42 U.S.C. § 1862t — Supporting veterans in STEM education

Page 5149 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862t (4) developing multi-disciplinary innovation ecosystems which involve and are responsive to specific needs of academia and industry; and (5) providing professional development, men- toring, and advice in entrepreneurship, project management, and technology and business de- velopment to innovators. (d) Eligibility (1) In general The following organizations may be eligible for grants under this section: (A) Institutions of higher education. (B) Public or nonprofit technology transfer organizations. (C) A nonprofit organization that partners with an institution of higher education. (D) A consortia of 2 or more of the organi- zations described under subparagraphs (A) through (C). (2) Lead organizations Any eligible organization under paragraph (1) may apply as a lead organization. (e) Applications An eligible entity seeking a grant under this section shall submit an application to the Direc- tor at such time, in such manner, and con- taining such information as the Director may require. (Pub. L. 114–329, title VI, § 602, Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 3035.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the American Innova- tion and Competitiveness Act, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which com- prises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries DEFINITIONS For definitions of terms used in this section, see sec- tion 2 of Pub. L. 114–329, set out as a note under section 1862s of this title. § 1862t. Supporting veterans in STEM education and computer science (a) Supporting veteran involvement in scientific research and STEM education The Director shall, through the research and education activities of the Foundation, encour- age veterans to study and pursue careers in STEM and computer science, in coordination with other Federal agencies that serve veterans. (b) Veteran outreach plan Not later than 180 days after February 11, 2020, the Director shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com- merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen- ate a plan for how the Foundation can enhance its outreach efforts to veterans. Such plan shall— (1) report on the Foundation’s existing out- reach activities; (2) identify the best method for the Founda- tion to leverage existing authorities and pro- grams to facilitate and support veterans in STEM careers and studies, including teaching programs; and (3) include options for how the Foundation could track veteran participation in research and education programs of the Foundation, and describe any barriers to collecting such information. (c) National Science Board indicators report The National Science Board shall provide in its biennial report on indicators of the state of science and engineering in the United States any available and relevant data on veterans in science and engineering careers or education programs. (d) to (g) Omitted (h) Veterans and military families STEM edu- cation interagency working group (1) In general The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall establish, or des- ignate, an interagency working group to im- prove veteran and military spouse equity and representation in STEM fields. (2) Duties of interagency working group An interagency working group established under paragraph (1) shall develop and facili- tate the implementation by participating agencies of a strategic plan, which shall— (A) specify and prioritize short- and long- term objectives; (B) specify the common metrics that will be used by Federal agencies to assess progress toward achieving such objectives; (C) identify barriers veterans face in reen- tering the workforce, including a lack of for- mal STEM education, career guidance, and the process of transferring military credits and skills to college credits; (D) identify barriers military spouses face in establishing careers in STEM fields; (E) describe the approaches that each par- ticipating agency will take to address ad- ministratively the barriers described in sub- paragraphs (C) and (D); and (F) identify any barriers that require Fed- eral or State legislative or regulatory changes in order to be addressed. (3) Report The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall— (A) not later than 1 year after February 11, 2020, submit to Congress the strategic plan required under paragraph (2); and (B) include in the annual report required by section 6621(d) of this title a description of any progress made in carrying out the ac- tivities described in paragraph (2) of this subsection. (4) Sunset An interagency working group established under paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 3 years after the date that it is es- tablished. (Pub. L. 116–115, § 3, Feb. 11, 2020, 134 Stat. 106; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10399D, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1599.) Page 5150 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862u Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section is comprised of section 3 of Pub. L. 116–115. Subsec. (d) of section 3 of Pub. L. 116–115 amended sec- tion 1862n–1 of this title. Subsec. (e) of section 3 of Pub. L. 116–115 amended section 1862n–1a of this title. Sub- secs. (f) and (g) of section 3 of Pub. L. 116–115 amended section 7404 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. Section was enacted as part of the Supporting Vet- erans in STEM Careers Act, and not as part of the Na- tional Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 117–167 substituted ‘‘bien- nial’’ for ‘‘annual’’. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries DEFINITIONS Pub. L. 116–115, § 2, Feb. 11, 2020, 134 Stat. 106, provided that: ‘‘In this Act [see Short Title of 2020 Amendment note set out under section 1861 of this title]: ‘‘(1) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘Director’ means the Di- rector of the National Science Foundation. ‘‘(2) FOUNDATION.—The term ‘Foundation’ means the National Science Foundation. ‘‘(3) STEM.—The term ‘STEM’ has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the America COM- PETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 [Pub. L. 111–358] (42 U.S.C. 6621 note). ‘‘(4) VETERAN.—The term ‘veteran’ has the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.’’ § 1862u. NSF support of research on opioid addic- tion The Director of the National Science Founda- tion, in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall support merit-reviewed and competitively awarded re- search on the science of opioid addiction. (Pub. L. 116–335, § 2, Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5117.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Expanding Find- ings for Federal Opioid Research and Treatment Act, also known as the EFFORT Act, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which com- prises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries FINDINGS Pub. L. 116–335, § 1(b), Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5117, pro- vided that: ‘‘The Congress finds that— ‘‘(1) research gaps currently exist in the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction; ‘‘(2) the National Science Foundation’s research on opioid addiction has increased understanding of the neuroscience of addiction, substance abuse interven- tion, the role of illicit supply networks, the sec- ondary effects on families, the use of technology to address the opioid epidemic, and options for alter- native, non-addictive therapeutics for pain; and ‘‘(3) the National Science Foundation and the Na- tional Institutes of Health have recognized that fun- damental questions in basic, clinical, and translational research would benefit greatly from multidisciplinary approaches and collaboration.’’ § 1862v. National Science Foundation research (a) In general The Director of the National Science Founda- tion, in consultation with the Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the National Institute of Mental Health and taking into consideration prioritized research agendas or strategic plans, as appropriate, shall, subject to the availability of appropriations, award grants on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis to institutions of higher education (or con- sortia of such institutions) to support multi- disciplinary, fundamental research with poten- tial relevance to suicide, including potential rel- evance to prevention and treatment, including, but not limited to— (1) basic understanding of human social be- havior; (2) the neural basis of human cognition; (3) basic understanding of cognitive, lin- guistic, social, cultural, and biological proc- esses related to human development across the lifespan; (4) basic understanding of perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes, and their interaction, in typical human behavior; and (5) basic understanding of the relevance of drug and alcohol abuse. (b) Encouraging applications from early career researchers To promote the development of early career researchers, in awarding funds under subsection (a), the Director of the National Science Foun- dation shall encourage applications submitted by early career researchers, including doctoral students or postdoctoral researchers. (Pub. L. 116–339, § 3, Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5126.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Advancing Re- search to Prevent Suicide Act, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which com- prises this chapter. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries FINDINGS Pub. L. 116–339, § 2, Jan. 13, 2021, 134 Stat. 5126, pro- vided that: ‘‘Congress finds the following: ‘‘(1) The rate of Americans dying by suicide is on the rise, increasing 10.7 to 14.0 deaths per 100,000 peo- ple from 2001 to 2017. ‘‘(2) Suicide is the tenth-leading cause of death among people in the United States and the second- leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15 and 34. ‘‘(3) The National Science Foundation funds re- search that is improving our basic understanding of factors with potential relevance to suicide, including potential relevance to prevention and treatment. ‘‘(4) Despite progress in mental health research, current gaps exist in scientific understanding and basic knowledge of human neural, genetic, cognitive, perceptual, behavioral, social, and environmental fac- tors with potential relevance to suicide.’’ § 1862w. NSF support of research on impacts of social media on human trafficking (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Human trafficking The term ‘‘human trafficking’’ means an act or practice described in section 7102(11) of title 22.