S.Amdt. 4717

SA 4717. Mr. BROWN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 3867 submitted by Mr. Reed and intended to be proposed to
the bill H.R. 4350, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2022
for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

TITLE __--STEM RESEARCH GAINS

SEC. __01. SHORT TITLE.

This title may be cited as the ``Strengthening the STEM
Research Workforce to Generate American Infrastructure for
National Security Act of 2021'' or the ``STEM Research GAINS
Act of 2021''.

SEC. __02. DEFINITIONS.

In this title:
(1) Covered field.--The term ``covered field'' means a
field in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics
research or development that is determined to be--
(A) a subject area relating to the national security of the
United States;
(B) a subject area relating to the United States' ability
to compete in an open, fair, and competitive international
market and achieve economic growth; or
(C) a subject area that is in need of expanded and
strengthened academic pipelines to ensure a diverse
workforce.
(2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(3) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science
agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 103(f) of
the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C.
6623(f)).
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' means an institution of
higher education described in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
(5) Minority.--The term ``minority'' has the meaning given
the term in section 365(2) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067k(2)).
(6) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
serving institution'' means--
(A) a part B institution (as defined in section 322 of the
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061));
(B) a Hispanic-serving institution (as defined in section
502 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1101a));
(C) a Tribal College or University (as defined in section
316 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c));
(D) an Alaska Native-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)));
(E) a Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as defined in
section 317(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b)));
(F) a Predominantly Black Institution (as defined in
section 318 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059e));
(G) an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-
serving institution (as defined in section 320(b) of that Act
(20 U.S.C. 1059g(b))); or
(H) a Native American-serving, nontribal institution (as
defined in section 319 of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f)).
(7) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
(8) Underrepresented field.--The term ``underrepresented
field'' means a field in STEM in which the national rate of
representation of women among tenured, tenure-track faculty,
or nonfaculty researchers at doctorate-granting institutions
of higher education is less than 25 percent, according to the
most recent data available from the National Center for
Science and Engineering Statistics.
(9) Underrepresented in science and engineering.--The term
``underrepresented in science and engineering'' means a
minority group whose number of scientists and engineers, per
10,000 population of that group, is substantially below the
comparable figure for scientists and engineers who are white
and not of Hispanic origin, as determined by the Secretary of
Education under section 637.4(b) of title 34, Code of Federal
Regulations, or similar successor regulations.

Subtitle A--Expanding Pipeline Programs to Research Opportunities

SEC. __11. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AREAS CRITICAL TO
NATIONAL SECURITY.

(a) Covered Fields.--The President shall conduct a study to
identify areas for research and development that are covered
fields.
(b) Update.--Not less than once every 5 years, the
President shall reassess the covered fields.

SEC. __12. INCREASING INVESTMENT IN UNDERGRADUATE SCIENCE
PIPELINES.

(a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
the National Science Foundation for fiscal year 2022 and for
each of the following 4 years, $750,000,000, which shall be
used by the Director for the following National Science
Foundation programs:
(1) The Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Undergraduate Program.
(2) The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation
program.
(3) The Research Experiences for Undergraduates program.
(4) The Tribal Colleges and Universities Program.
(5) The Improving Undergraduates STEM Education: Hispanic-
Serving Institutions Program.

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(6) Other programs to broaden participation in
undergraduate STEM programs, as determined by the Director.
(b) Supplement Not Supplant.--The amounts used under
subsection (a) shall supplement, and not supplant, any other
amounts used by the National Science Foundation for the
programs described in such subsection.

SEC. __14. BOLSTERING STEM PIPELINES STRATEGIC PLAN.

(a) Broadening Participation Strategic Plan.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Subcommittee on Federal Coordination in Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics Education (FC-STEM) of the
Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education (CoSTEM) of the National Science and
Technology Council shall submit to Congress a report
containing the subcommittee's current strategic plan for
Federal science agencies to increase the capacity of STEM
programs carried out by Federal science agencies that are in
effect as of the date of the report to increase the
participation of individuals who are underrepresented in
science and engineering, women who are underrepresented in
STEM fields, and low-income and first-generation college
students, in order to broaden participation in grants and
programs carried out by the Federal science agencies. The
report shall include--
(1) a description of how the grants and programs that are
carried out by the Federal science agencies, as of the time
of the report, are carried out in a manner that advances
diverse pipelines in STEM fields, and a description of how
the Federal science agencies can better advance such diverse
pipelines;
(2) an analysis of the data collection that would allow for
meaningful goal setting and transparency relating to the
Federal science agencies' progress in broadening
participation of individuals from groups that are
underrepresented in science and engineering with respect to
those grants and programs;
(3) an analysis of how the Federal science agencies can
meet goals related to broadening the participation of
individuals from groups that are underrepresented in science
and engineering by--
(A) creating or expanding funding opportunities;
(B) modifying existing research and development programs;
and
(C) establishing coordination between existing programs
carried out by the Federal science agencies;
(4) a description of the ways that the Federal science
agencies work with minority-serving institutions to--
(A) enable those eligible institutions to compete
effectively for grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
carried out by the National Science Foundation;
(B) encourage those eligible institutions to participate in
programs carried out by the Federal science agencies; and
(C) encourage students and faculty, particularly minority
students and faculty and students and faculty in
underrepresented fields, at the eligible institution to apply
for and successfully earn graduate and professional
opportunities from programs supported by the Federal science
agencies;
(5) an analysis of the best ways to share best practices
for institutions of higher education and Federal science
agencies interested in supporting individuals from groups
that are underrepresented in science and engineering;
(6) an analysis of how the Federal science agencies can
work together to advance goals related to broadening the
participation of individuals from groups that are
underrepresented in science and engineering; and
(7) an analysis of how to promote relationships between
institutions of higher education and high schools to enhance
the pipeline for high school students to undergraduate STEM
opportunities in covered fields and enhance the quality of
high school teachers in STEM fields.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter,
the Subcommittee on Federal Coordination in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education of the
Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education of the National Science and Technology
Council shall report to Congress on the implementation by
Federal science agencies of the strategic plan developed
under this section.

SEC. __15. RESEARCH PROGRAM CLEARINGHOUSE AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE CENTER.

(a) Opportunities Clearinghouse.--The Subcommittee on
Federal Coordination in Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education of the Committee on Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education of the
National Science and Technology Council shall establish and
maintain a public clearinghouse (including by maintaining a
publicly available website) of all research programs
sponsored by Federal science agencies that are available to
individuals as undergraduate and graduate students.
(b) Best Practices Clearinghouse.--The Director shall work
with the Director of the Institute of Education Sciences of
the Department of Education to maintain the What Works
Clearinghouse to collect, analyze, identify, disseminate, and
make publicly available information about best practices for
institutions of higher education to strengthen the pipeline
of individuals pursuing careers in covered fields
(particularly for minority students pursuing those careers),
and particularly information to help address gaps identified
in the publication entitled ``Minority Serving Institutions:
America's Underutilized Resource for Strengthening the STEM
Workforce'', published in 2019 by the National Academies of
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
(c) Technical Assistance.--The Director shall fund the
maintenance of existing (as of the date of the funding)
technical resource centers to enable the centers to work with
institutions of higher education seeking to implement
strategies to--
(1) bolster and diversify the student body at the
institution that pursue STEM fields;
(2) support students underrepresented in science and
engineering who are pursuing research-based STEM studies to
help those students continue and complete those studies; or
(3) support other technical assistance activities
determined by the Director to be appropriate.

Subtitle B--Increasing Transparency for Graduate Education

SEC. __21. STRENGTHENING TRANSPARENCY.

(a) Assessments.--The Director shall conduct regular
assessments of graduate research fellowship programs carried
out by the National Science Foundation and make additional
information publicly available about those programs,
including for each program--
(1) the number of applications received, disaggregated by
undergraduate and graduate institution, race, gender, age,
and eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant;
(2) the number of applications approved, disaggregated by
undergraduate and graduate institution, race, gender, age,
and eligibility for a Federal Pell Grant;
(3) the number of students that are awarded grants to
develop a diverse STEM workforce, disaggregated by
undergraduate population, public or private institution, and
(in the case of a minority-serving institution) type of
minority-serving institutions;
(4) an analysis of the recipients of scholarships and
fellowships awarded by institutions of higher education
through the graduate research fellowship programs,
disaggregated by race; and
(5) the ratio of the number of individuals who participated
in the assessment from the program to the number of students
in the program.
(b) Voluntarily Provided Data.--For purposes of subsection
(a), the Director shall base the assessments on, and make
information publicly available on, data voluntarily provided
by student applicants for the graduate research fellowship
program involved.
(c) Reports.--The Director shall prepare and submit to
Congress, and make publicly available, annual reports that
show trends in how research fellowships and scholarships
supported by the National Science Foundation are awarded to
individuals from underrepresented groups, institutions of
higher education, and entities from different geographic
areas, in order to better show trends in the participation of
underrepresented groups in such research fellowships and
scholarships.

Subtitle C--Strengthening the National Security Research Workforce

SEC. __31. EARLY CAREER FACULTY SUPPORTS.

(a) Rising Faculty Professional Advancement Program.--
(1) Establishment of pilot program.--Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall
select an organization to establish a 5-year pilot mentorship
program to be known as ``Rising Faculty Professional
Advancement Program'' (referred to in this section as the
``program'') in order to increase the diversity of faculty in
STEM fields.
(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Rising Faculty
Professional Advancement Program shall be--
(A) to increase the number of doctoral-level professionals
from underrepresented groups in STEM fields who transition
into faculty positions at institutions of higher education;
and
(B) to improve mentorship and training for researchers who
are navigating the transition in the research pipeline to
becoming faculty, which is a time when a significant decrease
in diversity often occurs.
(b) Program Participants.--
(1) Eligibility.--An individual shall be eligible to
participate in the program if the individual is a doctoral
degree holding researcher in a post-doctoral research
position or early-career faculty (defined as a faculty
researcher with a title of assistant professor or other non-
tenured equivalent).
(2) Outreach.--The organization shall conduct outreach to
encourage participation in the program by individuals
described in paragraph (1) who are from groups
underrepresented in STEM fields, including--
(A) individuals from groups who are underrepresented in
science and engineering;
(B) individuals holding doctoral degrees in covered fields
from or faculty positions at minority-serving institutions;
(C) individuals holding doctoral degrees in covered fields
from institutions of higher education in the bottom 90
percent of research and development expenditures, as ranked
by the National Center for Science and Engineering
Statistics; and
(D) individuals who are women and who hold positions from
underrepresented fields.
(c) Activities.--

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(1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the organization shall establish
program activities including--
(A) training for Rising Faculty and mentors;
(B) a program curriculum; and
(C) support for existing (as of the date of provision of
the support) mentoring programs for mentor engagement.
(2) Collaborative research.--The organization shall
encourage program mentors to network and enter into
collaboration on research projects with Rising Faculty and
other mentors within the program.
(3) Survey.--Following the first year of program
enrollment, and on an annual basis during the program, the
organization shall--
(A) conduct a survey of Rising Faculty and mentors to
determine best practices and outcomes achieved;
(B) conduct a survey to collect information about the
demographics of the Rising Faculty and mentors; and
(C) conduct additional surveys or other analyses of Rising
Faculty who completed the program to assess career
progression for not more than 5 years following the
completion of the program by Rising Faculty.
(d) Assessment of the Pilot Program and Recommendations.--
Not later than 180 days after the conclusion of the pilot
program, the Director shall provide a report to the
appropriate committees of Congress with respect to the pilot
program, which shall include--
(1) a description and evaluation of the status and
effectiveness of the program, including a summary of survey
data collected;
(2) an assessment of the success and utility of the pilot
program in meeting the purposes of this section;
(3) a summary and analysis of the types and frequency of
activities and policies developed and carried out under the
pilot program; and
(4) a recommendation about continuing the program on a
pilot or permanent basis.
______