[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.
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