Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2019

Floor Speech

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Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, studies show that women and underrepresented minorities face substantial barriers to completing educational opportunities and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Congress and the Federal government should be doing more to help women and underrepresented minorities succeed in these areas, which will strengthen our economy and communities in the long-term.

For these reasons, I come to the floor today to reintroduce the STEM Opportunities Act of 2019 and the Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2019, two important bills that would help to broaden participation in STEM and strengthen our nation's STEM pipeline for women and minorities.

Recent trends indicate that we are not keeping pace with training the scientists and engineers we will need for the 21st century careers of the future. Unfortunately, women and minorities too often ``leak'' out of the STEM pipeline before completing degrees in these critical fields. In order for the United States to remain competitive in our increasingly global economy, we need to make sure opportunities are available for everyone because only when everyone succeeds can we all succeed.

As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to ensure that our country remains competitive and provides opportunities for all Americans. We have an important role to play in breaking down barriers for women and minorities in STEM and must work to ensure that Federal government agencies, Federal laboratories, institutions of higher education, State and local governments, industry, and nonprofit stakeholders are working collaboratively to support these efforts.

The STEM Opportunities Act represents a comprehensive approach to improving the severe shortage and lack of diversity in our Nation's STEM pipeline by addressing factors that limit the progression of women and minorities in research environments and implementing research-based practices to improve the recruitment and retention of faculty and students. Specifically, the bill would provide for guidance, data collection, and grants for women and minorities in STEM at institutions of higher education and at federal science agencies to improve access and reduce cultural and institutional barriers that limit diversity in STEM research and careers.

The Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act represents a more targeted approach to strengthening the STEM pipeline, by providing for training, outreach, mentoring, and other resources for women and minorities in STEM. Specifically, the bill would require the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to promote activities such as online workshops, mentoring programs, internship opportunities, outreach efforts, and other designed to increase recruitment and retention of women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. It is through these purposeful efforts that we, as a nation, can foster a stronger, more expansive, and diverse STEM workforce that will help us remain a competitive force around the world.

As we work to build and maintain our STEM workforce, it is important for us to promote opportunities for women and minorities that encourage participation so that we engage our entire talent pool and ensure that our nation's future economic and national security are secure.

We have made important strides to provide opportunities for women and minorities in our country, but more work remains and we should continue our efforts by considering and passing these bills. I thank my colleagues for joining me in reintroducing the bills, and encourage others to join us as we work to strengthen the STEM pipeline for everyone in the United States. ______

By Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. Schumer, Mrs. Murray, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Booker, Mr. Brown, Mr. Carper, Mr. Casey, Mr. Coons, Ms. Cortez Masto, Ms. Duckworth, Mrs. Feinstein, Mrs. Gillibrand, Ms. Harris, Ms. Hassan, Ms. Hirono, Mr. Jones, Ms. Klobuchar, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Markey, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Reed, Ms. Rosen, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Schatz, Mrs. Shaheen, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Van Hollen, Ms. Warren, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Wyden, Ms. Smith, Mr. Peters, and Mr. Kaine):

S.J. Res. 56. A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to ``Borrower Defense Institutional Accountability''; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

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