Title: PROMOTES Act of 2020
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Providing Resources and Organization to Maximize Opportunities for Training and Education in STEM Act of 2020 or the PROMOTES Act of 2020
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out a grant program to assist high schools in providing education to students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in subjects including science, technology, math, engineering, computer science, and related areas. Local educational agencies may use grant funds for purposes including training and other support for instructors, acquisition of instructional materials, travel opportunities, mentoring programs, and certifications for students. In making the grants, DOD must give preference to schools with high percentages of children from low-income families.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3900 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3900

  To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to 
support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in 
  the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 4, 2020

  Ms. Rosen (for herself, Mr. Rounds, Mrs. Blackburn, and Mr. Peters) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
                      Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a grant program to 
support science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in 
  the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps, 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 ``Providing 
Resources and Organization to Maximize Opportunities for Training and 
Education in STEM Act of 2020'' or the ``PROMOTES Act of 2020''.
    (b) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Section 2031(b)(3) of title 10, United States Code, as 
        amended by section 512 of the National Defense Authorization 
        Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92), authorizes the 
        inclusion of STEM education in the Junior Reserve Officers' 
        Training Corps program.
            (2) Consequently, it is necessary to provide resources for 
        the implementation of STEM education within the Junior Reserve 
        Officers' Training Corps.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO SUPPORT STEM EDUCATION IN THE JUNIOR RESERVE 
              OFFICERS' TRAINING CORPS.

    (a) Program Required.--
            (1) In general.--Chapter 102 of title 10, United States 
        Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new 
        section:
``Sec. 2036. Grants to support science, technology, engineering, and 
              mathematics education
    ``(a) Program Required.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Education, may carry out a program to make grants to 
eligible entities to assist such entities in providing education in 
covered subjects to students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training 
Corps.
    ``(b) Coordination.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(a), the Secretary may coordinate with the following:
            ``(1) The Secretaries of the military departments.
            ``(2) The Secretary of Education.
            ``(3) The Director of the National Science Foundation.
            ``(4) The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and 
        Space Administration.
            ``(5) The heads of such other Federal, State, and local 
        government entities the Secretary of Defense determines to be 
        appropriate.
            ``(6) Private sector organizations as the Secretary of 
        Defense determines appropriate.
    ``(c) Activities.--Activities funded with grants under this section 
may include the following:
            ``(1) Training and other support for instructors to teach 
        courses in covered subjects to students.
            ``(2) The acquisition of materials, hardware, and software 
        necessary for the instruction of covered subjects.
            ``(3) Activities that improve the quality of educational 
        materials, training opportunities, and curricula available to 
        students and instructors in covered subjects.
            ``(4) Development of travel opportunities, demonstrations, 
        mentoring programs, and informal education in covered subjects 
        for students and instructors.
            ``(5) Students' pursuit of certifications in covered 
        subjects.
    ``(d) Preference.--In making grants under this section, the 
Secretary shall give preference to eligible entities that are eligible 
for assistance under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6311 et seq.).
    ``(e) Evaluations.--The Secretary shall establish outcome-based 
metrics and internal and external assessments to evaluate the merits 
and benefits of the activities funded with grants under this section 
with respect to the needs of the Department of Defense.
    ``(f) Authorities.--In carrying out the program under this section, 
the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, make use of the 
authorities under chapter 111 and sections 2601 and 2605 of this title, 
and other authorities the Secretary determines appropriate.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `eligible entity' means a local education 
        agency that hosts a unit of the Junior Reserve Officers' 
        Training Corps.
            ``(2) The term `covered subjects' means--
                    ``(A) science;
                    ``(B) technology;
                    ``(C) engineering;
                    ``(D) mathematics;
                    ``(E) computer science;
                    ``(F) computational thinking;
                    ``(G) artificial intelligence;
                    ``(H) machine learning;
                    ``(I) data science;
                    ``(J) cybersecurity;
                    ``(K) robotics; and
                    ``(L) other subjects determined by the Secretary of 
                Defense to be related to science, technology, 
                engineering, and mathematics.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections at the 
        beginning of chapter 102 of such title is amended by adding at 
        the end the following new item:

``2036. Grants to support science, technology, engineering, and 
                            mathematics education.''.
    (b) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall 
        submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the 
        activities carried out under section 2036 of title 10, United 
        States Code (as added by subsection (a)).
            (2) Congressional defense committees defined.--In this 
        subsection, the term ``congressional defense committees'' has 
        the meaning given that term in section 101(a)(16) of title 10, 
        United States Code.
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