[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 255 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.R.255

                     One Hundred Fifteenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE FIRST SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
          the third day of January, two thousand and seventeen


                                 An Act


 
To authorize the National Science Foundation to support entrepreneurial 
                           programs for women.

    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 ``Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship 
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
    The Congress finds that--
        (1) women make up almost 50 percent of the workforce, but less 
    than 25 percent of the workforce in science, technology, 
    engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions;
        (2) women are less likely to focus on the STEM disciplines in 
    undergraduate and graduate study;
        (3) only 26 percent of women who do attain degrees in STEM 
    fields work in STEM jobs;
        (4) there is an increasing demand for individuals with STEM 
    degrees to extend their focus beyond the laboratory so they can be 
    leaders in discovery commercialization;
        (5) studies have shown that technology and commercialization 
    ventures are successful when women are in top management positions; 
    and
        (6) the National Science Foundation's mission includes 
    supporting women in STEM disciplines.
SEC. 3. SUPPORTING WOMEN'S ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAMS.
    Section 33 of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities Act 
(42 U.S.C. 1885a) is amended--
        (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (10);
        (2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (11) and 
    inserting ``; and''; and
        (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
        ``(12) encourage its entrepreneurial programs to recruit and 
    support women to extend their focus beyond the laboratory and into 
    the commercial world.''.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.