[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 889 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 889
To provide for fulfilling the potential of women in academic science
and engineering, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 2, 2011
Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas (for herself, Mr. Stark, Mr. Reyes,
Mr. Markey, Ms. Edwards, Ms. Fudge, Mr. Honda, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Tonko,
Mr. Holt, Mr. Wu, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms.
Woolsey, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. Grijalva, and Ms. Norton)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for fulfilling the potential of women in academic science
and engineering, and for other purposes.
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 ``Fulfilling the Potential of Women in
Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Many reports over the past decade have found that it is
critical to our Nation's economic leadership and global
competitiveness that we educate and train more scientists and
engineers.
(2) In its 2007 report entitled ``Beyond Bias and
Barriers'', the National Academies stated that, in order to
maintain its scientific and engineering leadership amid
increasing economic and educational globalization, the United
States must aggressively pursue the innovative capacity of all
of its people--women and men.
(3) Research shows that the number of women who are
interested in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) careers is reduced at every educational transition, from
high school on through full professorships.
(4) According to data compiled by National Science
Foundation in 2006, women now earn about half of all science
and engineering bachelor's degrees, but major variations
persist among fields. For example, women still receive only 20
percent of all bachelor's degrees awarded in engineering and
physics.
(5) Even in science and engineering fields with a higher
representation of women, such as the social and behavioral
sciences, women remain underrepresented among university
faculty. According to data compiled by the National Science
Foundation, for over 30 years women have made up over 30
percent of the doctorates in social sciences and behavioral
sciences and over 20 percent in the life sciences. Yet, at the
top research institutions, only 15.4 percent of the full
professors in the social and behavioral sciences and 14.8
percent in the life sciences are women.
(6) Across fields, women remain a small portion of the
science and engineering faculty members at major research
universities, and they typically receive fewer institutional
resources for their research activities than their male
colleagues.
(7) Studies have not found any significant biological
differences between men and women in performing science and
mathematics that can account for the lower representation of
women in academic faculty and scientific leadership positions
in these fields.
(8) A substantial body of evidence establishes that most
people hold implicit biases. Decades of cognitive psychology
research reveals that most people carry prejudices of which
they are unaware but that nonetheless play a large role in
evaluations of people and their work. Unintentional biases and
outmoded institutional structures are hindering the access for
women to, and advancement of women in, science and engineering.
(9) Workshops held to educate faculty about unintentional
biases have demonstrated success in raising awareness of such
biases.
(10) The Federal Government provides over 60 percent of
research funding at institutions of higher education, and
through its grant making policies has had significant influence
on institution of higher education policies, including policies
related to institutional culture and structure.
SEC. 3. FULFILLING THE POTENTIAL OF WOMEN IN ACADEMIC SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING.
(a) Definitions.--In this section--
(1) the term ``Federal science agency'' means any Federal
agency that is responsible for at least 2 percent of total
Federal research and development funding to institutions of
higher education, according to the most recent data available
from the National Science Foundation;
(2) the term ``institution of higher education'' has the
meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a));
(3) the term ``STEM'' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics; and
(4) the term ``United States'' means the several States,
the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, and any other territory or possession
of the United States.
(b) Workshops To Enhance Gender Equity in Academic Science and
Engineering.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science
and Technology Policy shall develop a uniform policy for all
Federal science agencies to carry out a program of workshops
that educate program officers, members of grant review panels,
institution of higher education STEM department chairs, and
other federally funded researchers about methods that minimize
the effects of gender bias in evaluation of Federal research
grants and in the related academic advancement of actual and
potential recipients of these grants, including hiring, tenure,
promotion, and selection for any honor based in part on the
recipient's research record.
(2) Interagency coordination.--The Director of the Office
of Science and Technology Policy shall ensure that programs of
workshops across the Federal science agencies are coordinated
and supported jointly as appropriate. As part of this process,
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
shall ensure that at least 1 workshop is supported every 2
years among the Federal science agencies in each of the major
science and engineering disciplines supported by those
agencies.
(3) Organizations eligible to carry out workshops.--Federal
science agencies may carry out the program of workshops under
this subsection by making grants to eligible organizations. In
addition to any other organizations made eligible by the
Federal science agencies, the following organizations are
eligible for grants under this subsection:
(A) Nonprofit scientific and professional societies
and organizations that represent one or more STEM
disciplines.
(B) Nonprofit organizations that have the primary
mission of advancing the participation of women in
STEM.
(4) Characteristics of workshops.--The workshops shall have
the following characteristics:
(A) Invitees to workshops shall include at least--
(i) the chairs of departments in the
relevant discipline from at least the top 50
institutions of higher education, as determined
by the amount of Federal research and
development funds obligated to each institution
of higher education in the prior year based on
data available from the National Science
Foundation;
(ii) members of any standing research grant
review panel appointed by the Federal science
agencies in the relevant discipline;
(iii) in the case of science and
engineering disciplines supported by the
Department of Energy, the individuals from each
of the Department of Energy National
Laboratories with personnel management
responsibilities comparable to those of an
institution of higher education department
chair; and
(iv) Federal science agency program
officers in the relevant discipline, other than
program officers that participate in comparable
workshops organized and run specifically for
that agency's program officers.
(B) Activities at the workshops shall include
research presentations and interactive discussions or
other activities that increase the awareness of the
existence of gender bias in the grant-making process
and the development of the academic record necessary to
qualify as a grant recipient, including recruitment,
hiring, tenure review, promotion, and other forms of
formal recognition of individual achievement, and
provide strategies to overcome such bias.
(C) Research presentations and other workshop
programs, as appropriate, shall include a discussion of
the unique challenges faced by women who are members of
historically underrepresented groups.
(D) Workshop programs shall include information on
best practices and the value of mentoring undergraduate
and graduate women students as well as outreach to
girls earlier in their STEM education.
(5) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy shall transmit
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
report evaluating the effectiveness of the program
carried out under this subsection to reduce gender bias
towards women engaged in research funded by the Federal
Government. The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall include in this report any
recommendations for improving the evaluation process
described in subparagraph (B).
(B) Minimum criteria for evaluation.--In
determining the effectiveness of the program, the
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
shall consider, at a minimum--
(i) the rates of participation by invitees
in the workshops authorized under this
subsection;
(ii) the results of attitudinal surveys
conducted on workshop participants before and
after the workshops;
(iii) any relevant institutional policy or
practice changes reported by participants; and
(iv) for individuals described in paragraph
(4)(A) (i) or (iii) who participated in at
least 1 workshop 3 or more years prior to the
due date for the report, trends in the data for
the department represented by the chair or
employee including faculty data related to
gender as described in section 4.
(C) Institutional attendance at workshops.--As part
of the report under subparagraph (A), the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall
include a list of institutions of higher education
science and engineering departments whose
representatives attended the workshops required under
this subsection.
(6) Minimizing costs.--To the extent practicable, workshops
shall be held in conjunction with national or regional
disciplinary meetings to minimize costs associated with
participant travel.
(c) Extended Research Grant Support and Interim Technical Support
for Caregivers.--
(1) Policies for caregivers.--Not later than 6 months after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office
of Science and Technology Policy shall develop a uniform policy
to--
(A) extend the period of grant support for
federally funded researchers who have caregiving
responsibilities; and
(B) provide funding for interim technical staff
support for federally funded researchers who take a
leave of absence for caregiving responsibilities.
(2) Report.--Upon developing the policy required under
paragraph (1), the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall transmit a copy of the policy to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate.
(d) Collection of Data on Federal Research Grants.--
(1) In general.--Each Federal science agency shall collect
standardized annual composite information on demographics,
field, award type and budget request, review score, and funding
outcome for all applications for research and development
grants to institutions of higher education supported by that
agency.
(2) Reporting of data.--
(A) The Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall establish a policy to ensure
uniformity and standardization of data collection
required under paragraph (1).
(B) Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, each
Federal science agency shall submit data collected
under paragraph (1) to the National Science Foundation.
(C) The National Science Foundation shall be
responsible for storing and publishing all of the grant
data submitted under subparagraph (B), disaggregated
and cross-tabulated by race, ethnicity, and gender, in
conjunction with the biennial report required under
section 37 of the Science and Engineering Equal
Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d).
(e) Publication of List of Institutional Participation in Workshops
To Enhance Gender Equity in Academic Science and Engineering.--The
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, on the basis
of data reported by the Federal science agencies, shall publish
annually a list of institutions of higher education science and
engineering departments represented by individuals who attend the
workshops described in this section. The list shall be publicly
available through the Web site of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy. Any institution of higher education science and engineering
department that is publicized on the list may publicize its receipt of
such recognition on its Web site, in printed materials, or through
other means.
SEC. 4. COLLECTION OF DATA ON DEMOGRAPHICS OF FACULTY.
(a) Collection of Data.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall report, in conjunction with the biennial report
required under section 37 of the Science and Engineering Equal
Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d), statistical summary data on the
demographics of STEM discipline faculty at institutions of higher
education in the United States, disaggregated and cross-tabulated by
race, ethnicity, and gender. At a minimum, the Director shall
consider--
(1) the number and percent of faculty by gender, race, and
age;
(2) the number and percent of faculty at each rank, by
gender, race, and age;
(3) the number and percent of faculty who are in nontenure-
track positions, including teaching and research, by gender,
race, and age;
(4) the number of faculty who are reviewed for promotion,
including tenure, and the percentage of that number who are
promoted, by gender, race, and age;
(5) faculty years in rank by gender, race, and age;
(6) faculty attrition by gender, race, and age;
(7) the number and percent of faculty hired by rank,
gender, race, and age; and
(8) the number and percent of faculty in leadership
positions, including endowed or named chairs, serving on
promotion and tenure committees, by gender, race, and age.
(b) Recommendations.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall solicit input and recommendations from relevant
stakeholders, including representatives from institutions of higher
education and nonprofit organizations, on the collection of data
required under subsection (a), including the development of standard
definitions on the terms and categories to be used in the collection of
such data.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science Foundation
shall submit a report to Congress on how the National Science
Foundation will gather the demographic data on STEM faculty,
including--
(1) a description of the data to be reported and the
sources of those data;
(2) justification for the exclusion of any data described
in paragraph (1); and
(3) a list of the definitions for the terms and categories,
such as ``faculty'' and ``leadership positions'', to be applied
in the reporting of all data described in paragraph (1).
<all>