Likely helped
- No clear beneficiaries surfaced yet.
H.R. 812 (119th)Bill Overview
MAKERS Act
Science, Technology, Communications|Science, Technology, Communications
Sponsor
Cosponsors
Support
Democratic
Introduced
Jan 28, 2025
Discussions
Bill Text
Current stageCommittee
Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Introduced
Committee
Floor
President
Law
01 · The brief
Plain-English summaryWhat this bill actually does
<p><strong>Making Advances Kinetic Education, Research, and Skills Act or the MAKERS Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support research and development related to makerspaces. Under the bill, <em>makerspaces</em> are defined as community spaces that provide learners and entrepreneurs with tools, technology, and knowledge, and support educational opportunities for personal growth, workforce training, and early-stage business ventures.</p><p>Grant funds may be used to support research on the effectiveness of makerspaces in engaging students and communities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), among other functions.</p><p>In awarding grants, the NSF must prioritize certain applicants, including (1) community colleges and minority-serving institutions; and (2) institutions that apply in partnership with workforce development entities, high-need local educational agencies, or independent nonprofit or academic makerspaces.</p>
Why people may split
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Watch point
The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.
<p><strong>Making Advances Kinetic Education, Research, and Skills Act or the MAKERS Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to support research and development related to makerspaces.
Under the bill, <em>makerspaces</em> are defined as community spaces that provide learners and entrepreneurs with tools, technology, and knowledge, and support educational opportunities for personal growth, workforce training, and early-stage business ventures.</p><p>Grant funds may be used to support research on the effectiveness of makerspaces in engaging students and communities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), among other functions.</p><p>In awarding grants, the NSF must prioritize certain applicants, including (1) community colleges and minority-serving institutions; and (2) institutions that apply in partnership with workforce development entities, high-need local educational agencies, or independent nonprofit or academic makerspaces.</p>
Passage38/100
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
CredibilityPartial
How solid the drafting looks.
Contention62/100
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
02 · What it does
Who stands to gain, and who may push back.
Likely benefits vs burdens0% / 100%
Likely helpedLikely burdened
These are examples from the analysis, not a ranked list of the most-affected groups.
Likely burdened
- No clear downsides surfaced yet.
03 · Why people split
Why the argument around this bill splits.
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Progressive—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Centrist—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
Conservative—
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
04 · Can it pass?
The path through Congress.
Introduced
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Committee
Reached or meaningfully advanced
Floor
Still ahead
President
Still ahead
Law
Still ahead
Passage likelihood38/100
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
Why this could stall
- The next hurdle is converting committee movement into a floor coalition.
05 · Recent votes
Recent votes on the bill.
No vote history yet
The bill has not accumulated any surfaced votes yet.
06 · Go deeper
Go deeper than the headline read.
Included on this page
The main political fault lines are not fully surfaced yet, so coalition durability is still unclear.
This bill has moved beyond introduction, but committee and floor dynamics still determine whether it can build durable support.
Unlocked analysis
Pro readers get the full perspective split, passage barriers, legislative design review, stakeholder impact map, and lens-based policy tradeoff analysis for MAKERS Act.
Go beyond the headline summary with full stakeholder mapping, legislative design analysis, passage barriers, and lens-by-lens tradeoff breakdowns.
Perspective breakdownsPassage barriersLegislative design reviewStakeholder impact map
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