RESEARCHER Act

Summary#

This bill (RESEARCHER Act) directs the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to create a consistent set of policy guidelines for Federal research agencies to address financial instability among graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers. It defines those researcher groups and requires OSTP to consult stakeholders and produce guidelines within six months. Guideline topics include opportunities to increase stipends (including indexing by location), higher stipends for postdocs in rural or underserved areas, improved access to medical/dental/vision care, affordable housing and transportation, reduced food insecurity, and support for family care costs such as child care.

The bill requires each Federal research agency to develop and implement policies consistent with OSTP’s guidelines and to broadly share those policies with current and potential award recipients within six months after receiving the guidelines. OSTP must monitor and update the guidelines and report on them to several congressional committees one year after issuance and every five years thereafter.

The bill also amends existing research data reporting to add collection of graduate and postdoctoral stipend amounts and measures of financial instability (disaggregated by demographics when practicable). The National Science Foundation (NSF) must competitively award grants to collect and analyze data on researcher financial instability. NSF must also contract with the National Academies to study stipend adequacy relative to local costs (medical, housing, food, child care) and report findings and recommendations within two years. The Government Accountability Office must report within three years on agency implementation and recommend improvements.

What it means for you#

• If you are a graduate researcher or postdoctoral researcher at an institution that receives Federal research funding: Federal research agencies will be required to adopt policies consistent with OSTP’s guidelines. Those guidelines focus on stipend levels, benefits access, housing, transportation, food security, and family care support. Agencies must develop and implement such policies and share them publicly.
• If you work at or manage a research institution: Your institution may be affected by new agency requirements and by NSF-funded data collection and studies. Agencies will require recipients of research awards to follow or align with the new policies and to receive information about them.
• If you follow research policy: The bill mandates data collection, an NSF-funded study by the National Academies, and a GAO review, which will produce reports on stipend levels, local cost comparisons, and how agencies implement the guidelines.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on total costs, appropriations, or funding amounts is included in the bill text.

Proponents' View#

The bill’s text frames the measure as a way to address financial instability for graduate and postdoctoral researchers by creating consistent Federal guidelines, collecting data, and commissioning studies and reviews to inform actions. Supporters identified in the bill metadata include the bill sponsors and cosponsors who introduced the bill.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.