42 U.S.C. § 1862h — Congressional statement of findings and

Page 5089 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 1862i 1 So in original. Probably should be followed by ‘‘and’’. provides assurances of new matching funds and submits an acceptable new plan for using Pro- gram funds and matching funds to build the re- search capabilities of the State. (Pub. L. 100–570, title I, § 113, Oct. 31, 1988, 102 Stat. 2870; Pub. L. 114–329, title I, § 103(e)(2), Jan. 6, 2017, 130 Stat. 2975.) Editorial Notes CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 1988, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which comprises this chapter. AMENDMENTS 2017—Pub. L. 114–329, § 103(e)(2)(A), substituted ‘‘Es- tablished’’ for ‘‘Experimental’’ in section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 114–329, § 103(e)(2)(B), substituted ‘‘a program to stimulate competitive research (known as the ‘Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research’)’’ for ‘‘an Experimental Program to Stimu- late Competitive Research’’ in introductory provisions. Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 114–329, § 103(e)(2)(C), substituted ‘‘the Program’’ for ‘‘the program’’. Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries PLANNING GRANTS Pub. L. 107–368, § 26, Dec. 19, 2002, 116 Stat. 3067, pro- vided that: ‘‘The Director is authorized to accept plan- ning proposals from applicants who are within .075 per- centage points of the current eligibility level for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Re- search. Such proposals shall be reviewed by the Foun- dation to determine their merit for support under the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Re- search or any other appropriate program.’’ [For definitions of terms used in section 26 of Pub. L. 107–368, set out above, see section 4 of Pub. L. 107–368, set out as a note under section 1862n of this title.] § 1862h. Congressional statement of findings and declaration of purposes respecting scientific and technical education and training (a) Findings The Congress finds that— (1) the position of the United States in the world economy faces great challenges from highly trained foreign competition; (2) the workforce of the United States must be better prepared for the technologically ad- vanced, competitive, global economy; (3) the improvement of our work force’s pro- ductivity and our international economic posi- tion depend upon the strengthening of our edu- cational efforts in science, technology, engi- neering, and mathematics or STEM, especially at the associate-degree level; (4) shortages of scientifically and tech- nically educated 1 trained workers in a wide variety of fields will best be addressed by col- laboration among the Nation’s associate-de- gree-granting colleges and private industry to produce skilled, advanced technicians; and (5) the National Science Foundation’s tradi- tional role in developing model curricula, dis- seminating instructional materials, enhancing faculty development, and stimulating partner- ships between educational institutions and in- dustry, makes an enlarged role for the Foun- dation in STEM education and training par- ticularly appropriate. (b) Purposes It is the purpose of sections 1862h to 1862j of this title to— (1) improve science and technical education at associate-degree-granting colleges; (2) improve secondary school and postsec- ondary curricula in STEM fields; (3) improve the educational opportunities of postsecondary students by creating com- prehensive articulation agreements and plan- ning between 2-year and 4-year institutions; and (4) promote outreach to secondary schools to improve STEM instruction. (Pub. L. 102–476, § 2, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2297; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title III, § 10312(f)(1), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1519.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Sections 1862h to 1862j of this title, referred to in sub- sec. (b), was in the original ‘‘this Act’’, meaning Pub. L. 102–476, Oct. 23, 1992, 106 Stat. 2297, known as the Sci- entific and Advanced-Technology Act of 1992, which en- acted this section and sections 1862i and 1862j of this title and amended section 1862 of this title. For com- plete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1992 Amendment note set out under section 1861 of this title and Tables. CODIFICATION Section was enacted as part of the Scientific and Ad- vanced-Technology Act of 1992, and not as part of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950 which com- prises this chapter. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (a)(3). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(i), substituted ‘‘science, technology, engineering, and mathematics or STEM’’ for ‘‘science, mathematics, and technology’’. Subsec. (a)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(ii), in- serted ‘‘educated’’ before ‘‘trained’’. Subsec. (a)(5). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(A)(iii), sub- stituted ‘‘STEM education and training’’ for ‘‘scientific and technical education and training’’. Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(B)(i), sub- stituted ‘‘STEM fields’’ for ‘‘mathematics and science’’. Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10312(f)(1)(B)(ii), sub- stituted ‘‘STEM instruction’’ for ‘‘mathematics and science instruction’’. § 1862i. STEM education (a) National advanced STEM education program The Director of the National Science Founda- tion (hereafter in sections 1862h to 1862j of this title referred to as the ‘‘Director’’) shall award grants to associate-degree-granting colleges, and consortia thereof, to assist them in pro- viding education in advanced-technology fields and education to prepare the skilled technical workforce to meet workforce demands, and to improve the quality of their core education courses in STEM fields. The grant program shall place emphasis on the needs of students who have been in the workforce (including veterans and individuals engaged in work in the home) and on building a pathway from secondary