STEM Education Act of 2015
Public Law 114-59 · H.R. 1020 · 114th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Oct 7, 2015 · Education
Sponsor: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX-21)
Cosponsors (9): Rep. Elizabeth Esty, Rep. Barbara Comstock,
Passage votes
- HouseUnanimous consent
- SenateVoice vote
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
STEM Education Act of 2015
(Sec. 3) Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to continue to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to support: (1) research and development of innovative out-of-school STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) learning and emerging STEM learning environments; and (2) research that advances the field of informal STEM education.
Requires supported activities to include research and development that improves understanding of learning and engagement in informal environments and design and testing of innovative STEM resources for such environments to improve STEM learning outcomes and increase engagement for elementary and secondary school students and teachers and the public.
(Sec. 4) Amends the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 to allow award of NSF Master Teaching Fellowships to mathematics and science teachers who possess a bachelor's degree in their field (currently limited to those with a master's degree).
Requires fellowship grants to be used, in the case of Master Teaching Fellowships for teachers with bachelor's degrees in their field who are working toward a master's degree, to: (1) offer academic courses leading to a master's degree and leadership training to prepare individuals to become master teachers, and (2) offer programs both during and after matriculation to enable fellows to become highly effective mathematics and science teachers and to exchange ideas with others in their fields. Limits fellowship support during such a master's degree program to one year, with a prorated amount in the case of enrollment in a part-time program.
Includes elementary or secondary school computer science teachers as mathematics and science teachers for purposes of the program of teacher recruiting and training grants known as the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
2 bills the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1806Related bill
America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015
H.R. 1898Related bill
America Competes Reauthorization Act of 2015
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 23 actions.
- Oct 7, 2015Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-59.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Oct 1, 2015Resolving differencesResolving differences · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Mr. Smith (TX) asked unanimous consent that the House agree to the Senate amendment.
- FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- House actions: On motion that the House agree to the Senate amendment Agreed to without objection.
- Sep 25, 2015FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Sep 24, 2015FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Voice Vote.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Aug 4, 2015CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 195.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune without amendment. With written report No. 114-115.
- May 20, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Feb 26, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Feb 25, 2015FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: (2/3 required): 412 - 8 (Roll no. 88).House roll call 88
- FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · Considered as unfinished business.
- Feb 24, 2015FloorFloor · At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 1020.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Smith (TX) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Feb 20, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 2694SenateSen. John ThuneR-SD· offered Sep 24, 2015Agreed to
To make a conforming amendment.
Sep 24, 2015: Amendment SA 2694 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.