[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1020 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1020

 To define STEM education to include computer science, and to support 
  existing STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 20, 2015

Mr. Smith of Texas (for himself, Ms. Esty, Mrs. Comstock, Mr. Lipinski, 
Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Hultgren, Mr. Bucshon, and Mr. Collins of New York) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                     Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To define STEM education to include computer science, and to support 
  existing STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation.

    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 ``STEM Education Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF STEM EDUCATION.

    For purposes of carrying out STEM education activities at the 
National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the term ``STEM 
education'' means education in the subjects of science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.

SEC. 3. INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION.

    (a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation, 
through the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, shall 
continue to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support--
            (1) research and development of innovative out-of-school 
        STEM learning and emerging STEM learning environments in order 
        to improve STEM learning outcomes and engagement in STEM; and
            (2) research that advances the field of informal STEM 
        education.
    (b) Uses of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this 
section may encompass a single STEM discipline, multiple STEM 
disciplines, or integrative STEM initiatives and shall include--
            (1) research and development that improves our 
        understanding of learning and engagement in informal 
        environments, including the role of informal environments in 
        broadening participation in STEM; and
            (2) design and testing of innovative STEM learning models, 
        programs, and other resources for informal learning 
        environments to improve STEM learning outcomes and increase 
        engagement for K-12 students, K-12 teachers, and the general 
        public, including design and testing of the scalability of 
        models, programs, and other resources.

SEC. 4. NOYCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Amendments.--Section 10A of the National Science Foundation 
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1a) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by inserting ``or bachelor's'' 
        after ``master's'';
            (2) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph 
                (2)(B);
                    (B) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by inserting ``for teachers with 
                        master's degrees in their field'' after 
                        ``Teaching Fellowships''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end of 
                        subparagraph (B) and inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(4) in the case of National Science Foundation Master 
        Teaching Fellowships for teachers with bachelor's degrees in 
        their field and working toward a master's degree--
                    ``(A) offering academic courses leading to a 
                master's degree and leadership training to prepare 
                individuals to become master teachers in elementary and 
                secondary schools; and
                    ``(B) offering programs both during and after 
                matriculation in the program for which the fellowship 
                is received to enable fellows to become highly 
                effective mathematics and science teachers, including 
                mentoring, training, induction, and professional 
                development activities, to fulfill the service 
                requirements of this section, including the 
                requirements of subsection (e), and to exchange ideas 
                with others in their fields.'';
            (3) in subsection (e), by striking ``subsection (g)'' and 
        inserting ``subsection (h)'';
            (4) by redesignating subsections (g) through (i) as 
        subsections (h) through (j), respectively; and
            (5) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(g) Support for Master Teaching Fellows While Enrolled in a 
Master's Degree Program.--A National Science Foundation Master Teacher 
Fellow may receive a maximum of 1 year of fellowship support while 
enrolled in a master's degree program as described in subsection 
(c)(4)(A), except that if such fellow is enrolled in a part-time 
program, such amount shall be prorated according to the length of the 
program.''.
    (b) Definition.--Section 10(i)(5) of the National Science 
Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1(i)(5)) is 
amended by inserting ``computer science,'' after ``means a science,''.
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