recommendations for revising or expanding such policies;
            (2) a description of any significant updates to the 
        policies for review of Federal research grants required under 
        section 5, and any evidence of the impact of such policies on 
        the review or awarding of Federal research grants; and
            (3) a description and evaluation of the status of Federal 
        laboratory policies and practices required under section 7(b), 
        including any recommendations for revising or expanding such 
        policies.

SEC. 10. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR INCREASING DIVERSITY 
              AMONG STEM FACULTY AT INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION.

    (a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation shall 
award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) 
for the development of innovative reform efforts designed to increase 
the recruitment, retention, and advancement of individuals from 
underrepresented minority groups in academic STEM careers.
    (b) Merit Review; Competition.--Grants shall be awarded under this 
section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this 
section may include--
            (1) institutional assessment activities, such as data 
        analyses and policy review, in order to identify and address 
        specific issues in the recruitment, retention, and advancement 
        of faculty members from underrepresented minority groups;
            (2) implementation of institution-wide improvements in 
        workload distribution, such that faculty members from 
        underrepresented minority groups are not disadvantaged in the 
        amount of time available to focus on research, publishing 
        papers, and engaging in other activities required to achieve 
        tenure status and run a productive research program;
            (3) development and implementation of training courses for 
        administrators and search committee members to ensure that 
        candidates from underrepresented minority groups are not 
        subject to implicit biases in the search and hiring process;
            (4) development and hosting of intra- or inter-
        institutional workshops to propagate best practices in 
        recruiting, retaining, and advancing faculty members from 
        underrepresented minority groups;
            (5) professional development opportunities for faculty 
        members from underrepresented minority groups;
            (6) activities aimed at making undergraduate STEM students 
        from underrepresented minority groups aware of opportunities 
        for academic careers in STEM fields;
            (7) activities to identify and engage exceptional graduate 
        students from underrepresented minority groups at various 
        stages of their studies and to encourage them to enter academic 
        careers; and
            (8) other activities consistent with subsection (a), as 
        determined by the Director of the National Science Foundation.
    (d) Selection Process.--
            (1) Application.--An institution of higher education (or 
        consortia thereof) seeking funding under this section shall 
        submit an application to the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information and assurances as such Director may require. The 
        application shall include, at a minimum, a description of--
                    (A) the reform effort that is being proposed for 
                implementation by the institution of higher education;
                    (B) any available evidence of specific difficulties 
                in the recruitment, retention, and advancement of 
                faculty members from underrepresented minority groups 
                in STEM academic careers within the institution of 
                higher education submitting an application, and how the 
                proposed reform effort would address such issues;
                    (C) how the institution of higher education 
                submitting an application plans to sustain the proposed 
                reform effort beyond the duration of the grant; and
                    (D) how the success and effectiveness of the 
                proposed reform effort will be evaluated and assessed 
                in order to contribute to the national knowledge base 
                about models for catalyzing institutional change.
            (2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients 
        under this section, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall consider, at a minimum--
                    (A) the likelihood of success in undertaking the 
                proposed reform effort at the institution of higher 
                education submitting the application, including the 
                extent to which the administrators of the institution 
                are committed to making the proposed reform effort a 
                priority;
                    (B) the degree to which the proposed reform effort 
                will contribute to change in institutional culture and 
                policy such that greater value is placed on the 
                recruitment, retention, and advancement of faculty 
                members from underrepresented minority groups;
                    (C) the likelihood that the institution of higher 
                education will sustain or expand the proposed reform 
                effort beyond the period of the grant; and
                    (D) the degree to which evaluation and assessment 
                plans are included in the design of the proposed reform 
                effort.
            (3) Grant distribution.--The Director of the National 
        Science Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable, 
        that grants awarded under this section are made to a variety of 
        types of institutions of higher education.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation 
$10,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 11. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SUPPORT FOR BROADENING 
              PARTICIPATION IN UNDERGRADUATE STEM EDUCATION.

    (a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation shall 
award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia thereof) 
to implement or expand research-based reforms in undergraduate STEM 
education for the purpose of recruiting and retaining students from 
minority groups who are underrepresented in STEM fields, with a 
priority focus on natural science and engineering fields.
    (b) Merit Review; Competition.--Grants shall be awarded under this 
section on a merit-reviewed, competitive basis.
    (c) Use of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this 
section may include--
            (1) implementation or expansion of innovative, research-
        based approaches to broaden participation of underrepresented 
        minority groups in STEM fields;
            (2) implementation or expansion of bridge, cohort, 
        tutoring, or mentoring programs designed to enhance the 
        recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented 
        minority groups in STEM fields;
            (3) implementation or expansion of outreach 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 opportunities 
        in college-level STEM fields and STEM careers;
            (4) implementation or expansion of faculty development 
        programs focused on improving retention of undergraduate STEM 
        students from underrepresented minority groups;
            (5) implementation or expansion of mechanisms designed to 
        recognize and reward faculty members who demonstrate a 
        commitment to increasing the participation of students from 
        underrepresented minority groups in STEM fields;
            (6) expansion of successful reforms aimed at increasing the 
        number of STEM students 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 to other STEM 
        academic units within an institution of higher education;
            (7) expansion of opportunities for students from 
        underrepresented minority groups to conduct STEM research in 
        industry, at Federal labs, and at international research 
        institutions or research sites;
            (8) provision of stipends for students from 
        underrepresented minority groups participating in research;
            (9) development of research collaborations between 
        research-intensive universities and primarily undergraduate 
        minority-serving institutions;
            (10) support for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows 
        from underrepresented minority groups to participate in 
        instructional or assessment activities at primarily 
        undergraduate institutions, including primarily undergraduate 
        minority-serving institutions and 2-year institutions of higher 
        education; and
            (11) other activities consistent with subsection (a), as 
        determined by the Director of the National Science Foundation.
    (d) Selection Process.--
            (1) Application.--An institution of higher education (or 
        consortia thereof) seeking a grant under this section shall 
        submit an application to the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
        information and assurances as such Director may require. The 
        application shall include, at a minimum--
                    (A) a description of the proposed reform effort;
                    (B) 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 
                description of the previously implemented reform 
                effort, including data about the recruitment, 
                retention, and academic achievement of students from 
                underrepresented minority groups;
                    (C) evidence of an institutional commitment to, and 
                support for, the proposed reform effort, including a 
                long-term commitment to implement successful strategies 
                from the current reform beyond the academic unit or 
                units included in the grant proposal;
                    (D) a description of existing or planned 
                institutional policies and practices regarding faculty 
                hiring, promotion, tenure, and teaching assignment that 
                reward faculty contributions to improving the education 
                of students from underrepresented minority groups in 
                STEM; and
                    (E) how the success and effectiveness of the 
                proposed reform effort will be evaluated and assessed 
                in order to contribute to the national knowledge base 
                about models for catalyzing institutional change.
            (2) Review of applications.--In selecting grant recipients 
        under this section, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall consider, at a minimum--
                    (A) the likelihood of success of the proposed 
                reform effort at the institution submitting the 
                application, including the extent to which the faculty, 
                staff, and administrators of the institution are 
                committed to making the proposed institutional reform a 
                priority of the participating academic unit or units;
                    (B) 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 
                engagement in the retention of students from 
                underrepresented minority groups;
                    (C) the likelihood that the institution will 
                sustain or expand the proposed reform effort beyond the 
                period of the grant; and
                    (D) the degree to which evaluation and assessment 
                plans are included in the design of the proposed reform 
                effort.
            (3) Priority.--For applications that include an expansion 
        of existing reforms beyond a single academic unit, the Director 
        of the National Science Foundation shall give priority to 
        applications for which a senior institutional administrator, 
        such as a dean or other administrator of equal or higher rank, 
        serves as the principal investigator.
            (4) Grant distribution.--The Director of the National 
        Science Foundation shall ensure, to the extent practicable, 
        that grants awarded under this section are made to a variety of 
        types of institutions of higher education, including 2-year and 
        minority-serving institutions of higher education.
    (e) Education Research.--
            (1) In general.--All grants made under this section shall 
        include an education research component that will support the 
        design and implementation of a system for data collection and 
        evaluation of proposed reform efforts in order to build the 
        knowledge base on promising models for increasing recruitment 
        and retention of students from underrepresented minority groups 
        in STEM education at the undergraduate level across a diverse 
        set of institutions.
            (2) Dissemination.--The Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall coordinate with relevant Federal agencies in 
        disseminating the results of the research under this subsection 
        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.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Director of the National Science Foundation 
$15,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to carry out this 
section.

SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Science and Technology Policy (``OSTP'').
            (2) Federal laboratory.--The term ``Federal laboratory'' 
        has the meaning given such term in section 4 of the Stevenson-
        Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3703).
            (3) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science 
        agency'' means any Federal agency with not less than 
        $100,000,000 in research and development expenditures in fiscal 
        year 2016.
            (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 inclusion 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 the academic and 
        professional disciplines of science, technology, engineering, 
        and mathematics.
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