RESEARCHER Act
The RESEARCHER Act would require the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to develop a unified set of policy guidelines for federal research agencies aimed at reducing financial instability among graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers. The guidelines would cover stipends, benefits, housing, transportation, childcare, and other cost-of-living considerations, with an emphasis on location-based indexing and special outreach to rural or underserved areas. Federal agencies would then implement policies aligned with these guidelines and broadly share them with current and prospective award recipients. The act also mandates ongoing updates to the guidelines and regular reporting to Congress on progress and implementation. Beyond guidelines, the bill expands data collection and analysis on graduate/postdoc stipends and financial instability, amends existing federal data reporting to require stipend-related information disaggregated by demographics, funds NSF-driven data collection, and tasks the National Academies to study the issue and issue recommendations. The GAO would also evaluate how well agencies are applying the guidelines and suggest improvements. Overall, the bill aims to improve compensation clarity and support for researchers to attract and retain talent, while increasing federal oversight and transparency around these issues.
Key Points
- 1OSTP must develop a consistent set of policy guidelines to address financial instability of graduate researchers and postdoctoral researchers within 6 months of enactment, after broad stakeholder input.
- 2Guidelines should cover stipend increases (including location-based indexing), targeted boosts for postdocs in rural/underserved areas or EPSCoR locales, and expanded access to health care, housing, transportation, food security, and family care (e.g., child care).
- 3Federal research agencies must implement policies consistent with the guidelines within 6 months of receiving them and broadly disseminate them to current and potential award recipients.
- 4Data collection and reporting requirements: NSF must fund data collection on stipend amounts and financial instability (disaggregated by demographics where possible), and related amendments to the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act would require stipend data to be reported.
- 5National Academies assessment: Within 2 years, NSF must partner with NASEM to study the status of financial instability among graduate and postdoctoral researchers and report findings and recommendations.
- 6GAO study: Within 3 years, GAO must assess implementation of guidelines, suggest improvements, and identify additional data/research needed to monitor progress.