Sec. 7. Interagency working group
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The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, acting through the National Science and Technology Council, shall establish an interagency working group for the purpose of coordinating Federal science agency efforts to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment and gender harassment involving grant personnel. The working group shall be chaired by the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (or the Director’s designee) and shall include a representative from each Federal science agency with annual extramural research expenditures totaling over $1,000,000,000, a representative from the Department of Education, and a representative from the U.S.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The interagency working group established under subsection
(a)shall coordinate Federal science agency efforts to implement the policy guidelines developed under subsection (c)(2). The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall— not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate an inventory of policies, procedures, and resources dedicated to preventing and responding to reports of sexual harassment and gender harassment at Federal agencies that provide legal definitions to which institutions of higher education must comply; and not later than 6 months after the date on which the inventory is submitted under paragraph (1)— in consultation with outside stakeholders and Federal science agencies, develop a uniform set of policy guidelines for Federal science agencies; and submit a report to the committees referred to in paragraph
(1)containing such guidelines; encourage and monitor efforts of Federal science agencies to develop or maintain and implement policies based on the guidelines developed under paragraph (2), including the extent to which Federal science agency policies depart from the uniform policy guidelines; not later than 1 year after the date on which the inventory under paragraph
(1)is submitted, and every 5 years thereafter, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall report to Congress on the implementation by Federal science agencies of the policy guidelines developed under paragraph (2); and update such policy guidelines as needed. In developing policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall include guidelines that require— grantees to submit to the Federal science agency or agencies from which the grantees receive funding reports relating to— administrative action, related to an allegation against grant personnel of any sexual harassment or gender harassment, as set forth in organizational policies or codes of conduct, statutes, regulations, or executive orders, that affects the ability of grant personnel or their trainees to carry out the activities of the grant; and findings or determinations against grant personnel of sexual harassment or gender harassment, as set forth in organizational policies or codes of conduct, statutes, regulations, or executive orders, including any findings or determinations related to reports submitted under subparagraph
(A)and any disciplinary action that was taken; the sharing, updating, and archiving of reports of sexual harassment and gender harassment from grantees submitted under paragraph (1)(B) with relevant Federal science agencies on a quarterly basis; and to the extent practicable, ensure consistency among Federal agencies with regards to the policies and procedures for receiving reports submitted pursuant to paragraph (1), which may include the designation of a single agency to field reports so submitted. In developing policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2), the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall consider guidelines that require or incentivize— grantees to periodically assess their organizational climate, which may include the use of climate surveys, focus groups, or exit interviews; grantees to publish on a publicly available internet website the results of assessments conducted pursuant to paragraph (1), disaggregated by gender and, if possible, race, ethnicity, disability status, and sexual orientation; grantees to make public on an annual basis the number of reports of sexual harassment and gender harassment at each such institution; grantees to regularly assess and improve policies, procedures, and interventions to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment and gender harassment; each grantee to demonstrate in its proposal for a grant award, cooperative agreement, or contract that a code of conduct is in place for maintaining a healthy and welcoming workplace for grant personnel and their trainees; the diffusion of the hierarchical and dependent relationships between grant personnel and their trainees; each grantee and Federal science agency to have in place mechanisms for the re-integration of individuals who have experienced sexual harassment and gender harassment; and grantees to work to create a climate intolerant of sexual harassment and gender harassment. Each Federal science agency shall— develop or maintain and implement policies with respect to sexual harassment and gender harassment that are consistent with policy guidelines under subsection (c)(2) and that protect the privacy of all parties involved in any report and investigation of sexual harassment and gender harassment, except to the extent necessary to carry out an investigation; and broadly disseminate such policies to current and potential recipients of research grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts awarded by such agency. The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall ensure that such guidelines and requirements are consistent with the requirements of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act ( 20 U.S.C. 1232g ) (commonly referred to as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 ). The interagency working group established under subsection
(a)shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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Sec. 7
Interagency working group
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