[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4028 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4028

    To increase the participation of historically underrepresented 
demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
                        education and industry.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2024

 Ms. Hirono (for herself, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Durbin, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Casey, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Butler, Mr. 
  Brown, and Ms. Rosen) introduced the following bill; which was read 
 twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
                                Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To increase the participation of historically underrepresented 
demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
                        education and industry.

    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 ``Women and Underrepresented 
Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND 
              UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) According to the National Academies of Sciences, 
        Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), science, technology, 
        engineering, and math (referred to in this Act as ``STEM'') 
        education is critical to ensuring the United States maintains a 
        diverse and competitive workforce.
            (2) According to NASEM and the National Institutes of 
        Health (NIH), diverse teams of STEM professionals innovate at 
        higher rates than teams composed of individuals with similar 
        identities or backgrounds.
            (3) According to the National Science Foundation (NSF), in 
        2020 women earned only 43 percent of bachelor's degrees in 
        physical and earth sciences, 26 percent in mathematical and 
        computer sciences, and 24 percent in engineering. By contrast, 
        women earned 66 percent of bachelor's degrees in social and 
        behavioral sciences and 64 percent in agricultural and 
        biological sciences.
            (4) According to the NSF, STEM degree programs that are 
        currently underrepresented by women also receive greater 
        Federal financial support for education and living expenses, 
        compared with degree programs with disproportionately high 
        female enrollment. Thus, male graduate students receive more 
        Federal financial support than women.
            (5) According to the NSF, while Black or African Americans 
        made up 14 percent of the population of the United States (ages 
        18-34 years) in 2021, only 9 percent of bachelor's degree 
        recipients in science and engineering were awarded to that same 
        racial group. Moreover, while 22 percent of the population of 
        the United States (ages 18-34) were Hispanic or Latino, they 
        comprised only 17 percent of science and engineering bachelor's 
        degrees awarded that year.
            (6) According to the National Center for Education 
        Statistics (NCES), only 0.3 percent of bachelors' degrees and 
        less than 0.2 percent of masters and doctoral degrees in STEM 
        were awarded to American Indian and Alaska Native students from 
        2020 through 2021, less than half their representation of the 
        total population of the United States in 2021.
            (7) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2017 through 
        2021, less than 5 percent of women who worked full-time in the 
        United States were employed in computer, engineering, or 
        science occupations while more than 10 percent of men who 
        worked full-time in the United States were employed in 
        computer, engineering, or science occupations. Only 4 percent 
        of Black or African Americans who worked full-time in the 
        United States were employed in computer, engineering, or 
        science occupations and only 5 percent of American Indian and 
        Alaska Natives who worked full-time in the United States were 
        employed in computer, engineering, or science occupations, 
        while the national average of the full-time workforce in the 
        United States who were employed in computer, engineering, or 
        science occupations was 8 percent.
            (8) According to the National Center for Science and 
        Engineering Statistics (NCSES), women leave STEM fields at much 
        higher rates than men. In 2021, while 79 percent of women 
        awarded STEM degrees in 2020 were employed in a STEM 
        occupation, only 53 percent of women remained in STEM within 5 
        years of earning their highest degree, and only 44 percent 
        remained after 10 years. By contrast, 86 percent of men who had 
        earned STEM degrees in 2020 were employed in STEM occupations, 
        73 percent of men remained in STEM within 5 years of earning 
        their degree, and 70 percent of men remained in STEM after 10 
        years.
            (9) According to NCSES, STEM retention is even lower for 
        women of color: in 2021, only 50 percent of Black women and 44 
        percent of Hispanic women who received STEM degrees in 2020 
        were employed in a STEM occupation, compared with 82 percent of 
        white, non-Hispanic women. Less than 30 percent of Black or 
        Hispanic women remained in STEM after 10 years, compared with 
        52 percent of white, non-Hispanic women.
            (10) According to NCSES, STEM retention rates for Black or 
        Hispanic men are higher than for women of any race but lower 
        than white, non-Hispanic men. In 2021, 87 percent of Black or 
        Hispanic men who received STEM degrees in 2020 were employed in 
        a STEM occupation, compared with 93 percent of white, non-
        Hispanic men. Only 51 percent of Black and 61 percent of 
        Hispanic men remained in STEM after 10 years, compared with 74 
        percent of white, non-Hispanic men.
            (11) Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that certain 
        Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) 
        subgroups are still underrepresented in STEM. From 2017 through 
        2021, while 8 percent of workers in the United States were 
        employed in computing, engineering, and science occupations, 
        less than 8 percent of Cambodian, Filipino, Hmong, and Laotian 
        workers were employed in these occupations. Only 4 percent of 
        Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) workers were 
        employed in these occupations. These subgroups are even less 
        represented when compared to AANHPI workers as a whole, who on 
        average represented 17 percent of the computing, engineering, 
        and science workforce of the United States.
            (12) Also, according to NCES, Native Hawaiian and other 
        Pacific Islander (NHPI) STEM degree recipients are 
        underrepresented compared with their overall population (0.2 
        percent of all U.S. individuals). NHPI students received less 
        than 0.2 percent of all bachelor's degrees, and less than 0.1 
        percent of masters and doctoral degrees, awarded in STEM from 
        2020 through 2021.
            (13) According to research published by the American 
        Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 
        undergraduate students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, 
        or queer (LGBQ) were 7 percent less likely to be retained in 
        STEM programs compared with their heterosexual counterparts, 
        despite the fact that LGBQ students are 10 percent more likely 
        to participate in undergraduate research experiences, which is 
        a significant contributor to STEM retention absent other 
        factors such as sexual or gender identity, than their 
        heterosexual counterparts.
            (14) According to research published by the American 
        Society for Cell Biology, transgender and gender nonconforming 
        undergraduate students, who represent 1 in 14 adults in the 
        United States aged 18-24, are 10 percent less likely to remain 
        in STEM majors than their cisgender counterparts.
            (15) Research published by the AAAS also indicates that 22 
        percent of LGBTQ professionals had thought about leaving their 
        STEM job, compared with 15 percent of non-LGBTQ STEM 
        professionals. Moreover, 12 percent of LGBTQ professionals 
        planned to leave their STEM profession within the next 5 years, 
        compared with 8 percent of non-LGBTQ professionals.
            (16) Finally, according to the NSF, persons with a 
        disability are underrepresented in the general workforce (4 
        percent) compared with their representation in the general U.S. 
        population (9 percent), and even less represented in the STEM 
        workforce (3 percent).
    (b) Program Authorized.--The Director of the National Science 
Foundation shall award grants to eligible entities, on a competitive 
basis, to enable such eligible entities to carry out the activities 
described in subsection (d), in order to increase the participation of 
women, persons underrepresented in science and engineering, and persons 
with disabilities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics.
    (c) Application.--Each eligible entity that desires to receive a 
grant under this section shall submit an application to the National 
Science Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Director of the National Science Foundation may 
reasonably require.
    (d) Authorized Activities.--An eligible entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall use such grant funds to carry out 1 or 
more of the following activities designed to increase the participation 
of women, persons underrepresented in science and engineering, or 
persons with disabilities, or 2 or more of such groups, in the fields 
of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics:
            (1) Online workshops.
            (2) Mentoring programs that partner science, technology, 
        engineering, or mathematics professionals with students.
            (3) Internships for undergraduate and graduate students in 
        the fields of science, technology, engineering, and 
        mathematics.
            (4) Conducting outreach programs that provide elementary 
        school and secondary school students with opportunities to 
        increase their exposure to the fields of science, technology, 
        engineering, or mathematics.
            (5) Programs to increase the recruitment and retention of 
        underrepresented faculty.
            (6) Such additional programs as the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation may determine.
    (e) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Minority.--The term ``minority'' means American Indian, 
        Alaskan Native, Black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic 
        (including persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central 
        or South American origin), Asian (including underrepresented 
        subgroups), Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander origin subgroup, 
        or other ethnic group underrepresented in science and 
        engineering, or Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer 
        (LGBTQ), or gender-nonconforming.
            (2) Underrepresented in science and engineering.--The term 
        ``underrepresented in science and engineering'' means a 
        minority group whose number of scientists and engineers per 
        10,000 population of that group is substantially below the 
        comparable figure for scientists and engineers who are White 
        and not of Hispanic origin, as determined by the Secretary of 
        Education under section 637.4(b) of title 34, Code of Federal 
        Regulations (or a similar successor regulation).
            (3) Person with a disability.--The term ``person with a 
        disability'' means an individual with 1 or more disability 
        types as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population 
        Survey (CPS).
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029.
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