§19195 Interagency Working Group

Summary

The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy must set up or name a working group through the National Science and Technology Council to coordinate Federal research agencies to reduce sex-based and sexual harassment involving people on research awards. The group must work with the inclusion and Safe Inclusive Research Environments subgroups and consult with agency representatives and the Offices for Civil Rights at HHS and Education and the EEOC. Within 90 days after August 9, 2022, the group must send Congress an inventory of agency policies, procedures, and resources for preventing and handling harassment. Within 6 months after that inventory, and after talking with outside stakeholders, the group must create consistent policy guidelines and send them to Congress. The group must encourage and watch agencies as they adopt those guidelines, report to Congress on implementation not later than 1 year after the inventory and every 5 years after that, and update the guidelines as needed. The guidelines must require, as practical, that recipients (those who get research funding) report to the funding agencies about decisions to open formal investigations, administrative actions that affect someone’s ability to do award work, the number of investigations with no findings, and any findings or final disciplinary or legal outcomes. Reports must be shared, updated, and kept by relevant agencies yearly and on request, and agencies should use consistent methods for receiving reports. The rules must follow the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g), protect individuals’ privacy, and not require interim reports. The group should also encourage climate checks, public summary results (broken down by sex and, if possible, other demographics without identifying people), annual counts of reports, regular policy improvement, a posted code of conduct for applicants, support for people harmed (including help returning to work), and a culture that rejects harassment and supports diversity. Each Federal research agency must adopt or update policies consistent with the guidelines and protect privacy within 270 days after getting the guidelines, and must widely share those policies with current and potential award recipients.