[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5509 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5509
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
September 26, 2018
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants for
research about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related
workforce, 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 ``Innovations in Mentoring, Training,
and Apprenticeships Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) To remain competitive in the global economy, foster
greater innovation, and provide a foundation for shared
prosperity, the United States needs a workforce with the right
mix of skills to meet the diverse needs of the economy.
(2) Evidence indicates that the returns on investments in
technical skills in the labor market are strong when students
successfully complete their education and gain credentials
sought by employers.
(3) The responsibility for developing and sustaining a
skilled technical workforce is fragmented across many groups,
including educators, students, workers, employers, Federal,
State, and local governments, civic associations, and other
stakeholders. Such groups need to be able to coordinate and
cooperate successfully with each other.
(4) Coordination among students, community colleges,
secondary and post-secondary institutions, and employers would
improve educational outcomes.
(5) Promising experiments currently underway may guide
innovation and reform, but scalability of some of those
experiments has not yet been tested.
(6) Evidence suggests that integration of academic
education, technical skills development, and hands-on work
experience improves outcomes and return on investment for
students in secondary and post-secondary education and for
skilled technical workers in different career stages.
(7) Outcomes show that mentoring can increase STEM student
engagement and the rate of completion of STEM post-secondary
degrees.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION STEM INNOVATION AND APPRENTICESHIP
GRANTS.
(a) Establishment.--The Director of the National Science Foundation
shall award competitive grants to eligible entities in accordance with
this section.
(b) Coordination.--In carrying out this section, the Director shall
consult and cooperate with the programs and policies of other relevant
Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the
effectiveness of, the provision of grants under this section.
(c) Grants for Associate Degree Programs in STEM Fields.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall award competitive grants to community colleges
to develop or improve associate or certificate programs in STEM
fields in, with respect to the region in which the respective
college is located, an in-demand industry sector or occupation
(as defined in section 3(23)) of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(23))).
(2) Application.--In considering applications for grants
under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
(A) applicants that consist of a partnership
between the applying community college and individual
employers or an employer consortia, or industry or
sector partnerships, and may include a university or
other organization with demonstrated expertise in
academic program development;
(B) applications that demonstrate current and
future workforce demand in occupations directly related
to the proposed associate degree or certificate
program;
(C) applications that include commitments by the
partnering employers or employer consortia, or industry
or sector partnerships, to offer apprenticeships,
internships or other applied learning opportunities to
students enrolled in the proposed associate degree
program;
(D) applications that include outreach plans and
goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other
historically underrepresented individuals in STEM
studies and careers in the proposed associate degree
program; and
(E) applications that describe how the applying
community college will support the collection of
information and data for purposes of evaluation of the
proposed associate degree program.
(3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote
not less than $20,000,000 to awards described in this
subsection, which shall include not less than $5,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the
availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made
available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate.
This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise
appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
(d) Grants for STEM Degree Applied Learning Opportunities.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of
higher education partnering with employers or employer
consortia, or industry or sector partnerships, that commit to
offering apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities,
or applied learning experiences to enrolled university students
in identified STEM baccalaureate degree programs.
(2) Application.--In considering applications for grants
under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
(A) applicants that consist of a partnership
between--
(I) the applying university; and
(ii) individual employers or an employer
consortia, or industry or sector partnerships;
(B) applications that demonstrate current and
future workforce demand in occupations directly related
to selected STEM fields;
(C) applications that include outreach plans and
goals for recruiting and enrolling women and other
populations historically underrepresented in STEM; and
(D) applications that describe how the university
will support the collection and information of data for
purposes of the evaluation of identified STEM degree
programs.
(3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote
not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this
subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for
each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the
availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made
available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate.
This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise
appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
(e) Grants for Computer-Based and Online STEM Education Courses.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall award competitive grants to institutions of
higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct research
on student outcomes and determine best practices for STEM
education and technical skills education through distance
learning or in a simulated work environment.
(2) Research areas.--The research areas eligible for
funding under this subsection may include--
(A) post-secondary courses for technical skills
development for STEM occupations;
(B) improving high-school level career and
technical education in STEM subjects;
(C) encouraging and sustaining interest and
achievement levels in STEM subjects among women and
other populations historically underrepresented in STEM
studies and careers; and
(D) combining computer-based and online STEM
education and skills development with traditional
mentoring and other mentoring arrangements,
apprenticeships, internships, and other applied
learning opportunities.
(3) Funding.--The National Science Foundation shall devote
not less than $10,000,000 to awards described in this
subsection, which shall include not less than $2,500,000 for
each of fiscal years 2018 through 2021, subject to the
availability of appropriations, to come from amounts made
available for the Education and Human Resources Directorate.
This subsection shall be carried out using funds otherwise
appropriated by law after the date of enactment of this Act.
SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON EFFICIENCY OF SKILLED TECHNICAL LABOR MARKETS.
(a) Efficiency of Skilled Technical Labor Markets.--The Directorate
of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences of the National Science
Foundation, in coordination with the Secretary of Labor, shall support
research on labor market analysis innovations, data and information
sciences, electronic information tools and methodologies, and metrics.
(b) Comparison of United States Workforce.--
(1) Research.--The National Science Foundation shall
commission research that compares and contrasts skilled
technical workforce development between States and regions
within the United States and other developed countries,
including the diversity of skilled technical and professional
workforces, to the extent feasible.
(2) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall submit to Congress a report on the results of
the study under paragraph (1).
(c) Skilled Technical Workforce.--
(1) Review.--The National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics of the National Science Foundation shall
consult and coordinate with other relevant Federal statistical
agencies, including the Institution of Education Science, and
the Committee on Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics Education, to explore the feasibility of expanding
its surveys to include the collection of objective data on the
skilled technical workforce.
(2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall submit to Congress a report containing the
progress made in expanding the National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics surveys to include the skilled technical
workforce. Such report shall include a plan for multi-agency
collaboration in order to effect data collection and reporting
of data on the skilled technical workforce.
SEC. 5. SPENDING LIMITATION.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act and the amendments made by this Act, and this Act and such
amendments shall be carried out using amounts otherwise available for
such purpose.
SEC. 6. EVALUATION AND REPORT.
(a) Evaluation.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall evaluate the grants and programs provided
under this Act.
(2) Requirements.--In conducting the evaluation under
paragraph (1), the Director shall --
(A) use a common set of benchmarks and assessment
tools to identify best practices and materials
developed or demonstrated by the research conducted
pursuant to such grants and programs;
(B) include an assessment of the effectiveness of
the grant programs established under this Act in
expanding apprenticeships, internships, and other
applied learning opportunities offered by employers in
conjunction with community colleges and institutions of
higher education;
(C) assess the number of students who participated
in programs established under or pursuant to this Act;
(D) assess the percentage of students participating
in programs established under or pursuant to this Act
who successfully complete their education program; and
(E) assess the median earnings of students who have
completed a program with respect to which a grant was
awarded under section 3(c), as of the date that is two
calendar quarters after completing the program, as
practicable.
(b) Report on Evaluations.--Not later than 180 days after the
completion of the evaluation under subsection (a), the Director of the
National Science Foundation shall submit to Congress and make widely
available to the public a report that includes--
(1) the results of the evaluation; and
(2) any recommendations for legislative action that could
optimize the effectiveness of the grants and programs under
this Act.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out this section, the Director of
the Foundation shall consult the programs and policies of other
relevant Federal agencies to avoid duplication with, and enhance the
effectiveness of, the grants and programs under this Act.
(d) Submission to Secretary of Education.--On the date on which the
report is submitted under subsection (b), the Director of the National
Science Foundation shall also submit to the Secretary of Education a
copy of the report.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, including computer science.
(2) Community college.--The term ``community college'' has
the meaning given the term ``junior and community college'' in
section 312 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1058).
(3) Region.--The term ``region'' means a labor market area,
as such term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).
(4) Skilled technical workforce.--The term ``skilled
technical workforce'' means workers with high school diplomas
and two-year technical
training or certifications who employ significant levels of
STEM knowledge in their jobs.
Passed the House of Representatives September 25, 2018.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.