STEM Corps Act of 2020

I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 6526 To establish a STEM corps to enhance the STEM and computer science workforce of the Department of Defense and the defense industry, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 17, 2020 Mr. BANKS (for himself and Mr. KIM) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services A BILL To establish a STEM corps to enhance the STEM and computer science workforce of the Department of De- fense and the defense industry, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘STEM Corps Act of 4 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. STEM CORPS PROGRAM. 6 Part III of subtitle A of title 10, United States Code, 7 is amended by adding at the end the following new chap- 8 ter: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘CHAPTER 113—SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, 1 ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS 2 CORPS 3 ‘‘2200n. STEM Corps program. ‘‘2200o. Administration of program. ‘‘2200p. Service obligation for STEM Corps participants. ‘‘2200q. Security clearance required. ‘‘2200r. Refund for failure to complete program. ‘‘2200s. Industry and institutional participation. ‘‘2200t. Definitions. ‘‘§ 2200n. STEM Corps program 4 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of De- 5 fense shall carry out a program to be known as the ‘STEM 6 Corps’ to enhance the STEM and computer science work- 7 force of the Department of Defense and the defense indus- 8 try. Under the program, the Secretary shall provide finan- 9 cial assistance to qualified students who pursue a bach- 10 elor’s or graduate degree in a STEM or computer-science 11 discipline in exchange for a commitment from such stu- 12 dents to work in the Department of Defense for a defined 13 period. 14 ‘‘(b) APPLICATION AND ENTRANCE EXAMINATION.— 15 To be considered for participation in the STEM Corps, 16 a qualified student shall— 17 ‘‘(1) submit to the Administrative Agency an 18 application at such time, in such manner, and con- 19 taining such information as the Secretary may re- 20 quire; and 21 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(2) achieve a passing score on the written 1 exam developed and administered by the Administra- 2 tive Agency in accordance with section 3 2200o(a)(2)(B). 4 ‘‘(c) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— 5 ‘‘(1) AMOUNT.—The amount of financial assist- 6 ance provided to a qualified student under this sec- 7 tion shall not exceed $40,000 for each academic year 8 during which the student is enrolled in a STEM or 9 computer science degree program at a qualified in- 10 stitution of higher education. 11 ‘‘(2) DURATION.—A qualified student may re- 12 ceive financial assistance under this section for a 13 maximum of two academic years. 14 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Financial assistance pro- 15 vided to a qualified student under this section may 16 be used only to pay the student’s cost of attendance 17 at a qualified institution of higher education. 18 ‘‘(d) ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS.—As a condition of 19 receiving financial assistance under this, a STEM Corps 20 participant shall— 21 ‘‘(1) complete not less than 15 credit hours (or 22 the equivalent) of postsecondary coursework in com- 23 puter science; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(2) maintain satisfactory progress toward 1 completion of a bachelor’s or graduate degree in a 2 STEM or computer-science discipline; 3 ‘‘(3) maintain a grade point average of not less 4 than 3.0 on a scale of 4.0 (or the equivalent) while 5 enrolled in such a degree program; and 6 ‘‘(4) meet such other academic requirements as 7 the Administrative Agency determines to be appro- 8 priate. 9 ‘‘(e) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER PROGRAMS.—The 10 Secretary of Defense shall coordinate the provision of fi- 11 nancial assistance under the authorities provided in this 12 chapter with the provision of financial assistance under 13 the authorities provided in chapter 111 of this title (per- 14 taining to support of science, mathematics, and engineer- 15 ing education), to maximize the benefits derived by the 16 Department of Defense from the exercise of all such au- 17 thorities. 18 ‘‘§ 2200o. Administration of program 19 ‘‘(a) ADMINISTRATIVE AGENCY.— 20 ‘‘(1) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of Defense 21 shall establish or designate an organization of the 22 Department of Defense to serve as the organization 23 within the Department with primary responsibility 24 for administering the STEM Corps program (re- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 6526 IH ferred to in this chapter as the ‘Administrative 1 Agency’). 2 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—Subject to the direction and 3 control of the Secretary of Defense, the Administra- 4 tive Agency shall— 5 ‘‘(A) select qualified students for participa- 6 tion in the STEM Corps; 7 ‘‘(B) develop and administer a written ex- 8 amination for applicants to the STEM Corps; 9 ‘‘(C) monitor STEM Corps participants to 10 determine their continued eligibility for partici- 11 pation in the program; 12 ‘‘(D) facilitate the placement of STEM 13 Corps participants in positions within the De- 14 partment of Defense and with defense industry 15 sponsors, as applicable; 16 ‘‘(E) solicit, receive, and manage contribu- 17 tions from defense-industry sponsors under sec- 18 tion 2200s(a); 19 ‘‘(F) enter into memoranda of under- 20 standing with institutions of higher education 21 under section 2200s(b); and 22 ‘‘(G) carry out such other activities relat- 23 ing to the STEM Corps as the Secretary of De- 24 fense determines to be appropriate. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(b) ADVISORY PANEL.— 1 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of De- 2 fense shall establish an advisory panel to provide ad- 3 vice and recommendations to the Administrative 4 Agency on the matters described in subsection 5 (a)(2). 6 ‘‘(2) MEMBERS.—The advisory panel shall be 7 composed of the following members: 8 ‘‘(A) The Assistant Secretary of Defense 9 for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, who shall 10 serve as the chairperson of the panel. 11 ‘‘(B) One representative of the Depart- 12 ment of Defense appointed by the Secretary of 13 Defense. 14 ‘‘(C) One Member of the House of Rep- 15 resentatives appointed by the Speaker of the 16 House of Representatives. 17 ‘‘(D) One Member of the House of Rep- 18 resentatives appointed by the minority leader of 19 the House of Representatives. 20 ‘‘(E) One Senator appointed by the major- 21 ity leader of the Senate. 22 ‘‘(F) One Senator appointed by the minor- 23 ity leader of the Senate. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(3) TERMS.—Each member specified in sub- 1 paragraphs (B) through (F) of paragraph (2) shall 2 be appointed for a term of two years. 3 ‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The advisory panel shall 4 meet at the call of the chairperson or a majority of 5 its members not less frequently than once annually. 6 ‘‘(c) LIMITATION ON AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—Of 7 the funds authorized to be appropriated or otherwise made 8 available to carry out this chapter for a fiscal year, not 9 more than $500,000 may be used to pay the costs of ad- 10 ministering the STEM Corps, including any costs relating 11 to the advisory panel established under subsection (b). 12 ‘‘§ 2200p. Service obligation for STEM Corps partici- 13 pants 14 ‘‘(a) SERVICE AGREEMENT FOR RECIPIENTS OF FI- 15 NANCIAL ASSISTANCE.—To be eligible to receive financial 16 assistance under section 2200n, a qualified student shall 17 enter into a written agreement with the Secretary of De- 18 fense under which the student agrees— 19 ‘‘(1) to accept placement in an internship with 20 a defense industry sponsor as described in sub- 21 section (b); 22 ‘‘(2) to accept and continue employment in the 23 Department of Defense in a Department of Defense 24 Laboratory as described in subsection (c); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(3) to accept any additional terms and condi- 1 tions that the Secretary determines to be appro- 2 priate. 3 ‘‘(b) INTERNSHIP WITH DEFENSE INDUSTRY SPON- 4 SOR.— 5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to the agreement 6 under subsection (a)(1), each STEM Corps partici- 7 pant shall complete an internship with a defense in- 8 dustry sponsor before the student completes the sec- 9 ond academic year of participation in the program. 10 ‘‘(2) TYPE OF POSITION.—As part of an intern- 11 ship under paragraph (1), a STEM Corps partici- 12 pant shall perform duties that require a security 13 clearance and that directly support the Department 14 of Defense. 15 ‘‘(3) PLACEMENT.—The Administrative Agency, 16 in consultation with STEM Corps participants and 17 defense industry sponsors, shall place each STEM 18 Corps participant in an appropriate internship as re- 19 quired under paragraph (1). 20 ‘‘(c) EMPLOYMENT IN DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE.— 21 ‘‘(1) SERVICE OBLIGATION.—Pursuant to the 22 agreement under subsection (a)(2), each STEM 23 Corps participant shall accept and continue employ- 24 ment in a STEM or computer-science related posi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 6526 IH tion within the Department of Defense, which may 1 include employment in a defense laboratory, for a 2 period of not less than four years. 3 ‘‘(2) PLACEMENT.—The Administrative Agency 4 shall consult with STEM Corps participants who are 5 in the final year of a bachelor’s or graduate degree 6 program to identify appropriate employment oppor- 7 tunities for such participants within the Department 8 of Defense. To the extent practicable, the Adminis- 9 trative Agency shall consider the skills, training, ex- 10 perience, and preferences of a STEM Corps partici- 11 pant when assigning the participant to a position 12 under paragraph (1). 13 ‘‘(3) TREATMENT OF SERVICE IN THE ARMED 14 FORCES.—A STEM Corps participant may fulfill the 15 service obligation under paragraph (1) through serv- 16 ice in the armed forces. 17 ‘‘(4) CHANGE OF ASSIGNMENT.— 18 ‘‘(A) REQUEST FOR CHANGE OF ASSIGN- 19 MENT.—After the conclusion of the first year of 20 an assignment under paragraph (1), a STEM 21 Corps participant may submit to the Adminis- 22 trative Agency a request to be reassigned to a 23 different STEM or computer-science related po- 24 sition within the Department. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 6526 IH ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATION BY ADMINISTRATIVE 1 AGENCY.—After receiving a request for a reas- 2 signment under subparagraph (A), the Admin- 3 istrative Agency, in consultation with the hiring 4 authorities of the offices concerned, shall— 5 ‘‘(i) determine whether such a reas- 6 signment would be appropriate; and 7 ‘‘(ii) based on such determination, ap- 8 prove or deny the request. 9 ‘‘(5) RATES OF PAY.— 10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 11 subparagraph (B), during the period of obli- 12 gated service described in paragraph (1), each 13 STEM Corps participant shall be paid as fol- 14 lows: 15 ‘‘(i) FIRST THREE YEARS OF SERV- 16 ICE.—For the first through third years of 17 obligated service, each participant shall be 18 paid at a rate of not less than the rate of 19 basic pay for GS–6 of the General Sched- 20 ule. 21 ‘‘(ii) FOURTH YEAR OF SERVICE.— 22 For the fourth year of obligated service, 23 each participant shall be paid at a rate 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 6526 IH equal to the rate of basic pay for GS–10 1 of the General Schedule. 2 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) 3 shall not apply to a STEM Corps participant 4 who fulfills the period of obligated service de- 5 scribed in paragraph (1) through service as a 6 member of the armed forces. 7 ‘‘(6) INCLUSION OF DEFENSE LABORA- 8 TORIES.—Employment in a defense laboratory shall 9 be treated as employment within the Department of 10 Defense for purposes of this chapter without regard 11 to whether the laboratory is operated by a con- 12 tractor. 13 ‘‘(7) WAIVER OF VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.— 14 The hiring authority of the Department of Defense 15 organization concerned, may appoint, without regard 16 to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 of 17 title 5, United States Code, other than sections 3303 18 and 3328 of such title, qualified participants to posi- 19 tions in the competitive service at the Department of 20 Defense. 21 ‘‘(d) EMPLOYMENT WITH DEFENSE INDUSTRY 22 SPONSOR.— 23 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—At the discretion of the Ad- 24 ministrative Agency, a STEM Corps participant may 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:30 May 22, 2020 Jkt 099060 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6526.IH H6526 khammond on DSK30NT082PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 6526 IH fulfill the fourth year of the service obligation under 1 subsection (c)(1) through employment with a defense 2 industry sponsor. 3 ‘‘(2) RATE OF PAY.—The Administrative Agen- 4 cy shall ensure that a STEM Corps participant em- 5 ployed by a defense industry sponsor under para- 6 graph (1) receives pay at a rate that is not less than 7 the equivalent of the rate of basic pay for GS–10 of 8 the General Schedule. 9 ‘‘(e) TRANSITION ASSISTANCE.—The Administrative 10 Agency shall provide advice and technical assistance to 11 STEM Corps participants to assist the transition of such 12 participants to long-term employment in the Department 13 of Defense, other departments or agencies of the Federal 14 Government, or the private-sector defense industry after 15 the participant fulfills the service obligation under sub- 16 section (c)(1). 17 ‘‘§ 2200q. Security clearance required 18 ‘‘As a condition of participation in the STEM Corps 19 each STEM Corps participant shall be required [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]