I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7307 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Ronald V. Dellums 

Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM fields, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 13, 2018 

Ms. LEE (for herself, Mr. BEYER, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. NORTON, 

and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the 

Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 

as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Ronald 

V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color 

in STEAM fields, 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 ‘‘Ronald V. Dellums 

5 Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM and 

6 National Security Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds the following: 

3 (1) From 1993 to 1995, Ronald V. Dellums 

4 served as the Chairman of the Armed Services Com5 mittee of the House of Representatives after 20 

6 years of service on such Committee. 

7 (2) As a stalwart champion of diversity and in8 clusion, Chairman Dellums was an early supporter 

9 of integrating lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisex10 ual individuals into the military. 

11 (3) Before Chairman Dellums was elected to 

12 the House of Representatives in 1970, he was a psy13 chiatric social worker, community organizer, and lec14 turer. 

15 (4) Chairman Dellums served in the United 

16 States Marine Corps from 1954 to 1956. 

17 (5) In section 233 of the Fiscal Year 2016 Na18 tional Defense Authorization Act, Congress— 

19 (A) identified as a priority of the Depart20 ment of Defense increased engagement with 

21 and outreach to historically Black Colleges and 

22 Universities, and other minority-serving institu23 tions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, 

24 Asian American and Native American Pacific 

25 Islander-serving institutions, American Indian 

26 Tribally controlled colleges and universities, 


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1 Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving in2 stitutions, Predominantly Black Institutions, 

3 Native American-serving, and Nontribal institu4 tions; and 

5 (B) required the Department to develop a 

6 strategy for improving engagement with such 

7 institutions including— 

8 (i) increasing efforts to include such 

9 institutions in ongoing research programs 

10 and activities for which institutions of 

11 higher learning, in general, are the eligible 

12 entities; 

13 (ii) increasing the visibility of the De14 partment of Defense programs and activi15 ties among such institutions and students 

16 of such institutions; 

17 (iii) emphasize the need to include 

18 faculty and students of such institutions in 

19 Department of Defense research activities; 

20 and 

21 (iv) ensuring such institutions and 

22 faculty and students of such institutions 

23 receive mentors when participating in De24 partment programs. 


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1 (6) In section 4201 of the Fiscal Year 2018 

2 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress reit3 erated the importance of prioritizing this relation4 ship by authorizing more than $12 million above the 

5 President’s requests, including $2 million for minor6 ity women in the fields of science, technology, engi7 neering, and mathematics. 

8 (7) While women of color have made significant 

9 progress in graduating from college in the areas of 

10 study related to STEAM, they continue to be under11 represented in the STEAM fields. 

12 (8) While underrepresented minority students 

13 overall face an opportunity gap in STEAM edu14 cation, women of color face a larger achievement gap 

15 in science and engineering education. 

16 (9) In 2012, of bachelor’s degrees awarded in 

17 science and engineering majors— 

18 (A) women received 48.8 percent; 

19 (B) women of color received 15.7 percent; 

20 (C) Black individuals received 5.3 percent; 

21 (D) Hispanic individuals received 5.5 per22 cent; 

23 (E) Native American or Alaska Native in24 dividuals received 0.3 percent; and 


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1 (F) Asian or Pacific Islander individuals 

2 received 4.6 percent. 

3 (10) A 2017 report published by the National 

4 Science Foundation found that the percentage of all 

5 bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences, mathe6 matics, and statistics, and engineering received by 

7 women of color has declined since 1996. 

8 (11) Intentional and proactive strategies and 

9 programs are necessary to ensure the under-rep10 resentation of women of color in the disciplines and 

11 professions related to STEAM fields is appropriately 

12 addressed to ensure broad and inclusive participa13 tion in areas of national importance. 

14 SEC. 3. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 

15 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 

16 shall establish a fellowship program, which shall be known 

17 as the ‘‘Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for 

18 Women of Color in STEAM’’, to provide scholarships and 

19 internships for eligible students with high potential talent 

20 in STEAM. 

21 (b) OBJECTIVES.—In carrying out the program, the 

22 Secretary shall— 

23 (1) consult with higher education institutions 

24 and relevant professional associations, nonprofits, 


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1 and relevant defense industry representatives on the 

2 design of the program; and 

3 (2) design the program in a manner such that 

4 the program— 

5 (A) increases awareness of and interest in 

6 employment at a Defense Agency among under7 represented students in the STEAM fields, par8 ticularly women of color, who are pursuing a 

9 degree in a STEAM field; 

10 (B) supports the academic careers of 

11 underrepresented students, especially women of 

12 color, in STEAM fields; and 

13 (C) builds a pipeline of women of color 

14 with exemplary academic achievements in a 

15 STEAM field who can pursue careers in na16 tional security and in areas of national need. 

17 (c) COMPONENTS.—The fellowship program shall 

18 consist of— 

19 (1) a scholarship program under subsection (d); 

20 and 

21 (2) an internship program under subsection (e). 

22 (d) SELECTION.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each fiscal year, subject to 

24 the availability of funds, the Secretary shall select at 


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1 least 30 eligible students to participate in the fellow2 ship program for a period of 2 years. 

3 (2) STUDENTS FROM MINORITY-SERVING INSTI4 TUTIONS AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND

5 UNIVERSITIES.—The Secretary may not award fewer 

6 than 50 percent of the fellowships under this section 

7 to eligible students who attend historically Black col8 leges and universities and other minority-serving in9 stitutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, 

10 Asian American and Native American Pacific Is11 lander-serving institutions, American Indian Tribally 

12 controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native 

13 and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Predomi14 nantly Black Institutions, and Native American-serv15 ing, Nontribal institutions. 

16 (3) SCHOLARSHIP.—Each fellow shall receive a 

17 scholarship of up to $50,000 each academic year of 

18 the fellowship program. 

19 (4) CONSIDERATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED

20 STUDENTS IN STEAM FIELDS.—In awarding a schol21 arship under this section, the Secretary shall con22 sider— 

23 (A) the number and distribution of minor24 ity and female students nationally in science 

25 and engineering majors; 


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1 (B) the projected need for highly trained 

2 individuals in all fields of science and engineer3 ing; 

4 (C) the present and projected need for 

5 highly trained individuals in science and engi6 neering career fields in which minorities and 

7 women are underrepresented; and 

8 (D) the lack of minorities and women in 

9 national security, especially in science and engi10 neering fields in which such individuals are tra11 ditionally underrepresented. 

12 (5) STUDENT AGREEMENT.—As a condition of 

13 receipt of funds under this section, a fellow shall 

14 agree— 

15 (A) to use such funds solely to pay the cost 

16 of attendance at the higher education institu17 tion at which the student is enrolled; 

18 (B) to return any such funds in excess of 

19 the cost of attendance at such higher education 

20 institution; 

21 (C) to maintain satisfactory academic 

22 standing, as determined by the Secretary; 

23 (D) to return such funds for an academic 

24 year if— 


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1 (i) in such year, the fellow earns less 

2 than 60 percent of the credits required at 

3 the institution of higher education at which 

4 the fellow is enrolled; and 

5 (ii) the fellow is no longer enrolled at 

6 such institution or another institution of 

7 higher education at the start of the next 

8 academic year; 

9 (E) to complete an internship under this 

10 section in a manner that is satisfactory, as de11 termined by the Secretary; 

12 (F) upon completion of the degree that the 

13 student pursues while in the fellowship pro14 gram, to work for the Federal Government or 

15 in the field of education in the area of study for 

16 which the scholarship or fellowship was award17 ed, for a period specified by the Secretary, 

18 which shall not be longer than the period for 

19 which scholarship assistance was provided to 

20 such student; and 

21 (G) to return the amount of the assistance 

22 provided the recipient under the program with 

23 interest at a rate determined by the Secretary 

24 if the student fails to comply with subsections 

25 (A) through (F). 


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1 (6) ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENT.—The Sec2 retary may enforce the agreement under paragraph 

3 (5) as the Secretary determines appropriate. 

4 (e) INTERNSHIP.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

6 an internship program that provides each student an 

7 internship at a Defense Agency. 

8 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—Each internship shall— 

9 (A) to the extent practicable, last a period 

10 of at least 10 weeks; 

11 (B) to the extent practicable, be at a De12 fense Agency; 

13 (C) include a stipend for transportation 

14 and living expenses incurred by the fellow dur15 ing the fellowship; and 

16 (D) be completed during the initial 2-year 

17 period of the fellowship. 

18 (3) MENTORSHIP.—To the extent practicable, 

19 each fellow shall be paired with a mid-level or a sen20 ior-level official of the Defense Agency who shall 

21 serve as a mentor during the internship. 

22 (f) EXTENSIONS.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to this section, a fel24 low may apply for, and the Secretary may grant, a 

25 1-year extension of the fellowship. 


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1 (2) NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS.—There shall be 

2 no limit on the number of extensions under para3 graph (1) that the Secretary may grant an eligible 

4 student. 

5 (3) LIMITATION ON DEGREES.—Students shall 

6 be limited to obtaining a maximum of the following 

7 graduate degrees with fellowship funds— 

8 (A) 2 master’s degrees; and 

9 (B) 1 doctorate of philosophy. 

10 (4) TREATMENT OF EXTENSIONS.—An exten11 sion granted under this subsection does not count 

12 for the purposes of— 

13 (A) the number of fellowships granted 

14 under subsection (d)(1); or 

15 (B) the percentage of fellowships granted 

16 to eligible students. 

17 (5) EXTENSION REQUIREMENTS.—A fellow may 

18 receive an extension under this subsection only if— 

19 (A) the fellow is in good academic stand20 ing; 

21 (B) the fellow has satisfactorily completed 

22 an internship under subsection (e); and 

23 (C) the fellow is currently enrolled full24 time at an institution of higher education and 

25 pursuing, in a STEAM field— 


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1 (i) a bachelor’s degree; 

2 (ii) a master’s degree; or 

3 (iii) a doctorate of philosophy. 

4 (g) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—For 

5 each academic year, the Secretary may use not more than 

6 5 percent of the funds made available to carry out this 

7 section for administrative purposes, including for purposes 

8 of— 

9 (1) outreach to institutions of higher education 

10 to encourage participation in the program; and 

11 (2) promotion of the program to eligible stu12 dents. 

13 (h) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 

14 may appoint a lead program officer to administer the pro15 gram and to market the program among students and 

16 higher education institutions. 

17 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

18 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

19 $5,000,000 for each of the next 25 fiscal years. 

20 (j) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

21 on which the first fellowship is awarded under this section, 

22 and each academic year thereafter, the Secretary of De23 fense shall submit to the Congress a report containing— 

24 (1) a description and analysis of the demo25 graphic information of students who receive fellowVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:03 Dec 18, 2018 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H7307.IH H7307

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1 ships under this section, including information with 

2 respect to such students regarding— 

3 (A) race; 

4 (B) ethnicity; 

5 (C) gender identity; 

6 (D) eligibility to receive a Federal Pell 

7 Grant under the Higher Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.); and 

9 (E) eligibility of the household in which the 

10 student resides to receive benefits under the 

11 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 

12 under section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act 

13 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014), in the case of grad14 uate students; 

15 (2) an analysis of the effects of the program; 

16 (3) a description of— 

17 (A) the total number of students who ob18 tain a degree with fellowship funds each year; 

19 and 

20 (B) the type and total number of degrees 

21 obtained by fellows; and 

22 (4) recommendations for changes to the pro23 gram and to this Act to ensure that women of color 

24 are being effectively served by such program. 

25 (k) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 


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1 (1) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘‘cost of 

2 attendance’’ has the meaning given the term in sec3 tion 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

4 U.S.C. 1015a). 

5 (2) DEFENSE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Defense 

6 Agency’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

7 101(a) of title 10, United States Code. 

8 (3) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

9 student’’ means an individual who— 

10 (A) submits an application for a fellowship 

11 under this section; and 

12 (B) is either— 

13 (i) an enrolled second-year student at 

14 a higher education institution; or 

15 (ii) a community college student who 

16 intends to use scholarship funds for tuition 

17 for the third year of study at a higher edu18 cation institution. 

19 (4) FELLOW.—The term ‘‘fellow’’ means a stu20 dent that was selected for the fellowship program 

21 under subsection (d). 

22 (5) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE AND UNI23 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 

24 university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 


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1 institution’’ in section 322 of the Higher Education 

2 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 

3 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

4 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

5 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

6 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

7 (7) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

8 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti9 tution listed in section 371(a) of the Higher Edu10 cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 

11 (8) STEAM.—The term ‘‘STEAM’’ means 

12 science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathe13 matics. 

14 (9) UNDERREPRESENTED STUDENT IN A

15 STEAM FIELD.—The term ‘‘underrepresented stu16 dent in a STEAM field’’ means a student who is a 

17 member of a minority group for which the number 

18 of individuals in such group who receive bachelor’s 

19 degrees in STEAM fields per 10,000 individuals in 

20 such group is substantially fewer than the number 

21 of white, non-Hispanic individuals of bachelor’s de22 grees in STEAM fields per 10,000 such individuals. 

Æ 


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