,,ii #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,s4 #effc ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #cj1 #bjbf,ms4 ,lummis introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation ,a ,,bill ,to establish a program at the ,national ,science ,foundation to fund research awards to reproduce federally funded research4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,promoting ,reproducibility and ,oversight of ,federal ,research ,act or the ,,proof ,act4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,director ,the term ,director means the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation4 7#b7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja74 7#c7 ,,stem ,the term ,,stem means the academic and professional disciplines of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 #c4 ,reproducibility and replication of scientific research 7a7 ,in general 7#a7 ,authorization of awards ,the ,director shall make awards1 through a competitive1 merit-review process to institutions of higher education to support the replication of federally funded research4 7#b7 ,restriction on discrimination ,in carrying out this section1 the ,director may not include1 expressly or impliedly1 any grant award condition or requirement for a grant applicant to engage in discrimination1 grant preferential treatment1 or impose adverse treatment on the basis of race1 color1 religion1 sex1 national origin1 or any other characteristic for which discrimination is prohibited under ,federal law in carrying out the proposed research4 7b7 ,application 7#a7 ,in general ,an institution of higher education seeking an award under subsection 7a7 shall submit an application to the ,director at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,director may require4 7#b7 ,contents ,an application submitted under paragraph 7#a7 shall include1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 an identification of the federally funded research to be replicated2 7,b7 a description of how the proposed replication would contribute to the reliability1 transparency1 and advancement of scientific knowledge2 7,c7 evidence that the applicant has the capacity and capability to conduct the proposed replication with existing infrastructure or minimal need for new acquisitions2 7,d7 a description of the number1 size1 and nature of any stipends that will be provided by the applicant to students and the reasons such stipends are needed2 7,e7 an identification of any known conflicts of interest or conflicts of commitment the applicant may have with respect to the proposed research2 7,f7 metrics for analyzing the reproducibility of the research2 and 7,g7 a proposed timeline for completing the replication of the proposed research4 7c7 ,review of applications ,in evaluating applications submitted under subsection 7b71 the ,director-- 7#a7 shall consider1 at a minimum-- 7,a7 the extent to which the proposed replication will contribute to greater scientific understanding2 7,b7 the extent to which the applicant has the capability and capacity to carry out the proposed replication2 7,c7 a cost-benefit analysis of conducting the proposed replication at the respective institution1 including consideration of new infrastructure acquisitions2 and 7,d7 any scientific integrity implications of the applicant conducting the replication1 including conflicts of interest and conflicts of commitment2 and 7#b7 shall not discriminate against1 grant preferential treatment to1 or impose adverse treatment against applicants on the basis of race1 color1 religion1 sex1 or national origin or any other characteristic for which discrimination is prohibited under ,federal law4 7d7 ,use of funds 7#a7 ,in general ,an institution of higher education that receives an award under this section shall use the funds to cover reasonable costs of activities supporting the replication of federally funded research1 including-- 7,a7 tuition and stipends for eligible students described in paragraph 7#b72 7,b7 materials1 instrumentation1 and associated facility costs2 7,c7 travel for activities related to research replication2 and 7,d7 costs associated with analysis of the scientific reproducibility of federally funded research4 7#b7 ,eligible students ,a student is eligible to receive support under this section if the student-- 7,a7 is-- 7i7 a citizen of the ,united ,states2 7ii7 a national of the ,united ,states 7as defined in section #aja7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja7;a7772 or 7iii7 an alien lawfully admitted to the ,united ,states for permanent residence2 7,b7 intends to enroll1 or is enrolled full-time1 in a research-based master's degree program in a ,,stem field2 7,c7 holds a bachelor's degree in a ,,stem field related to the research for which the student seeks support2 and 7,d7 has not received a doctoral or terminal degree in any field4 7e7 ,report ,not later than #ah months after the date of the first award made under this section1 and annually thereafter1 the ,director shall submit to the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives a report summarizing-- 7#a7 the total number of replication awards made under this section2 7#b7 the total number of students supported under this section2 7#c7 the number of replication awards made under this section1 by academic field and original funding agency2 and 7#d7 an analysis of the reproducibility of the findings of the original research compared with the findings of the replicated research supported under this section4