[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 34 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H2058-H2060]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SUPPORTING VETERANS IN STEM CAREERS ACT
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 425) to promote veteran involvement in STEM education,
computer science, and scientific research, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 425
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 ``Supporting Veterans in STEM
Careers Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Science Foundation.
(2) Foundation.--The term ``Foundation'' means the National
Science Foundation.
(3) STEM.--The term ``STEM'' has the meaning given the term
in section 2 of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of
2010 (42 U.S.C. 6621 note).
(4) Veteran.--The term ``veteran'' has the meaning given
the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.
SEC. 3. SUPPORTING VETERANS IN STEM EDUCATION AND COMPUTER
SCIENCE.
(a) Supporting Veteran Involvement in Scientific Research
and STEM Education.--The Director shall, through the research
and education activities of the Foundation, encourage
veterans to study and pursue careers in STEM and computer
science, in coordination with other Federal agencies that
serve veterans.
(b) Veteran Outreach Plan.--Not later than 180 days after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director shall submit
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a plan for how the
Foundation can enhance its outreach efforts to veterans. Such
plan shall--
(1) report on the Foundation's existing outreach
activities;
(2) identify the best method for the Foundation to leverage
existing authorities and programs to facilitate and support
veterans in STEM careers and studies, including teaching
programs; and
(3) include options for how the Foundation could track
veteran participation in research and education programs of
the Foundation, and describe any barriers to collecting such
information.
(c) National Science Board Indicators Report.--The National
Science Board shall provide in its annual report on
indicators of the state of science and engineering in the
United States any available and relevant data on veterans in
science and engineering careers or education programs.
(d) Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program Update.--
Section 10 of the National Science Foundation Authorization
Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(5)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) higher education programs that serve or support
veterans.'';
(2) in subsection (b)(2)(F)--
(A) by striking ``and students'' and inserting ``,
students''; and
(B) by inserting ``, and veterans'' before the period at
the end;
(3) in subsection (c)(2), by inserting ``and veterans''
before the period at the end; and
(4) in subsection (d)(2), by inserting ``and veterans''
before the period at the end.
(e) National Science Foundation Teaching Fellowships and
Master Teaching Fellowships Update.--Section 10A(d) of the
National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42
U.S.C. 1862n-1a(d)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3)(F)--
(A) by striking ``and individuals'' and inserting ``,
individuals''; and
(B) by inserting ``, and veterans'' before the period at
the end; and
(2) in paragraph (4)(B), by inserting ``and veterans''
before the period at the end.
(f) National Science Foundation Computer and Network
Security Capacity Building Grants Update.--Section 5(a) of
the Cyber Security Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C.
7404(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``and students who are
veterans'' after ``these fields''; and
(2) in paragraph (3)--
(A) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (J) as subparagraph (K);
and
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (I) the following:
``(J) creating opportunities for veterans to transition to
careers in computer and network security; and''.
(g) Graduate Traineeships in Computer and Network Security
Research Update.--Section 5(c)(6)(C) of the Cyber Security
Research and Development Act (15 U.S.C. 7404(c)(6)(C)) is
amended by inserting ``or veterans'' after ``disciplines''.
(h) Veterans and Military Families STEM Education
Interagency Working Group.--
(1) In general.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall establish an interagency working
group to coordinate Federal programs and policies for
transitioning and training veterans and military spouses for
STEM careers.
(2) Duties of interagency working group.--The interagency
working group established under paragraph (1) shall--
(A) coordinate any Federal agency STEM outreach activities
and programs for veterans and military spouses; and
(B) develop and facilitate the implementation by
participating agencies of a strategic plan, which shall--
(i) specify and prioritize short- and long-term objectives;
(ii) specify the common metrics that will be used by
Federal agencies to assess progress toward achieving such
objectives;
(iii) identify barriers veterans face in reentering the
workforce, including a lack of formal STEM education, career
guidance, and the process of transferring military credits
and skills to college credits;
(iv) identify barriers military spouses face in
establishing careers in STEM fields;
(v) describe the approaches that each participating agency
will take to address administratively the barriers described
in clauses (iii) and (iv); and
[[Page H2059]]
(vi) identify any barriers that require Federal or State
legislative or regulatory changes in order to be addressed.
(3) Duties of ostp.--The Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall encourage and monitor the efforts
of the Federal agencies participating in the interagency
working group to ensure that the strategic plan required
under paragraph (2)(B) is developed and executed effectively
and that the objectives of such strategic plan are met.
(4) Report.--The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall--
(A) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of
this Act, submit to Congress the strategic plan required
under paragraph (2)(B); and
(B) include in the annual report required by section 101(d)
of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act a description of
any progress made in carrying out the activities described in
paragraph (2)(B) of this subsection.
(5) Sunset.--The interagency working group established
under paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 5
years after the date that it is established.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) and the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.
General Leave
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative to revise and extend their remarks and include
extraneous material on H.R. 425, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 425, the Supporting Veterans
in STEM Careers Act.
I want to thank Mr. Dunn and Mr. Lamb for introducing this important
legislation.
Now, more than ever, U.S. global competitiveness depends on our
ability to grow and sustain a STEM-capable workforce poised to meet the
needs of the private sector. With an economy that is rapidly evolving
and increasingly reliant on big data automation and advanced
technologies, the workforce is struggling to keep up.
Although STEM careers offer good pay and job security, companies
across all sectors report having difficulty recruiting workers with the
skills that they need.
The good news is veterans and transitioning servicemembers represent
a group of highly trained individuals with STEM knowledge base and
skill sets employers need. The question is how to get more veterans to
produce STEM degrees and join the STEM workforce.
H.R. 425 addresses this question by supporting research to identify
and lower barriers for veterans transitioning from military to civilian
work environments. The bill directs the National Science Foundation to
develop a comprehensive plan for outreach to veterans with the goal of
increasing veteran participation in the agency STEM education and
research programs.
It also requires NSF, in its biennial Science and Engineering
Indicators report, to publish available data on veterans in STEM
studies and careers.
Further, the bill adds veterans as a target demographic for outreach
under several existing NSF programs, including the Robert Noyce Teacher
Scholarship Program.
Finally, H.R. 425 creates an interagency committee on veterans in
STEM and directs the creation of a strategic plan for transitioning and
training veterans and military spouses into STEM careers.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 425 will help us cement our global leadership by
ensuring more veterans with the STEM skills we need are able to
translate their talent into STEM careers. I strongly urge my colleagues
to support this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Dr. Neal Dunn and Congressman Conor Lamb
for their work to support our Nation's veterans.
H.R. 425 will help veterans put their training and experience in
military service to new and important uses and help America stay
competitive in research and innovation on a global scale.
In the last decade alone, jobs requiring some level of STEM expertise
have grown by more than 30 percent, including jobs that do not require
a bachelor's degree.
Nearly 7 million jobs are unfulfilled in the United States due to a
shortage of skilled workers, many in STEM and related fields.
In my State of Oklahoma, our universities estimate we have 2,000 open
engineering jobs. At the same time, veterans and transitioning
servicemembers represent a valuable, skilled talent pool from which to
meet this critical need.
H.R. 425 will improve outreach to veterans through the National
Science Foundation's programs to support and train STEM workers. We can
serve our veterans and help them translate their experience into
meaningful STEM work.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Lamb).
Mr. LAMB. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support veterans in STEM careers.
First, I would like to thank the gentleman from Florida, Dr. Dunn,
for his leadership in helping connect veterans to these good jobs.
Veterans are working today. Most Americans are working today. The
unemployment rate is low. And yet everywhere I go, I meet
businesspeople who tell me that they can't find the right workers for
the right jobs at the right time. If we could fix this, we would stop
being held back by the shortage of workforce that we face, and, most
importantly, our families would not be held back by lower paychecks.
But these new jobs in cybersecurity, in medical technology, in
advanced manufacturing, they are hard jobs and they require training.
{time} 1715
We need to make the training available to people where they live at a
cost that they can actually afford. We have no time to waste.
Our businesses are competing on a global stage against countries that
will use the full machinery of their governments to make sure their
workforces are ready. We need to meet their efforts with an even
greater one.
Luckily, we already have a workforce that will go anywhere and do
anything. When it comes to hard work, these folks are fearless. That is
the veteran population here in the United States.
Marine officers are trained that if we are given an order to move
that mountain over there, no sooner is the order completed than we are
leading 100 marines down the road with shovels.
I still have great faith in the ability of 100 marines with shovels,
but what we really need today are hundreds of thousands of veterans who
can 3D print those shovels, put them in the hands of robots, program
them to go down the road, and defend the entire network from foreign
intrusion.
These are the jobs of today and tomorrow. These are the jobs that
will support our families. Most importantly, these are the jobs that
will grow the new middle class.
We want to make sure veterans get these jobs. To do that, we are
going to use this bill to turn to the National Science Foundation. The
National Science Foundation was born in the aftermath of World War II
to make sure that we led the world in science and math, and the most
important advancements. We knew that if we did that, we could make our
country safe, healthy, and strong.
If we are going to continue that mission in the new generation, we
will need veterans to lead the way.
We do have a global competition on our hands, Mr. Speaker, and I know
we can win it if we have the veterans with us. This bill will help
them, and I urge all my colleagues to come together to pass it.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Dunn), one of the great proponents of veterans and a great
proponent of moving us forward in the scientific perspective in this
Congress.
Mr. DUNN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend from Oklahoma, Mr.
Lucas, for yielding to me.
[[Page H2060]]
H.R. 425, the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act, is about
helping expand veterans' job and education opportunities in the
sciences. The bill directs the National Science Foundation to develop a
veterans outreach plan and publish data on veterans' participation in
mathematics, science, and technology in its annual ``Science and
Engineering Indicators'' report.
The bill also updates the NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship
Program, its fellowship programs, and the cyber grant programs to
include outreach to veterans.
Additionally, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
is tasked with overseeing an interagency working group to examine how
to increase veteran participation in the STEM career fields, including
addressing any barriers for both servicemembers and their spouses.
In the next 5 years, between 1 million and 1.5 million members of the
Armed Forces will separate from the military, according to the
Department of Defense. Many of these veterans will be seeking new
careers, and by a great margin, veterans cite finding employment as
their number-one need when separating from Active-Duty service.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupations in STEM
fields are projected to grow to more than 9 million jobs by 2022.
Research shows that many military veterans already have skills and
training that align with STEM careers, particularly in the area of
information technology.
However, it also shows that veterans face many barriers as they
reenter the workforce, including a lack of formal certified STEM
education, career guidance, and the difficult task of transferring
military credits to civilian college credits.
Our Nation's veterans deserve every opportunity to transition to a
rewarding and successful civilian life. This bill will help all
servicemembers continue to serve our Nation in new ways by fulfilling
21st century jobs and keeping America on the cutting edge of
innovation.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamb, a fellow member of the
Science, Space, and Technology Committee and a Marine Corps veteran,
for cosponsoring this bipartisan legislation. And I salute my fellow
veterans on the Science, Space, and Technology Committee who joined me
in introducing this bill.
Last year, the House passed this legislation by an overwhelming
margin, but we did not make it across the finish line in the Senate.
This year, we have a bipartisan companion bill in the Senate,
introduced by my home State Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Amy
Klobuchar.
Mr. Speaker, I believe that now is the time to get this done to help
our Nation's veterans. I urge my colleagues to pass this bill and the
Senate to act on it and send H.R. 425 to the President's desk.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve the
balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers. I note that I
think the gentleman from Florida, Dr. Dunn, very eloquently summed it
up just moments ago. Veterans deserve every opportunity to transition
back and to utilize those skills.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Dr. Dunn for introducing this bill again, and we
will work hard to see this through to the end.
I thank Mr. Lamb for his comments. It is certainly something that I
have experienced, which is employers needing to find more workers. The
men and women who are coming out of our armed services have those
skills that are needed. We just need to give them a little more help to
get them connected. This bill does that.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Ms. JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 425, the
Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Act. I commend Mr. Dunn and Mr.
Lamb for their leadership in bringing this important legislation to the
floor. As Chair of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee I am
committed to supporting a strong STEM workforce. In light of increasing
global competition, we must do more to ensure workers are equipped with
the STEM skills and knowledge employers need.
Veterans are a highly trained and highly motivated group. They have
the skills, the determination, and the know-how to thrive in high-
paying, secure STEM careers. H.R. 425 directs the National Science
Foundation and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to leverage
existing data and programs to better support veterans in their
transition to the STEM workforce. We need all hands on deck if we are
to maintain our standing as the global leader in innovation. H.R. 425
is a good step in that direction. I urge my colleagues to join me in
support of this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Lipinski) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 425.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________