US Congress House Bill 4979

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Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Engrossed on September 17 2020 - 50% progression
Action: 2020-09-17 - Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
Pending: Senate Health, Education, Labor, And Pensions Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Engrossed) [PDF]

Rural STEM Education Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research regarding STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) education in rural schools. 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. The NSF shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy agrees to evaluate aspects of STEM education and workforce development in rural areas. The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural populations in federal STEM programs. Each of the federal agencies administering an Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program shall consider modifications to EPSCoR award structures to increase the capacity of rural communities to provide quality STEM education and STEM workforce development programming to students and teachers. The bill expands certain outreach activities of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program and MEP Centers to include secondary schools. The National Institute of Standards and Technology must award prizes to stimulate research and development of creative technologies in order to deploy affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities. 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.

Rural STEM Education Act

Rep. Frank Lucas [R-OK]	Rep. Ben McAdams [D-UT]	Rep. James Baird [R-IN]	Rep. Eddie Johnson [D-TX]
Rep. Michael Conaway [R-TX]	Rep. Kendra Horn [D-OK]	Rep. Randy Weber [R-TX]	Rep. Troy Balderson [R-OH]
Rep. Ralph Norman [R-SC]	Rep. Greg Murphy [R-NC]	Rep. James Comer [R-KY]	Rep. Anthony Gonzalez [R-OH]
Rep. Michael Waltz [R-FL]	Rep. Roger Marshall [R-KS]	Rep. Bill Foster [D-IL]	Rep. Anna Eshoo [D-CA]
Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler [R-WA]	Rep. Conor Lamb [D-PA]	Rep. Brian Babin [R-TX]	Rep. Rodney Davis [R-IL]
Rep. Collin Peterson [D-MN]	Rep. Robert Wittman [R-VA]	Rep. Jennifer Wexton [D-VA]	Rep. Alexander Mooney [R-WV]
Rep. Ed Perlmutter [D-CO]	Rep. Pete Stauber [R-MN]	Rep. Dan Newhouse [R-WA]	Rep. Cindy Axne [D-IA]
Rep. Antonio Delgado [D-NY]	Rep. Ron Kind [D-WI]	Rep. Tom Emmer [R-MN]	Rep. Josh Harder [D-CA]
Rep. Abigail Spanberger [D-VA]	Rep. Vicky Hartzler [R-MO]	Rep. Elissa Slotkin [D-MI]	Rep. David Scott [D-GA]
Rep. James Hagedorn [R-MN]	Rep. Eric Crawford [R-AR]	Rep. Tom Cole [R-OK]	Rep. Jahana Hayes [D-CT]
Rep. Doug LaMalfa [R-CA]	Rep. Neal Dunn [R-FL]	Rep. Josh Gottheimer [D-NJ]	Rep. Ro Khanna [D-CA]
Rep. TJ Cox [D-CA]	Rep. Cheri Bustos [D-IL]	Rep. Chrissy Houlahan [D-PA]

Date	Chamber	Action
2020-09-17	Senate	Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
2020-09-16	House	Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
2020-09-16	House	On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H4463-4466)
2020-09-16	House	DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4979.
2020-09-16	House	Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H4463-4467)
2020-09-16	House	Ms. Johnson (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
2020-02-13	House	Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 319.
2020-02-13	House	Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. H. Rept. 116-397.
2019-11-14	House	Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
2019-11-14	House	Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
2019-11-05	House	Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
2019-11-05	House	Introduced in House

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4979/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr4979/BILLS-116hr4979ih.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr4979/BILLS-116hr4979rh.pdf
Text	https://www.congress.gov/116/bills/hr4979/BILLS-116hr4979eh.pdf