I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7314 
To create a task force within the Department of Commerce to oversee and 
promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the tech industry. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2024 
Mr. MEEKS (for himself and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 
in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To create a task force within the Department of Commerce 
to oversee and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and 
accessibility in the tech industry. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Diversify Tech Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND POWERS OF THE TASK 
FORCE. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 60 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Com-
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merce shall establish, within the Office of Policy and Stra-
tegic Planning, the Tech Industry Diversity, Equity, In-
clusion, and Accessibility Task Force (in this Act referred 
to as the ‘‘Task Force’’). 
(b) COMPOSITION.— 
(1) MEMBERS.—The Task Force shall consist 
of the following members: 
(A) The Chief Diversity and Equity Officer 
of the Department of Labor. 
(B) The Chair of the Communications Eq-
uity and Diversity Council of the Federal Trade 
Commission. 
(C) The Director of the Women’s Bureau 
of the Department of Labor. 
(D) The Under Secretary of Commerce for 
the Minority Business Development Agency. 
(E) The Chief Diversity, Equity, and In-
clusion Officer of the Department of Commerce. 
(F) The four temporary members selected 
pursuant to paragraph (2). 
(2) TEMPORARY MEMBERS.—The members de-
scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (E) of para-
graph (1) shall, by a majority vote, select the fol-
lowing temporary members for two-year terms: 
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(A) Two experts in the field of diversity, 
equity, inclusion, and accessibility who work in 
the tech industry and have a diverse back-
ground, including diversity related to race, eth-
nicity, gender, and sexual orientation. 
(B) Two non-voting representatives-at- 
large who may attend meetings to provide in-
sight into— 
(i) any matter that the Task Force 
may request; and 
(ii) the diversity operations of the en-
tity in the tech industry for which such 
representative-at-large is employed. 
(c) MEETINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall meet 
quarterly to carry out the duties and responsibilities 
of the Task Force under section 3. 
(2) CLOSED MEETINGS.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 1009(a)(1) of title 5, United States Code, the 
meetings of the Task Force shall be closed to the 
public and shall be limited to the members described 
in subsection (b) and any such individuals as the 
members of the Task Force allow. 
(d) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION OF FEDERAL 
EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Commission who are full- 
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time officers or employees of the United States may not 
receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by reason 
of their service on the Commission. 
SEC. 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TASK 
FORCE. 
(a) INITIAL AUDIT.—Not later than 60 days after the 
establishment of the Task Force, the Task force shall— 
(1) conduct an audit to inform how the Task 
Force will carry out the activities in subsections (b), 
(c), and (d), which shall include— 
(A) the percentage of employees in the 
tech industry who are minorities; 
(B) the hiring and retainment policies of 
entities in the tech industry; and 
(C) an identification of any trends in lay-
offs in the tech industry; and 
(2) submit to Congress a report that includes 
the information collected from the audit described in 
paragraph (1). 
(b) DUTIES
AND
RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Task 
Force shall— 
(1) promote DEIA in the tech industry, includ-
ing issues related to race, ethnicity, gender, and sex-
ual orientation; 
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(2) provide guidance to entities in the tech in-
dustry on how to achieve DEIA goals and how to 
measure progress in achieving such goals; 
(3) through the non-voting members described 
in subsection (b)(2)(B) of section 2, consult with 
stakeholders in the tech industry, including employ-
ees and investors about DEIA in the tech industry; 
(4) monitor the treatment of minorities in the 
tech industry, and consider releasing to the public 
any information collected pursuant to such moni-
toring; 
(5) promote minority-owned startups in the 
tech industry as described in subsection (c); and 
(6) carry out the reporting requirements in sub-
section (d). 
(c) PROMOTION OF MINORITY-OWNED STARTUPS IN 
THE TECH INDUSTRY.—The Task Force shall— 
(1) advise the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary 
of Commerce, and the Chair of the Federal Trade 
Commission regarding— 
(A) the development of outreach programs 
to minority-owned startups to ensure such 
startups are aware of grant opportunities; and 
(B) existing outreach programs to minor-
ity-owned startups to ensure such Secretaries 
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and such Chair are aware of all available re-
sources, including technical assistance, training, 
and mentorship; and 
(2) encourage venture capital investment into 
minority-owned startups in the tech industry. 
(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) REPORT ON LAYOFFS IN 2023.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Task Force shall submit to the President 
and Congress a publicly available report that— 
(A) identifies the number of individuals 
that were laid off during calendar year 2023 by 
entities in the tech industry; 
(B) evaluates how the layoffs affected 
DEIA at entities in the tech industry, including 
whether— 
(i) DEIA departments were elimi-
nated; 
(ii) overall diversity in the tech indus-
try decreased; and 
(iii) any Federal civil rights or labor 
laws may have been violated; and 
(C) identifies the process and procedures 
each entity in the tech industry followed in lay-
ing off such individuals. 
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(2) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, and on an 
annual basis thereafter, the Task Force shall submit 
to the President and Congress a publicly available 
report that— 
(A) evaluates the progress of entities in the 
tech industry in achieving the DEIA goals of 
such entities; 
(B) makes recommendations regarding 
policies and programs that can promote DEIA 
in the tech industry; 
(C) evaluates how artificial intelligence can 
be used to promote DEIA and identify the ways 
in which artificial intelligence is affecting social, 
socio-economic, and gender discrimination; and 
(D) proposes policy solutions to increase 
accountability in the tech industry concerning 
such discrimination. 
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DEIA.—The term ‘‘DEIA’’ means diver-
sity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. 
(2) ENTITY IN THE TECH INDUSTRY .—The 
term ‘‘entity in the tech industry’’ means an entity 
that— 
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