[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6263 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6263

 To increase awareness of the existence of and to overcome gender bias 
in academic science and engineering through research and training, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2008

  Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mr. Honda, and Ms. 
   Berkley) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee 
 on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To increase awareness of the existence of and to overcome gender bias 
in academic science and engineering through research and training, and 
                          for other purposes.

    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 ``Fulfilling the Potential of Women in 
Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2008''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) In its 2007 report, Beyond Bias and Barriers, the 
        National Academies state that, to maintain its scientific and 
        engineering leadership amid increasing economic and educational 
        globalization, the United States must aggressively pursue the 
        innovative capacity of all of its people--women and men.
            (2) Women make up an increasing proportion of science and 
        engineering majors at all institutions of higher education, 
        including at top-rated programs such as those at the 
        Massachusetts Institute of Technology where women make up 51 
        percent of its science undergraduates and 35 percent of its 
        engineering undergraduates.
            (3) Despite this progress, however, women still receive 
        only 20 percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded in 
        engineering and physics.
            (4) For women to participate to their full potential across 
        all science and engineering fields, they must see a career path 
        that allows them to reach their full intellectual potential; 
        much remains to be done to achieve that goal.
            (5) The Federal Government provides over 60 percent of 
        research funding at institutions of higher education.
            (6) Women are a small portion of the science and 
        engineering faculty members at major research universities, and 
        they typically receive fewer institutional resources for their 
        research activities than their male colleagues.
            (7) Unintentional biases and outmoded institutional 
        structures are hindering the access and advancement of women in 
        science and engineering.
            (8) Women hold a small portion of leadership positions in 
        our institutions of higher education, scientific and 
        professional societies, and honorary organizations.
            (9) Neither our institutions of higher education nor our 
        Nation can afford such underuse of precious human capital in 
        science and engineering.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
            (1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the Executive 
        Office of the President, acting through the National Science 
        and Technology Council.
            (2) Federal science agency.--The term ``Federal science 
        agency'' means any Federal agency that is responsible for at 
        least 2 percent of the total Federal obligation for research 
        and development at institutions of higher education, according 
        to the most recent data available from the National Science 
        Foundation.
            (3) Institution of higher education.--The term 
        ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
        term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 1001(a)).

SEC. 4. WORKSHOPS TO ENHANCE GENDER EQUITY IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE AND 
              ENGINEERING.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop a uniform policy for 
each Federal science agency to carry out a program of workshops that 
educate program officers, members of grant review panels, institution 
of higher education department chairs, and other federally funded 
researchers about methods that minimize the effects of gender bias in 
evaluation, including of Federal research grants, for hiring, tenure, 
and promotion, and for selection for any other honor based on academic 
merit. Each Federal science agency shall establish a program of 
workshops according to this policy.
    (b) Interagency Coordination.--The Director shall ensure that 
programs of workshops across the Federal science agencies are 
coordinated and supported jointly as appropriate. As part of this 
process, the Director shall ensure that at least 1 workshop is 
supported every 2 years among the Federal science agencies in each of 
the major science and engineering disciplines supported by those 
agencies.
    (c) Scientific and Professional Societies.--Federal science 
agencies may carry out the program of workshops under this section by 
making grants to eligible organizations. In addition to any other 
organizations made eligible by the Federal science agencies, the 
following organizations are eligible for grants under this section:
            (1) Nonprofit scientific and professional societies and 
        organizations that represent one or more science and 
        engineering disciplines.
            (2) Nonprofit organizations that have the primary mission 
        of advancing the participation of women in science and 
        engineering.
    (d) Characteristics of Workshops.--The workshops shall have the 
following characteristics:
            (1) Invitees to workshops shall include at least--
                    (A) the chairs from at least the top 50 institution 
                of higher education departments in the relevant 
                discipline, as determined by the amount of Federal 
                research and development funds obligated to each 
                department in the prior year based on data available 
                from the National Science Foundation;
                    (B) members of any standing research grant review 
                panel appointed by the Federal science agencies in the 
                relevant discipline;
                    (C) in the case of major science and engineering 
                disciplines supported by the Department of Energy, the 
                individuals from each of the Department of Energy 
                National Laboratories with personnel management 
                responsibilities comparable to those of an institution 
                of higher education department chair; and
                    (D) Federal science agency program officers in the 
                relevant discipline, other than program officers that 
                participate in comparable workshops organized and run 
                specifically for that agency's program officers.
            (2) Activities at the workshops shall include research 
        presentations and interactive discussions or other activities 
        that increase the awareness of the existence of gender bias in 
        recruitment, hiring, tenure review, promotion, grant 
        evaluation, award selection, and other forms of formal 
        recognition of individual achievement and provide strategies to 
        overcome such bias.
            (3) Research presentations and other workshop programs, as 
        appropriate, shall include a discussion of the unique 
        challenges faced by women from historically underrepresented 
        groups.
            (4) Workshop programs shall include information on best 
        practices and the value of mentoring undergraduate and graduate 
        women students as well as outreach to girls earlier in their 
        science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.
    (e) Report.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit to the 
        Committee on Science and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation of the Senate a report evaluating the impact of 
        the program carried out under this section to reduce gender 
        bias towards women engaged in research funded by the Federal 
        Government. The Director shall include in this report any 
        recommendations for improving the evaluation process described 
        in paragraph (2).
            (2) Minimum criteria for evaluation.--In determining the 
        effectiveness of the program, the Director shall consider, at a 
        minimum--
                    (A) the rates of participation by invitees in the 
                workshops authorized under this section;
                    (B) the results of attitudinal surveys conducted on 
                workshop participants before and after the workshops;
                    (C) any institutional policy or practice changes 
                reported by participants from institutions of higher 
                education; and
                    (D) for institution of higher education department 
                chairs and Department of Energy National Laboratory 
                employees who participated in at least 1 workshop 3 or 
                more years prior to the due date for the report, trends 
                in the data for the department represented by the chair 
                or employee including--
                            (i) the number and percent of women 
                        faculty;
                            (ii) the number and percent of women in 
                        tenure-track positions by rank;
                            (iii) tenure promotion outcomes by gender;
                            (iv) years in rank by gender;
                            (v) time at institution by gender;
                            (vi) attrition by gender;
                            (vii) the number of women who are in 
                        nontenure-track positions, including teaching 
                        and research;
                            (viii) the number and percent of women 
                        faculty in endowed or named chairs; and
                            (ix) the number and percent of women 
                        faculty on promotion and tenure committees.
    (f) Minimizing Costs.--To the extent practicable, workshops shall 
be held in conjunction with national or regional disciplinary meetings 
to minimize costs associated with participant travel.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--Each Federal science agency 
is authorized to contribute funds, from funds which are otherwise 
authorized, to support the workshop and evaluation requirements under 
this section, including--
            (1) providing grants to organizations, including the 
        organizations identified under subsection (c), to plan and 
        organize the workshops; and
            (2) reimbursing the travel and lodging costs of invited 
        speakers and workshop participants.

SEC. 5. EXTENDED RESEARCH GRANT SUPPORT AND INTERIM TECHNICAL SUPPORT 
              FOR CAREGIVERS.

    (a) Policies for Caregivers.--Not later than 6 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop a uniform 
policy to--
            (1) extend the period of grant support for federally funded 
        researchers who have caregiving responsibilities; and
            (2) provide funding for interim technical staff support for 
        federally funded researchers who take a leave of absence for 
        caregiving responsibilities.
    (b) Report.--Upon developing the policy required under subsection 
(a), the Director shall transmit a copy of the policy to the Committee 
on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.

SEC. 6. COLLECTION OF DATA ON FEDERAL RESEARCH GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--Each Federal science agency shall collect 
standardized annual composite information on demographics, field, award 
type and budget request, review score, and funding outcome for all 
applications for research and development grants to institutions of 
higher education supported by that agency.
    (b) Reporting of Data.--
            (1) The Director shall establish a policy to ensure 
        uniformity and standardization of data collection required 
        under subsection (a).
            (2) Not later than June 30, 2010, and annually thereafter, 
        each Federal science agency shall submit data collected under 
        subsection (a) to the National Science Foundation.
            (3) The National Science Foundation shall be responsible 
        for storing and publishing all of the grant data submitted 
        under paragraph (2) in conjunction with the biennial report 
        required under section 37 of the Science and Engineering Equal 
        Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d).

SEC. 7. PUBLICATION OF LIST OF INSTITUTIONAL PARTICIPATION IN WORKSHOPS 
              TO ENHANCE GENDER EQUITY IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE AND 
              ENGINEERING.

    The Director, on the basis of data reported by the Federal science 
agencies, shall publish annually a list of institutions of higher 
education science and engineering departments represented by 
individuals who attend the workshops described in section 4. The list 
shall be publicly available through the website of the Office of 
Science and Technology Policy. Any institution of higher education 
science and engineering department that is publicized on the list may 
publicize its receipt of such recognition on its website, in printed 
materials, or through other means.
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