HR 210 · 117th Congress 2021–2023, ended

Rural STEM Education Research Act

Fact sheet

Latest action · May 19, 2021 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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.

  1. IntroducedJan 5, 2021
  2. Passed HouseMay 18, 2021
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Rural STEM Education Research Act

This bill specifies federal scientific research and development efforts towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) workforce development and rural STEM education.

(Sec. 3) The bill amends the objectives of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to include

  • the provision to secondary schools of information about the job skills needed in manufacturing companies, and
  • the promotion and expansion of certification systems offered through local high schools.

The activities of a manufacturing extension center are expanded to include local high schools in the facilitation of collaborations and partnerships between manufacturing companies and schools to help those entities better understand the specific needs of manufacturers and to help manufacturers better understand the skill sets that students learn in school programs.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must award prizes to stimulate research and development of creative technologies in order to deploy affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities. NIST may award not more than a total of $5 million in prizes.

(Sec. 4) The Office of Science and Technology Policy must establish a broadband research and development working group to address national research challenges and opportunities for improving broadband access and adoption across the United States.

(Sec. 5) The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy of Sciences agrees to evaluate aspects of STEM education and workforce development in rural areas.

(Sec. 6) The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural populations in federal STEM programs.

(Sec. 7) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) programs shall consider modifications to award structures to increase the capacity of rural communities to provide quality STEM education and STEM workforce development programming to students and teachers.

(Sec. 8) The NSF must award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for (1) research and development to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools, (2) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education, (3) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM studies, and (4) research on online STEM education courses for rural communities.

The NSF may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas to provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in grades Pre-K through 12 in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry.

Cosponsors 33

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jan 5, 2021 to May 17, 2021, with 1 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-TXEddie Bernice JohnsonOriginalJan 5, 2021
R-OHAnthony GonzalezApr 12, 2021
D-NYAntonio DelgadoApr 12, 2021
D-MSBennie G. ThompsonApr 12, 2021
R-WADan NewhouseApr 12, 2021
D-HIEd CaseApr 12, 2021
R-CAJay ObernolteApr 12, 2021
R-FLMichael WaltzApr 12, 2021
R-TXPete SessionsApr 12, 2021
R-TXRandy K. Weber, Sr.Apr 12, 2021
R-OKStephanie I. BiceApr 12, 2021
D-MNAngie CraigMay 4, 2021
R-PABrian K. FitzpatrickMay 4, 2021
D-PAChrissy HoulahanMay 4, 2021
D-PAConor LambMay 4, 2021

Actions 10

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. May 19, 2021Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  2. May 18, 2021Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 403, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 144, as amended; H.R. 204, as amended; H.R. 210, as amended; H.R. 240; H.R. 707, as amended; H.R. 711, as amended; H.R. 1157, as amended; H.R. 1447, as amended; H.R. 1510, as amended; H.R. 1711, as amended; H.R. 2027; H.R. 2167, as amended; H.R. 2441; H.R. 2494; H.R. 2533; H.R. 2655, as amended; H.R. 2695, H.R. 2704; H.R. 2788; H.R. 2878, as amended; and H.R. 3008.(consideration: CR H2482-2520; text: CR H2487-2489)
  3. May 18, 2021Pursuant to section 5 of H. Res. 403, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 144, as amended; H.R. 204, as amended; H.R. 210, as amended; H.R. 240; H.R. 707, as amended; H.R. 711, as amended; H.R. 1157, as amended; H.R. 1447, as amended; H.R. 1510, as amended; H.R. 1711, as amended; H.R. 2027; H.R. 2167, as amended; H.R. 2441; H.R. 2494; H.R. 2533; H.R. 2655, as amended; H.R. 2695, H.R. 2704; H.R. 2788; H.R. 2878, as amended; and H.R. 3008. (consideration: CR H2482-2520; text: CR H2487-2489)
  4. May 18, 2021Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 403, proceedings on H.R. 210 are considered vacated.
  5. May 17, 2021At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.

Related bills 2

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.

Text 3

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. May 19, 2021Referred in Senate
  2. May 18, 2021Engrossed in House
  3. Jan 5, 2021Introduced in House

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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.