Improving Mentorship in STEM Higher Education Act
Sponsored By: Representative McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
Introduced
Summary
Improve mentorship in STEM higher education. This bill would create a National Science Foundation demonstration program to fund projects that train faculty, graduate researchers, and postdoctoral researchers in mentoring skills, cultural competence, evidence-based mentorship, and outreach.
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- Faculty, graduate students, and postdocs would receive training and resources to build mentoring skills, research better mentoring methods, and get cultural competency instruction.
- Minority-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Tribal Colleges or Universities, rural-serving and emerging research institutions, and consortia would get special consideration for competitive awards.
- The National Science Foundation must report to Congress within 5 years on program effectiveness and, if effective, propose a plan to sustain the program, and the bill authorizes $5.0 million for FY2027 through FY2031.
- Institutions and agencies would be required to have reporting processes for harassment, discrimination, and other forms of professional or scientific misconduct.
*If enacted and appropriated, this would authorize $5.0 million total for FY2027–2031, increasing federal outlays by that amount.*
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
More STEM mentorship grants for colleges
If enacted, the National Science Foundation Director would be able to award competitive grants to colleges, nonprofits, and consortia to improve mentoring. Grants would fund mentor training, evidence-based and institutionalized mentoring programs, research on mentoring methods, cultural-competency training, and related outreach. The Director would give special consideration to minority-serving institutions, HBCUs, Tribal Colleges, rural-serving and emerging research institutions, and consortia that include them. The bill would authorize $5,000,000 total for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 and would require an NSF report within five years assessing effectiveness and a plan to sustain the program if it is effective.
New misconduct reporting steps for research
If enacted, institutions and federal research agencies would need to set up reporting processes for harassment, discrimination, and other professional or scientific misconduct. The bill would amend section 7009 of the America COMPETES Act to add this reporting-process requirement and would redesignate the existing paragraphs accordingly. If enacted, the change would take effect upon enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
McClellan, Jennifer L. [D-VA-4]
VA • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Tonko, Paul [D-NY-20]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4]
NC • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Del. Norton, Eleanor Holmes [D-DC-At Large]
DC • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Ross, Deborah K. [D-NC-2]
NC • D
Sponsored 6/8/2026
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Sponsored 7/20/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov