[House Report 117-16]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


117th Congress }                                          { Report
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
 1st Session   }                                          { 117-16

======================================================================
 
                SUPPORTING EARLY-CAREER RESEARCHERS ACT

                                _______
                                

 April 14, 2021.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the 
              State of the Union and ordered to be printed

                                _______
                                

    Ms. Johnson of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and 
                  Technology, submitted the following

                              R E P O R T

                             together with

                            ADDITIONAL VIEWS

                        [To accompany H.R. 144]

    The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom 
was referred the bill (H.R. 144) to forestall the loss of 
research talent by establishing a temporary early career 
research fellowship program, having considered the same, 
reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that 
the bill as amended do pass.

                                CONTENTS

                                                                   Page
   I. Amendment.......................................................2
  II. Purpose of the Bill.............................................3
 III. Background and Need for the Legislation.........................3
  IV. Committee Hearings..............................................3
   V. Committee Consideration and Votes...............................4
  VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill.........................5
 VII. Section-By-Section Analysis (By Title and Section)..............5
VIII. Committee Views.................................................5
  IX. Cost Estimate...................................................5
   X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate.......................5
  XI. Compliance with Public Law 104-4 (Unfunded Mandates)............6
 XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations................6
XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives...........6
 XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement............................7
  XV. Duplication of Federal Programs.................................7
 XVI. Earmark Identification..........................................7
XVII. Applicability to the Legislative Branch.........................7
XVIII.Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law..........7

 XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, As Reported...........7
  XX. Proceedings of Full Committee Markup............................7
 XXI. Additional Views...............................................50

                              I. Amendment

    The amendment is as follows:
  Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

  This Act may be cited as the ``Supporting Early-Career Researchers 
Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

  Congress finds the following:
          (1) The Nation's universities and industrial research labs 
        are facing unprecedented budget pressure as part of the COVID-
        19 health crisis, resulting in considerably fewer openings for 
        research and teaching positions.
          (2) Emergency funding is needed to forestall the loss of 
        research talent likely to occur if early-career researchers are 
        forced to seek employment outside of research due to the sharp 
        economic decline caused by the COVID-19 health crisis.
          (3) The future of America's defense will rely on advanced 
        technologies to maintain its military superiority over its 
        rivals, including China. These technologies will require new 
        levels of scientific and engineering aptitude and 
        understanding. Early career researchers will play a critical 
        role in the development of these technologies, and the loss of 
        an entire generation of researchers due to the COVID-19 
        pandemic will be detrimental to the United States national 
        security.

SEC. 3. EARLY-CAREER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM.

  (a) In General.--The Director of the National Science Foundation may 
establish a 2-year pilot program to award grants to highly qualified 
early-career investigators to carry out an independent research program 
at the qualified institution of higher education chosen by such 
investigator, to last for a period not greater than 2 years.
  (b) Selection Process.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall select grantees under subsection (a) from among 
citizens, nationals, and lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens of 
the United States.
  (c) Outreach.--The Director shall conduct program outreach to recruit 
fellowship applicants--
          (1) from all regions of the country;
          (2) from historically underrepresented populations in the 
        fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; 
        and
          (3) who graduate from or intend to carry out research at a 
        variety of types of institutions of higher education, 
        including--
                  (A) Historically Black Colleges and Universities;
                  (B) Hispanic-Serving Institutions;
                  (C) Tribal Colleges and Universities; and
                  (D) institutions of higher education that are not 
                among the top 50 institutions in annual Federal funding 
                for research.
  (d) Special Consideration.--The Director shall give special 
consideration to an application from an individual who graduated from 
or is intending to carry out research at an institution of the type 
listed in subsection (c)(3).
  (e) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the conclusion of the 
second year of the pilot program, the Director shall submit a report to 
Congress that includes--
          (1) statistical summary data on fellowship awardees 
        disaggregated by race, ethnicity, gender, age, years since 
        completion of doctoral degree, and institution type;
          (2) an assessment, drawing on feedback from the research 
        community and other sources of information, of the 
        effectiveness of the pilot program for mitigating the loss of 
        research talent due to the pandemic; and
          (3) if determined effective, a plan for permanent 
        implementation of the pilot program.
  (f) Qualified Institution of Higher Education Defined.--The term 
``qualified institution of higher education'' means an institution of 
higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act 
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) that is inside the United States or a 
territory of the United States.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

  There is authorized to be appropriated to the Director of the 
National Science Foundation $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
through 2022 to carry out the activities in this Act.

                        II. Purpose of the Bill

    The purpose of the bill is to authorize the National 
Science Foundation to establish a two-year pilot program to 
award grants to highly qualified early-career investigators to 
carry out an independent research program at the institution of 
higher education of their choice.

              III. Background and Need for the Legislation

    The COVID-19 crisis has created unprecedented disruptions 
to U.S. academic research. The Council on Governmental 
Relations, an association of almost 200 U.S. universities and 
research institutes, recently released a report presenting a 
model for estimating research output loss and quantifying the 
financial impacts of the COVID 19 pandemic on research 
activities. The model is designed to account for factors such 
as reduced work, lost laboratory supplies, and inability to 
travel under differing impact and recovery scenarios. The 
report uses five case studies to illustrate the state of 
research under what it terms the new ``pandemic normal,'' and 
projects research output losses between March 2020 and February 
2021 at individual institutions ranging between 20% and 40% and 
a financial impact in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The 
report also projects a potential impact in the tens of billions 
of dollars across the U.S. research enterprise.
    Across the board, campus closures and social distancing 
requirements have significantly altered how researchers do 
their work. Researchers forced to work remotely or under 
stringent social distancing requirements are experiencing 
significant delays in achieving their research aims. Students 
are also experiencing reduced access to professional 
development, networking, and hands-on training. For students, 
postdocs, and junior faculty, disruptions caused by the COVID 
crisis come at a critical juncture in their career and may have 
long-lasting impacts.
    Faced with reduced revenue and unanticipated costs related 
to the pandemic, universities have been forced to withdraw job 
offers, furlough and lay off workers, and implement hiring 
freezes. According to a recent analysis by Science magazine, 
faculty job openings at U.S. academic institutions were down by 
70% in October 2020. Hiring freezes in academia have 
substantially reduced the job prospects for early-career 
scientists in particular. Those failing to find an academic 
position are faced with the difficult decision to abandon their 
career goals in order to support themselves and their families. 
This potentially irreversible loss of talent from the research 
pipeline could have lasting negative consequences for U.S. 
innovation and economic competitiveness. Targeted support for 
early-career researchers is needed to prevent a significant 
loss of talent from the U.S academic research pipeline.

                         IV. Committee Hearings

    Pursuant to rule XIII clause 3, the Committee designates 
the following hearings as having been used to develop or 
consider the legislation:
    On February 25, 2021, the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology held a hearing entitled, ``Building Back the U.S. 
Research Enterprise: COVID Impacts and Recovery.'' The purpose 
of the hearing was to assess the near- and long-term impacts of 
the COVID-19 health crisis on the U.S. science and innovation 
enterprise. The Committee examined the steps taken to mitigate 
the spread of the virus and the consequences for research 
production, the pipeline of STEM talent, and U.S. economic 
competitiveness. The hearing was also an opportunity for 
Members to explore what is needed to recover from these 
setbacks and ensure the U.S. maintains its leadership role in 
science and innovation. Specifically, Committee Members heard 
testimony in support of the Research Investment to Spark the 
Economy (RISE) Act and the Supporting Early-Career Researchers 
Act. The Committee received testimony from: (1) Dr. Sudip 
Parikh, Chief Executive Officer, American Association for the 
Advancement of Science. (2) Dr. Christopher Keane, Vice 
President for Research, Washington State University. (3) Dr. 
Felice J. Levine, Executive Director, American Educational 
Research Association. (4) Mr. Thomas Quaadman, Executive Vice 
President, Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness, U.S. 
Chamber of Commerce.

                  V. Committee Consideration and Votes

    On January 4, 2021, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and 
Ranking Member Frank Lucas introduced H.R. 144, the Supporting 
Early-Career Researchers Act. The bill was referred to the 
House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
    On March 9, 2021, the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology met to consider H.R. 144. Mr. Garcia offered an 
amendment to insert a finding on the national security 
implications of losing a generation of researchers. The 
amendment was agreed to on a voice vote. Mr. Posey offered an 
amendment to require the National Science Foundation to issue 
grants only to grantees at institutions of higher education 
located inside the United States or a U.S. territory. The 
amendment was agreed to on a voice vote. Mr. Posey offered a 
second amendment to require the National Science Foundation to 
issue grants only to U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and 
lawfully admitted permanent residents. The amendment was agreed 
to on a recorded vote with 24 Members voting in support and 14 
Members voting in opposition. Ms. Moore offered an amendment to 
require a report on the success of the pilot program in 
mitigating the loss of research talent, to include data on the 
diversity of grantees. The amendment was agreed to on a voice 
vote. Mr. Bowman and Mr. Norcross offered an amendment to 
require the National Science Foundation to conduct outreach to 
ensure a diverse applicant pool and give special consideration 
to applicants who graduated from or intend to carry out their 
research at minority serving institutions and institutions not 
among the top 50 in annual Federal research funding. The 
amendment was agreed to on a voice vote.
    Chairwoman Johnson moved that the Committee favorably 
report H.R. 144, as amended, to the House of Representatives 
with the recommendation that the bill be approved. The motion 
was agreed to by a voice vote.

              VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill

    Authorizes the National Science Foundation to establish a 
two-year pilot program to award grants to highly qualified 
early-career investigators to carry out an independent research 
program at the institution of higher education chosen by such 
investigator.

        VII. Section-by-Section Analysis (By Title and Section)


Section 1. Short title

Section 2. Findings

Section 3. Directs the National Science Foundation to establish a 2-
        year pilot program to support early career scientists to 
        conduct research for up to 2 years at the institution of their 
        choice

Section 4. Authorizes $250 million in each of fiscal years 2021 and 
        2022 for the program

                         VIII. Committee Views

    The intent of this legislation is to establish a short-term 
program to mitigate the loss of domestic research talent due to 
the contraction of the academic research job market caused by 
the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee intends for the phrase 
``historically underrepresented populations in science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics''' to include women.

                           IX. Cost Estimate

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee adopts as its own the 
estimate of new budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax 
expenditures or revenues contained in the cost estimate 
prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 
pursuant to section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 
1974.

              X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate

                                     U.S. Congress,
                               Congressional Budget Office,
                                     Washington, DC, April 5, 2021.
Hon. Eddie Bernice Johnson,
Chairwoman Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
    Dear Madam Chairwoman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 144, the 
Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act.
    If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani 
Shankaran.
            Sincerely,
                                         Phillip L. Swagel,
                                                          Director.
    Enclosure.
    
    

    H.R. 144 would authorize the annual appropriation of $250 
million for 2021 and 2022 for the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) to establish a pilot program to award two-year grants to 
early-career researchers. The bill also would direct the NSF to 
report to the Congress on the results of the pilot program.
    For this estimate, CBO assumes that the legislation will be 
enacted in fiscal year 2021 and that the authorized amounts 
will be appropriated each year. Using information from the NSF, 
and based on historical spending patterns for similar programs, 
CBO estimates implementing H.R. 144 would cost $500 million 
over the 2021-2026 period. The costs of the legislation, 
detailed in Table 1, fall within budget function 250 (general 
science, space, and technology).

                                    TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER H.R. 144
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
                                                              ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                   2021         2022         2023         2024         2025         2026      2021-2026
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Authorization................................................          250          250            0            0            0            0          500
Estimated Outlays............................................           15          260          175           50            0            0          500
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Janani 
Shankaran. The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, 
Deputy Director of Budget Analysis.

                     XI. Federal Mandates Statement

    H.R. 144 contains no unfunded mandates.

         XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations

    The Committee's oversight findings and recommendations are 
reflected in the body of this report.

      XIII. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives

    The goal of the bill is to mitigate the loss of research 
talent due to the pandemic by authorizing the National Science 
Foundation to establish a two-year pilot program to award 
grants to highly qualified early-career investigators to carry 
out an independent research program at the institution of 
higher education of their choice.

               XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement

    H.R. 144, does not create any advisory committees.

                  XV. Duplication of Federal Programs

    Pursuant to clause 3(c)(5) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 
House of Representatives, the Committee finds that no provision 
of H.R. 144 establishes or reauthorizes a program of the 
federal government known to be duplicative of another federal 
program, including any program that was included in a report to 
Congress pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139 or the 
most recent Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance.

                      XVI. Earmark Identification

    Pursuant to clause 9(e), 9(f), and 9(g) of rule XXI, the 
Committee finds that H.R. 144 contains no earmarks, limited tax 
benefits, or limited tariff benefits.

             XVII. Applicability to the Legislative Branch

    The Committee finds that H.R. 144 does not relate to the 
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services 
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of 
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).

     XVIII. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law

    This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or 
tribal law.

       XIX. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, As Reported

    This legislation does not amend any existing Federal 
statute.

              XX. Proceedings of the Full Committee Markup



                         XXI. Additional Views

    I offer additional remarks on the March 9th, 2021 Science, 
Space, and Technology Committee markup. Though I was 
participating in the markup, due to technical issues with the 
WebEx platform, I was unable to cast my vote on the requested 
recorded vote of Posey Amendment 43 to H.R. 144, the Supporting 
Early-Career Researchers Act. Had I been able to do so, I would 
have voted Aye on this amendment. I would also like to record 
my overall support for H.R. 144. This bipartisan bill addresses 
a key need for our STEM workforce and early career researchers 
in Pennsylvania and across the country during and in the wake 
of the COVID 19 pandemic.
                                                   Rep. Susan Wild.

                                  [all]