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A review of federal research grants by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that federal agencies have taken action on sexual harassment but need clearer procedures, plans, goals and collaboration. Some 40 complaints under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits sexual harassment, were filed with the five granting agencies studied between 2015 and 2019. Thirty-three of those were filed with the National Science Foundation, which in 2018 started requiring reports of Title IX violations and Title IX-related suspensions from institutions receiving funding. Separate sex discrimination concerns were registered with the Department of Health and Human Services and the NSF. The GAO attributes the numbers regarding that complaint channel to public communication from the two agencies.
The report faults the Departments of Energy and Agriculture for lacking "finalized procedures for complaints," saying they can’t ensure they are "consistently handling complaints." The National Aeronautics and Space Administration saw three Title IX complaints in the period studied. None of the five agencies "have goals and plans for all of their efforts, and thus they lack clear ways to evaluate how well these efforts are working and to identify any needed improvements," reads the GAO report. "They may also be missing opportunities to coordinate and integrate prevention activities." Adopting "leading practices would help enhance and sustain collaboration," the office said.
