S. 1070: National STEM Week Act
Sponsor
Joni Ernst
Republican · IA
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 26, 2026
Passed the Senate, received in House
A national STEM week clears the Senate
Why it matters
This bill doesn't spend a dollar or stand up a new program. It hands the federal government's existing science committee one job: pick a week each year, call it National STEM Week, and rally schools, families, and companies to push science and tech careers — with a focus on rural, urban, and underserved communities. The Senate already passed it.
S. 1070, the National STEM Week Act, adds a single duty to a federal committee that already exists. It amends a 2010 science-education law so the National Science and Technology Council's STEM committee must designate one week each calendar year as National STEM Week.
There's no new money attached. The bill leans entirely on visibility — declaring a week, then encouraging schools, families, and industry to fill it. During the week, the committee is directed to get educational institutions to take part, nudge families toward at-home STEM activities, and ask STEM companies to offer mentorship, site visits, guest lectures, funding, and expertise.
The bill's stated purposes include closing participation gaps for students in rural, urban, and underserved communities. Each year the committee has to report back to Congress on what happened, how many people took part, and what it did for STEM education. The whole authority sunsets five years after the bill becomes law.
S. 1070 Bill Summary
What S. 1070 actually does.
One STEM week, set every year
Directs the National Science and Technology Council's STEM committee to designate a week each calendar year as National STEM Week, in consultation with stakeholders.
Targets underserved communities
Lists closing STEM participation gaps in rural, urban, and underserved communities among the week's stated purposes.
Pulls in schools, families, and industry
Encourages educational institutions to participate, families to run STEM activities at home, and companies to offer mentorship, site visits, guest lectures, funding, and expertise.
Annual report card to Congress
Requires the committee to report each year on nationwide participation, the effect on STEM education and educational gaps, and recommendations for future weeks.
Five-year sunset
The authority to designate National STEM Week and run its activities expires five years after the bill is enacted.
Who benefits from S. 1070?
Students in rural, urban, and underserved areas
The bill names them as its primary focus — the students the week is meant to pull into STEM events and career exposure they might not otherwise get.
Teachers and schools
Elementary, secondary, and higher-ed institutions get a national hook to organize STEM programming and connect with outside partners.
STEM companies and nonprofits
For-profit and nonprofit "industry partners" get a structured window to run mentorship, site visits, and guest lectures with students.
Families
Parents are encouraged to take part through at-home STEM activities tied to the designated week.
Who is affected by S. 1070?
The National Science and Technology Council's STEM committee
Picks the week each year, coordinates the activities, and files the annual report to Congress.
K-12 schools and colleges
Encouraged — not required — to participate, host events, and connect students with industry partners.
Participating companies and nonprofits
Asked to contribute mentorship, site visits, guest lectures, funding, resources, and expertise during the week.
Congress
Receives an annual report on the week's reach and its effect on STEM education and educational gaps.
What Congress Is Saying
S. 1070 has come up 13 times in the Congressional Record so far.
S. 1070 also appeared in 1 more Senate floor reference and 3 routine cosponsor filings.
S1070 Legislative Journey
Passed
Feb 26, 2026
Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S716; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S716)
+1 more action this day
Committee Action
Feb 12, 2026
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-110.
Passed Committee
Oct 21, 2025
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
Committee Action
Mar 14, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
About the Sponsor
Joni Ernst
Republican, IA · 11 years in Congress
Committees: Small Business and Entrepreneurship, Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Armed Services
View full profile →
Cosponsors (1)
This bill has 1 cosponsor: 1 Democrat. Cosponsors represent 1 state: Minnesota.
Committee Sponsors
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
1 of 28 committee members cosponsored
15 Republicans across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
S. 1070 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Chamber
- Senate
- Policy
- Education
- Introduced
- Mar 14, 2025
Passed the Senate, received in House
Feb 26, 2026
Official Sources
The official bill record — full text, the unanimous-consent Senate passage, sponsor, and cosponsor.
The America COMPETES statute S. 1070 amends; it created the National Science and Technology Council's STEM committee that would designate the week.
OSTP's director chairs the National Science and Technology Council, the body whose STEM committee would pick National STEM Week each year.
The committee that reported S. 1070 with a substitute amendment before the full Senate passed it.
The existing federal STEM-education strategy from the same NSTC committee, including its focus on access for underserved communities.
Defines the elementary and secondary schools the bill encourages to take part in National STEM Week.
Defines the colleges and universities included among the 'educational institutions' the bill addresses.
S. 1070 Common Questions
What does the National STEM Week Act actually do?
S. 1070 directs the federal government's existing STEM committee to designate one week each calendar year as National STEM Week, then rally schools, families, and companies around science and tech education. It adds no new program and no new spending.
Does S. 1070 cost taxpayers anything?
No new federal money is authorized. The bill works by adding a duty to a committee that already exists, and participation by schools, families, and companies is voluntary, running on resources they already have.
Has the National STEM Week Act passed?
The Senate passed S. 1070 by unanimous consent in February 2026. It still needs the House. A companion bill, H.R. 2104, was referred to the House Education and Workforce Committee in March 2025 and hasn't advanced.
Who picks the week and runs National STEM Week?
The National Science and Technology Council's STEM committee chooses the week each calendar year, in consultation with stakeholders, and coordinates the activities around it.
Does the National STEM Week Act expire?
Yes. The authority to designate National STEM Week and run its activities sunsets five years after the bill becomes law.
How can schools, families, and companies take part?
Schools are encouraged to host STEM activities, families to run STEM projects at home, and companies to offer mentorship programs, site visits, guest lectures, funding, and expertise. Participation is voluntary.
Who would National STEM Week focus on?
The bill names students in rural, urban, and underserved communities as a primary focus, with a stated goal of closing gaps in who takes part in STEM education and careers.
Is the National STEM Week Act bipartisan?
Yes. S. 1070 is sponsored by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and cosponsored by Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and it cleared the Senate by unanimous consent.
Based on S. 1070 bill text
S. 1070 Bill Text
“To establish a National STEM Week to promote American innovation and enhance STEM education pathways for all students, including those in rural, urban, and underserved communities.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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