H.R. 204, the STEM Opportunities Act

May 18, 2021

Bill Status: Passed by House
Last Action: May 19, 2022


Text

H.R. 204, the STEM Opportunities Act

 

Summary

This bill requires more comprehensive demographic data collection on the recipients of federal research awards and on STEM faculty at U.S. universities; the development of consistent federal policies, such as no-cost award extensions, for recipients of federal research awards who have caregiving responsibilities; consistent federal guidance to grant reviewers and program officers on best practices to minimize the effects of implicit bias in the review of federal research grants; requires OSTP to develop guidance for universities and Federal laboratories to aid them in identifying any cultural and institutional barriers limiting the recruitment, retention, and achievement of women, minorities, rural students, and other underrepresented groups in academic and government STEM research careers and in developing and implementing current best practices for reducing such barriers; and authorizes NSF to award grants to universities to implement or expand research-based practices targeted specifically at increasing the recruitment and retention of minority students and faculty.

 

Endorsements

American Society for Microbiology

American Society for Biochemsitry and Molecular Biology

American Physiological Society

American Association of Physics Teachers

American Astronomical Society

American Chemical Society

American Geophysical Union

American Mathematical Society

American Physical Society

American Political Science Association

American Society for Engineering Education

American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics

AnitaB.org

Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Student Assembly

Computing Alliance of Hispanic-Serving Institutions

Consortium of Social Science Associations

Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences 

“The Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) strongly supports the need for increased behavioral and cognitive science research, interagency cooperation, and other federal steps and policies for identifying and countering implicit and explicit bias and other psychological factors and structural inequities that hinder the advancement of women, minorities, and other historically underrepresented groups in STEM.” - Philip Rubin, Ph.D., President-elect, Federation of Associations in Behavioral and Brain Sciences (FABBS) 

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society

IEEE-USA

MIT Graduate Student Council

State University System of Florida

Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

Society of Women Engineers

 

Status

Follow the bill's progress HERE.