[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2587 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2587

   To provide for Federal agencies and employees to support science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities in 
                              classrooms.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 28, 2013

  Mr. Connolly (for himself and Mr. Kilmer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government 
     Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the 
 Workforce, 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 provide for Federal agencies and employees to support science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) activities in 
                              classrooms.

    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 ``Planting STEM in the Classroom 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States has traditionally produced the 
        world's leading innovators in the science, technology, 
        engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
            (2) Numerous studies show that STEM-related innovations 
        fueled more than half of the Nation's economic growth over the 
        past half century.
            (3) The number of STEM-related jobs grew 3 times as fast as 
        non-STEM-related jobs during the past 10 years and is forecast 
        to grow twice as fast over the next decade.
            (4) Recent reports on standardized testing show United 
        States students performing below average or average in 
        mathematics and science when compared with their international 
        peers.
            (5) President Obama has established the goal for the United 
        States to have the highest proportion of college graduates in 
        the world by 2020, which will require the Federal Government to 
        work with education partners to improve the quality of STEM 
        education at all levels to help increase the number of well-
        prepared graduates with STEM degrees by one-third over the next 
        10 years, resulting in an additional 1 million graduates with 
        STEM degrees.
            (6) President Obama has called for recruiting more teachers 
        and mentors in the STEM fields to better engage students, 
        particularly young women and minorities, and encourage them to 
        pursue degrees and careers in the STEM fields so the United 
        States can maintain its competitiveness in the global economy.
            (7) The Federal Government employs and supports through 
        research grants many of the world's leading scientists, 
        mathematicians, and engineers in every State.

SEC. 3. PROVIDING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES ENGAGED 
              IN STEM ACTIVITIES.

    The Office of Personnel Management, in consultation with the Office 
of Science and Technology Policy and the Department of Education, shall 
develop a policy to--
            (1) increase volunteerism in STEM education activities by 
        encouraging Federal employees engaged in STEM activities, 
        including scientists, engineers, and cybersecurity specialists 
        engaged in nonmilitary activities, from Federal agencies and 
        the federally funded research and development centers supported 
        by those agencies, to volunteer in STEM education activities by 
        providing administrative leave and support for such employees 
        to engage in such volunteerism; and
            (2) support increased communication and partnerships 
        between scientists and engineers from Federal science agencies 
        conducting nonmilitary scientific research and development, 
        including scientists and engineers of the federally funded 
        research and development centers supported by those agencies, 
        and elementary and secondary schools and teachers through 
        volunteerism in STEM education activities.

SEC. 4. CONDUCTING OUTREACH TO UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES.

    Each Federal science agency shall report to Congress the approaches 
that it will take to conduct outreach designed to promote widespread 
public understanding of career opportunities in the STEM fields 
specific to the workforce needs of that agency, including outreach to 
women, Latinos, African-Americans, Native Americans, and other students 
from groups underrepresented in STEM fields.

SEC. 5. ANNUAL REPORT.

    Not later than June 1, 2014, and annually thereafter, the Secretary 
of Education shall transmit a report to Congress detailing--
            (1) the number of volunteers and volunteer hours resulting 
        from this Act;
            (2) the number of schools, teachers, and students engaged 
        thereby; and
            (3) the methods of outreach used under this Act to serve 
        underrepresented communities.
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