[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 125 (Wednesday, July 24, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E976]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           COMBATING SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN SCIENCE ACT OF 2019

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                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 23, 2019

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 36, the 
``Combating Sexual Harassment in Science Act of 2019.''
  This bill addresses sexual harassment in the science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields by supporting sexual 
harassment research and efforts to prevent and respond to sexual 
harassment.
  This bill also directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award 
grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations.
  Such grants to institutions of higher education will be used to 
expand research into sexual harassment in the STEM workforce, including 
students and trainees; and to examine interventions for reducing the 
incidence and negative consequences of such harassment.
  According to a report issued by the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine in 2018 entitled ``Sexual Harassment of 
Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine,'' sexual harassment is pervasive in 
institutions of higher education.
  The most common type of sexual harassment is gender harassment, which 
includes verbal and nonverbal behaviors that convey insulting, hostile, 
and degrading attitudes about members of one gender.
  Fifty-eight percent of individuals in the academic workplace 
experience sexual harassment, which is the second highest rate when 
compared to the military, the private sector, and Federal, State, and 
local government.
  Women who are members of racial or ethnic minority groups are more 
likely to experience sexual harassment and to feel unsafe at work than 
White women, White men, or men who are members of such groups.
  The training for each individual who has a doctor of philosophy in 
the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields is 
estimated to cost approximately $500,000.
  Attrition of an individual so trained results in a loss of talent and 
money.
  Sexual harassment undermines the career advancement for women.
  Many women are reported to leave employment at institutions of higher 
education due to sexual harassment.
  Research shows the majority of individuals do not formally report 
experiences of sexual harassment due to a justified fear of retaliation 
or other negative professional or personal consequences.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 36 to 
research and better understand the causes and consequences of sexual 
harassment affecting individuals in science.

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