II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1183 

To increase the participation of women, girls, and underrepresented minorities 

in STEM fields, to encourage and support students from all economic 

backgrounds to pursue STEM career opportunities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 4, 2015 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself and Mr. HEINRICH) 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 women, girls, and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, to encourage and 

support students from all economic backgrounds to pursue STEM career opportunities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘STEM Gateways Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

6 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) According to a 2013 Census Bureau study, 

2 women’s representation in STEM occupations has 

3 increased since the 1970s, but women remain sig4 nificantly underrepresented in engineering and com5 puting occupations that make up more than 80 per6 cent of all STEM employment. Women’s representa7 tion in computer occupations has declined since the 

8 1990s. In 2011, 26 percent of STEM workers were 

9 women. According to the National Action Council 

10 for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., the number of 

11 engineering degrees awarded to African-American 

12 women has steadily declined since the late 1990s. 

13 (2) According to the Brookings Institution 

14 2013 report, ‘‘The Hidden STEM Economy’’, half of 

15 all STEM jobs are available to workers without a 4- 

16 year college degree, and these jobs pay $53,000 per 

17 year on average. This sector of the STEM economy 

18 offers job opportunities for many workers with quali19 fied certificates or associate degrees, drawing from 

20 high schools, workforce training programs, career 

21 and technical education schools, and community colleges. Despite these opportunities, only 1 22 ⁄5 of the 

23 $4,300,000,000 spent annually by the Federal Gov24 ernment on STEM education and training goes toVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 13, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1183.IS S1183

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1 wards supporting training below the baccalaureate 

2 degree level. 

3 (3) According to a 2011 report by the Depart4 ment of Commerce, underrepresented minorities ac5 count for only 3 out of 10 professionals in STEM 

6 fields. 

7 (4) STEM workers in all demographic groups 

8 earn more than their non-STEM counterparts. 

9 (5) According to the Afterschool Alliance 2014 

10 report, ‘‘America After 3pm’’, children from African11 American, Hispanic, and Native American popu12 lations participate in afterschool programs at higher 

13 rates than the national average participation rate. 

14 Girls also participate in equal numbers to boys in 

15 such programs. Afterschool learning thus represents 

16 an intervention point to engage with populations 

17 currently underrepresented in STEM fields and ca18 reers. 

19 SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED. 

20 (a) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—From the amounts ap21 propriated to carry out this section, the Secretary shall 

22 award grants to eligible entities, on a competitive basis, 

23 to enable such eligible entities to carry out programs de24 scribed in subsection (d) to achieve, with respect to women 

25 and girls, underrepresented minorities, and individuals 


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1 from all economic backgrounds (including economically 

2 disadvantaged individuals and individuals living in eco3 nomically distressed areas), 1 or more of the following 

4 goals: 

5 (1) Encourage interest in the STEM fields at 

6 the elementary school or secondary school levels. 

7 (2) Motivate engagement in STEM fields by 

8 providing relevant hands-on learning opportunities 

9 at the elementary school and secondary school levels. 

10 (3) Support classroom success in STEM dis11 ciplines at the elementary school or secondary school 

12 levels. 

13 (4) Support workforce training and career prep14 aration in STEM fields at the secondary school level. 

15 (5) Improve access to career and continuing 

16 education opportunities in STEM fields at the sec17 ondary school level. 

18 (b) LIMITATION.—The Secretary may award grants 

19 under this section for not longer than a 5-year period. 

20 (c) APPLICATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each eligible entity that de22 sires to receive a grant under this section shall sub23 mit an application to the Secretary at such time, in 

24 such manner, and containing such information as 

25 the Secretary may reasonably require. 


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1 (2) CONTENTS.—An application submitted 

2 under paragraph (1) shall contain— 

3 (A) in the case of an eligible entity that 

4 plans to use the grant funds at the elementary 

5 school level— 

6 (i) a description of the programs the 

7 eligible entity will carry out to achieve 1 or 

8 more of the goals described in paragraphs 

9 (1) through (3) of subsection (a) at the el10 ementary school level, including the con11 tent of the programs and research and 

12 models used to design the programs; and 

13 (ii) a description of how the programs 

14 described in clause (i) will support the suc15 cess of women and girls, underrepresented 

16 minorities, and individuals from all eco17 nomic backgrounds (including economically 

18 disadvantaged individuals and individuals 

19 living in economically distressed areas) in 

20 STEM education, such as— 

21 (I) recruiting women and girls, 

22 underrepresented minorities, and indi23 viduals from all economic backgrounds 

24 (including economically disadvantaged 

25 individuals and individuals living in 


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1 economically distressed areas) to par2 ticipate in the programs; 

3 (II) supporting educators who 

4 will lead the programs, and partici5 pants in the programs; 

6 (III) encouraging partnerships 

7 between in-school and out-of-school 

8 educators, such as afterschool pro9 viders, science centers, and museums; 

10 (IV) identifying public and pri11 vate partners that are able to support 

12 the programs; and 

13 (V) planning for sustaining the 

14 programs financially beyond the grant 

15 period; and 

16 (B) in the case of an eligible entity that 

17 plans to use the grant funds at the secondary 

18 school level— 

19 (i) a description of the programs the 

20 eligible entity will carry out to achieve 1 or 

21 more of the goals described in paragraphs 

22 (1) through (5) of subsection (a) at the 

23 secondary school level, including the con24 tent of the programs and research and 

25 models used to design the programs; 


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1 (ii) a description of how the programs 

2 described in clause (i) will support the suc3 cess of women and girls, underrepresented 

4 minorities, and individuals from all eco5 nomic backgrounds (including economically 

6 disadvantaged individuals and individuals 

7 living in economically distressed areas) in 

8 STEM education and workforce training 

9 that prepares such individuals to take ad10 vantage of employment opportunities in 

11 STEM fields, such as— 

12 (I) recruiting women and girls, 

13 underrepresented minorities, and indi14 viduals from all economic backgrounds 

15 (including economically disadvantaged 

16 individuals and individuals living in 

17 economically distressed areas) to par18 ticipate in the programs; 

19 (II) supporting educators who 

20 will lead such programs, and partici21 pants in the programs; 

22 (III) identifying public and pri23 vate partners that are able to support 

24 the programs; 


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1 (IV) partnering with institutions 

2 of higher education or institutions 

3 providing informal science education, 

4 such as afterschool programs and 

5 science centers and museums; 

6 (V) partnering with institutions 

7 of higher education; and 

8 (VI) planning for sustaining the 

9 programs financially beyond the grant 

10 period; 

11 (iii) a review of the industry and busi12 ness workforce needs, including the de13 mand for workers with knowledge or train14 ing in a STEM field; and 

15 (iv) an analysis of job openings that 

16 require knowledge or training in a STEM 

17 field. 

18 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

19 (1) REQUIRED USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible en20 tity that receives a grant under this section shall use 

21 such grant funds to carry out programs to achieve 

22 1 or more of the goals described in subsection (a) 

23 at the elementary school or secondary school levels, 

24 with respect to women and girls, underrepresented 

25 minorities, and students from all economic backVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:29 May 13, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1183.IS S1183

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1 grounds (including economically disadvantaged indi2 viduals and students living in economically dis3 tressed areas). 

4 (2) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS.—The pro5 grams described in paragraph (1) may include any 

6 of the following activities, with respect to the indi7 viduals described in paragraph (1): 

8 (A) Carrying out the activities described in 

9 subparagraph(A)(ii) or B)(ii) of subsection 

10 (c)(2), as appropriate. 

11 (B) Providing professional development for 

12 teachers, afterschool providers, and other school 

13 personnel in elementary schools or secondary 

14 schools, including professional development to 

15 encourage, through academic instruction and 

16 support, such individuals to pursue advanced 

17 classes and careers in STEM fields. 

18 (C) Providing tutoring and mentoring pro19 grams in STEM fields. 

20 (D) Establishing partnerships with institu21 tions of higher education, potential employers, 

22 and other industry stakeholders that expose 

23 such individuals to professionals in STEM 

24 fields, or providing opportunities for postsec25 ondary academic credits or credentials. 


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1 (E) Providing after-school activities and 

2 other informal learning opportunities designed 

3 to encourage interest and develop skills in 

4 STEM fields. 

5 (F) Providing summer programs to extend 

6 learning time and to deepen the skills and in7 terest in STEM fields of such individuals. 

8 (G) Purchasing and utilizing— 

9 (i) educational or instructional mate10 rials that are designed to improve edu11 cational outcomes in STEM fields, and will 

12 serve to deepen the skills and interest in 

13 STEM fields of such individuals; or 

14 (ii) equipment, instrumentation, or 

15 hardware used to teach and encourage in16 terest in STEM fields. 

17 (H) Internships or opportunities for expe18 riential learning in STEM fields. 

19 (e) REPORT.— 

20 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Each eligible entity 

21 receiving a grant under this Act shall, on an annual 

22 basis, submit a report to the Secretary on the use 

23 of funds and the number of students who partici24 pated in the programs carried out with the grant 

25 funds. 


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1 (2) SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall, on an 

2 annual basis, and using the reports received under 

3 paragraph (1), report to Congress on the overall im4 pact and effectiveness of the grant program under 

5 this Act. 

6 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) ESEA DEFINITIONS.—The terms ‘‘edu9 cational service agency’’, ‘‘elementary school’’, ‘‘local 

10 educational agency’’, ‘‘institution of higher edu11 cation’’, ‘‘secondary school’’, ‘‘Secretary’’, and 

12 ‘‘State’’ have the meanings given the terms in sec13 tion 9101 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu14 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801). 

15 (2) COMMUNITY COLLEGE.—The term ‘‘commu16 nity college’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘junior 

17 or community college’’ in section 312 of the Higher 

18 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1058). 

19 (3) ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED INDI20 VIDUAL.—The term ‘‘economically disadvantaged in21 dividual’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

22 400.4 of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, as 

23 such section is in effect on the date of enactment of 

24 this Act. 


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1 (4) ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED AREA.—The 

2 term ‘‘economically distressed area’’ means a county 

3 or equivalent division of local government of a State 

4 in which, according to the most recently available 

5 data from the Bureau of the Census, 40 percent or 

6 more of the residents have an annual income that is 

7 at or below the poverty level. 

8 (5) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti9 ty’’ means— 

10 (A) a local educational agency; 

11 (B) an educational service agency serving 

12 more than 1 local educational agency; 

13 (C) a consortium of local educational agen14 cies; 

15 (D) a nonprofit organization that— 

16 (i) works with elementary schools, sec17 ondary schools, or institutions of higher 

18 education; and 

19 (ii) has demonstrated a commitment 

20 to achieving the goals described in para21 graphs (1) through (4) of section 3(a); or 

22 (E) a community college working in part23 nership with secondary schools to create oppor24 tunities for dual enrollment, credit transfer, or 

25 accelerated postsecondary credentialing. 


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1 (6) PARTNERS.—The term ‘‘partners’’ means 

2 organizations that employ workers in STEM-related 

3 careers or organizations with demonstrated expertise 

4 in identifying, scaling, and implementing successful 

5 practices in STEM education and workforce develop6 ment. 

7 (7) STEM.—The term ‘‘STEM’’ means— 

8 (A) science, technology, engineering, and 

9 mathematics; and 

10 (B) other academic subjects that build on 

11 the subjects described in subparagraph (A), 

12 such as computer science. 

13 (8) UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY.—The 

14 term ‘‘underrepresented minority’’ has the meaning 

15 given the term ‘‘minority’’ in section 637.4(b) of 

16 title 34, Code of Federal Regulations, as such sec17 tion is in effect on the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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