Section 2MMM: Massachusetts Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics Grant Fund
Section 2MMM. (a) There is hereby established and set up on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Massachusetts Science, Technology Engineering, and Mathematics Grant Fund, hereinafter referred to as the Pipeline Fund, to which shall be credited any appropriations, bond proceeds or other monies authorized by the general court and specifically designated to be credited to that fund, and any additional funds designated by the corporation for deposit into the Pipeline Fund, including any pension funds, federal grants or loans, or private donations made available to the commissioner of higher education for deposit into the fund. The department of higher education shall hold the Pipeline Fund in an account separate and apart from all other accounts. Amounts credited to the Pipeline Fund shall be used by the commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the STEM advisory council established in section 218 of chapter 6.
(b) The public purpose of the Pipeline Fund shall be to increase the number of students who participate in programs that support careers in fields related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In furtherance of this public purpose, and in a manner consistent with the recommendations of the council, the commissioner of higher education, in consultation with the commissioner of education and the president of the University of Massachusetts, shall employ the Pipeline Fund through grants and other disbursements and activities that are calculated to increase the number of qualified science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers and to improve the science, technology, engineering and mathematics educational offerings available in public and private schools. The grants and other disbursements and activities may involve, without limitation, the University of Massachusetts, state universities and community colleges, business and industry partnerships, workforce investment boards, private colleges and universities, and public and private school districts to further the purposes of the Pipeline Fund. The grants and other disbursements and activities may support, without limitation: (i) the development and use of innovative curricula, courses and programs in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for new teachers and in-service teachers that provide appropriate science, technology, engineering and mathematics content, and instruction in innovative ways to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics including, but not limited to, the use of hands on, experimental learning and e-learning, that are consistent with the Massachusetts standards and curriculum frameworks established under sections 1D and 1E of chapter 69; (ii) the development of a science, technology, engineering and mathematics network to create, implement, share and make broadly and publicly available the best practices and innovative programs relative to science, technology, engineering and mathematics instruction and expanding and maintaining student interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies and careers; (iii) effective ways to teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics; (iv) give priority to grants that provide effective course and curricula for in-service teachers in low income schools or school districts; and (v) summer programs for high school students, with appropriate stipends, that would allow interested and motivated students to intern in private or nonprofit corporations or in public programs that are in a position to further their interest, knowledge and experience in these fields; provided, that priority for the summer programs shall be given to students in groups that are presently underrepresented in these fields including, but not limited to, persons of color, women, and those whose native language is not English; provided further, that not more than 20 per cent of the fund shall be awarded to any 1 single institution and not more than 5 per cent of the fund shall be expended under clause (v).
(c) There shall be under Commonwealth Medicine at the University of Massachusetts medical school and the department of education's office for mathematics, science and technology engineering, the Massachusetts Academy for Life Sciences. The Massachusetts Academy for Life Sciences, subject to appropriation from the Pipeline Fund, shall establish a program which shall consist of mobile science labs with 1 mobile lab assigned and designated for each of the following 5 regions: western Massachusetts, central Massachusetts, metropolitan Boston, northeastern Massachusetts and southeastern Massachusetts. The mission of the Massachusetts Academy for Life Sciences shall be to encourage students to consider careers in life sciences and healthcare by participating in enhanced science courses through the use of the mobilelabs.
(d) The department of higher education shall, in consultation with the council, promulgate policies, rules and regulations for the administration and implementation of subsections (a) and (b). The commissioner of higher education shall file any policies, rules and regulations with the joint committee on education, the joint committee on higher education, the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies and the joint committee on labor and workforce development for review and comment at least 30 days before the effective date of the policies, rules or regulations.
(e) The commissioner of higher education shall file a quarterly report with the house and senate committees on ways and means, the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies, the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the joint committee on education and the joint committee on higher education on the following: (i) a list of grant recipients, (ii) the associated grant amounts, (iii) the amounts of non-state funding leveraged as a result of the grants, (iv) the purposes of the grants, (v) an annual statement of cash inflows and outflows detailing the sources and uses of funds, (vi) a forecast of future payments based on current binding obligations, and (vii) a detailed breakdown of the purposes and amounts of administrative costs charged to the fund.