Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires a research grant awarded by the National Science Foundation to be in the national interest.

Highlights:

• Requires the National Science Foundation to award federal grants for basic research and education in the sciences only if the grant meets the following criteria (Sec. 2):
• The grant is in the national interest;
• The grant is “worthy” of federal funding;
• The grant is consistent with the definition of basic research;
• The grant is consistent with widely accepted scientific methods; and
• The grant promotes the progress of science in the United States.

• Specifies that a grant is in the national interest if it meets the following criteria (Sec. 2):
• The grant supports national defense;
• The grant advances health and welfare;
• The grant increase public scientific literacy;
• The grant increases economic competitiveness; or
• The grant develops an American STEM workforce.

• Specifies that the provisions of this bill do not alter the National Science Foundation’s intellectual merit or broader impacts criteria for evaluating grant applications (Sec. 2).

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text