H.R. 36 would authorize the appropriation of $17.5 million for the National Science Foundation to award grants for research on sexual and gender harassment in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics workforce and to enter into agreements with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct related studies.
The bill also would direct the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to establish a working group with representatives from certain agencies to develop a uniform set of policy guidelines on sexual and gender harassment. CBO estimates that implementing the provision would have no significant effect on the federal budget because OSTP is already convening a working group on the topic.
Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, and based on historical spending patterns for similar activities, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 36 would cost $18 million over the 2020-2024 period.
