[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5317 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 5317
To enable schools serving grades 6 through 12 that are located in rural
areas or that serve Native American students to remodel or build new
facilities to provide STEM classrooms and laboratories and support
high-speed internet, to establish a program to support the
modernization, renovation, or repair of career and technical education
facilities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
August 6, 2026
Mr. Schatz (for himself and Mr. Padilla) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To enable schools serving grades 6 through 12 that are located in rural
areas or that serve Native American students to remodel or build new
facilities to provide STEM classrooms and laboratories and support
high-speed internet, to establish a program to support the
modernization, renovation, or repair of career and technical education
facilities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Inspiring New STEM Professionals by
Investing in Renovation of Education Spaces Act'' or the ``INSPIRES
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Technological advancement has increased the types of
jobs available now and for the foreseeable future. According to
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, through 2034, employers will be
looking to fill an estimated 870,000 openings for the top 10
occupations in the collective fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this section as
``STEM''). STEM jobs pay well; STEM workers earn an average of
$55,580 per year more than non-STEM workers. However,
projections suggest that the United States won't have enough
skilled workers to fill STEM jobs.
(2) STEM skills and knowledge are now required in a wide
range of occupations, including many that are not traditionally
considered to be science or engineering-related, such as
sustainable agriculture, management of natural resources, and
health care.
(3) Because of the growing use of STEM skills across all
job sectors, the distinction between a ``rural'' as compared to
an ``urban'' job is blurring. For instance, renewable energy
development and bio-based product manufacturing employ workers
in a variety of areas of the United States. Known as the ``new
collar'' economy, the phenomenal growth in job opportunities
for those who are prepared will also support the growth of
communities: places to raise families and invest in the future.
(4) Good STEM experiences in middle school will lead to
positive attitudes toward and expectations of STEM experiences
in high school. In the middle grades, students begin to
demonstrate formal logical operations (critical thinking).
Further, middle school students have been shown to be highly
susceptible to developing opinions about their competence and
interest in STEM learning.
(5) Providing students with additional time in after school
and summer STEM programs allows students opportunities to
engage in hands-on learning that sparks interest in STEM fields
and careers. Students who engage in well-designed laboratory
experiences develop problem-solving and critical-thinking
skills, and gain exposure to reactions, materials, and
equipment in a lab setting. Sustained investments in hands-on
experiences help inspire students to further their education
and prepare them for high-technology careers by fostering
skills sought by potential employers. Hands-on experiences
significantly advance learning at all levels of science
education when appropriately designed and guided by qualified
educators, in a safe learning environment that is student-
centered and curriculum-driven. The classroom should contain
enough resources, space, and storage to permit long-term
multidisciplinary projects, individual and small-group
learning, and inquiry and project-based learning.
(6) The United States has unique trust and treaty
obligations to provide comprehensive quality educational
opportunities to American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native
Hawaiians and support Native-serving schools. However, many
Native American students do not have equitable access to STEM
educational opportunities. Surveys suggest that fewer than half
of all American Indian and Alaska Native public high school
students have access to a full range of mathematics and science
courses. Additionally, schools serving Native students
frequently dismissed and devalued traditional STEM knowledge,
discouraging Native student engagement in STEM areas. As a
result, Native Americans receive only 0.5 percent of STEM
undergraduate degrees and account for only 0.3 percent of the
United States engineering workforce.
(7) To meet the challenge of educating youth to fulfill the
demand for STEM workers, public schools in the United States
must be equipped to educate all youth in STEM skills,
especially youth who are underserved or socially disadvantaged.
(8) The median age of United States schools is 49 years. 54
percent of school buildings in the United States need
significant repairs or upgrades, including clean and safe
classrooms and laboratory spaces, up-to-date technology, and
broadband. Moreover, the condition of school facilities has a
measurable effect on student achievement.
(9) For all of these reasons, the future workforce of the
United States needs safe, clean, well-equipped school
facilities where all students can reach their full potential
and learn the knowledge and skills that place them on a secure
pathway to enhance the capacity of the United States to compete
globally.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Career and technical education.--The term ``career and
technical education'' has the meaning given the term in section
3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of
2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302).
(2) Community college.--The term ``community college''
means a public institution of higher education at which the
predominant degree awarded to students is an associate's
degree, including a 2-year Tribal College or University as
defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965
(20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)) and a public 2-year State institution of
higher education.
(3) Educational service agency.--The term ``educational
service agency'' has the meaning given the term in section 8101
of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
(4) Eligible agency.--The term ``eligible agency'' means a
local educational agency, a consortium of local educational
agencies, or an educational service agency.
(5) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) an eligible institution;
(B) a community college;
(C) a local educational agency or consortium of
local educational agencies;
(D) an educational service agency;
(E) a Tribal educational agency;
(F) an Indian Tribe;
(G) a Tribal organization; or
(H) another entity determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
(6) Eligible institution.--The term ``eligible
institution'' means any of the following:
(A) An Alaska Native-serving institution or a
Native Hawaiian-serving institution (as such terms are
defined in section 317(b) of the Higher Education Act
of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1059d(b))), a Native American-
serving, nontribal institution (as defined in section
319(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059f(b))), or an Asian
American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving
institution (as defined in section 320(b) of such Act
(20 U.S.C. 1059g(b))).
(B) A Tribal College or University, as defined in
section 316(b) of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1059c(b)).
(C) An 1890 Institution, as defined in section 2 of
the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education
Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601).
(D) A 1994 Institution, as defined in section 2 of
such Act (7 U.S.C. 7601).
(E) A Hispanic-serving agricultural college or
university, as defined in section 1404 of the National
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103).
(F) A minority-serving institution, which shall be
defined as an eligible institution under section 371(a)
of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1067q(a)).
(7) Eligible school.--The term ``eligible school'' means--
(A) a public school that--
(i) serves students in any of grades 6
through 12; and
(ii)(I) is located--
(aa) in a rural area, as defined in
section 25.503 of title 7, Code of
Federal Regulations, or any successor
regulation;
(bb) on or near trust land;
(cc) on or near a substantially
underserved trust area, as defined in
section 306F(a) of the Rural
Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C.
936f(a)); or
(dd) in an eligible community, as
defined in section 1456(a) of the Safe
Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-
16(a)); or
(II) is determined by an Indian Tribe or
Tribal organization to serve Native American
students; or
(B) a Bureau-funded school, as defined in section
1141 of the Education Amendments of 1978 (25 U.S.C.
2021).
(8) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(9) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(10) Local educational agency.--The term ``local
educational agency'' has the meaning given the term in section
8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 7801).
(11) Native american.--The term ``Native American'' has the
meaning given the term in section 102 of the Older Americans
Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3002).
(12) Public-private partnership.--The term ``public-private
partnership'' means a partnership--
(A) between a State or an eligible agency and a
private entity (which may be a nonprofit organization,
business, or other nongovernmental entity); and
(B) through which the private entity will provide
some or all of the required match under section 4(e).
(13) Qualified stem education facility project.--The term
``qualified STEM education facility project'' means--
(A) the modernization, renovation, or repair of
facilities to provide STEM classrooms or laboratories
(including instrumentation and major laboratory
equipment) and updates related to student and faculty
health and safety, which may include--
(i) improving the energy efficiency of a
facility;
(ii) improving the cost-effectiveness of a
facility in delivering quality education;
(iii) improving student, faculty, and staff
health and safety at a facility;
(iv) improving, installing, or upgrading
educational technology infrastructure;
(v) retrofitting an existing building for
career and technical education purposes; or
(vi) a one-time repair of serviceable
equipment at a facility, or replacement of
equipment at a facility that is at the end of
its serviceable lifespan, that will be used to
further educational outcomes;
(B) building new facilities to provide STEM
classrooms or laboratories; or
(C) supporting the establishment and maintenance of
high-speed internet for a STEM classroom or laboratory.
(14) Qualified cte facility project.--The term ``qualified
CTE facility project''--
(A) means the modernization, renovation, or repair
of a facility that will be used to improve the quality
and availability of STEM or career and technical
education instruction to students, and that may
include--
(i) improving the energy efficiency of the
facility;
(ii) improving the cost-effectiveness of
the facility in delivering quality education;
(iii) improving student, faculty, and staff
health and safety at the facility;
(iv) improving, installing, or upgrading
educational technology infrastructure;
(v) retrofitting an existing building for
career and technical education purposes; or
(vi) a one-time repair of serviceable
equipment at the facility, or replacement of
equipment at the facility that is at the end of
its serviceable lifespan, that will be used to
further educational outcomes; and
(B) does not include new construction or the
payment of routine maintenance costs.
(15) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
(16) STEM.--The term ``STEM''--
(A) means the fields of science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics, and related fields
(including computer science); and
(B) includes culturally based or traditional
knowledge fields in science, technology, engineering,
or mathematics.
(17) Tribal educational agency.--The term ``Tribal
educational agency'' has the meaning given the term ``tribal
educational agency'' in section 6132(b) of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7452(b)).
(18) Tribal organization.--The term ``Tribal organization''
has the meaning given the term ``tribal organization'' in
section 658P of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act
of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n).
(19) Trust land.--The term ``trust land'' has the meaning
given the term in section 3765 of title 38, United States Code.
SEC. 4. STEM EDUCATION FACILITIES GRANTS.
(a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary shall carry out a program to
improve STEM education facilities by awarding grants, through
allotments under subsection (b), to States to enable the States to
award subgrants to eligible agencies or Tribal educational agencies to
carry out qualified STEM education facility projects at eligible
schools.
(b) Allotments and Use of Funds for States.--
(1) Allotments.--From amounts appropriated to carry out
this section for each fiscal year and not reserved under
subsection (g), the Secretary shall allot to each State that
has an application approved under this section an amount that
bears the same relationship as the number of schools in the
State that are rural schools designated with a locale code of
41, 42, or 43, as determined by the Secretary, bears to the
number of all such schools in the United States and on trust
lands for that fiscal year.
(2) Use of funds.--
(A) Reservation of funds for qualified stem
education facility projects at schools serving native
americans.--From amounts provided to a State under
paragraph (1), each State with 1 or more eligible
schools described in item (bb) or (cc) of subclause
(I), or subclause (II), of section 3(7)(A)(ii) shall
reserve not less than 10 percent of the State's
allotment for qualified STEM education facility
projects at such eligible schools.
(B) Use of funds for qualified stem education
facility projects.--A State receiving an allotment
under paragraph (1) shall, use the amount of such
allotment remaining after any reservation required
under subparagraph (A) to award subgrants to eligible
agencies or Tribal educational agencies to carry out
qualified STEM education facility projects at eligible
schools.
(c) Application.--
(1) Grant application for states.--A State that desires to
receive an allotment under this section shall submit an
application to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Secretary may require. Such