Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act
PL 114-124 (H.R.3033), enacted 02/18/2016

130 STAT. 120 
PUBLIC LAW 114–124—FEB. 18, 2016 
Public Law 114–124 
114th Congress 
An Act 
To require the President’s annual budget request to Congress each year to include 
a line item for the Research in Disabilities Education program of the National 
Science Foundation and to require the National Science Foundation to conduct 
research on dyslexia. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Research Excellence and Advance-
ments for Dyslexia Act’’ or the ‘‘READ Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) As many as 1 out of 6, or 8,500,000, American school 
children may have dyslexia. 
(2) Since 1975, dyslexia has been included in the list of 
qualifying learning disabilities under the Education for All 
Handicapped Children Act of 1975 and the Individuals with 
Disabilities Education Act. 
SEC. 3. RESEARCH IN DISABILITIES EDUCATION. 
(a) PROGRAM.—Nothing in this Act alters the National Science 
Foundation’s Research in Disabilities Education program for funda-
mental and implementation research about learners (of all ages) 
with disabilities, including dyslexia, in science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The National Science 
Foundation shall continue to encourage efforts to understand and 
address disability-based differences in STEM education and 
workforce participation, including differences for dyslexic learners. 
(b) LINE ITEM.—The Director of the National Science Founda-
tion shall include the amount requested for the Research in Disabil-
ities Education program in the Foundation’s annual congressional 
budget justification. 
SEC. 4. DYSLEXIA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Consistent with subsection (c), the National 
Science Foundation shall support multi-directorate, merit-reviewed, 
and competitively awarded research on the science of specific 
learning disability, including dyslexia, such as research on the 
early identification of children and students with dyslexia, profes-
sional development for teachers and administrators of students 
with dyslexia, curricula and educational tools needed for children 
with dyslexia, and implementation and scaling of successful models 
of dyslexia intervention. Research supported under this subsection 
shall be conducted with the goal of practical application. 
42 USC 1862r–1. 
42 USC 1862r 
note. 
42 USC 1862r 
note. 
Research 
Excellence and 
Advancements 
for Dyslexia Act. 
42 USC 1861 
note. 
Feb. 18, 2016 
[H.R. 3033] 
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130 STAT. 121 
PUBLIC LAW 114–124—FEB. 18, 2016 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 3033: 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 161 (2015): Oct. 26, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 162 (2016): Feb. 3, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Feb. 4, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
(b) 
AWARDS.—To 
promote 
development 
of 
early 
career 
researchers, in awarding funds under subsection (a) the National 
Science Foundation shall prioritize applications for funding sub-
mitted by early career researchers. 
(c) COORDINATION.—To prevent unnecessary duplication of 
research, activities under this Act shall be coordinated with similar 
activities supported by other Federal agencies, including research 
funded by the Institute of Education Sciences and the National 
Institutes of Health. 
(d) FUNDING.—The National Science Foundation shall devote 
not less than $5,000,000 to research described in subsection (a), 
which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for research on the 
science of dyslexia, for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, 
subject to the availability of appropriations, to come from amounts 
made available for the Research and Related Activities account 
or the Education and Human Resources Directorate under sub-
section (e). This section shall be carried out using funds otherwise 
appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act. 
(e) AUTHORIZATION.—For each of fiscal years 2016 through 
2021, there are authorized out of funds appropriated to the National 
Science Foundation, $5,000,000 to carry out the activities described 
in subsection (a). 
SEC. 5. DEFINITION OF SPECIFIC LEARNING DISABILITY. 
In this Act, the term ‘‘specific learning disability’’— 
(1) means a disorder in 1 or more of the basic psychological 
processes involved in understanding or in using language, 
spoken or written, which disorder may manifest itself in the 
imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or 
do mathematical calculations; 
(2) includes such conditions as perceptual disabilities, brain 
injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental 
aphasia; and 
(3) does not include a learning problem that is primarily 
the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities, of intellectual 
disability, of emotional disturbance, or of environmental, cul-
tural, or economic disadvantage. 
Approved February 18, 2016. 
42 USC 1862r–1 
note. 
Time period. 
Time period. 
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