Building Blocks of STEM Act
Latest action · Jul 24, 2019 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 11, 2019
- Passed HouseJul 23, 2019
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Building Blocks of STEM Act
This bill modifies National Science Foundation (NSF) grant programs that support STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) education.
(Sec. 3) The bill instructs the NSF, when awarding grants under the Discovery Research PreK-12 program, to improve the focus of research and development on early childhood education.
(Sec. 4) The bill specifies that NSF grants to increase the participation of underrepresented populations in STEM fields may be used for research into various subjects regarding female students in prekindergarten through elementary school, including
- the role of teachers and caregivers in encouraging or discouraging participation by such students in STEM activities, and
- the types of STEM activities that encourage greater participation by such students.
(Sec. 5) The bill specifies that NSF grants to research computer science education and computational thinking may be used to support development and implementation of various tools and models for teaching and learning, including
- developing and offering gender-inclusive computer science enrichment programs, and
- acquainting female students in prekindergarten through elementary school with careers in computer science.
Cosponsors 11
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Mar 11, 2019 to Jul 12, 2019; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-IN | James R. Baird | Original | Mar 11, 2019 |
| R-PA | Brian K. Fitzpatrick | May 21, 2019 | |
| D-NV | Dina Titus | May 21, 2019 | |
| R-PR | Jenniffer González-Colón | May 21, 2019 | |
| D-IL | Daniel Lipinski | May 30, 2019 | |
| D-CA | Katie Hill | May 30, 2019 | |
| D-NY | Paul Tonko | May 30, 2019 | |
| D-TN | Steve Cohen | May 30, 2019 | |
| D-IL | Bill Foster | Jun 21, 2019 | |
| D-MI | Brenda L. Lawrence | Jun 21, 2019 | |
| D-OK | Kendra S. Horn | Jul 12, 2019 |
Committees 2
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Science, Space, and Technology Committee | Referred Mar 11, 2019 |
| Research and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Mar 11, 2019 | |
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Jul 24, 2019 |
Actions 9
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 24, 2019Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Jul 23, 2019Ms. Johnson (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Jul 23, 2019Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7166-7168)
- Jul 23, 2019DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1665.
- Jul 23, 2019Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H7166-7167)
- Jul 23, 2019Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Mar 11, 2019Introduced in House
- Mar 11, 2019Referred to the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
- Mar 11, 2019Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H60 | Haley M. Stevens D-MI | Jan 8, 2020 |
| House | Debate and remarks H7166–H7168Text printed H7166 | Eddie Bernice Johnson D-TX, Frank D. Lucas R-OK, Haley M. Stevens D-MI, James R. Baird R-IN | Jul 23, 2019 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 165, no. 43, March 11, 2019, page H2647.
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 737 | Building Blocks of STEM Act | Identical bill | Dec 24, 2019 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To direct the National Science Foundation to support STEM education research focused on early childhood.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Building Blocks of STEM Act
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- Building Blocks of STEM Act
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- Building Blocks of STEM Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Computers and information technology
- Education programs funding
- Educational technology and distance education
- Elementary and secondary education
- Preschool education
- Research administration and funding
- Science and engineering education
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Teaching, teachers, curricula
- Women's education
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jul 24, 2019Referred in Senate
- Jul 23, 2019Engrossed in House
- Mar 11, 2019Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
