[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5031 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5031
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 15, 2014
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To define STEM education to include computer science, and to support
existing STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation.
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 ``STEM Education Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITION OF STEM EDUCATION.
For purposes of carrying out STEM education activities at the
National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the term ``STEM
education'' means education in the subjects of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, including other academic subjects that
build on these disciplines such as computer science.
SEC. 3. INFORMAL STEM EDUCATION.
(a) Grants.--The Director of the National Science Foundation,
through the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, shall
continue to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support--
(1) research and development of innovative out-of-school
STEM learning and emerging STEM learning environments in order
to improve STEM learning outcomes and engagement in STEM; and
(2) research that advances the field of informal STEM
education.
(b) Uses of Funds.--Activities supported by grants under this
section may encompass a single STEM discipline, multiple STEM
disciplines, or integrative STEM initiatives and shall include--
(1) research and development that improves our
understanding of learning and engagement in informal
environments, including the role of informal environments in
broadening participation in STEM; and
(2) design and testing of innovative STEM learning models,
programs, and other resources for informal learning
environments to improve STEM learning outcomes and increase
engagement for K-12 students, K-12 teachers, and the general
public, including design and testing of the scalability of
models, programs, and other resources.
SEC. 4. NOYCE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AMENDMENTS.
(a) Amendments.--Section 10A of the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1a) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by inserting ``or bachelor's''
after ``master's'';
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph
(2)(B);
(B) in paragraph (3)--
(i) by inserting ``for teachers with
master's degrees in their field'' after
``Teaching Fellowships''; and
(ii) by striking the period at the end of
subparagraph (B) and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(4) in the case of National Science Foundation Master
Teaching Fellowships for teachers with bachelor's degrees in
their field and working toward a master's degree--
``(A) offering academic courses leading to a
master's degree and leadership training to prepare
individuals to become master teachers in elementary and
secondary schools; and
``(B) offering programs both during and after
matriculation in the program for which the fellowship
is received to enable fellows to become highly
effective mathematics and science teachers, including
mentoring, training, induction, and professional
development activities, to fulfill the service
requirements of this section, including the
requirements of subsection (e), and to exchange ideas
with others in their fields.'';
(3) in subsection (e), by striking ``subsection (g)'' and
inserting ``subsection (h)'';
(4) by redesignating subsections (g) through (i) as
subsections (h) through (j), respectively; and
(5) by inserting after subsection (f) the following new
subsection:
``(g) Support for Master Teaching Fellows While Enrolled in a
Master's Degree Program.--A National Science Foundation Master Teacher
Fellow may receive a maximum of 1 year of fellowship support while
enrolled in a master's degree program as described in subsection
(c)(4)(A), except that if such fellow is enrolled in a part-time
program, such amount shall be prorated according to the length of the
program.''.
(b) Definition.--Section 10(i)(5) of the National Science
Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1(i)(5)) is
amended by inserting ``computer science,'' after ``means a science,''.
Passed the House of Representatives July 14, 2014.
Attest:
KAREN L. HAAS,
Clerk.