[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 621 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2nd Session
S. RES. 621

  Designating March 24th, 2024, as ``National Women of Color in Tech 
                                 Day''.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 22, 2024

 Ms. Rosen (for herself, Ms. Hirono, Ms. Duckworth, Ms. Cortez Masto, 
  Mr. Padilla, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Warner, Ms. Butler, Mr. Welch, Mr. 
Heinrich, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Fetterman, and Mr. 
 Lujan) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Designating March 24th, 2024, as ``National Women of Color in Tech 
                                 Day''.

Whereas National Women of Color in Tech Day acknowledges the challenges many 
        women of color face in the field of technology (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``tech'') and recognizes and emphasizes the importance of 
        women of color in tech in the United States, including--

    (1) Katherine Johnson, a former engineer at the National Aeronautics 
and Space Administration;

    (2) Marie Van Brittan Brown, who invented the first home security 
system; and

    (3) Patricia Bath, who invented the Laserphaco Probe for the removal of 
cataracts;

Whereas evidence suggests that structural and social barriers in tech education, 
        tech workforce development, the tech workforce, and venture capital 
        investment in tech can disproportionately and negatively affect women of 
        color;
Whereas women are underrepresented in tech, and women of color often face 
        additional systemic barriers in the tech ecosystem specifically and in 
        science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (referred to in this 
        preamble as ``STEM'') fields generally;
Whereas underrepresented minority students often face an opportunity gap in STEM 
        education in the United States;
Whereas women and girls of color often face an achievement gap in science and 
        engineering education;
Whereas women and girls overall often face a large opportunity gap in computer 
        science;
Whereas the competitiveness of the United States in the 21st-century global 
        economy largely depends on developing STEM-literate citizens;
Whereas the demand for professionals in tech and computing fields is expected to 
        increase substantially over the next decade;
Whereas, as of March 2023, data showed that there were more than 750,000 open 
        and unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States;
Whereas increasing the number of women of color in tech will be critical to 
        building and maintaining a competitive tech workforce;
Whereas women of color currently make up 41 percent of the female population in 
        the United States and are projected to make up the majority of women by 
        2060;
Whereas, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, women of 
        color in the United States earned 17 percent of bachelor's degrees and 7 
        percent of doctorates in STEM fields during the 2021-2022 school year;
Whereas the low number of women of color in tech positions who have not received 
        a bachelor's degree, but who have earned other certificates, 
        demonstrates that women of color may not be taking sufficient advantage 
        of alternative pathways for reskilling in computing-related areas or may 
        not have adequate access or exposure to these pathways;
Whereas increasing the inclusion of women of color in the science and tech 
        sectors can provide role models who can inspire students of all 
        backgrounds and identities, including young girls of color;
Whereas diversity in any field incorporates different experiences and ideas that 
        can ultimately lead to more creative and pioneering solutions to the 
        current and future problems of the United States;
Whereas a May 2020 study by McKinsey and Company shows that companies with a 
        diverse workforce often perform better, hire more qualified employees, 
        have more engaged employees, and are better at retaining workers than 
        companies that do not prioritize diversity;
Whereas communities of color are underrepresented in corporate leadership roles, 
        including in the tech sector; and
Whereas a pipeline of qualified tech candidates of color is critical for future 
        growth, particularly as the tech industry works to improve the 
        recruiting, hiring, and retaining of candidates and employees of color: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates March 24, 2024, as ``National Women of Color 
        in Tech Day'';
            (2) recognizes the celebration of National Women of Color 
        in Tech Day as a time to reflect on the many notable 
        contributions that women of color have made to the field of 
        technology in the United States;
            (3) urges the people of the United States to observe 
        National Women of Color in Tech Day with appropriate programs 
        and activities;
            (4) pledges to work to increase diversity and inclusion in 
        the technology sector, including through robust plans to ensure 
        recruitment, training, and retention of underrepresented 
        minorities at all levels;
            (5) commits to working to eliminate barriers to entering 
        the technology sector faced by women of color and individuals 
        from other underrepresented groups;
            (6) reaffirms the commitment of the Senate to ensuring that 
        all students have access to science, technology, engineering, 
        and mathematics (referred to in this resolution as ``STEM'') 
        education for a 21st-century economy, including computer 
        science education in particular;
            (7) supports efforts to strengthen investments in, and 
        collaborations with, educational institutions, including 
        community colleges, historically Black colleges and 
        universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, Asian-American, 
        Native American, and Pacific Islander-serving institutions, 
        Tribal Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native 
        Hawaiian-serving institutions, and other minority-serving 
        institutions, to sustain a pipeline of diverse STEM graduates 
        ready to enter the technology sector; and
            (8) urges the President to work with Congress to improve 
        data collection, data disaggregation, and dissemination of 
        information for greater understanding and transparency of 
        diversity in STEM education and across the workforce of the 
        United States.
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