STEM Scholarship Database Act

STEM Scholarship Database Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain, on the public website of the Department of Education, a database of information on public and private programs of financial assistance for the study of postsecondary and graduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Requires that such database: (1) provide separate information for each field of study; (2) be searchable by category and combinations of categories; (3) indicate programs targeted toward specific demographic groups; and (4) provide searchers with program sponsor contact information and hyperlinks.

[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5139 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5139

To direct the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain a public 
   website through which individuals may find a complete database of 
 available scholarships, fellowships, and other programs of financial 
   assistance in the study of science, technology, engineering, and 
                              mathematics.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 6, 2006

 Mr. Holt (for himself, Mr. Weldon of Pennsylvania, Ms. Zoe Lofgren of 
    California, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Ms. Lee, Mr. Smith of 
   Washington, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Owens, Mr. Kennedy of Minnesota, Mr. 
   Emanuel, Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Payne, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Capuano, Mr. 
  McDermott, Mr. Wolf, Ms. Schakowsky, and Mr. Inslee) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and 
                             the Workforce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Education to establish and maintain a public 
   website through which individuals may find a complete database of 
 available scholarships, fellowships, and other programs of financial 
   assistance in the study of science, technology, engineering, and 
                              mathematics.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``STEM Scholarship Database Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL DATABASE ON FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR STUDY OF SCIENCE, 
              TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS.

    (a) Establishment and Maintenance of Database.--
            (1) Database.--The Secretary of Education shall establish 
        and maintain, on the public website of the Department of 
        Education, a database consisting of information on all 
        scholarships, fellowships, and other programs of financial 
        assistance available from all public and private sources for 
        the study of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics 
        at the post-secondary and post-baccalaureate levels.
            (2) Presentation of information.--The information 
        maintained on the database established under this section shall 
        be displayed on the website in the following manner:
                    (A) Separate information shall be provided for each 
                of the fields of study referred to in paragraph (1) and 
                for post-secondary and post-baccalaureate programs of 
                financial assistance.
                    (B) The database shall provide specific information 
                on any programs of financial assistance which are 
                targeted to individuals of a particular gender, 
                ethnicity, or other demographic group.
                    (C) If the sponsor of any program of financial 
                assistance included on the database maintains a public 
                website, the database shall provide hyperlinks to the 
                website.
                    (D) In addition to providing the hyperlink to the 
                website of a sponsor of a program of financial 
                assistance as required under subparagraph (C), the 
                database shall provide general information that an 
                interested person may use to contact the sponsor, 
                including the sponsor's electronic mail address.
                    (E) The database shall have a search capability 
                which permits an individual to search for information 
                on the basis of each category of the information 
                provided and on the basis of combinations of categories 
                of the information provided.
    (b) Dissemination of Information on Database.--The Secretary shall 
take such actions as may be necessary on an ongoing basis, including 
sending notices to secondary schools and institutions of higher 
education, to disseminate information on the database established and 
maintained under this Act and to encourage its use by interested 
parties.
    (c) Use of Vendor to Obtain Information.--In carrying out this Act, 
the Secretary of Education shall enter into a contract with a private 
entity under which the entity shall furnish and regularly update all of 
the information required to be maintained on the database established 
under this section.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act such 
sums as may be necessary for fiscal years 2007 through 2011.
                                 <all>