[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4002 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4002

To require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
 to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research 
 agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
           postdoctoral researchers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2023

    Mrs. McClellan (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Kilmer, Ms. Lee of 
Pennsylvania, Ms. Tokuda, Ms. McCollum, Ms. Caraveo, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. 
Green of Texas, and Mr. Grijalva) introduced the following bill; which 
    was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
 to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research 
 agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
           postdoctoral researchers, 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 ``Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance 
American Resilience and Competitiveness in Higher Education and 
Research Act'' or the ``RESEARCHER Act''.

SEC. 2. POLICY GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL RESEARCH AGENCIES TO ADDRESS 
              FINANCIAL INSTABILITY OF GRADUATE RESEARCHERS AND 
              POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.

    (a) Definition.--In this section:
            (1) Institution of higher education.--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).
            (2) Graduate researchers.--The term ``graduate 
        researchers'' means individuals enrolled in a degree program 
        leading to an advanced degree who receive stipends or other 
        compensation to conduct research in any discipline at an 
        institution of higher education that is a recipient of Federal 
        funding.
            (3) Postdoctoral researchers.--The term ``postdoctoral 
        researchers'' means individuals in training-focused positions 
        who have received a doctoral degree or equivalent and receive 
        stipends or other compensation to conduct research in any 
        discipline at an institution of higher education that is a 
        recipient of Federal funding.
    (b) OSTP Guidelines.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than six months after the date 
        of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of 
        Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with the 
        National Science and Technology Council, the Committee on STEM 
        Education, PCAST, institutions of higher education, graduate 
        and postdoctoral organizations, and other relevant 
        stakeholders, shall develop a consistent set of policy 
        guidelines for Federal research agencies to address financial 
        instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral 
        researchers.
            (2) Requirements.--In developing the policy guidelines 
        under paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of Science and 
        Technology Policy shall include guidelines that address, to the 
        extent practicable, the following:
                    (A) Opportunities to increase stipends for graduate 
                researchers and postdoctoral researchers, including 
                indexing based on location and accounting for cost of 
                living adjustments.
                    (B) Opportunities to increase access to quality, 
                affordable medical, dental, and vision care.
                    (C) Opportunities to increase access to affordable 
                housing and transportation.
                    (D) Opportunities to reduce food insecurity.
                    (E) Opportunities to address costs of caring for 
                family members, including child care.
            (3) Application.--
                    (A) In general.--The Director of the Office of 
                Science and Technology Policy shall encourage and 
                monitor efforts of Federal research agencies to develop 
                and implement policies based on the policy guidelines 
                under paragraph (1).
                    (B) Federal research agency implementation.--Not 
                later than six months after receiving the policy 
                guidelines under paragraph (1), the head of each 
                Federal research agency shall--
                            (i) develop and implement policies with 
                        respect to financial instability of graduate 
                        researchers and postdoctoral researchers that 
                        are consistent with such policy guidelines; and
                            (ii) broadly disseminate such policies to 
                        current and potential recipients of research 
                        and development awards made by such agency.
            (4) Updates.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
        Technology Policy shall update the policy guidelines under 
        paragraph (1) as the Director determines necessary.
            (5) Report.--Not later than one year after the date after 
        the guidelines are submitted and every five years thereafter, 
        the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
        shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
        Technology, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and 
        the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate a report containing information 
        relating to the following:
                    (A) The policy guidelines under paragraph (1).
                    (B) Progress on the implementation of such 
                guidelines by Federal research agencies.
    (c) Data Collection.--The Research and Development, Competition, 
and Innovation Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117-167) is 
amended--
            (1) in section 10314(b) (42 U.S.C. 18994)--
                    (A) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (D), by striking 
                        ``and'' after the semicolon;
                            (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
                        subparagraph (F); and
                            (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (D) 
                        the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(E) graduate researcher and postdoctoral 
                researcher stipend amounts and financial instability 
                (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by 
                demographics); and''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(5) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Institution of higher education.--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).
                    ``(B) Graduate researchers.--The term `graduate 
                researchers' means individuals enrolled in a degree 
                program leading to an advanced degree who receive 
                stipends or other compensation to conduct research in 
                any discipline at an institution of higher education 
                that is a recipient of Federal funding.
                    ``(C) Postdoctoral researchers.--The term 
                `postdoctoral researchers' means individuals in 
                training-focused positions who have received a doctoral 
                degree or equivalent and receive stipends or other 
                compensation to conduct research in any discipline at 
                an institution of higher education that is a recipient 
                of Federal funding.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (1) of section 10502(a) (42 U.S.C. 
        19152(a)), by inserting ``graduate and postdoctoral research 
        stipend amounts (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by 
        demographics),'' before ``and awarded budget''.
    (d) Data on Financial Instability of Graduate Researchers and 
Postdoctoral Researchers.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions 
of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such 
institutions or organizations) to collect and analyze data on financial 
instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers 
(disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demographics).
    (e) National Academies Assessment.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
        Foundation shall enter into an agreement with the National 
        Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to undertake a 
        study and issue a report on the status of financial instability 
        of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers. To the 
        extent feasible, the study shall include an assessment 
        (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demographics) at 
        a minimum of the immediately preceding five years of the 
        following:
                    (A) Stipends relative to average local medical, 
                dental, and vision expenses.
                    (B) Stipends relative to average local housing and 
                transportation costs.
                    (C) Stipends relative to average local food costs.
                    (D) Stipends relative to average local costs of 
                caring for family members, including child care costs.
            (2) Report.--Not later than two years after the date on 
        which the agreement between the Director of the National 
        Science Foundation and the National Academies of Sciences, 
        Engineering, and Medicine is entered into pursuant to paragraph 
        (1), the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and 
        Medicine shall submit to Committee on Science, Space, and 
        Technology, the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and 
        the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
        Transportation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
        and Pensions of the Senate a report containing the results of 
        the assessment under such paragraph and recommendations 
        relating thereto regarding how Federal agencies, Congress, 
        institutions of higher education, and other relevant entities 
        may address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
        postdoctoral researchers.
    (f) GAO Study.--Not later than three years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and the Committee on Energy 
and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report that--
            (1) assesses the degree to which Federal research agencies 
        have implemented the policy guidelines under subsection (b) and 
        the effectiveness of such implementation;
            (2) includes recommendations on potential changes to 
        practices and policies to improve such guidelines and such 
        implementation; and
            (3) includes recommendations on additional data collection 
        and research needed to monitor progress on reducing financial 
        instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral 
        researchers.
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