I 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2475 To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to award grants for, and support research on, the development of makerspaces, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 3, 2023 Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia (for himself, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. FERGUSON, and Mr. FITZPATRICK) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology A BILL To direct the Director of the National Science Foundation to award grants for, and support research on, the devel- opment of makerspaces, 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 ‘‘Making Advances Ki- 4 netic Education, Research, and Skills Act’’ or the ‘‘MAK- 5 ERS Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 2 •HR 2475 IH (1) Maker communities can be found in both 1 rural and urban communities throughout the Na- 2 tion. 3 (2) Making has been shown to engage and mo- 4 tivate children and adults in STEM disciplines. 5 (3) Informal education and makerspaces pro- 6 mote skills that employers desire, such as technical 7 skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and analyt- 8 ical skills. 9 (4) Studies have shown that underrepresented 10 populations often have better successes in informal 11 and out-of-school STEM than in formal STEM pro- 12 grams. 13 (5) Some studies have shown that makerspaces 14 help to build not only technical hard skills but also 15 collaboration and other soft skills that employers de- 16 sire. 17 SEC. 3. PURPOSE. 18 The purpose of this Act is to encourage the formation 19 and study of makerspaces to— 20 (1) engage populations within community col- 21 leges and community environments in STEM pro- 22 grams; 23 (2) develop desirable STEM technical and other 24 skills, including collaboration; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 3 •HR 2475 IH (3) build a STEM-capable workforce. 1 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 2 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 3 (1) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI- 4 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 5 university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 6 institution’’ under section 322 of the Higher Edu- 7 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 8 (2) MAKERSPACE.—The term ‘‘makerspace’’ 9 means a community space that— 10 (A) provides access to tools, technology, 11 and knowledge for learners and entrepreneurs; 12 (B) results in the prototyping or creation 13 of physical goods, interdisciplinary learning, 14 and educational innovation; and 15 (C) supports the development of edu- 16 cational opportunities for personal growth, 17 workforce training, and early stage business 18 ventures. 19 (3) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 20 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti- 21 tution listed in section 371(a) of the Higher Edu- 22 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 23 (4) RURAL COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘rural 24 community’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘rural 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 4 •HR 2475 IH area’’ in section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 1 U.S.C. 1490). 2 (5) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means the 3 subjects of science, technology, engineering, and 4 mathematics. 5 (6) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMPO- 6 NENT.—The term ‘‘workforce development compo- 7 nent’’ means— 8 (A) an economic development board or cor- 9 poration, including a State board or local work- 10 force board; 11 (B) an internship program; 12 (C) a certificate program; 13 (D) employers or an employer or industry 14 partnership representing multiple employers; 15 (E) a community-based organization; or 16 (F) any other program considered accept- 17 able by the Director of the National Science 18 Foundation. 19 SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM FOR RESEARCH AND CAPACITY 20 BUILDING OF MAKERSPACES. 21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director of the National 22 Science Foundation shall award grants on a competitive 23 basis to institutions of higher education, or consortia of 24 such institutions, to support the research and development 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 5 •HR 2475 IH of makerspaces to assist in the formation of a STEM-ca- 1 pable workforce. 2 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant awarded under this 3 section may be used for— 4 (1) research on the effectiveness of makerspaces 5 in engaging students and the community in STEM 6 skills and in teaching and learning, and the develop- 7 ment, compilation, and dissemination of best prac- 8 tices on the use of makerspaces for STEM learning 9 and workforce preparedness; 10 (2) equipment to achieve the purpose under 11 paragraph (1); and 12 (3) any other activities the Director considers 13 appropriate. 14 (c) PRIORITY.—In selecting grant recipients under 15 this section, the Director shall give priority to applicants 16 that— 17 (1) apply in partnership with one or more enti- 18 ties that are— 19 (A) a workforce development component; 20 (B) a high-need local education agency as 21 described in section 9(b)(3) of the National 22 Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 23 (42 U.S.C. 1862n(b)(3)); or 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB 6 •HR 2475 IH (C) an independent nonprofit or academic 1 makerspace; 2 (2) consist of one or more entities that are— 3 (A) a community college; or 4 (B) a historically Black college or univer- 5 sity or other minority-serving institution of 6 higher education; or 7 (3) apply in partnership with or consist of an 8 entity that is— 9 (A) described in paragraph (1) or (2); and 10 (B) operates within a rural community. 11 (d) LIMITATION.—Funds provided through a grant 12 under this section may not be used for the construction 13 of a physical building or facility to hold a makerspace un- 14 less the Director determines that such construction is nec- 15 essary for reasons of safety or the use of relevant equip- 16 ment. 17 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Director may 18 provide technical assistance to entities receiving a grant 19 or entities seeking such a grant under this section. 20 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:20 Apr 12, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H2475.IH H2475 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with $$_JOB