Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2021
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act
This bill addresses sexual harassment in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by supporting research regarding sexual harassment and efforts to prevent and respond to sexual harassment.
This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations (or their consortia) to
expand research into the factors contributing to, and consequences of, sexual harassment affecting individuals in the STEM workforce, including students and trainees; and
examine interventions for reducing the incidence and negative consequences of sexual harassment.
The NSF must convene a working group to gather national data on the prevalence, nature, and implications of such harassment in institutions of higher education.
The NSF shall enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to (1) update a responsible conduct guide issued by the National Academies to include, among other things, evidence-based practices for fostering a climate that is intolerant of sexual harassment; and (2) study the influence of sexual harassment in institutions of higher education on the career advancement of individuals in the STEM workforce.
The National Science and Technology Council shall establish an interagency working group to coordinate the federal science agencies' efforts to reduce the prevalence of sexual harassment involving grant personnel.
The Office of Science and Technology Policy must develop policy guidelines for such agencies to prevent and respond to reports of sexual harassment and gender harassment.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on April 27, 2021. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 27, 2021: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced it on April 27, 2021, and 12 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 11 Democrats, 1 independent.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on April 27, 2021, 1962 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1962 days ago, on April 27, 2021.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers