[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 156 (Tuesday, September 27, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5091-S5092]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5738. Mr. VAN HOLLEN (for himself and Mr. Tillis) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. 
Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) and intended to be proposed to the 
bill H.R. 7900, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2023 for 
military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place in title X, insert the following:

                       Subtitle __--HBCU RISE Act

     SEC. ___1. SHORT TITLE.

       This subtitle may be cited as the ``HBCU Research, 
     Innovation, Security, and Excellence Act'' or the ``HBCU RISE 
     Act''.

     SEC. ___2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds the following:
       (1) Historically Black colleges and universities hold a 
     unique position in the efforts of the United States to 
     diversify the science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics academic and workforce communities.
       (2) Although our Nation's historically Black colleges and 
     universities make up just 3 percent of the colleges and 
     universities in the United States, historically Black 
     colleges and universities graduate 25 percent of African-
     American students with baccalaureate degrees in the fields of 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
       (3) Historically Black colleges and universities are the 
     institution of origin for almost 30 percent of Black 
     graduates of science and engineering doctorate programs.
       (4) The health of the Department of Defense and the United 
     States research ecosystem relies on high quality researchers 
     from a diverse talent pool.
       (5) Historically Black colleges and universities have a 
     history of conducting high quality research in unique areas, 
     both providing impactful research outcomes and developing the 
     next generation of the research ecosystem, including by--
       (A) conducting high quality research in unique areas that 
     has enriched the Department of Defense research enterprise 
     and the United States research ecosystem;
       (B) strengthening and diversifying the United States 
     research ecosystem by increasing the number of students who 
     are students of diverse backgrounds from historically Black 
     colleges and universities with undergraduate or graduate 
     degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics; 
     and
       (C) fueling domestic and international collaborations that 
     led to trailblazing discoveries and innovative technologies.
       (6) In 2019, historically Black colleges and universities 
     received $371,000,000, or about 0.8 percent of the 
     $44,500,000,000 in Federal funding to institutions of higher 
     education for research and development. The amount of funding 
     for 2019 is a marked decrease from fiscal year 2018, when 
     historically Black colleges and universities received 
     $400,000,000 in Federal research and development funding (0.9 
     percent of the Federal funding to institutions of higher 
     education for such purposes).
       (7) There are no historically Black colleges and 
     universities designated as very high research activity 
     status, as classified by the Carnegie Classification of 
     Institutions of Higher Education.
       (8) Meaningfully investing in the research capacity of 
     historically Black colleges and universities is an investment 
     in our Nation's future and will help meet accelerating 
     science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce 
     demands and safeguard the national security interests of the 
     United States.

     SEC. ___3. PURPOSE.

       The purpose of the program established under this subtitle 
     is to provide additional pathways needed for further 
     increasing capacity at historically Black colleges and 
     universities to achieve and maintain very high research 
     activity status.

     SEC. ___4. DEFINITIONS.

       In this subtitle:
       (1) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible 
     institution'' means a historically Black college or 
     university that is classified as a high research activity 
     status institution at the time of application for a grant 
     under section 5.
       (2) High research activity status.--The term ``high 
     research activity status'' means R2 status, as classified by 
     the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher 
     Education.
       (3) Historically black college or university.--The term 
     ``historically Black college or university'' has the meaning 
     given the term ``part B institution'' under section 322 of 
     the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061).
       (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
     of Defense.
       (5) Very high research activity status.--The term ``very 
     high research activity status'' means R1 status, as 
     classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of 
     Higher Education.
       (6) Very high research activity status indicators.--The 
     term ``very high research activity status indicators'' means 
     the categories used by the Carnegie Classification of 
     Institutions of Higher Education to delineate which 
     institutions have very high activity status, including--
       (A) annual expenditures in science and engineering;
       (B) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in science and 
     engineering;
       (C) annual expenditures in non-science and engineering 
     fields;

[[Page S5092]]

       (D) per-capita (faculty member) expenditures in non-science 
     and engineering fields;
       (E) doctorates awarded in science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics fields;
       (F) doctorates awarded in social science fields;
       (G) doctorates awarded in the humanities;
       (H) doctorates awarded in other fields with a research 
     emphasis;
       (I) total number of research staff including postdoctoral 
     researchers;
       (J) other doctorate-holding non-faculty researchers in 
     science and engineering and per-capita (faculty) number of 
     doctorate-level research staff including post-doctoral 
     researchers; and
       (K) other categories utilized to determine classification.

     SEC. ___5. PROGRAM TO INCREASE CAPACITY TOWARD ACHIEVING VERY 
                   HIGH RESEARCH ACTIVITY STATUS AT HISTORICALLY 
                   BLACK COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES.

       (a) Program.--
       (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish and carry 
     out, using funds made available for research activities, a 
     pilot program to increase capacity at high research activity 
     status (R2) historically Black colleges and universities 
     toward achieving very high research activity status (R1) 
     during the grant period.
       (2) Recommendations.--In establishing such a program, the 
     Secretary may consider the recommendations pursuant to 
     section 262 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2020 (Public Law 116-92; 10 U.S.C. 2362 note) and 
     section 220 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
     Fiscal Year 2022 (Public Law 117-81).
       (b) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary shall award, on a 
     competitive basis, grants to eligible institutions to carry 
     out the activities under subsection (d)(1).
       (c) Application.--A eligible institution seeking a grant 
     under this section shall submit an application to the 
     Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
     information and assurances as the Secretary may require, 
     including a description of--
       (1) nascent research capabilities and research areas of 
     interest to the Department of Defense;
       (2) a plan for increasing the level of research activity 
     toward achieving very high research activity status 
     classification during the grant period, including measurable 
     milestones such as growth in very high research activity 
     status indicators and other relevant factors;
       (3) how such institution will sustain the increased level 
     of research activity after the conclusion of the grant 
     period; and
       (4) how the institution will evaluate and assess progress 
     with respect to the implementation of the plan under 
     paragraph (2).
       (d) Program Components.--
       (1) Use of funds.--An eligible institution that receives a 
     grant under this section shall use the grant funds to support 
     research activities with respect to research areas as 
     determined by the Secretary under paragraph (2), including--
       (A) faculty professional development;
       (B) stipends for undergraduate and graduate students and 
     post-doctoral scholars;
       (C) laboratory equipment and instrumentation;
       (D) recruitment and retention of faculty and graduate 
     students;
       (E) communication and dissemination of products produced 
     during the grant period;
       (F) construction, modernization, rehabilitation, or 
     retrofitting of facilities for research purposes; and
       (G) other activities necessary to build capacity in very 
     high research activity status indicators.
       (2) Strategic areas of scientific research.--The Secretary, 
     in consultation with the Defense Science Board, shall 
     establish and update on an annual basis a list of research 
     areas for which applicants can seek funding.
       (3) Research progress reporting.--Not later than 3 years 
     after receiving a grant under this section, and every 3 years 
     thereafter, an eligible institution shall submit to the 
     Secretary--
       (A) a report that includes an assessment by the 
     institution, using the criteria established under subsection 
     (c)(4), of the progress made by such institution with respect 
     to achieving very high research activity status indicators; 
     and
       (B) an updated plan described in subsection (c)(2).
       (4) Grant period.--A grant awarded under this section shall 
     be for a period of not more than 10 years, as determined by 
     the Secretary.
       (5) Expansion of eligibility.--The Secretary may award 
     grants under this section to historically Black colleges and 
     universities that are not eligible institutions if the 
     Secretary determines that the program can support such 
     colleges and universities while achieving the purpose of the 
     program described in this subtitle.
       (e) Evaluation.--Not later than 5 years after the date of 
     the enactment of this subtitle, the Secretary shall prepare 
     and submit a report to the Committee on Armed Services of the 
     Senate and the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
     Representatives providing an update on the pilot program, 
     including--
       (1) activities carried out under the pilot program;
       (2) an analysis of the growth in very high research 
     activity status indicators of eligible institutions that 
     received a grant under this section; and
       (3) emerging research areas of interest to the Department 
     of Defense conducted by eligible institutions that received a 
     grant under this section.
       (f) Termination.--The authority of the Secretary to award 
     grants under the pilot program established under this section 
     shall terminate 10 years after the date on which the 
     Secretary establishes such program.
       (g) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     termination of the pilot program under subsection (f), the 
     Secretary shall prepare and submit a report to the Committee 
     on Armed Services of the Senate and the Committee on Armed 
     Services of the House of Representatives on the pilot program 
     that includes the following elements:
       (1) An analysis of the growth in very high research 
     activity status indicators of eligible institutions that 
     received a grant under this section.
       (2) An evaluation on the effectiveness of the program in 
     increasing the research capacity of eligible institutions 
     that received a grant under this section.
       (3) A description of how institutions that have achieved 
     very high research activity status plan to sustain that 
     status beyond the duration of the program.
       (4) An evaluation of the maintenance of very high research 
     activity status by eligible institutions that received grant 
     under this section.
       (5) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the program in 
     increasing diversity of students conducting high quality 
     research in unique areas.
       (6) Recommendations with respect to further activities and 
     investments necessary to elevate the research status of 
     historically Black colleges and universities.
       (7) Recommendations on whether the program established 
     should be renewed or expanded.
                                 ______