[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 932 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 932

    To provide scholarships for scientists and engineers to become 
     certified as science, mathematics, and technology teachers in 
                   elementary and secondary schools.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 7, 2001

Mr. Udall of Colorado (for himself and Mr. Wu) introduced the following 
          bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To provide scholarships for scientists and engineers to become 
     certified as science, mathematics, and technology teachers in 
                   elementary and secondary schools.

    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 ``Science Teacher Scholarships for 
Scientists and Engineers Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the quality of education in science, mathematics, and 
        engineering is the foundation of the Nation's future security 
        and prosperity;
            (2) there is evidence that the Nation's schools are not 
        ready to meet this challenge due to inadequate numbers of 
        qualified science, mathematics, and technology teachers;
            (3) the Department of Education has estimated that more 
        than 240,000 new science and mathematics elementary and 
        secondary school teachers are needed over the next decade;
            (4) at present, 34 percent of public school mathematics 
        teachers and nearly 40 percent of science teachers lack even a 
        minor in their primary teaching fields; and
            (5) new incentives are required to attract students from 
        science and engineering fields to pursue careers as science, 
        mathematics, and technology teachers in elementary and 
        secondary schools.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``science teacher'' means a science, 
        mathematics, or technology teacher at the elementary or 
        secondary school level;
            (2) the term ``Director'' means the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation; and
            (3) the term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education 
        Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).

SEC. 4. PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.

    The Director is authorized to make awards to institutions of higher 
education to provide scholarships to assist graduates of baccalaureate 
degree programs in science, mathematics, or engineering, or individuals 
pursuing degrees in those fields, to fulfill the academic requirements 
necessary to become certified as science teachers. Such awards shall be 
made through competitive, merit-based procedures.

SEC. 5. SCHOLARSHIP AMOUNT AND DURATION.

    Each scholarship provided through awards under section 4 shall be 
in the amount of $7,500 and shall cover a period of 1 year.

SEC. 6. REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) Eligibility.--Institutions of higher education offering 
baccalaureate degrees in science, mathematics, and engineering and 
coursework toward teacher certification are eligible to apply for 
awards under the program established by section 4. Individuals provided 
scholarships under the program shall be--
            (1) undergraduate students majoring in science, 
        mathematics, or engineering who are within 1 academic year of 
        completion of degree requirements; or
            (2) graduates of baccalaureate or advanced degree programs 
        in science, mathematics, or engineering.
    (b) Guidelines, Procedures, and Criteria.--The Director shall 
establish and publish application and selection guidelines, procedures, 
and criteria for the program established by section 4.
    (c) Requirements for Scholarship Applications.--Each application 
for a scholarship shall include a plan specifying the course of study 
that will allow the applicant to fulfill the academic requirements for 
obtaining a teaching certificate during the scholarship period.
    (d) Work Requirement.--As a condition of acceptance of a 
scholarship under this Act, a recipient shall agree to work as a 
science teacher for a minimum of 2 years following certification as 
such a teacher or to repay the amount of the scholarship to the 
National Science Foundation.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 
Foundation to carry out this Act $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2002, 2003, and 2004.
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