House Passes Two Science Bills

The House of Representatives passed two bills on June 8 that are designed to coordinate international scientific cooperation and U.S. science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. The International Science & Technology Cooperation Act (H.R. 1736) would harmonize international science and technology programs across federal agencies, especially opportunities at the intersection of science and diplomacy. The STEM Education Coordination Act (H.R. 1709) strives to strengthen an existing committee under the White House National Science & Technology Council to coordinate the science education programs in the federal government and provide a forum for agencies to improve awareness of their programs, share research findings, and create common metrics for evaluations. Versions of the bills are pending in the Senate.