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.

Feb. 18, 2016

[H.R. 3033]

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

Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act.

42 USC 1861 note.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the “Research Excellence and Advancements for Dyslexia Act” or the “READ Act”.

SEC. 2.

42 USC 1862r note.

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.

42 USC 1862r note.

RESEARCH IN DISABILITIES EDUCATION.(a) Program.—Nothing in this Act alters the National Science Foundation’s Research in Disabilities Education program for fundamental 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 Foundation shall include the amount requested for the Research in Disabilities Education program in the Foundation’s annual congressional budget justification.

SEC. 4.

42 USC 1862r–1.

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, professional 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.130 STAT. 121 (b) Awards.—To promote development of early career researchers, in awarding funds under subsection (a) the National Science Foundation shall prioritize applications for funding submitted 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)

Time period.

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 subsection (e). This section shall be carried out using funds otherwise appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act. (e)

Time period.

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.

42 USC 1862r–1 note.

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, cultural, or economic disadvantage.

Approved February 18, 2016.