119-s1664

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1664 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1664

To require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
 to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research 
 agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
 postdoctoral researchers, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 May 7, 2025

Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Moran) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
 Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy 
 to develop a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research 
 agencies to address financial instability of graduate researchers and 
 postdoctoral researchers, and for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Relieving Economic Strain to Enhance 
American Resilience and Competitiveness in Higher Education and 
Research Act'' or the ``RESEARCHER Act''.

SEC. 2. POLICY GUIDELINES FOR FEDERAL RESEARCH AGENCIES TO ADDRESS 
 FINANCIAL INSTABILITY OF GRADUATE RESEARCHERS AND 
 POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHERS.

    (a) 

=== Definition. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Institution of higher education.--The term 
 ``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given such 
 term in 

section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
 U.S.C. 1001).

    (2) Graduate researchers.--The term ``graduate 
 researchers'' means individuals enrolled in a degree program 
 leading to an advanced degree who receive stipends or other 
 compensation to conduct research in any discipline at an 
 institution of higher education that is a recipient of Federal 
 funding.

    (3) Postdoctoral researchers.--The term ``postdoctoral 
 researchers'' means individuals in training-focused positions 
 who have received a doctoral degree or equivalent and receive 
 stipends or other compensation to conduct research in any 
 discipline at an institution of higher education that is a 
 recipient of Federal funding.

    (b) OSTP Guidelines.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science 
 and Technology Policy, in consultation with the National 
 Science and Technology Council, the Committee on Science, 
 Technology, Engineering, and Math Education of the National 
 Science and Technology Council, the President's Council of 
 Advisors on Science and Technology, institutions of higher 
 education, graduate and postdoctoral organizations, and other 
 relevant stakeholders, shall develop a consistent set of policy 
 guidelines for Federal research agencies to address financial 
 instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral 
 researchers.

    (2) Requirements.--In developing the policy guidelines 
 under paragraph

    (1) , the Director of the Office of Science and 
 Technology Policy shall include guidelines that address, to the 
 extent practicable, the following:
        (A) Opportunities to increase stipends for graduate 
 researchers and postdoctoral researchers, including 
 indexing based on location.
        (B) An additional consideration for increasing 
 stipends for postdoctoral researchers conducting 
 research in rural or underserved areas, or in States 
 eligible to receive funding from the Established 
 Program to Stimulate Competitive Research under 

section 113 of the National Science Foundation Authorization 
 Act of 1988 (42 U.S.C. 1862g), to support the 
 recruitment and retention of researchers in such 
 regions.
            (C) Opportunities to increase access to quality, 
 affordable medical, dental, and vision care.
            (D) Opportunities to increase access to affordable 
 housing and transportation.
        (E) Opportunities to reduce food insecurity.
        (F) Opportunities to address costs of caring for 
 family members, including child care.

    (3) Application.--
        (A) In general.--The Director of the Office of 
 Science and Technology Policy shall encourage and 
 monitor efforts of Federal research agencies to develop 
 and implement policies based on the policy guidelines 
 under paragraph

    (1) .
        (B) Federal research agency implementation.--Not 
 later than 6 months after receiving the policy 
 guidelines under paragraph

    (1) , the head of each 
 Federal research agency shall--
            (i) develop and implement policies with 
 respect to financial instability of graduate 
 researchers and postdoctoral researchers that 
 are consistent with such policy guidelines; and
            (ii) broadly disseminate such policies to 
 current and potential recipients of research 
 and development awards made by such agency.

    (4) Updates.--The Director of the Office of Science and 
 Technology Policy shall update the policy guidelines under 
 paragraph

    (1) as the Director determines necessary.

    (5) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date after the 
 guidelines are submitted and every 5 years thereafter, the 
 Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall 
 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 
 and Technology, the Committee on Education and Workforce, and 
 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
 Representatives, a report containing information relating to 
 the following:
        (A) The policy guidelines under paragraph

    (1) .
        (B) Progress on the implementation of such 
 guidelines by Federal research agencies.
            (c) Data Collection.--The Research and Development, Competition, 
and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18901 et seq.) is amended--

    (1) in 

section 10314

    (b) --
        (A) in paragraph

    (2) --
            (i) in subparagraph
            (D) , by striking 
 ``and'' after the semicolon;
            (ii) by redesignating subparagraph
        (E) as 
 subparagraph
        (F) ; and
            (iii) by inserting after subparagraph
            (D) the following new subparagraph:
 ``
        (E) graduate researcher and postdoctoral 
 researcher stipend amounts and financial instability 
 (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by 
 demographics); and''; and
        (B) by adding at the end the following new 
 paragraph:
 ``

    (5) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Institution of higher education.--The term 
 `institution of higher education' has the meaning given 
 such term in 

section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 
 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).
 ``
        (B) Graduate researchers.--The term `graduate 
 researchers' means individuals enrolled in a degree 
 program leading to an advanced degree who receive 
 stipends or other compensation to conduct research in 
 any discipline at an institution of higher education 
 that is a recipient of Federal funding.
 ``
            (C) Postdoctoral researchers.--The term 
 `postdoctoral researchers' means individuals in 
 training-focused positions who have received a doctoral 
 degree or equivalent and receive stipends or other 
 compensation to conduct research in any discipline at 
 an institution of higher education that is a recipient 
 of Federal funding.''; and

    (2) in paragraph

    (1) of 

section 10502

    (a) , by inserting 
 ``graduate and postdoctoral research stipend amounts 
 (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demographics),'' 
 before ``and awarded budget''.
            (d) Data on Financial Instability of Graduate Researchers and 
Postdoctoral Researchers.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall make awards, on a competitive basis, to institutions 
of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or consortia of such 
institutions or organizations) to collect and analyze data on financial 
instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers 
(disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demographics).

    (e) National Academies Assessment.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
 enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science 
 Foundation shall enter into an agreement with the National 
 Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to undertake a 
 study and issue a report on the status of financial instability 
 of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers. To the 
 extent feasible, the study shall include an assessment 
 (disaggregated, to the extent practicable, by demographics) at 
 a minimum of the immediately preceding 5 years of the 
 following:
        (A) Stipends relative to average local medical, 
 dental, and vision expenses.
        (B) Stipends relative to average local housing and 
 transportation costs.
            (C) Stipends relative to average local food costs.
            (D) Stipends relative to average local costs of 
 caring for family members, including child care costs.

    (2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which 
 the agreement between the Director of the National Science 
 Foundation and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
 and Medicine is entered into pursuant to paragraph

    (1) , the 
 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine shall 
 submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
 Transportation and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, 
 and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, 
 and Technology, the Committee on Education and Workforce, and 
 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
 Representatives a report containing the results of the 
 assessment under such paragraph and recommendations relating 
 thereto regarding how Federal agencies, Congress, institutions 
 of higher education, and other relevant entities may address 
 financial instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral 
 researchers.

    (f) GAO Study.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the 
Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and 
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on 
Education and Workforce, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of 
the House of Representatives a report that--

    (1) assesses the degree to which Federal research agencies 
 have implemented the policy guidelines under subsection

    (b) and 
 the effectiveness of such implementation;

    (2) includes recommendations on potential changes to 
 practices and policies to improve such guidelines and such 
 implementation; and

    (3) includes recommendations on additional data collection 
 and research needed to monitor progress on reducing financial 
 instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral 
 researchers.
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