[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 200 (Wednesday, December 19, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7947-S7949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INNOVATIONS IN MENTORING, TRAINING, AND APPRENTICESHIPS ACT
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation be discharged from
the further consideration of H.R. 5509 and the Senate proceed to its
immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (H.R. 5509) to direct the National Science
Foundation to provide grants for research about STEM
education approaches and the STEM-related workforce, and for
other purposes.
There being no objection, the committee was discharged, and the
Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Thune
substitute amendment at the desk be considered and agreed to and the
bill, as amended, be considered read a third time.
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S7947, December 19, 2018, in the third column, the
following appears: Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask unanimous
consent that the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation be discharged from the further consideration of
H.R. 5509 and the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows: A bill (H.R. 5509) to
direct the National Science Foundation to provide grants for
research about STEM education approaches and the STEM-related
workforce, and for other purposes. There being no objection, the
committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded to consider the
bill. Mr. DAINES. Mr. President, I ask . . .
The online Record has been corrected to read: Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr.
President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation be discharged from the further
consideration of H.R. 5509 and the Senate proceed to its
immediateconsideration. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will
report the bill by title. The legislative clerk read as follows: A
bill (H.R. 5509) to direct the National Science Foundation to
provide grants for research about STEM education approaches and
the STEM-related workforce, and for other purposes. There being no
objection, the committee was discharged, and the Senate proceeded
to consider the bill. Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask . . .
========================= END NOTE =========================
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 4172) in the nature of a substitute was agreed to,
as follows:
(Purpose: In the nature of a substitute)
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
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.
[[Page S7948]]
(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.
Section 3 of the Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of
1992 (42 U.S.C. 1862i) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) as
subsections (g) through (j), respectively;
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following:
``(d) Grants for Associate Degree Programs in STEM
Fields.--
``(1) In-demand workforce grants.--The Director shall award
grants to junior or community colleges to develop or improve
associate degree or certificate programs in STEM fields, with
respect to the region in which the respective college is
located, and an in-demand industry sector or occupation.
``(2) Applications.--In considering applications for grants
under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
``(A) applications that consist of a partnership between
the applying junior or 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 or certificate program;
``(D) applications that include outreach plans and goals
for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented
populations in STEM fields in the proposed associate degree
or certificate program; and
``(E) applications that describe how the applying junior or
community college will support the collection of information
and data for purposes of evaluation of the proposed associate
degree or certificate program.
``(e) Grants for STEM Degree Applied Learning
Opportunities.--
``(1) In general.--The Director shall award grants to
institutions of higher education partnering with private
sector employers or private sector employer consortia, or
industry or sector partnerships, that commit to offering
apprenticeships, internships, research opportunities, or
applied learning experiences to enrolled students in
identified STEM baccalaureate degree programs.
``(2) Purposes.--Awards under this subsection may be used--
``(A) to develop curricula and programs for apprenticeship,
internships, research opportunities, or applied learning
experiences; or
``(B) to provide matching funds to incentivize partnership
and participation by private sector employers and industry.
``(3) Applications.--In considering applications for grants
under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize--
``(A) applicants that consist of a partnership between--
``(i) the applying institution of higher education; 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 the
identified STEM fields;
``(C) applications that include outreach plans and goals
for recruiting and enrolling women and other underrepresented
populations in STEM fields; and
``(D) applications that describe how the institution of
higher education will support the collection and information
of data for purposes of the evaluation of identified STEM
degree programs.
``(f) 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) in subsection (a)(3)(A), by striking the comma and
inserting a semicolon;
(4) in subsection (c)(1)(B)(iv), by striking ``subsection
(f)(3)'' and inserting ``subsection (i)(3)'';
(5) in subsection (h), as redesignated--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``Limitation on Funding''
and inserting ``Funding'';
(B) by inserting ``(3) Limitation on funding.--'' before
``To qualify'' and indenting appropriately; and
(C) by inserting before paragraph (3), as redesignated, the
following:
``(1) Funding.--The Director shall allocate out of amounts
made available for the Education and Human Resources
Directorate--
``(A) up to $5,000,000 to carry out the activities under
subsection (d) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022,
subject to the availability of appropriations;
``(B) up to $2,500,000 to carry out the activities under
subsection (e) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022,
subject to the availability of appropriations; and
``(C) up to $2,500,000 to carry out the activities under
subsection (f) for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2022,
subject to the availability of appropriations.
``(2) Limitation on funding.--Amounts made available to
carry out subsections (d), (e), and (f) shall be derived from
amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to the
National Science Foundation.''; and
(6) in subsection (j), as redesignated--
(A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``; and'' and inserting a
semicolon;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (7); and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following:
``(5) the term `in-demand industry sector or occupation'
has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102);
``(6) the term `junior or community college' has the
meaning given the term in section 312 of the Higher Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058);''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following:
``(8) the term `region' means a labor market area, as that
term is defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and
Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); and
``(9) the terms `mathematics, science, engineering, or
technology' or `STEM' mean science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics, including computer science.''.
SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON EFFICIENCY OF SKILLED TECHNICAL LABOR
MARKETS.
(a) Efficiency of Skilled Technical Labor Markets.--The
Director of the National Science Foundation, working through
the Directorate of Social, Behavioral & Economic Sciences, 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) 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 Institute of Education
Sciences of the Department of Education, and the Committee on
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education
of the National Science and Technology Council established
under section 101 of the America COMPETES Act of 2010 (Public
Law 111-358), 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 on the progress
made in expanding the National Center for Science and
Engineering Statistics surveys to include the skilled
technical workforce, including a plan for multi-agency
collaboration to improve data collection and reporting of
data on the skilled technical workforce.
(3) Definition of 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.
SEC. 5. 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 grant programs established
under subsections (d), (e), and (f) of section 3 of the
Scientific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C.
1862i), as amended by this Act.
(2) Requirements.--In conducting the evaluation under
paragraph (1), the Director shall--
[[Page S7949]]
(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 under subsection (f) of that section;
(B) include an assessment of the effectiveness of the grant
programs in expanding apprenticeships, internships, and other
applied learning opportunities offered by employers in
conjunction with junior or community colleges, or
institutions of higher education, as applicable;
(C) assess the number of students who participated in the
grant programs; and
(D) assess the percentage of students participating in the
grant programs who successfully complete their education
programs.
(b) Report on Evaluations.--Not later than 180 days after
the date the evaluation under subsection (a) is complete, the
Director of the National Science Foundation shall submit to
Congress and the Secretary of Education, and make widely
available to the public, a report on the results of the
evaluation, including any recommendations for legislative
action that could optimize the effectiveness of the grant
programs.
The amendment was ordered to be engrossed and the bill to be read a
third time.
The bill was read the third time.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I know of no other further debate on the
bill.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there further debate on the bill?
Hearing none, the bill having been read the third time, the question
is, Shall the bill pass?
The bill (H.R. 5509), as amended, was passed.
Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the motion
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
____________________