America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act

Bill: 110-hr-2272
Sponsor: Rep. Gordon, Bart [D-TN-6]
Introduced: 2007-05-10 in the House
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Academic performance
Air pollution control
Alternative energy sources
Antarctic regions
Atmosphere
Auditing
Authorization
Awards, medals, prizes
Black colleges
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Coal
College teachers
Commemorations
Commerce
Communication in science
Community and school
Computer networks
Computer security measures
Computers
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Consultants
Continuing education
Curricula
Data banks
Department of Commerce
Department of Energy
Depreciation and amortization
Disabled
Distance education
Economic impact statements
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational accountability
Educational technology
Educational tests
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Energy research
Engineering
Engineers
Environmental Protection
Environmental research
Executive Office of the President
Executive reorganization
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to research
Finance and Financial Sector
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Gifts
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government procurement
Government publicity
Graduate education
Great Lakes
Higher education
Hispanic Americans
Industrial research
Industry-university relations
Intellectual property
International competitiveness
Inventions
Joint ventures
Labor and Employment
Laboratories
Language and languages
Law
Licenses
Manufacturing industries
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Mathematics
Mentoring
Metric system
Minorities
Minority education
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Science Foundation
Nonprofit organizations
Nuclear fuels
Oceanography
Paraprofessional school personnel
Patents
Performance measurement
Recruiting of employees
Research and development
Research and development facilities
Research centers
Research ethics
Research grants
Scholarships
Scientific education
Scientific instruments and apparatus
Scientists
Secondary education
Securities regulation
Service industries
Small business
Social Welfare
Space activities
Special education
Standards
Sunset legislation
Supercomputers
Teacher education
Teacher supply and demand
Teaching
Teaching materials
Technical education
Technological innovations
Time
User charges
Water Resources Development
Women
Women's education

Summary:
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: 
21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007 - Establishes, revises, and extends specified science, mathematics, education, engineering, technology, research, and training programs. 
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010 for the: (1) National Science Foundation (NSF); and (2) specified programs and activities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

action_date: 2007-05-21
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

 
21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007 - 
Title I: Science and Mathematics Scholarships and Education Improvement 
- 
Subtitle A: Science Scholarships 
- 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act - (Sec. 113) Requires the National Science Foundation (NSF), in carrying out the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program (formerly, the Robert Noyce Scholarship program), to increase the number of elementary and secondary mathematics and science teachers having both exemplary subject knowledge and pedagogical skills by up to 10,000 per year. 
 
 (Sec. 114) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (the Act) to revise requirements for the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program, which provides scholarships, stipends, and teacher training to science, mathematics, and engineering students and professionals in exchange for service as elementary or secondary school teachers. 
 
Opens the program to all undergraduate students. (Currently, only juniors and seniors may participate.) 
 
Requires institutions of higher education that receive grants to: (1) provide participants with the academic courses and field teaching experiences necessary for teacher certification or licensing, including summer internships for freshmen students; and (2) include mathematics, science, and engineering faculty in developing and implementing the program. Authorizes institutions of higher education to involve teacher leaders in the development of pedagogical content and the supervision of students in their field teaching experiences. Requires the Director to broadly disseminate information about the grant application process to ensure the participation of a diversity of institutions of higher education. 
 
Increases the maximum duration of student scholarships from two to three years, professional stipends from one year to 16 months, and the minimum yearly scholarship amount from $7,500 to $10,000. Eliminates the requirement that scholarship recipients serve in high-need areas, but reduces their service obligation by one year for doing so. Requires the Director to establish for individuals with a service obligation an information clearinghouse on teaching opportunities in high-need local education agencies (LEAs). 
 
Authorizes the Director of the NSF (the Director) to accept private donations for the program. 
 
Requires the Director to report to Congress within four years of this Act's enactment on the program's effectiveness. 
 
Requires the Secretary to establish, under the program, a Special Partnership program that provides competitive grants to institutions of higher education that partner with one or more private nonprofit organizations, local or state government organizations, and businesses to provide stipends, courses, and support to mathematics, science, and engineering professionals who enroll in an educational program enabling them to obtain teacher certification or licensing within 16 months. Requires selection of stipend recipients primarily on the basis of their content knowledge of science or mathematics as demonstrated on a required test. 
 
Requires stipend recipients to complete four years of service as mathematics or science teachers in public secondary schools. Requires partnership members to identify a nonfederal source of salary supplements for stipend recipients fulfilling their service obligation. 
 
 
Subtitle B: Mathematics and Science Education Improvement 
- (Sec. 121) Revises requirements for the Mathematics and Science Education Partnership program (Partnership program), which provides grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for the improvement of elementary and secondary mathematics and science instruction. 
 
Requires that institutions of higher education grantees enter into partnerships though one or more of their science, engineering, or mathematics departments. Includes institutions of higher education faculty, in addition to LEAs, state educational agencies, and businesses, among the entities with which institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations may partner. 
 
Adds to the list of grant fund uses: (1) teacher training in the provision of challenging mathematics, science, and technology college preparatory courses, including advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses; (2) laboratory training and support for teachers; (3) model induction programs for teachers in their first two years of teaching; (4) technology, in addition to mathematics and science, in the student enrichment programs which are to include after-school programs and summer camps for female, minority, and disabled students; (5) master's degree programs for in-service teachers; and (6) the development and dissemination of curriculum tools that foster inventiveness and innovation. Requires grantees providing challenging college preparatory courses to encourage companies employing scientists, mathematicians, or engineers to provide mentors to teachers and students. 
 
Sets minimum and maximum grant amounts. 
 
Requires the Director to provide to Congress: (1) within one year of this Act's enactment, a determination as to which completed partnership projects should be seen as models to be replicated on a more expansive basis; and (2) within four years of this Act's enactment, a summary of partnership evaluations that describes recommended changes to the program. 
 
 (Sec. 122) Requires the Director to establish a grant program for summer or academic year teacher institutes or workshops authorized under the Partnership program, including teacher training in the provision of challenging mathematics, science, and technology college preparatory courses. Gives grant priority to applicants proposing to attract teachers from certain high-need LEAs. 
 
Allows grantees under the Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century program to operate one- to two-week summer teacher institutes. 
 
Authorizes FY2008-FY2012 appropriations to the Department of Energy (DOE) for the Laboratory Science Teacher Professional Development program. 
 
 (Sec. 123) Requires the master's degree programs for in-service mathematics and science teachers under the Partnership program to be designed to allow teachers to enroll as part-time students and earn their degree within three years. Authorizes grantees to use funds for the development and acquisition of educational materials and equipment, and to provide stipends to students that cover their costs of attendance. 
 
 (Sec. 124) Prohibits anything in this title from being construed as limiting the authority of states or local school boards to determine the curricula of their students. 
 
 (Sec. 125) Revises the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Talent Expansion program to require the Director to issue grants to institutions of higher education for the creation of centers to develop and disseminate curriculum, teaching methods, and ways to better train professors and teacher assistants to increase the number and performance of undergraduate students in such courses. 
 
Requires the Director to strive to increase the representation of students from secondary schools that serve a high concentration of low-income families, when providing grants under the Talent Expansion program to increase the number of students studying and completing bachelor's degrees, concentrations, or certificates in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. 
 
 (Sec. 126) Redefines a "high-need local educational agency," for purposes of the Act, as a LEA that is receiving grants under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as a result of serving a high concentration of children from low-income families and experiencing a shortage of highly qualified science, mathematics, or engineering teachers. 
 
 (Sec. 127) Replaces the term "master teacher" with the term "teacher leader" each time it appears in the Act. 
 
 (Sec. 128) Requires the Director to establish a Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science research pilot program for awarding grants to partnerships between state educational agencies and LEAs to improve laboratories and provide instrumentation as part of a comprehensive effort to improve the quality of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology instruction in secondary schools. Requires such partnerships to include significant teacher training, unless such training is addressed through other means. 
 
Limits the federal share of partnership costs to 50%. 
 
Requires the Director to report to to specified congressional committees within five years regarding the program's effect on student performance. 
 
Authorizes appropriations for the program for FY2008-FY2010. 
 
 (Sec. 129) Requires the Director to report to Congress within two years on the extent to which institutions of higher education are donating used laboratory equipment to elementary and secondary schools. 
 

Title II: Science and Engineering Research 
- Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act - (Sec. 202) Requires the Director of the NSF to carry out a program of awarding grants to scientists and engineers at the early stage of their careers at institutions of higher education in the United States and at certain research organizations to conduct research in fields relevant to the mission of the NSF. Permits the existing Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program to be designated as the mechanism for awarding such grants. 
 
Requires: (1) the duration of such awards to be five years; and (2) the amount of such an award per year to be at least $80,000. 
 
Instructs such Director: (1) in awarding such grants, to endeavor to ensure that the recipients are from a variety of institutions of higher education and nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organizations; (2) in support of such goal, to broadly disseminate information about when and how to apply for such grants, including by conducting outreach to historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions; and (3) in awarding such grants, to give special consideration to eligible early-career researchers who have followed alternative career paths such as working part-time or in nonacademic settings, or who have taken a significant career break or other leave of absence. 
 
Instructs such Director, for FY2008-FY2012, to earmark at least 3.5% of funds appropriated to NSF for research and activities related to such grants program, except to the extent that a sufficient number of meritorious grant applications have not been received for a fiscal year. 
 
Requires reports describing the: (1) distribution of the institutions of the awardees of the CAREER Program since FY2001 among specified categories of institutions of higher education; and (2) impact of such program on the ability of young faculty to compete for NSF research grants. 
 
(Sec. 203) Requires the Director of the Office of Science of DOE to carry out a program of awarding grants to scientists and engineers at the early stage of their careers at specified institutions of higher education and the research organizations described in this section to conduct research in fields relevant to the mission of the DOE, giving priority to grants to expand domestic energy production and use through coal-to-liquids technology and advanced nuclear reprocessing. 
 
Requires: (1) the duration of such awards to be up to five years; and (2) the amount of such an award per year to be at least $80,000. 
 
Instructs such Director to give priority to proposals in which the proposed work includes collaborations with DOE national laboratories. 
 
Instructs such Director: (1) in awarding such grants, to endeavor to ensure that the recipients are from a variety of institutions of higher education and nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organizations; and (2) in support of such goal, to broadly disseminate information about when and how to apply for such grants, including by conducting outreach to historically black colleges and universities and minority institutions. 
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012 to the Secretary of Energy to carry out such Director's responsibilities under this section. 
 
Requires such Director to transmit a report on efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and engineers at the early stages of their careers at the DOE laboratories. 
 
(Sec. 204) Requires the Director of the NSF to earmark at least 1.5% of funds appropriated for research and related activities to the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. 
 
Instructs such Director to coordinate with federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, to expand the interdisciplinary nature of such program. Authorizes such Director to accept funds from other federal departments and agencies to carry out such program. 
 
(Sec. 205) Directs the President to periodically present the Presidential Innovation Award, on the basis of recommendations received from the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy or on the basis of such other information as the President considers appropriate, to individuals who develop one or more unique scientific or engineering ideas in the national interest. 
 
Specifies that such awards shall be made to: (1) stimulate scientific and engineering advances in the national interest; (2) illustrate the linkage between science and engineering and national needs; (3) show the potential of such innovation to substantively enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States through development of commercializable intellectual property; and (4) provide an example to students of the contributions they could make to society by entering the science and engineering profession. 
 
Bars an individual from receiving such an award unless at the time such award is made the individual is: (1) a citizen or foreign national of the United States; or (2) is an alien lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who has filed an application for naturalization and is not permanently ineligible to become a U.S. citizen. 
 
(Sec. 206) Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish a National Coordination Office for Research Infrastructure to: (1) identify and prioritize deficiencies in research facilities and instrumentation in academic institutions and at national laboratories that are available for use by academic researchers; and (2) institute and coordinate the planning by federal agencies for the acquisition and maintenance of research facilities and major instrumentation required to address the deficiencies identified. Instructs such Office, in prioritizing such deficiencies, to consider research needs in areas relevant to the nation's economic competitiveness. 
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to appoint individuals to serve in such Office from among the principal federal agencies that support research in the sciences, mathematics, and engineering, and at a minimum, to include individuals from the NSF and the DOE. 
 
Requires such Director to provide annual reports to Congress at the time of the President's budget proposal: (1) describing the research infrastructure needs identified; (2) listing research facilities projects and budget proposals for major instrumentation acquisitions that are included in the President's budget proposal; and (3) explaining how these projects and acquisitions relate to the deficiencies and priorities arrived at. 
 
(Sec. 207) Permits the NSF, in carrying out its research programs on science policy and on the science of learning, to support research on the process of innovation and the teaching of inventiveness. 
 
(Sec. 208) Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to transmit a report on efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and engineers at the early stages of their careers at the NIST laboratories and joint institutes. 
 
(Sec. 209) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a balanced science program as authorized by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2005 contributes significantly to innovation in, and the economic competitiveness of, the United States; and (2) a robust National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), funded at authorized levels, would offer a balance among science, aeronautics, exploration, and human space flight programs, all of which can attract and employ scientists, engineers, and technicians across a broad range of fields in science, technology , mathematics, and engineering. Instructs the Administrator of NASA to fully participate in any interagency efforts to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through scientific research and development within authorized spending levels. 
 
(Sec. 210) Directs the NSF to establish a program to be known as the Undergraduate Scholarships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or US-STEM program, for awarding scholarships to undergraduate scholars in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
 
Specifies the requirements that a student must meet to be eligible for a scholarship under such program, including that the student is a citizen or permanent resident alien of the United States. 
 
Provides for scholarship recipients to be selected based on merit and such other criteria as the NSF shall establish. 
 
Instructs the NSF to announce awards before April 1 for each upcoming academic year and allows the NSF to make up to 2,500 awards per year. Permits awards to be made for a maximum of two academic years for each student, and requires that scholarship amounts be paid to the student's institution. 
 
Requires the Director of the NSF to establish an advisory board, which shall make recommendations to such Director for selection criteria for scholarship recipients, and provide guidance and oversight for such program. 
 

Title III: National Science Foundation 
- National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007 - (Sec. 303) Authorizes appropriations to the NSF for FY2008-FY2010, with specific allocations for: (1) research and related activities; (2) education and human resources; (3) major research equipment and facilities construction; (4) agency operations and award management; (5) the Office of the National Science Board; and (6) the Office of Inspector General. 
 
Sets minimum and maximum amounts of awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program. 
 
Permits, in addition to the acquisition of instrumentation and equipment, funds made available by awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program to be used to support the operations and maintenance of such instrumentation and equipment. 
 
Requires an institution of higher education receiving an award under such program to provide at least 30% of the cost from private or non-federal sources. Exempts institutions of higher education that are not Ph.D-granting institutions from such cost sharing requirement and allows the Director of the NSF (the Director) to reduce or waive such requirement for: (1) certain institutions that are not ranked among the top 100 institutions receiving federal research and development funding; and (2) consortia of institutions of higher education that include at least one institution that is not a Ph.D-granting institution. 
 
Requires the continuation of programs in support of undergraduate education, including those authorized under the provisions of section 17 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (relating to undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education reform). Increases funding for these programs in proportion to the increase in the total amount appropriated to NSF in any year for which appropriations are authorized by this Act. 
 
Revises the selection process for awards that require the submission of preproposals and that also limit the number of preproposals. Requires the National Science Board to: (1) assess the effects on institutions of higher education of NSF policies regarding the imposition of limitations on the number of proposals that may be submitted by a single institution for programs supported by NSF; (2) determine whether current policies are well justified and appropriate for the types of programs that limit the number of proposal submissions; and (3) summarize in a report its findings and any recommendations regarding changes to the current policy on the restriction of proposal submissions. 
 
Requires the Director to increase funding for the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program in proportion to the increase in the total amount appropriated to the NSF for research and related activities in any year for which appropriations are authorized by this Act. 
 
Requires the Director: (1) as part of Informal Science Education activities, to support activities to create informal educational materials, exhibits, and multimedia presentations relevant to global warming, climate science, and greenhouse gas reduction strategies; and (2) as part of Discovery Research K-12 activities, to support the development of K-12 educational materials relevant to global warming, climate science, and greenhouse gas reduction strategies.
 
 (Sec. 304) Requires the continuation of the program of Centers for Research on Learning and Education Improvement as established in section 11 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (relating to the establishment of such Centers). 
 
Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to provide for the awarding of grants to eligible nonprofit organizations and their consortia to establish such Centers. 
 
(Sec. 305) Directs the National Science Board to evaluate: (1) the role of NSF in supporting interdisciplinary research, including through the Major Research Instrumentation program, the effectiveness of NSF's efforts in providing information to the scientific community about opportunities for funding of interdisciplinary research proposals, and the process through which interdisciplinary proposals are selected for support; and (2) the effectiveness of NSF's efforts to engage undergraduate students in research experiences in interdisciplinary settings, including through the Research in Undergraduate Institutions program and the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Requires the Board to provide the results of its evaluation, including a recommendation for the proportion of the NSF's research and related activities funding that should be allocated for interdisciplinary research. 
 
(Sec. 306) Requires the Director to carry out a pilot program to award one-year grants to individuals to assist them in improving research proposals that were previously submitted to NSF but not selected for funding. Requires that such grants be used to enable individuals to resubmit updated research proposals for review by NSF through NSF's competitive merit review process. Permits using funds made available under this section for the generation of new data and the performance of additional analysis. 
 
Requires the Director to make awards under this section based on the advice of program officers of the NSF. 
 
Allows the Director to carry out this section through the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program. 
 
Directs the National Science Board to conduct a review and assessment of the pilot program. 
 
(Sec. 307) Requires the Director, in evaluating research proposals under NSF's broader impacts criterion, to give special consideration to proposals that involve partnerships between academic researchers and industrial scientists and engineers that address research areas that have been identified as having high importance for economic competitiveness, such as nanotechnology. Instructs the Director to encourage research proposals from institutions of higher education that involve partnerships with businesses and organizations representing businesses in fields that have been identified as having high importance for economic competitiveness and that include input on the research agenda from and cost-sharing by the industry partners. Requires the Director to report on the impact of the broader impacts grant criterion used by NSF. 
 
(Sec. 308) Instructs the Director to: (1) require that all grant applications that include funding to support postdoctoral researchers include a description of mentoring activities; and (2) ensure that this part of the application is evaluated under NSF's broader impacts merit review criterion. Instructs the Director to require that annual reports and the final report for research grants that include funding to support postdoctoral researchers include a description of the mentoring activities provided to such researchers. 
 
(Sec. 309) Instructs the Director to require that each institution that applies for financial assistance from NSF for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to participating undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers . 
 
(Sec. 310) Instructs the Director to ensure that all final project reports and citations of published research documents resulting from research funded, in whole or in part, by the NSF are made available to the public in a timely manner and through NSF's website. 
 
(Sec. 311) Makes an investigator supported under a NSF award, whom the Director determines has failed to comply with the provisions of section 734 (concerning the dissemination and sharing of research results) of the Foundation Grant Policy Manual, ineligible for a future award under any NSF supported program or activity. Allows the Director to restore the eligibility of such an investigator on the basis of the investigator's subsequent compliance with such provisions and with such other terms and conditions as the Director may impose. 
 
(Sec. 312) Requires the Director to annually evaluate all NSF's grants that are scheduled to expire within one year and that primarily: (1) meet the objectives of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunity Act; or (2) provide teacher professional development. Allows the Director, for grants that are identified and that are deemed by the Director to be successful in meeting the objectives of the initial grant solicitation, to extend those grants for up to three additional years beyond their scheduled expiration without the requirement for a recompetition. Permits the extension of such grants for an additional three years as specified. Requires the Director to submit a report that: (1) lists the grants extended; and (2) provides recommendations regarding the extension of such authority to programs other than those specified in this section. 
 
(Sec. 313) Requires the National Science Board to: (1) evaluate certain impacts of its policy to eliminate cost sharing for research grants and cooperative agreements for existing and new programs involving industry participation; and (2) report the results of such evaluation. 
 
(Sec. 314) Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to permit NSF to receive and use funds donated to NSF for specific prize competitions. 
 
(Sec. 315) Requires the National Science Board to evaluate the appropriateness of: (1) the requirement that funding for detailed design work and other preconstruction activities for major research equipment and facilities come exclusively from the sponsoring research division rather than being available from the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account; and (2) NSF's policies for allocation of costs for, and oversight of, maintenance and operation of major research equipment and facilities. 
 
Requires the Board to report on the results of such evaluations and on any recommendations for modifying the current policies related to allocation of funding for such equipment and facilities. Requires that plans for proposed construction, repair, and upgrades to national research facilities include estimates of the total project cost and the source of funds for major upgrades of facilities in support of Antarctic research programs. 
 
Requires the Director to transmit: (1) a specified report cataloging all elementary and secondary school, informal, and undergraduate educational programs and activities supported through appropriations for research and related activities; and (2) along with the FY2011 budget request, a report listing the funding success rates and distribution of awards for the Research in Undergraduate Institutions program. 
 
Requires the Director, within 60 days of enactment of legislation providing for the annual appropriation of funds for NSF, to submit a plan for the allocation of education and human resources funds authorized by this Act for the corresponding fiscal year, including any funds from within the research and related activities account used to support activities that primarily improve education or broaden participation. 
 
(Sec. 316) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to require: (1) the Inspector General of NSF to conduct triennial audits (currently, annual audits) of the compliance by the National Science Board with the requirements specified under the Act for open meetings; (2) the Board to maintain the General Counsel's certificate, the presiding officer's statement, and a transcript or recording of any closed meeting for at least three years after such meeting; and (3) appointment of technical and professional personnel on leave of absence from academic, industrial, or research institutions for a limited term and such operations and support staff members (currently, such clerical staff members) as may be necessary. 
 
Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1975 to increase the number of Alan T. Waterman Awards that may be made in any one fiscal year to three. 
 
(Sec. 317) Requires rendering of National Science Board reports to the President and Congress (currently, rendered to the President for submission to Congress). 
 
 (Sec. 318) Directs NSF to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences for a report to Congress about barriers to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and to identify strategies for bringing more underrepresented minorities into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. 
 
(Sec. 319) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the mathematics and science education partnership program at NSF and the mathematics and science partnership program at the Department of Education are intended to be complementary, not duplicative; (2) Congress intends that the NSF peer-reviewed partnership programs found to be effective should be put into wider practice by dissemination through the Department of Education partnership programs; and (3) the Director and the Secretary of Education should collaborate to ensure that the two components of this effort continue to work in concert for the benefit of states and local practitioners nationwide. 
 
(Sec. 320) Authorizes the Director to establish a new program to award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to Hispanic-serving institutions to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology education at such institutions and to increase the retention and graduation rates of students pursuing associate's or baccalaureate degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, or technology. 
 
Specifies that the grants awarded shall support: (1) activities to improve courses and curricula in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology; (2) faculty development; (3) stipends for undergraduate students participating in research; and (4) other activities consistent with the grant program authorized by this section, as determined by the Director. 
 
States that funding for instrumentation is an allowed use of grants awarded under this section. 
 
(Sec. 321) Requires the Director to provide grant supplements to institutions receiving awards under the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program. 
 
Requires the grant supplements to be used to train graduate students in the communication of the substance and importance of their research to nonscientist audiences, including policymakers. 
 
Requires the Director to transmit a report describing how such activities have been implemented. Requires that such report include data on the number of graduate students trained and the number and size of grant supplements awarded, as well as a description of the types of activities funded. 
 

Title IV: National Institute of Standards and Technology 
- Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007 - 
Subtitle A: 

Authorization of Appropriations
 - (Sec. 411) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for FY2008-FY2010 for: (1) scientific and technical research and services laboratory activities of NIST; (2) the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program; (3) construction and maintenance of NIST facilities; and (4) NIST Industrial Technology Services activities. 
 
 
Subtitle B: Innovation and Technology Policy Reforms
 - (Sec. 421) Requires the Director of NIST (the Director), concurrent with submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request, to transmit a three-year programmatic planning report for NIST, including programs under the Scientific and Technical Research and Services, Industrial Technology Services, and Construction of Research Facilities functions, and subsequent updates. 
 
 (Sec. 422) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide that annual reports to the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) and Congress be submitted by the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology within 30 days (currently, on or before January 31 in each year) after the submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request. Requires that such report also comment on the programmatic planning document and updates thereto transmitted to Congress by the Director. 
 
 (Sec. 423) Establishes within NIST a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board. Requires such Board to provide to the Director advice on: (1) MEP programs, plans, and policies; (2) assessments of the soundness of MEP plans and strategies; and (3) assessments of current performance against MEP program plans. Requires such Board to transmit annual reports to the Secretary for transmittal to Congress within 30 days after the submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request which shall address the status of the MEP program and comment on the relevant sections of the programmatic planning document and updates thereto transmitted to Congress by the Director. 
 
Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to allow the Secretary and the Director to accept funds from other federal departments and agencies and from the private sector to strengthen U.S. manufacturing. Prohibits such funds, if allocated to a Regional Center for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology or such Centers, from being considered in the calculation of the federal share of capital and annual operating and maintenance costs. 
 
Requires the Director to establish within the MEP program a program to award competitive grants among the Centers, or a consortium of such Centers, for the development of projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems. 
 
Permits one or more themes for the competition to be identified, which may vary from year to year, depending on the needs of manufacturers and the success of previous competitions. Bars recipients of such grant awards from being required to provide a matching contribution. 
 
 (Sec. 424) Abolishes the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and replaces it with the Technology Innovation Program (TIP), while continuing support originally awarded under ATP. Provides for TIP to assist U.S. businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutes, to accelerate the development and application of challenging, high-risk, high-reward technologies in areas of critical national need that promise widespread economic benefits for the nation. 
 
Requires the Director to make grants to eligible companies for research and development on high-risk, high-reward emerging and enabling technologies (including any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use) that address critical national needs and have a wide breadth of potential application, and form an important technical basis for future innovations. Specifies that such grants be made to: (1) eligible companies that are small or medium-sized businesses; or (2) joint ventures. Sets forth limitations on single company and joint venture grant amounts. Limits the federal share of a project to not more than half of total project costs. 
 
Requires the Director, in carrying out TIP, as appropriate, to coordinate with other senior state and federal officials to ensure cooperation and coordination in state and federal technology programs and to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts. 
 
Establishes within NIST a Technology Innovation Program (TIP) Advisory Board. Requires such Board to provide to the Director: (1) advice on programs, plans, and policies of TIP; (2) reviews of TIP's efforts to assess it economic impact; (3) reports on the general health of the program and its effectiveness in achieving its legislatively mandated mission; (4) guidance on areas of technology that are appropriate for TIP funding; and (5) recommendations as to whether, in order to better assess whether specific innovations to be pursued are being adequately supported by the private sector, the Director could benefit from advice and information from additional industry and other experts sources without a proprietary or financial interest in proposals being evaluated. 
 
Requires such Board to transmit annual reports to the Secretary for transmittal to Congress within 30 days after the submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request which shall address the status of TIP and comment on the relevant sections of the programmatic planning document and updates thereto transmitted to Congress by the Director. 
 
Defines "high-risk, high-reward research" to mean research that: (1) has the potential for yielding results with far-ranging or wide-ranging implications; (2) addresses critical national needs related to technology and measurement standards; and (3) is too novel or spans too diverse a range of disciplines to fare well in the traditional peer review process.
 
 (Sec. 425) Increases funding for research fellowships and other financial assistance to students at institutions of higher education within the United States and to U.S. citizens for research and technical activities on NIST programs. 
 
 (Sec. 426) Requires the Director to establish a manufacturing research pilot grants program to make awards to partnerships to foster cost-shared collaborations among firms, educational and research institutions, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations in the development of innovative, multidisciplinary manufacturing technologies. Requires such partnerships to include at least one manufacturing industry partner and one nonindustry partner. 
 
Requires partnerships receiving awards to conduct applied research to develop new manufacturing processes, techniques, or materials that would contribute to improved performance, productivity, and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing, and build lasting alliances among collaborators. Bars: (1) awards from providing for not more than one-third of the costs of a partnership; and (2) not more than an additional one-third of such costs from being obtained directly or indirectly from other federal sources. 
 
Instructs the Director, in selecting applications, to ensure, a distribution of overall awards among a variety of manufacturing industry sectors and a range of firm sizes. 
 
Requires the Director to run a single pilot competition to solicit and make awards. Limits each award to a 3-year period. 
 
 (Sec. 427) Requires the Director, in order to promote the development of a robust research community working at the leading edge of manufacturing sciences, to establish a program to award: (1) postdoctoral research fellowships at NIST for research activities related to manufacturing sciences; and (2) senior research fellowships to establish researchers in industry or at institutions of higher education who wish to pursue studies related to the manufacturing sciences at NIST. 
 
Requires the Director to provide stipends for post-doctoral research fellowships at a level consistent with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Post-doctoral Research Fellowship Program, and senior research fellowships at levels consistent with support for a faculty member in a sabbatical position. 
 
 (Sec. 428) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide for the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology to meet at least twice each year (currently at least quarterly) at the call of the chairman of the Committee or whenever one-third of the Committee's members so request in writing. 
 
 (Sec. 429) Directs NIST to provide for the establishment of a manufacturing research database to enable private sector individuals and federal officials to access a broad range of information on manufacturing research carried out with funding support from the federal government. 
 
Requires the database to contain: (1) all publicly available information maintained by a federal agency relating to manufacturing research projects funded in whole or in part by the federal government; and (2) information about all federal programs that may be of interest to manufacturers. 
 
Requires that the information contained in the database be accessible in a manner that enables users of the database to easily retrieve information of specific interest to them. 
 
Allows NIST to authorize charging a nominal fee for using the database to access such information as necessary to recover the costs of maintaining the database. 
 
Authorizes appropriations. 
 
 
Subtitle C: 
Miscellaneous - (Sec. 441) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to double the number of fellows per fiscal year to be included in the post-doctoral fellowship program. 
 
 (Sec. 442) Amends such Act to add as a function of the Secretary and NIST, the authority to enter into contracts which include grants and cooperative agreements to further the purposes of NIST. 
 
 (Sec. 443) Prohibits the transfer of not more than one-quarter of 1% of the amounts appropriated to NIST for any fiscal year to the Working Capital Fund, in addition to any other transfer authority. Permits, in addition, transfer to such Fund of funds provided to NIST from other federal agencies for the production of standard reference materials.
 
(Sec. 444) Authorizes the Director to retain all building use and depreciation surcharge fees collected pursuant to OMB Circular A-25 (relating fees assessed for government services and for sale or use of government goods or resources). Requires such fees to be collected and credited to the construction of research facilities appropriation account for use in maintenance and repair of NIST's existing facilities. 
 
 (Sec. 445) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to repeal the non-energy inventions program. 
 
 (Sec. 447) Repeals the Act of July 21, 1950 (relating to the legal units of electrical and photometric measurement in the United States and relating to the establishment of the values of the primary electric and photometric units in absolute measure and the legal values for these units). 
 
 (Sec. 449) Allows the Director, through September 30, 2010, to annually procure the temporary or intermittent services of up to 200 experts or consultants to assist on urgent or short-term projects. 
 
Directs the Comptroller General to report on whether additional safeguards would be needed with respect to the use of such authority if it were to be made permanent. 
 
 (Sec. 450) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to revise the limitation on the number of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards that may be made in any year by permitting not more than 18 awards to be made in any year to recipients who have not previously received such an award. Prohibits any award from being made within any category in which such an award may be given if there are no qualifying enterprises in that category. 
 

Title V: High-Performance Computing 
- (Sec. 501) Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to revise program requirements for the National High-Performance Computing Program. 
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) establish the goals and priorities for federal high-performance computing research, development, networking, and other activities; (2) establish Program Component Areas that implement such goals and identify the Grand Challenges (i.e., fundamental problems in science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solutions will require the application of high-performance computing resources) that the Program should address; and (3) develop and maintain a research, development, and deployment road map for the provision of high-performance computing systems. 
 
Revises requirements for annual reports by requiring that such reports: (1) describe Program Component Areas, including any changes in the definition of or activities under such Areas and the reasons for such changes, and describe Grand Challenges supported under the Program; (2) describe the levels of Federal funding and the levels proposed for each Program Component Area; (3) describe the levels of Federal funding for each agency and department participating in the Program for each such Area; and (4) include an analysis of the extent to which the Program incorporates the recommendations of the advisory committee on high-performance computing. Eliminates the requirement for inclusion of reports on Department of Energy activities taken to carry out the National High-performance Computing Program. 
 
Requires the advisory committee on high-performance computing to conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the Program, and to report at least once every two fiscal years to specified congressional committees. Prohibits applying provisions for the termination, renewal, and continuation of federal advisory committees under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to such advisory committee. 

action_date: 2007-07-19
text: 
America COMPETES Act or America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act - 
Division A: Commerce and Science 
- American Innovation and Competitiveness Act - 
Title I: Office of Science and Technology Policy; Government-Wide Science 
- (Sec. 1101) Directs the President to: (1) convene a National Science and Technology Summit to examine the health and direction of the United States' science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enterprises; and (2) issue a report on Summit results. Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to report annually to Congress on recommendations for areas of investment for federal research and technology programs.
 
(Sec. 1102) Requires the: (1) OSTP Director to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct and complete a study to identify, and review methods to mitigate, new forms of risk for businesses beyond conventional operational and financial risk that affect the ability to innovate; and (2) NAS to report study results to Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 1103) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to rename the National Technology Medal established under such Act the National Technology and Innovation Medal.
 
(Sec. 1104) Requires the OSTP Director to develop and issue a set of principles to ensure the communication and open exchange of data and results to other agencies, policymakers, and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed by a federal civilian agency and to prevent the intentional or unintentional suppression or distortion of such research findings.
 
(Sec. 1105) Expresses the sense of Congress that the OSTP Director should: (1) encourage all elementary and middle schools to observe a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Day twice in every school year; (2) initiate a program to encourage federal employees with scientific, technological, engineering, or mathematical skills to interact with school children on such Days; and (3) promote involvement in such Days by appropriate private sector and institution of higher education employees.
 
(Sec. 1106) Expresses the sense of Congress that the federal government should better understand and respond strategically to the emerging management and learning discipline known as service science. Requires the OSTP Director to study and report to Congress on ways the federal government could support service science through research, education, and training.
 

Title II: Innovation Promotion 
- (Sec. 1201) Directs the President to establish a President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness to undertake various activities for promoting innovation and competitiveness in the United States, measure progress in such promotion, and report annually to the President and Congress on such progress. Requires the NAS to submit to the President a list of 50 recommended advisors to such Council.
 
(Sec. 1202) Directs the President to: (1) establish the Innovation Acceleration Research Program to support and promote innovation in the United States through research projects; and (2) ensure that it is the goal of each executive agency that finances research in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology to allocate approximately 8% of that agency's total annual research and development (R&D) funding to research under the Program.
 

Title III: National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
- (Sec. 1301) Requires that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) be a full participant in any interagency effort to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through near- and long-term basic scientific R&D and the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Requires an annual report from the NASA Administrator to Congress and the President on promotional activities conducted.
 
(Sec. 1302) Directs the NASA Administrator to establish an Aeronautics Institute for Research for managing NASA aeronautics research.
 
(Sec. 1303) Requires the NASA Administrator, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Secretaries of Energy, Defense, and Commerce to coordinate basic and fundamental research activities related to physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Directs the NASA Administrator, in order to effectuate such coordination, to establish a Basic Research Executive Council to oversee the distribution and management of NASA programs and resources engaged in support of basic research activity.
 
(Sec. 1304) Expresses the sense of Congress that the NASA Administrator should implement a program to address aging workforce issues in aerospace that: (1) documents technical and management experiences before senior people leave NASA; (2) provides incentives for retirees to return and teach new employees about such experiences; and (3) provides for development of an award to recognize outstanding senior employees for their contributions to knowledge sharing.
 
(Sec. 1306) Directs the NASA Administrator to increase funding for FY2008 for basic science and research, including for the Explorer Program, through transfer from other NASA accounts.
 

Title IV: National Institute of Standards and Technology 
- (Sec. 1401) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program.
 
(Sec. 1402) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to repeal provisions establishing the Technology Administration within the Department of Commerce.
 
(Sec. 1403) Requires the NIST Director to: (1) establish the Standards and Technology Acceleration Research Program to support and promote innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research; (2) set aside for such Program no less than 8% of the funds available to NIST each year; and (3) issue an annual report on Program activities.
 
(Sec. 1404) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require that a Manufacturing Center that has not received a positive evaluation shall be notified of the deficiencies in its performance and placed on probation for one year, after which an evaluation panel shall reevaluate such Center. Authorizes the acceptance of funds from other federal departments and agencies and the private sector for the purpose of strengthening U.S. manufacturing.
 
(Sec. 1405) Requires the NIST Director to: (1) reestablish the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology to strengthen the technological competitiveness of states that have historically received less federal R&D funds than the majority of the states; and (2) report to specified congressional committees on such Program.
 
(Sec. 1407) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to generally revise provisions concerning eligible contributions for the financial support of regional centers responsible for implementing the objectives of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program.
 

Title V: Ocean and Atmospheric Programs 
- (Sec. 1501) Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a program of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric R&D, in collaboration with academic institutions and other nongovernmental entities, to focus on the development of advanced technologies and methods to promote U.S. leadership in ocean and atmospheric science as well as competitiveness in applied uses of such R&D.
 
(Sec. 1502) Requires the NOAA Administrator to: (1) conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate educational activities to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders; and (2) develop a 20-year ocean, coastal, and atmospheric science education plan.
 
(Sec. 1503) Requires that NOAA be a full participant in any interagency effort to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through basic scientific R&D and the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
 
(Sec. 1504) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Commerce to conduct routine, independent reviews of activities carried out with NOAA grants or other financial assistance. Outlines provisions prohibiting conflicts of interests in the use of such financial assistance.
 

Division B: Department of Energy 
- Protecting America's Competitive Edge Through Energy Act or PACE-Energy Act - (Sec. 2003) Amends the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act to require the Secretary of Energy (Secretary, for purposes of this Division) to appoint a Director of Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education (MSEE) to administer mathematics, science, and engineering education at the Department of Energy (DOE). Authorizes appropriations. Requires the Secretary to establish a Mathematics, Science, and Engineering Education Fund.
 
Directs the Secretary to award grants to states for establishing or expanding public, statewide specialty schools for mathematics and science. Requires the MSEE Director to make funds available for a program using scientific and engineering staff of DOE national laboratories to: (1) assist teachers in teaching courses at schools funded under the program; (2) use national laboratory scientific equipment in teaching the courses; and (3) use distance education and other technologies in providing assistance to such schools. Limits to 50% the federal share of program costs. Allows funds to be used only for activities directly related to improving student academic achievement in mathematics, science, technology, and engineering. Requires: (1) states receiving assistance to carry out an evaluation and accountability plan for the use of such funds, and to report such evaluation and plan to the MSEE Director; and (2) the MSEE Director to report to the appropriate congressional committees on the impact of such activities. Authorizes appropriations.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a summer internship program of at least two weeks for middle and secondary school students that: (1) provides students with internships at national laboratories; and (2) promotes hands-on learning in mathematics, science, technology, or engineering. Provides intern selection priorities, including students from low-income families.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish outreach and experiential-based learning programs that encourage underrepresented minority students in kindergarten through grade 12 to pursue careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. Authorizes appropriations.
 
Requires the Secretary to establish at each of the national laboratories a program to support a Center of Excellence in Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Engineering at one high-need public secondary school in the area. Requires the MSEE Director to make funds available for a program using scientific and engineering staff at the national laboratories to: (1) assist teachers in teaching courses at such Centers; and (2) use national laboratory scientific equipment in teaching the courses. Requires the MSEE Director to develop an evaluation and accountability plan for activities funded under the program.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish or expand programs of summer institutes at each of the national laboratories to provide additional training to strengthen the mathematics, science, technology, and engineering skills of teachers employed at public schools for kindergarten through grade 12. Requires the Secretary to provide assistance to eligible partners (the mathematics, science, or engineering departments at institutions of higher education in the area) to participate in such program. Requires the: (1) MSEE Director to develop an evaluation and accountability plan for activities funded under the program; and (2) Secretary to report annually to Congress on the impact of the program. Authorizes appropriations.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a program to expand and enhance higher education nuclear science educational capabilities through the award of up to three grants per fiscal year to higher education institutions that partner with a national laboratory or other eligible nuclear-related entity. Authorizes such grants for five years at up to $1 million per year. Directs the Secretary to award up to ten grants per fiscal year to higher education institutions with existing academic degree programs that produce graduates in nuclear science. Authorizes such grants for five years at up to $500,000 per year. Authorizes appropriations for the grant programs.
 
Requires the MSEE Director to establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women and underrepresented minorities who are interested in careers in mathematics, science, and engineering. Directs the Secretary to annually: (1) evaluate program success; and (2) report evaluation results to Congress.
 
Directs the Secretary to provide grants to states for establishing or expanding programs to enhance the quality of science education in elementary schools with respect to conventional and emerging energy sources and uses. Limits to 50% the federal share of program costs. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 2004) Requires the Secretary to award not less than 65 grants per year to outstanding early-career researchers to support their work in DOE, particularly at national laboratories, or at other federally-funded R&D centers. Authorizes such grants for five years at up to $100,000 per year. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 2005) Directs the Secretary to establish an Advanced Research Projects Authority-Energy, headed by a Director, to overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers to the development of energy technologies. Requires the Secretary to establish an Advisory Board to make recommendations to the Secretary and the Director. Requires NAS to conduct two reviews of actions taken under this section, and to report review results to Congress, the Secretary, and the Director. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 2006) Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to increase and extend through FY2012 the authorization of appropriations for basic research.
 
(Sec. 2007) Requires the Secretary to establish multidisciplinary institutes centered at national laboratories to apply fundamental science and engineering discoveries to technological innovations related to missions of DOE and the global competitiveness of the United States. Requires, under the program, the establishing of partnerships between the institutes and institutions of higher education, private industry, state and local governments, and financing entities for technology commercialization. Allows up to three institutes to receive grants in a fiscal year. Requires NAS to review institutes' performance and report review results to Congress. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 2008) Directs the Secretary to establish a graduate fellowship program for students pursuing a doctoral degree in a DOE mission area. Limits fellowships to five years. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 2009) Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional energy committees on DOE actions taken to implement the recommendations in the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report numbered 04-639 (concerning compliance with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972). Requires the Secretary to conduct annual reviews of at least two recipients of DOE grants concerning such compliance.
 
(Sec. 2010) Requires the Secretary and the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey to each conduct a grant program to encourage the conduct of high-risk, high-reward research at their respective agencies.
 
(Sec. 2011) Directs the Secretary to establish a program to support the joint appointment of distinguished scientists by higher education institutions and national laboratories. Makes such appointments for six years. Requires appointing institutions to pay at least 50% of appointment costs. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Division C: Education - Title I: Teacher Assistance - Subtitle A: Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow 
- (Sec. 3113) Authorizes the Secretary of Education (Secretary, for purposes of this Division) to award grants to enable educational partnerships to develop and implement programs to provide courses of study in mathematics, science, engineering or critical foreign languages that: (1) are integrated with teacher education; and (2) lead to a baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher certification. Requires an annual activities report from each recipient to the Secretary.
 
(Sec. 3114) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to educational partnerships to develop and implement: (1) two- or three-year part-time master's degree programs in mathematics, science, technology, or critical foreign language education for teachers in order to enhance the teacher's content knowledge and teaching skills; or (2) programs in mathematics, science, technology, or critical foreign language that lead to a one-year master's degree in teaching that results in teacher certification. Requires an annual activities report from each recipient to the Secretary.
 
(Sec. 3115) Directs the Secretary to award each of the above grants for up to five years. Requires 50% non-federal matching funds. Requires: (1) an annual independent evaluation of activities assisted under this Subtitle; and (2) an annual report from the Secretary to specified congressional committees on evaluation results.
 
(Sec. 3116) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Subtitle B: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs 
- (Sec. 3123) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for up to five-year periods to enable educational agencies or partnerships to carry out activities designed to increase the number of: (1) qualified teachers serving high-needs (low-income or rural area) schools who are teaching advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses in mathematics, science, or critical foreign languages; and (2) students attending such schools who enroll in and pass the examinations for such courses. Requires: (1) each recipient to report annually to the Secretary on grant results; and (2) the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the program and report evaluation results to specified congressional committees.
 

Subtitle C: Promising Practices in Mathematics, Science, Technology, and Engineering Teaching 
- (Sec. 3131) Authorizes the Secretary to contract with NAS to convene a national panel to identify promising practices in the teaching of mathematics, science, technology, and engineering in kindergarten through grade 12. Requires the dissemination of information collected by the panel to the public and state and local educational agencies. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Title II: Mathematics 
- (Sec. 3201) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for up to five-year periods to local educational agencies (LEAs), via states, to: (1) implement mathematics programs or initiatives that are research-based; (2) provide professional development and instructional leadership activities for teachers and administrators on the implementation of mathematics initiatives; and (3) conduct student mathematics progress monitoring and identify areas in which students need help in learning mathematics. Requires: (1) state grantees to contribute 50% of program costs; (2) state grantees to report annually to the Secretary on grant results; and (3) the Secretary to conduct an independent evaluation of the programs and report evaluation results to specified congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 3202) Directs the Secretary to carry out a demonstration program in which the Secretary awards grants to states for the federal share of summer learning grants for eligible students. Allows up to five grants per fiscal year. Limits to 50% the federal share of such grants. Requires: (1) the educational entities operating the summer programs to report annually to the Secretary on activities and outcomes of each summer learning opportunity that enrolled a summer scholar; (2) the Secretary to report annually during the grant period to the education committees on the grant program; and (3) the Secretary to make accessible, on the Department of Education website, information for summer learning opportunities. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 3203) Authorizes appropriations for a four-year period during which the Secretary shall establish a program that provides grants to states, and through them, subgrants to LEAs for establishing mathematics programs to improve the overall mathematics performance of secondary school students. Provides: (1) a minimum grant amount of $500,000; and (2) a state matching funds requirement of 50% of program costs. Requires state grantees to report annually to the Secretary on grant results.
 

Title III: Foreign Language Partnership Program 
- (Sec. 3303) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to enable partnerships to establish programs of study in critical foreign languages that will enable students to advance successfully from elementary school through postsecondary education and achieve higher levels of proficiency in such language. Makes such grants for five-year periods, authorizing the Secretary to renew grants for up to two additional five-year periods. Outlines matching funds requirements. Directs the Secretary to report program evaluation results to specified congressional committees annually during the grant period.
 
(Sec. 3304) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Title IV: Alignment of Education Programs 
- (Sec. 3401) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to enable states to work with a statewide partnership to: (1) promote better alignment of content knowledge requirements of secondary school graduation with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education, the 21st century workforce, or the Armed Forces; or (2) to establish or improve a statewide P-16 (preschool through baccalaureate degree) education data system. Requires each state to match grant fund amounts. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Title V: Mathematics and Science Partnership Bonus Grants 
- (Sec. 3501) Directs the Secretary to award grants, during school years 2007-2008 through 2010-2011, to each of the three elementary and three secondary schools with a high concentration of low-income students in each state whose students demonstrate the most improvement in mathematics and science, respectively.
 
(Sec. 3502) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Division D: National Science Foundation 
- (Sec. 4001) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2011 to the NSF. Requires the NSF Director to submit to specified congressional committees a comprehensive, multiyear plan that describes how such authorized funds, if appropriated, would be used.
 
(Sec. 4002) Earmarks funds for NSF education and human resources programs for FY2008-FY2011.
 
(Sec. 4003) Requires the NSF Director, during the four-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act, to expand the NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program so that an additional 1,250 fellowships are awarded during such period to U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents. Authorizes appropriations.
 
Requires the NSF Director, during the same period, to expand the NSF's Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program so that an additional 1,250 U.S. citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents are awarded grants during such period. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 4004) Requires the NSF Director to establish a clearinghouse, in collaboration with four-year institutions of higher education, industries, and federal agencies that employ science-trained personnel, to share program elements used in successful professional science master's degree programs and other advanced degree programs related to science, mathematics, technology, and engineering. Requires the Director to award four-year grants to such institutions of higher education to facilitate their creation or improvement of professional science master's degree programs. Allows the Director to award up to 200 of such grants, which shall be for a three-year period, with one authorized renewal for an additional two-year period. Requires the Director to evaluate the program and report evaluation results to Congress. Earmarks funds for such grants.
 
(Sec. 4005) Earmarks funds to carry out the science, mathematics, engineering, and technology talent expansion program under the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002. Provides for program outreach.
 
(Sec. 4006) Requires the NSF Director to: (1) consider the degree to which NSF-eligible awards and research activities may assist in meeting critical national needs in innovation, competitiveness, the physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and (2) give priority in the selection of NSF awards, research resources, and grants to entities that can be expected to make contributions in such fields.
 
(Sec. 4007) Prohibis anything in Divisions A or D of this Act from being construed to alter or modify the NSF merit-review system or peer-review process.
 
(Sec. 4008) Earmarks funds for FY2008-FY2011 for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research under the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988.
 
(Sec. 4009) Requires the NSF Director to: (1) establish a program to recruit and provide mentors for women interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; (2) establish a program to provide grants to community colleges to provide additional learning and training to allow women to enter higher-paying technical jobs in fields related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; and (3) evaluate such programs and report annually to Congress on evaluation results.
 
(Sec. 4010) Requires the NSF Director to develop and publish a plan describing the current status for broadband access for scientific research purposes in states located in EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) eligible jurisdictions and outlines actions to ensure that such connections are available to participate in NSF programs which rely heavily on high-speed networking and collaborations across institutions and regions.
 
(Sec. 4011) Requires the NSF Director to: (1) establish a grant program of basic research in advanced information and communications technologies focused on enhancing or facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced communications services to all people of the United States; and (2) establish a Federal Advanced Information and Communications Technology Research Board to aid and advise with respect to such efforts. Requires, as part of such grants, the establishment of multidisciplinary Centers for Communications Research. Earmarks funds for such purposes.
 
(Sec. 4012) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 concerning the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to: (1) rename such Program the Robert Noyce Teacher Program; and (2) require the NSF Director to develop and implement a program to recruit and prepare mathematics, science, or engineering professionals to become NSF Teaching Fellows, and to recruit existing teachers to become NSF Master Teaching Fellows. Requires a 50% matching funds requirement from non-federal sources. Increases Program stipend amounts. Requires Teaching Fellows to serve for four years, and Master Teaching Fellows to serve five years, in a high-need LEA. Requires the NSF Director to report to Congress on program effectiveness. Earmarks funds for the Program.
 
(Sec. 4013) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the NSF Director and the Secretary of Education should have ongoing collaboration to ensure that their respective mathematics and science partnership programs continue to work in concert (and not duplicatively) for the benefit of states and local practitioners.
 
(Sec. 4014) Earmarks funds for FY2008-FY2011 for the NSF Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century program under the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002. Provides additional Program requirements.
 
(Sec. 4015) Requires the NSF Director to establish the Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science pilot program to award grants to partnerships to pay the federal share of costs of improving laboratories and providing instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of mathematics, science, engineering, and technology instruction at the secondary school level. Requires the Director to: (1) evaluate the effectiveness of activities carried out under the pilot program; and (2) report evaluation results to specified congressional committees. Terminates the pilot program at the beginning of FY2012. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Division E: General Provisions 
- (Sec. 5001) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program within the Bureau of Economic Analysis to collect and study data relating to the export and import of services. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 5002) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board should complete promulgation of the final rules implementing section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (concerning auditing standards and their effect on small and mid-sized businesses).
 
(Sec. 5003) Directs the Comptroller General, within three years after enactment of this Act, to report to Congress assessing, and recommending improvements to, activities, grants, and programs carried out under this Act.
 
(Sec. 5004) Prohibits federal funds from being provided to any organization or entity that advocates against tax competition or U.S. tax competitiveness.
 
(Sec. 5005) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to contract with the NAS to conduct and complete a feasibility study on creating a national, free online college degree program that would be available to all individuals eligible for student loan assistance under the Higher Education Act of 1965 who wish to pursue a degree in a field of strategic importance to the United States and where expertise is in demand, such as mathematics, sciences, and foreign languages. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 5006) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) government policies related to deemed exports should safeguard U.S. national security and protect fundamental research; (2) the Department of Commerce has established the Deemed Export Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for improving current controls on deemed exports; and (3) the Administration and Congress should consider the Committee's recommendations in its development and implementation of export control policy.
 
(Sec. 5007) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Congress, the President, regulators, industry leaders, and other stakeholders should take necessary steps to reclaim the preeminent U.S. position in the global financial services marketplace; (2) federal and state financial regulatory agencies should take certain steps to avoid adverse consequences on innovation with respect to financial products and services, and regulatory costs that are disproportionate to their benefits; and (3) Congress should exercise vigorous oversight over federal regulatory and statutory requirements affecting the financial services industry and consumers.

action_date: 2007-08-09
text: 
America COMPETES Act or America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act - 
Title I: Office of Science and Technology Policy; Government-Wide Science 
- (Sec. 1001) Directs the President to: (1) convene a National Science and Technology Summit to examine the health and direction of the United States' science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enterprises; and (2) issue a report on Summit results. Requires, beginning with the President's budget submission for the fiscal year following the conclusion of the Summit and for each of the following four budget submissions, the analytical perspectives component of the budget that describes the research and development (R&D) priorities to include a description of how those priorities relate to the conclusions and recommendations of the Summit. 
 
(Sec. 1002) Requires the: (1) Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to conduct and complete a study to identify, and review methods to mitigate, new forms of risk for businesses beyond conventional operational and financial risk that affect the ability to innovate; and (2) NAS to report study results to Congress. Authorizes appropriations. 
 
(Sec. 1003) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to rename the National Technology Medal established under such Act the National Technology and Innovation Medal. 
 
(Sec. 1004) Expresses the sense of Congress that the OSTP Director should: (1) encourage all elementary and middle schools to observe a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Day twice in every school year; (2) initiate a program to encourage federal employees with scientific, technological, engineering, or mathematical skills to interact with school children on such Days; and (3) promote involvement in such Days by appropriate private sector and institution of higher education employees. 
 
(Sec. 1005) Expresses the sense of Congress that the federal government should better understand and respond strategically to the emerging management and learning discipline known as service science. Requires the OSTP Director to study and report to Congress on ways the federal government could support service science through research, education, and training. 
 
 (Sec. 1006) Directs the President to establish a President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness to undertake various activities for promoting innovation and competitiveness in the United States, measure progress in such promotion, and report annually to the President and Congress on such progress. Requires the NAS to submit to the President a list of 50 recommended advisors to such Council.
 
(Sec. 1007) Requires the Director of OSTP, through the National Science and Technology Council, to: (1) identify and prioritize the deficiencies in research facilities and major instrumentation at federal laboratories and national user facilities at academic institutions that are widely accessible for use by researchers in the United States; and (2) coordinate the planning by federal agencies for the acquisition, refurbishment, and maintenance of research facilities and major instrumentation to address the deficiencies identified. Requires submission annually to Congress of reports: (1) describing the deficiencies in research infrastructure identified; (2) listing projects and budget proposals of federal research facilities for major instrumentation acquisitions that are included in the President's budget proposal; and (3) explaining how the projects and instrumentation acquisitions relate to the identified deficiencies and priorities. 
 
(Sec. 1008) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) each federal research agency should strive to support and promote innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward basic research projects; and (2) each executive agency that funds research in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics should set a goal of allocating an appropriate percentage of the annual basic research budget of that agency to funding such projects. Requires each such executive agency to report annually with respect to its funding goals. 
 
(Sec. 1009) Requires the OSTP Director to develop and issue a set of principles to ensure the communication and open exchange of data and results to other agencies, policymakers, and the public of research conducted by a scientist employed by a federal civilian agency and to prevent the intentional or unintentional suppression or distortion of such research findings. Requires such principles to take into consideration the policies of peer-reviewed scientific journals in which federal scientists may currently publish results. 
 

Title II: National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
- (Sec. 2001) Requires that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) be a full participant in any interagency effort to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through near- and long-term basic scientific R&D and the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Requires an annual report from the NASA Administrator to Congress and the President on promotional activities conducted. 
 
Requires the NASA Administrator to submit to Congress a report on its plan for instituting assessments of the effectiveness of NASA's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs in improving student achievement, including with regard to challenging state achievement standards. 
 
(Sec. 2002) Requires the Administrator to coordinate, as appropriate, NASA's aeronautics activities with relevant programs in the Department of Transportation, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including the activities of the Joint Planning and Development Office established under the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act. 
 
 (Sec. 2003) Requires the NASA Administrator, the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), and the Secretaries of Energy, Defense, and Commerce to coordinate basic research activities related to physical sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
 
 (Sec. 2004) Expresses the sense of Congress that the NASA Administrator should implement a program to address aging workforce issues in aerospace that: (1) documents technical and management experiences before senior people leave NASA; (2) provides incentives for retirees to return and teaches new employees about career lessons and experiences; and (3) provides for development of an award to recognize outstanding senior employees for their contributions to knowledge sharing. 
 
(Sec. 2005) Expresses the sense of Congress that the NASA Administrator should utilize the existing Undergraduate Student Research Program to support basic research projects on subjects of relevance to NASA that: (1) are to be carried out primarily by undergraduate students; and (2) combine undergraduate research with other research supported by NASA. 
 
(Sec. 2006) Requires the NASA Administrator to develop: (1) a plan for implementation of at least one education project that utilizes the resources offered by the International Space Station, and in developing any such plan, make use of the findings and recommendations of the International Space Station National Laboratory Education Concept Development Task Force; and (2) a plan for identification and support of research to be conducted aboard the Space Station, which offers the potential for enhancement of U.S. competitiveness in science, technology, and engineering. 
 

Title III: National Institute of Standards and Technology 
- (Sec. 3001) Authorizes appropriations to the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for FY2008-FY2010 for: (1) scientific and technical research and services laboratory activities; (2) construction and maintenance of facilities; and (3) Industrial Technology Services activities. 
 
 (Sec. 3002) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to repeal provisions regarding the establishment of the Technology Administration within the Department of Commerce. Makes technical and conforming amendments with respect to the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Technology. 
 
Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide for the Director of the NIST to report directly to the Secretary. 
 
 (Sec. 3003) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to generally revise provisions concerning eligible contributions for the financial support of regional centers responsible for implementing the objectives of the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program. 
 
 Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to require that a Manufacturing Center that has not received a positive evaluation shall be notified of the deficiencies in its performance and placed on probation for one year, after which an evaluation panel shall reevaluate such Center. Authorizes the acceptance of funds from other federal departments and agencies and the private sector for the purpose of strengthening U.S. manufacturing. Requires the NIST Director to determine whether funds accepted from other federal departments or agencies shall be counted in calculating the federal share of capital and annual operating and maintenance costs required to create and maintain such Centers. 
 
 Establishes within NIST a Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Advisory Board. Requires such Board to provide to the Director advice on: (1) MEP programs, plans, and policies; (2) assessments of the soundness of MEP plans and strategies; and (3) assessments of current performance against MEP program plans. Requires such Board to transmit annual reports to the Secretary for transmittal to Congress within 30 days after the submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request which shall address the status of the MEP program and comment on the relevant sections of the programmatic planning document and updates thereto transmitted to Congress by the NIST Director pursuant to this title. 
 
Requires the Director to establish within the MEP program a program to award competitive grants among the Centers, or a consortium of such Centers, for the development of projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems. 
 
Permits one or more themes for the competition to be identified, which may vary from year to year, depending on the needs of manufacturers and the success of previous competitions. Bars recipients of such grant awards from being required to provide a matching contribution. 
 
 (Sec. 3004) Requires the NIST Director, concurrent with submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request, to transmit a three-year programmatic planning report for NIST, including programs under the Scientific and Technical Research and Services, Industrial Technology Services, and Construction of Research Facilities functions, and subsequent updates. 
 
 (Sec. 3005) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide that annual reports to the Secretary and Congress be submitted by the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology not later than 30 days (under current law, on or before January 31 in each year) after the submittal to Congress of the President's annual budget request. Requires that such report also comment on the programmatic planning document and updates thereto submitted to Congress by the Director. 
 
 (Sec. 3006 ) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to provide for the Visiting Committee on Advanced Technology to meet at least twice each year (under current law at least quarterly) at the call of the chairman of the Committee or whenever one-third of the Committee's members so request in writing. 
 
 (Sec. 3007) Requires the Director to establish a manufacturing research pilot grants program to make awards to partnerships to foster cost-shared collaborations among firms, educational and research institutions, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations in the development of innovative, multidisciplinary manufacturing technologies. Requires such partnerships to include at least one manufacturing industry partner and one nonindustry partner. 
 
Requires partnerships receiving awards to conduct applied research to develop new manufacturing processes, techniques, or materials that would contribute to improved performance, productivity, and competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing, and build lasting alliances among collaborators. Bars: (1) awards from providing for not more than one-third of the costs of a partnership; and (2) not more than an additional one-third of such costs from being obtained directly or indirectly from other federal sources. 
 
Instructs the Director, in selecting applications, to ensure, a distribution of overall awards among a variety of manufacturing industry sectors and a range of firm sizes. 
 
Requires the Director to run a single pilot competition to solicit and make awards. Limits each award to a 3-year period. 
 
(Sec. 3008) Requires the Director, in order to promote the development of a robust research community working at the leading edge of manufacturing sciences, to establish a program to award: (1) postdoctoral research fellowships at NIST for research activities related to manufacturing sciences; and (2) senior research fellowships to establish researchers in industry or at institutions of higher education who wish to pursue studies related to the manufacturing sciences at NIST. Requires the Director to provide stipends for post-doctoral research fellowships at a level consistent with the National Institute of Standards and Technology Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program, and senior research fellowships at levels consistent with support for a faculty member in a sabbatical position. 
 
(Sec. 3009) Allows the Director, through September 30, 2010, to annually procure the temporary or intermittent services of up to 200 experts or consultants to assist with urgent or short-term projects. 
 
Directs the Comptroller General to report on whether additional safeguards would be needed with respect to the use of such authority if it were to be made permanent. 
 
(Sec. 3010) Amends the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 to revise the limitation on the number of Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards that may be made in any year by permitting not more than 18 awards to be made in any year to recipients who have not previously received such an award. Prohibits any award from being made within any category in which such an award may be given if there are no qualifying enterprises in that category. 
 
(Sec. 3011) Requires the NIST Director to submit a report on efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and engineers at the early stages of their careers at the NIST laboratories and joint institutes. 
 
(Sec. 3012) Abolishes the Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and replaces it with the Technology Innovation Program (TIP), while continuing support originally awarded under ATP. Provides for TIP to assist U.S. businesses and institutions of higher education or other organizations, such as national laboratories and nonprofit research institutions, to support, promote, and accelerate innovation in the United States through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need. 
 
Requires the Director to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts to: (1) eligible companies that are small or medium-sized businesses; or (2) joint ventures. Sets forth limitations on single company and joint venture awards. Limits the federal share of a project funded by an award under TIP to not more than half of total project costs. Bars any business that is not a small or medium-sized business from receiving any funding under TIP. 
 
Requires the Director to solicit proposals at least annually to address areas of critical national need for high-risk, high-reward projects. 
 
Requires: (1) the NIST Director to submit annually reports on TIP's activities; and (2) the first annual report to include best practices for management of programs to stimulate high-risk, high-reward research.
 
Requires the Director, in carrying out TIP, as appropriate, to coordinate with other senior state and federal officials to ensure cooperation and coordination in state and federal technology programs and to avoid unnecessary duplication of efforts. Requires that funds accepted from other federal agencies be included as part of the federal cost share of any project funded under TIP. 
 
Establishes within NIST a TIP Advisory Board. Requires such Board to provide to the Director: (1) advice on programs, plans, and policies of TIP; (2) reviews of Tip's efforts to accelerate the R&D of challenging, high-risk, high-reward technologies in areas of critical national need; (3) reports on the general health of the program and its effectiveness in achieving its legislatively mandated mission; and (4) guidance on investment areas that are appropriate for TIP funding. 
 
Requires such Board to transmit annual reports to the Secretary for transmittal to Congress not later than 30 days after the submission to Congress of the President's annual budget request which shall address the status of TIP and comment on the relevant sections of the programmatic planning document and updates thereto transmitted to Congress by the Director. 
 
Defines "high-risk, high-reward research" to mean research that: (1) has the potential for yielding transformational results with far-ranging or wide-ranging implications; (2) addresses critical national needs within NIST's areas of technical competence; and (3) is too novel or spans too diverse a range of disciplines to fare well in the traditional peer review process. 
 
Requires the NIST Director to carry out ATP as it was in effect before the enactment of this Act with respect to applications for grants under ATP submitted before such date, until the earlier of: (1) the date that the Director promulgates the regulations required by this Act for the operation of TIP required under this Act; or (2) December 31, 2007. 
 
(Sec. 3013) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to: (1) increase funding for research fellowships and other financial assistance to students at institutions of higher education within the United States and to U.S. citizens for research and technical activities on NIST programs; (2) add as a function of the Secretary and NIST, the authority to enter into contracts which include grants and cooperative agreements to further the purposes of NIST; (3) repeal the Act of July 21, 1950 (relating to the legal units of electrical and photometric measurement in the United States and relating to the establishment of the values of the primary electric and photometric units in absolute measure and the legal values for these units); and (4) repeal the non-energy inventions program. 
 
(Sec. 3014) Authorizes the Director to retain all building use and depreciation surcharge fees collected pursuant to OMB Circular A-25 (relating to fees assessed for government services and for sale or use of government goods or resources). Requires such fees to be collected and credited to the construction of research facilities appropriation account for use in maintenance and repair of NIST's existing facilities. 
 
(Sec. 3015) Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to double the number of fellows per fiscal year to be included in the postdoctoral fellowship program. 
 

Title IV: Ocean and Atmospheric Programs
 - (Sec. 4001) Directs the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a program of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric R&D, in collaboration with academic institutions and other nongovernmental entities, to focus on the development of advanced technologies and methods to promote U.S. leadership in ocean and atmospheric science as well as competitiveness in applied uses of such R&D. 
 
 (Sec. 4002) Requires the NOAA Administrator to: (1) conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate educational activities to enhance public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, Great Lakes, and atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public and other coastal stakeholders; and (2) develop a 20-year ocean, coastal, and atmospheric science education plan. 
 
 (Sec. 4003) Requires that NOAA be a full participant in any interagency effort to promote innovation and economic competitiveness through basic scientific R&D and the promotion of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
 

Title V: Department of Energy
 - Protecting America's Competitive Edge Through Energy Act, or the PACE-Energy Act - (Sec. 5003) Amends the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act (Act) to require the Secretary of Energy (Secretary in this title), acting through the Under Secretary for Science, to: (1) appoint a Director of Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education (Director) to administer science, engineering, and mathematics education programs across all functions of the Department of Energy (DOE); and (2) offer to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to assess the performance of such programs.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Fund.
 
Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) award competitive grants to states in a pilot program to assist them in establishing or expanding public, statewide specialty secondary schools that provide comprehensive science and mathematics; and (2) establish a summer internship program for middle school and secondary school students to provide experiential-based learning opportunities at the National Laboratories.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish at each of the National Laboratories: (1) a program to support a Center of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in at least one high-need public secondary school; (2) programs of summer institutes to provide additional training to strengthen the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics teaching skills of teachers employed at public schools for kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12); and (3) a program to coordinate and make available to teachers and students web-based kindergarten through high school science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education resources relating to the DOE science and energy mission.
 
Instructs the Director to establish a recruiting and mentoring program for women and underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in science, engineering, and mathematics.
 
Directs the Secretary to award each fiscal year to institutions of higher education: (1) up to three competitive grants for new academic degree programs in nuclear science; (2) up to five competitive grants for existing academic degree programs that produce graduates in nuclear science; (3) up to three competitive grants for new academic degree programs in hydrocarbon systems science; (4) up to five competitive grants for existing academic degree programs that produce graduates in hydrocarbon systems science. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
 
(Sec. 5006) Instructs the Director of the DOE Office of Science to: (1) award grants to scientists and engineers at an early career stage at certain institutions of higher education, organizations, or National Laboratories to conduct research in fields relevant to the DOE mission; and (2) report to certain congressional committees on the Director's efforts to recruit and retain young scientists and engineers at early career stages at the National Laboratories.
 
(Sec. 5007) Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to authorize FY2010 appropriations for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities of the Office of Science.
 
(Sec. 5008) Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) distributed, multidisciplinary institutes centered at National Laboratories to apply fundamental scientific and engineering discoveries to technological innovations relating to the DOE mission and the global competitiveness of the United States; and (2) a Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) graduate fellowship program for students pursuing a doctoral degree in a DOE mission area. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
 
(Sec. 5010) Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) DOE should implement the recommendations contained in the report of the Government Accountability Office numbered 04-639; and (2) the Secretary should conduct annual reviews in accordance with title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 of at least two DOE grant recipients.
 
(Sec. 5011) Instructs the Secretary to establish a program to support the joint appointment of distinguished scientists by institutions of higher education and by the National Laboratories. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
 
(Sec. 5012) Establishes within DOE the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to overcome long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of energy technologies.
 
Directs the Secretary after four years to offer to contract with the NAS to evaluate how well ARPA-E is achieving its goals and mission.
 
Establishes in the Treasury the Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund to implement the ARPA-E program.
 
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
 

Title VI: Education - Subtitle A: Teacher Assistance - Part I: Teachers for a Competitive Tomorrow
 - (Sec. 6113) Authorizes the Secretary of Education (Secretary, for purposes of this Title) to award competitive matching grants to enable educational partnerships to develop and implement programs to provide courses of study in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or critical foreign languages that: (1) are integrated with teacher education; and (2) lead to a baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher certification.
 
(Sec. 6114) Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants to educational partnerships to develop and implement: (1) two- or three-year part-time master's degree programs in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or critical foreign language education for teachers in order to enhance the teachers' content knowledge and teaching skills; or (2) programs for professionals in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or a critical foreign language that lead to a one-year master's degree in teaching that results in teacher certification.
 
(Sec. 6115) Directs the Secretary to award each of the above grants for up to five years. Requires 50% nonfederal matching funds.
 
(Sec. 6116) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Part II: Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Programs
 - (Sec. 6123) Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive matching grants for up to five-year periods to enable educational agencies or partnerships to carry out activities designed to increase the number of: (1) qualified teachers serving high-need (low-income or rural area) schools who are teaching advanced placement or international baccalaureate courses in mathematics, science, or critical foreign languages; and (2) students attending such schools who enroll in and pass the examinations for such courses. 
 
Requires 200% nonfederal matching funds, but requires no more than 100% from high-need local educational agencies (LEAs). Permits the Secretary to waive the match for educational agencies if it would cause them serious hardship or prevent them from carrying out the program.
 

Part III: Promising Practices in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Teaching
 - (Sec. 6131) Requires the Secretary to contract with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to convene an expert panel to identify promising practices for, and synthesize the scientific evidence pertaining to, improving the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in kindergarten through grade 12. Requires the dissemination of the panel's findings and recommendations to the public and state and local educational agencies. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Subtitle B: Mathematics
 - (Sec. 6201) Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive three-year matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to high-need LEAs to: (1) implement mathematics programs or initiatives that are research-based; (2) provide professional development and instructional leadership activities for teachers and administrators on the implementation of mathematics initiatives; and (3) conduct student mathematics progress monitoring and identify areas in which students need help in learning mathematics. Applies the program to students and teachers in kindergarten through grade 9. Requires state grantees to contribute 50% of program costs. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 6202) Directs the Secretary to carry out a demonstration program under which the Secretary awards up to five grants each fiscal year to states for the provision of summer learning grants to disadvantaged students. Requires the summer programs to emphasize mathematics, technology, engineering, and problem-solving through experiential learning opportunities. Limits to 50% the federal share of such grants. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 6203) Requires the Secretary to establish a program that provides competitive three-year matching grants to states and, through them, subgrants to eligible LEAs to establish new services and activities to improve the overall mathematics performance of secondary school students. Provides: (1) a minimum grant amount of $500,000; and (2) a state matching funds requirement of 50% of program costs. Authorizes appropriations.
 
(Sec. 6204) Directs the Secretary to establish peer review panels to review state applications for the mathematics grant programs, excluding the demonstration grant program. 
 

Subtitle C: Foreign Language Partnership Program
 - (Sec. 6303) Authorizes the Secretary to award grants to enable partnerships of institutions of higher education and LEAs to establish programs of study in critical foreign languages that will enable students to advance successfully from elementary school through postsecondary education and achieve higher levels of proficiency in such languages. Makes such grants for five-year periods, authorizing the Secretary to renew them for up to two additional five-year periods. Outlines matching funds requirements.
 
(Sec. 6304) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Subtitle D: Alignment of Education Programs 
- (Sec. 6401) Authorizes the Secretary to award competitive grants to enable states to work with statewide partnerships to: (1) promote better alignment of content knowledge requirements of secondary school graduation with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in postsecondary education, the 21st century workforce, or the Armed Forces; or (2) establish or improve statewide P-16 (preschool through baccalaureate degree) education data systems. Requires each state to match grant fund amounts. Authorizes appropriations.
 

Subtitle E: Mathematics and Science Partnership Bonus Grants
 - (Sec. 6501) Directs the Secretary to award grants, during school years 2007-2008 through 2010-2011, to each of the three elementary and three secondary schools with a high concentration of low-income students in each state whose students demonstrate the most improvement in mathematics and science, respectively.
 
(Sec. 6502) Authorizes appropriations.
 

Title VII: National Science Foundation 
- (Sec. 7002) Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010 to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for: (1) research and related activities; (2) education and human resources; (3) major research equipment and facilities construction; (4) agency operations and award management; (5) the Office of the National Science Board; and (6) the Office of Inspector General. 
 
 (Sec. 7003) Prohibits anything in in this title or title I from being construed to alter or modify the NSF merit-review system or peer-review process. 
 
 (Sec. 7004) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Director of the NSF and the Secretary of Education should have ongoing collaboration to ensure that their respective mathematics and science partnership programs continue to work in concert (and not duplicatively) for the benefit of states and local practitioners. 
 
(Sec. 7005) Prohibits anything in this title from being construed to limit the authority of state governments or local school boards to determine the curricula of their students. 
 
 (Sec. 7006) Requires the continuation of the program of Centers for Research on Learning and Education Improvement as established in section 11 of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (relating to the establishment of such Centers). 
 
Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to provide for the awarding of grants to eligible nonprofit organizations and their consortia to establish such Centers. 
 
 (Sec. 7007) Directs the National Science Board to evaluate: (1) the role of NSF in supporting interdisciplinary research, including through the Major Research Instrumentation program, the effectiveness of NSF's efforts in providing information to the scientific community about opportunities for funding of interdisciplinary research proposals, and the process through which interdisciplinary proposals are selected for support; and (2) the effectiveness of NSF's efforts to engage undergraduate students in research experiences in interdisciplinary settings, including through the Research in Undergraduate Institutions program and the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program. Requires the Board to provide the results of its evaluation, including a recommendation for the proportion of the NSF's research and related activities funding that should be allocated for interdisciplinary research. 
 
 (Sec. 7008) Instructs the Director to: (1) require that all grant applications that include funding to support postdoctoral researchers include a description of mentoring activities; and (2) ensure that this part of the application is evaluated under NSF's broader impacts merit review criterion. Instructs the Director to require that annual reports and the final report for research grants that include funding to support postdoctoral researchers include a description of the mentoring activities provided to such researchers. 
 
 (Sec. 7009) Instructs the Director to require that each institution that applies for financial assistance from NSF for science and engineering research or education describe in its grant proposal a plan to provide appropriate training and oversight in the responsible and ethical conduct of research to participating undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. 
 
 (Sec. 7010) Instructs the Director to ensure that all final project reports and citations of published research documents resulting from research funded, in whole or in part, by the NSF are made available to the public in a timely manner and through NSF's website. 
 
 (Sec. 7011) Makes an investigator supported under a NSF award, whom the Director determines has failed to comply with the provisions of section 734 (concerning the dissemination and sharing of research results) of the Foundation Grant Policy Manual, ineligible for a future award under any NSF supported program or activity. Allows the Director to restore the eligibility of such an investigator on the basis of the investigator's subsequent compliance with such provisions and with such other terms and conditions as the Director may impose. 
 
 (Sec. 7012) Requires the Director to annually evaluate all NSF's grants that are scheduled to expire within one year and that primarily: (1) meet the objectives of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunity Act; or (2) provide teacher professional development. Allows the Director, for grants that are identified and that are deemed by the Director to be successful in meeting the objectives of the initial grant solicitation, to extend those grants for not more than three additional years beyond their scheduled expiration without the requirement for a recompetition. Requires the Director to annually submit a report that: (1) lists the grants extended; and (2) provides recommendations regarding the extension of such authority to programs other than those specified in this section. 
 
 (Sec. 7013) Requires the National Science Board to: (1) evaluate certain impacts of its policy to eliminate cost sharing for research grants and cooperative agreements for existing and new programs involving industry participation; and (2) report the results of such evaluation. 
 
 (Sec. 7014) Requires the National Science Board to evaluate the appropriateness of: (1) the requirement that funding for detailed design work and other preconstruction activities for major research equipment and facilities come exclusively from the sponsoring research division rather than being available from the Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction account; and (2) NSF's policies for allocation of costs for, and oversight of, maintenance and operation of major research equipment and facilities. 
 
Requires the Board to report on the results of such evaluations and on any recommendations for modifying the current policies related to allocation of funding for such equipment and facilities. Requires that plans for proposed construction, repair, and upgrades to national research facilities include estimates of the total project cost and the source of funds for major upgrades of facilities in support of Antarctic research programs. 
 
Requires the Director to transmit: (1) a specified report cataloging all elementary and secondary school, informal, and undergraduate educational programs and activities supported through appropriations for research and related activities; and (2) as part of the President's FY2011 budget submission, a report listing the funding success rates and distribution of awards for the Research in Undergraduate Institutions program. 
 
Requires the Director, not later than 60 days after enactment of legislation providing for the annual appropriation of funds for NSF, to submit a plan for the allocation of education and human resources funds authorized by this title for the corresponding fiscal year, including any funds from within the research and related activities account used to support activities that primarily improve education or broaden participation. 
 
 (Sec. 7015) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to require: (1) the Inspector General of NSF to conduct triennial audits (currently, annual audits) of the compliance by the National Science Board with the requirements specified under the Act for open meetings; (2) the Board to maintain the General Counsel's certificate, the presiding officer's statement, and a transcript or recording of any closed meeting for at least three years after such meeting; and (3) appointment of technical and professional personnel on leave of absence from academic, industrial, or research institutions for a limited term and such operations and support staff members (currently, such clerical staff members) as may be necessary. 
 
Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1976 to limit the number of Alan T. Waterman Awards that may be made in any one fiscal year to not more than three (under current law, to no more than one). 
 
 (Sec. 7016) Requires rendering of National Science Board reports to the President and Congress (under current law, rendered to the President for submission to Congress). 
 
(Sec. 7017) Amends the Program Fraud Civil Remedies Act of 1986 to include the NSF as an authority with respect to the provisions of such Act relating to administrative remedies for false claims and statements. 
 
(Sec. 7018) Requires the NSF Director to: (1) consider the degree to which NSF-eligible awards and research activities may assist in meeting critical national needs in innovation, competitiveness, safety and security, the physical and natural sciences, technology, engineering, social sciences, and mathematics; and (2) give priority in the selection of NSF awards, research resources, and grants to entities that can be expected to make contributions in physical or natural science, technology, engineering, social sciences, or mathematics, or that enhance competitiveness, innovation, or safety and security. 
 
 (Sec. 7019) Permits the NSF, in carrying out its research programs on science policy and on the science of learning, to support research on the process of innovation and the teaching of inventiveness. 
 
(Sec. 7020) Requires the NSF Director to develop and publish a plan describing the current status for broadband access for scientific research purposes at institutions in EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research) eligible states, at institutions in rural areas, and at minority serving institutions and outlines actions to ensure that such connections are available to participate in NSF programs that rely heavily on high-speed networking and collaborations across institutions and regions. 
 
(Sec. 7021) Requires the NSF Director to carry out a pilot program to award one-year grants to individuals to assist them in improving research proposals that were previously submitted to NSF but not selected for funding. Requires that such grants be used to enable individuals to resubmit updated research proposals for review by NSF through NSF's competitive merit review process. 
 
Requires the Director to make awards under this section based on the advice of program officers of the NSF. 
 
Permits using funds made available under this section for the generation of new data and the performance of additional analysis. 
 
Allows the Director to carry out this section through the Small Grants for Exploratory Research program. 
 
Directs the National Science Board to conduct a review and assessment of the pilot program. 
 
 (Sec. 7022) States that, among the types of activities that the NSF shall consider as appropriate for meeting the requirements of its broader impacts criterion for the evaluation of research proposals are partnerships between academic researchers and industrial scientists and engineers that address research areas identified as having high importance for future national economic competitiveness, such as nanotechnology. Requires the Director to report on the impact of the broader impacts grant criterion used by NSF. 
 
 (Sec. 7023) Amends the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 to permit NSF to receive and use funds donated to NSF for specific prize competitions for &quot;basic research&quot; as defined in the Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-11 (Preparation, Submission, and Execution of the Budget) . 
 
(Sec. 7024) Amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to revise program requirements for the National High-Performance Computing Program. 
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to: (1) establish the goals and priorities for federal high-performance computing research, development, networking, and other activities; (2) establish Program Component Areas that implement such goals and identify the Grand Challenges (i.e., fundamental problems in science or engineering, with broad economic and scientific impact, whose solutions will require the application of high-performance computing resources and, as amended by this section, multidisciplinary teams of researchers) that the Program should address; and (3) develop and maintain a research, development, and deployment road map covering all states and regions for the provision of high-performance computing and networking systems. 
 
Revises requirements for annual reports by requiring that such reports: (1) describe Program Component Areas, including any changes in the definition of or activities under such Areas and the reasons for such changes, and describe Grand Challenges supported under the Program; (2) describe the levels of federal funding and the levels proposed for each Program Component Area; (3) describe the levels of federal funding for each agency and department participating in the Program for each such Area; and (4) include an analysis of the extent to which the Program incorporates the recommendations of the advisory committee on high-performance computing. Eliminates the requirement for inclusion of reports on Department of Energy activities taken to carry out the National High-Performance Computing Program. 
 
Requires the advisory committee on high-performance computing to conduct periodic evaluations of the funding, management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the Program, and to report at least once every two fiscal years to specified congressional committees. Prohibits applying provisions for the termination, renewal, and continuation of federal advisory committees under the Federal Advisory Committee Act to such advisory committee. 
 
 Instructs the NSF, as part of the Program, to support basic research related to advanced information and communications technologies that will contribute to enhancing or facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced communications services for all people of the United States. Requires the NSF Director to award multiyear grants to institutions of higher education, nonprofit research institutions affiliated with such institutions, or their consortia to establish multidisciplinary Centers for Communications Research. Increases funding for the basic research activities described in this section, including support for such Centers. Requires the NSF Director to transmit to Congress, as part of the President's annual budget submission, reports on the amounts allocated for support of research under this section. 
 
 (Sec. 7025) Revises the Science, Mathematics, Engineering, and Technology Talent Expansion program to require the Director to issue grants to institutions of higher education for the creation of not more than five centers to increase the number of students completing undergraduate courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and to improve student academic achievement in such courses. 
 
Requires the NSF Director to strive to increase the representation of students from public secondary schools that serve students from families with incomes below the poverty line or are designated with a school locale code of 41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary of Education when providing grants under the Talent Expansion program to increase the number of students studying and completing associate's or bachelor's degrees, concentrations, or certificates in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics by giving priority to programs that heavily recruit female, minority, and disabled students who are from such schools. 
 
 (Sec. 7026) Requires the NSF Director to establish a Partnerships for Access to Laboratory Science research pilot program for awarding grants to partnerships to improve laboratories and provide instrumentation as part of a comprehensive program to enhance the quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction in secondary schools. Requires such partnerships to include significant teacher preparation, unless such preparation is addressed through other means. 
 
Limits the federal share of partnership costs to 40%. 
 
Requires the Director to report to to specified congressional committees not later than five years regarding the program's effect on student achievement. 
 
Sunsets the provisions of this section on the last day of FY2010. 
 
Authorizes appropriations for the program for FY2008-FY2010. 
 
(Sec. 7027) Requires the NSF Director to report to Congress not later than two years on the extent to which institutions of higher education and private entities are donating used laboratory equipment to elementary and secondary schools. 
 
(Sec. 7028) Revises requirements for the Mathematics and Science Education Partnership program (Partnership program), which provides grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for the improvement of elementary and secondary mathematics and science instruction. 
 
 Includes the department, college, or program of education at an institution of higher education, in addition to LEAs, state educational agencies, and businesses, among the entities with which institutions of higher education and nonprofit organizations may partner. 
 
Adds to the list of grant fund uses: (1) professional development activities to prepare mathematics and science teachers to teach challenging mathematics, science, and technology college-preparatory courses; (2) laboratory training and support for teachers; (3) induction programs (as defined by in section 6113 of this Act) for teachers in their first two years of teaching; (4) technology and engineering, in addition to mathematics and science, in the student enrichment programs which are to include after-school programs and summer programs for female, minority, and disabled students; and (5) the development and dissemination of curriculum tools that foster inventiveness and innovation. Requires grantees providing challenging college preparatory courses to encourage companies employing scientists, technologists, engineers, or mathematicians to provide mentors to teachers and students. 
 
Requires the Director to transmit to Congress not later than four years of this Act's enactment, a summary of partnership evaluations that describes recommended changes to the program. 
 
(Sec. 7029) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to provide additional Program requirements for the NSF Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century. 
 
(Sec. 7030) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 concerning the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program to: (1) rename such Program the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and rewrite Program requirements, including by allowing participation in the Program by an institution of higher education that receives grant funds on behalf of a consortium of institutions of higher education; and (2) require the NSF Director to establish a separate program to award grants to eligible entities to enable them to administer NSF Teaching Fellowships and Master Teaching Fellowships according to this section. Requires that grants be used by participating partnerships to develop and implement a program to recruit and prepare mathematics, science, or engineering professionals to become NSF Teaching Fellows, and to recruit existing teachers to become NSF Master Teaching Fellows. Requires Teaching Fellows and Master Teacher Fellows to serve as a mathematics or science teacher for four years and five years, respectively, in an elementary or secondary school served by a high-need LEA. Requires a 50% matching funds requirement from non-federal sources. 
 
Increases Program scholarship amounts and sets stipend amounts. 
 
Requires the Director: (1) to transmit to specified congressional committees a report on the effectiveness of the programs carried out under this section; and (2) in consultation with the Secretary of Education, to evaluate whether the scholarships, stipends, and fellowships authorized under this section have been effective in increasing the numbers of high-quality mathematics, and science teachers teaching in high-need LEAs and whether there continue to exist significant shortages of such teachers in such LEAs. 
 
(Sec. 7031) Amends the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 to require the establishment of innovative partnership arrangements under the national advanced scientific and technical education program that encourage the participation of female, minority, and disabled students. 
 
Requires the NSF Director to: (1) establish a program to encourage and make grants available to institutions of higher education that award associate degrees to recruit and train individuals from the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to mentor female, minority, and disabled students in order to assist such students in identifying, qualifying for, and entering higher-paying technical jobs in those fields; (2) make grants available to associate-degree-granting colleges to carry out such program; and (3) establish metrics to evaluate programs established by NSF for encouraging female, minority, and disabled students to study and prepare for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics and report annually to Congress on evaluation results. 
 
(Sec. 7032) Directs the NSF Director to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) for a report to Congress about barriers to increasing the number of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields and to identify strategies for bringing more underrepresented minorities into the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce. 
 
(Sec. 7033) Authorizes the NSF Director to establish a new program to award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to Hispanic-serving institutions to enhance the quality of undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at such institutions and to increase the retention and graduation rates of students pursuing associate's or baccalaureate degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
 
Specifies that the grants awarded shall support: (1) activities to improve courses and curriculum in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; (2) faculty development; (3) stipends for undergraduate students participating in research; and (4) other activities consistent with the grant program authorized by this section, as determined by the Director. 
 
States that funding for instrumentation is an allowed use of grants awarded under this section. 
 
(Sec. 7034) Requires the NSF Director to establish a clearinghouse, in collaboration with four-year institutions of higher education, industries, and federal agencies that employ science-trained personnel, to share program elements used in successful professional science master's degree programs and other advanced degree programs related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Requires the Director to award grants to institutions of higher education to facilitate their creation or improvement of professional science master's degree programs that may include linkages between institutions of higher education and industries that employ science-trained personnel, with an emphasis on practical training and preparation for the workforce in high-need fields. Allows the Director to award up to 200 of such grants, which shall be for a three-year period, with one authorized renewal for an additional two-year period. Requires the Director to evaluate the programs and report evaluation results to Congress. 
 
(Sec. 7035) Expresses the sense of Congress that institutions of higher education receiving awards under the NSF Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program should, among the activities supported under these awards, train graduate students in the communication of the substance and importance of their research to nonscientist audiences. Requires the NSF Director to transmit a report describing . such training programs provided to graduate students who participated in the program. Requires that such report include data on the number of graduate students trained and a description of the types of activities funded. 
 
(Sec. 7036) Sets minimum and maximum amounts of awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program. 
 
Permits, in addition to the acquisition of instrumentation and equipment, funds made available by awards under the Major Research Instrumentation program to be used to support the operations and maintenance of such instrumentation and equipment. 
 
Requires an institution of higher education receiving an award under such program to provide at least 30% of the cost from private or non-federal sources. Exempts institutions of higher education that are not Ph.D-granting institutions from such cost sharing requirement and allows the NSF Director to reduce or waive such requirement for: (1) certain institutions that are not ranked among the top 100 institutions receiving federal R&D funding; and (2) consortia of institutions of higher education that include at least one institution that is not a Ph.D-granting institution. 
 
(Sec. 7037) Revises the selection process for awards that require the submission of preproposals and that also limit the number of preproposals. Requires the National Science Board to: (1) assess the effects on institutions of higher education of NSF policies regarding the imposition of limitations on the number of proposals that may be submitted by a single institution for programs supported by NSF; (2) determine whether current policies are well justified and appropriate for the types of programs that limit the number of proposal submissions; and (3) summarize in a report the Board's findings and any recommendations regarding changes to the current policy on the restriction of proposal submissions.
 

 Title VIII: General Provisions 
- (Sec. 8001) Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Director of the Bureau of Economic Analysis, not later than January 31, 2008, to report to Congress on the feasibility, annual cost, and potential benefits of a program to collect and study data relating to the export and import of services. 
 
 (Sec. 8002) Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board should complete promulgation of the final rules implementing section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (concerning auditing standards and their effect on small and mid-sized businesses).
 
 (Sec. 8003) Directs the Comptroller General, not later than three years after enactment of this Act, to submit a report to Congress that: (1) assesses a representative sample of the new or expanded programs and activities required to be carried out under this Act; and (2) includes recommendations as the Comptroller General determines are appropriate to ensure effectiveness of, or improvements to, the programs and activities, including termination of programs or activities. 
 
 (Sec. 8004) Expresses the sense of the Senate that federal funds should not be provided to any organization or entity that advocates against a U.S. tax policy that is internationally competitive.
 
 (Sec. 8005) Directs the Secretary of Education to arrange with the NAS to conduct a study and provide a report to such Secretary, the Secretary of Commerce, and Congress which shall consider: (1) the mechanisms and supports needed for an institution of higher education or nonprofit to develop and maintain a program to provide free access to online educational content as part of a degree program, especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or foreign languages, without using federal funds, including funds provided under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965; and (2) whether such a program could be developed and managed by such institution or nonprofit and sustained through private funding. Authorizes appropriations. 
 
(Sec. 8006) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) government policies of the U.S. government relating to deemed exports should safeguard US national security and protect fundamental research; (2) the Department of Commerce has established the Deemed Export Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for improving current controls on deemed exports; and (3) the President and Congress should consider the Committee's recommendations in the development and implementation of export control policies.
 
 (Sec. 8007) Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) Congress, the President, regulators, industry leaders, and other stakeholders should take necessary steps to reclaim the preeminent U.S. position in the global financial services marketplace; (2) federal and state financial regulatory agencies should take certain steps to avoid adverse consequences on innovation with respect to financial products and services, and regulatory costs that are disproportionate to their benefits; and (3) Congress should exercise vigorous oversight over federal regulatory and statutory requirements affecting the financial services industry and consumers. 
 
(Sec. 8008) Prohibits a grant or contract funded by amounts authorized by this Act from being used for defraying the costs of a banquet or conference that is not directly and programmatically related to the purpose for which the grant or contract was awarded. Requires: (1) reporting to the appropriate department, administration, or foundation of the records of total costs related to, and justification for, all banquets and conferences; and (2) such department, administration, or foundation to make such records available to the public not later than 60 days after their receipt. 
 
Requires any person awarded a grant or contract funded by such amounts to submit a statement to the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Education, the Administrator, or the Director, as appropriate, certifying that no funds derived from the grant or contract will be made available through a subcontract or in any other manner to another person who has a financial interest or other conflict of interest in the person awarded the grant or contract, unless such conflict is previously disclosed and approved in the process of entering into a contract or awarding a grant. Provides for the appropriate Secretary, Administrator, or Director to make all documents received that relate to the certification available to the public.
 
Makes such amendments effective 360 days after enactment of this Act. Bars such amendments from being applicable to grants or contracts authorized under sections 6201 and 6203 of this Act.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-08
text: Hearing Held by Subcommittee on Energy and Environment Prior to Introduction and Referral ( April 26, 2007)..
action_date: 2008-05-06
text: Hearing Held by Full Committee Prior to Introduction and Referral (March 13, 2007).
action_date: 2007-08-09
text: Became Public Law No: 110-69.
action_date: 2007-08-09
text: Became Public Law No: 110-69.
action_date: 2007-08-09
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2007-08-09
text: Signed by President.
action_date: 2007-08-04
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2007-08-04
text: Presented to President.
action_date: 2007-08-03
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Cleared for White House.
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Senate agreed to conference report by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S10761-10762)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S10761-10762)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Conference papers: Senate report and manager's statement and message on House action held at the desk in Senate.
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by recorded vote: 367 - 57 (Roll no. 802). (consideration: CR H9605-9606)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Motions to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Conference report agreed to in House: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by recorded vote: 367 - 57 (Roll no. 802).(consideration: CR H9605-9606)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: On motion to recommit with instructions to conference report Failed by the Yeas and Nays: 199 - 227 (Roll no. 801). (consideration: CR H9604-9605)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: The previous question on the motion to recommit with instructions to conference report was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H9604)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Mr. Shimkus moved to recommit with instructions to the conference report. (consideration: CR H9604; text: CR H9604)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: The previous question was ordered pursuant to the rule. (consideration: CR H9604)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on the conference report to accompany H.R. 2272.
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Mr. Gordon brought up conference report H. Rept. 110-289 for consideration under the provisions of H. Res. 602. (consideration: CR H9592-9606)
action_date: 2007-08-02
text: Rule H. Res. 602 passed House.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 602 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of the conference report to H.R. 2272 with 1 hour of general debate.
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Conference report H. Rept. 110-289 filed. (text of conference report: CR H9414-9465)
action_date: 2007-08-01
text: Conference report filed: Conference report H. Rept. 110-289 filed.(text of conference report: CR H9414-9465)
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference committee actions: Conferees agreed to file conference report.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference held.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Conference committee actions: Conference held.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: The Speaker appointed conferees - from the Committee on Education and Labor for consideration of Division C of the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Miller, George, Holt, and McKeon.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: The Speaker appointed conferees - from the Committee on Science and Technology for consideration of the House bill and the Senate amendment, and modifications committed to conference: Gordon, Lipinski, Baird, Wu, Lampson, Udall (CO), Giffords, McNerney, Hall (TX), Sensenbrenner, Ehlers, Biggert, Feeney, and Gingrey.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: On motion that the House instruct conferees Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 258 - 167 (Roll no. 770). (consideration: CR H9222, H9227-9228; text: CR H9222)
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - The Chair put the question on the Hall (TX) motion to instruct conferees and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Hall (TX) demanded the yeas and nays and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the Hall (TX) motion to instruct conferees until a time to be announced.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: The previous question was ordered without objection. (consideration: CR H9223)
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with one hour of debate on Hall (TX) motion to instruct conferees. The instructions contained in the motion seek to require the managers on the part of the House to insist on the lower overall authorization level as set forth by the House in H.R. 2272 and insist on the language of subsection (a) of Section 203 of the House bill, relating to prioritization of early career grants to science and engineering researchers for the expansion of domestic energy production and use through coal-to-liquids technology and advanced nuclear reprocessing.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Mr. Hall (TX) moved that the House instruct conferees.
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: On motion that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference Agreed to without objection. (consideration: CR H9222-9223, H9227-9228)
action_date: 2007-07-31
text: Mr. Wu asked unanimous consent that the House disagree to the Senate amendment, and agree to a conference.
action_date: 2007-07-20
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: See also S. 761.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Senate insists on its amendment, asks for a conference, appoints conferees Bingaman; Inouye; Kennedy; Lieberman; Mikulski; Kerry; Nelson FL; Domenici; Stevens; Enzi; Alexander; Ensign; Coleman. (consideration: CR S9574)
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Senate struck all after the Enacting Clause and substituted the language of S. 761 amended. (consideration: CR S9574)
action_date: 2007-07-19
text: Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S9574)
action_date: 2007-05-22
text: Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 159.
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5496-5510)
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H5496-5510)
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 2272.
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5496-5512)
action_date: 2007-05-21
text: Mr. Wu moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: Referred to the House Committee on Science and Technology.
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-05-10
text: Introduced in House

Enacted as: number: 110-69