I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3124 
To increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic 
groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education 
and industry. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 30, 2025 
Ms. STRICKLAND (for herself, Ms. BROWN, Mr. CASE, Ms. NORTON, Mr. 
JACKSON of Illinois, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. COHEN, Mrs. MCIVER, Mr. 
HUFFMAN, Mr. JOHNSON
of Georgia, Mr. WHITESIDES, and Ms. 
STANSBURY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
A BILL 
To increase the participation of historically underrepresented 
demographic groups in science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics education and 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 ‘‘Women and Underrep-
resented Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2025’’. 
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SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPA-
TION OF WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED 
MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
(1) According to the National Academies of 
Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), 
science, technology, engineering, and math (referred 
to in this Act as ‘‘STEM’’) education is critical to 
ensuring the United States maintains a diverse and 
competitive workforce. 
(2) According to NASEM and the National In-
stitutes of Health (NIH), diverse teams of STEM 
professionals innovate at higher rates than teams 
composed of individuals with similar identities or 
backgrounds. 
(3) According to the National Science Founda-
tion (NSF), in 2020, women earned only 43 percent 
of bachelor’s degrees in physical and earth sciences, 
26 percent in mathematical and computer sciences, 
and 24 percent in engineering. By contrast, women 
earned 66 percent of bachelor’s degrees in social and 
behavioral sciences and 64 percent in agricultural 
and biological sciences. 
(4) According to the NSF, STEM degree pro-
grams that are currently underrepresented by 
women also receive greater Federal financial support 
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for education and living expenses, compared with de-
gree programs with disproportionately high female 
enrollment. Thus, male graduate students receive 
more Federal financial support than women. 
(5) According to the NSF, while Black or Afri-
can Americans made up 14 percent of the population 
of the United States (ages 18–34 years) in 2021, 
only 9 percent of bachelor’s degree recipients in 
science and engineering were awarded to that same 
racial group. Moreover, while 22 percent of the pop-
ulation of the United States (ages 18–34) were His-
panic or Latino, they comprised only 17 percent of 
science and engineering bachelor’s degrees awarded 
that year. 
(6) According to the National Center for Edu-
cation Statistics (NCES), only 0.3 percent of bach-
elors’ degrees and less than 0.2 percent of masters 
and doctoral degrees in STEM were awarded to 
American Indian and Alaska Native students from 
2020 through 2021, less than half their representa-
tion of the total population of the United States in 
2021. 
(7) The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 
2023, only 5 percent of women who worked full time 
in the United States were employed in computer, en-
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gineering, or science occupations while nearly 12 
percent of men who worked full time in the United 
States were employed in computer, engineering, or 
science occupations. Less than 5 percent of Black or 
African Americans who worked full time in the 
United States were employed in computer, engineer-
ing, or science occupations and only 4 percent of 
Hispanic or Latino Americans who worked full time 
in the United States were employed in computer, en-
gineering, or science occupations, while the national 
average of the full-time workforce in the United 
States who were employed in computer, engineering, 
or science occupations was 9 percent. 
(8) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 
2017 through 2021, only 5 percent of American In-
dian and Alaska Natives who worked full time in the 
United States were employed in computer, engineer-
ing, or science occupations. 
(9) According to the National Center for 
Science 
and 
Engineering 
Statistics 
(NCSES), 
women leave STEM fields at much higher rates than 
men. In 2021, while 79 percent of women awarded 
STEM degrees in 2020 were employed in a STEM 
occupation, only 53 percent of women remained in 
STEM within 5 years of earning their highest de-
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gree, and only 44 percent remained after 10 years. 
By contrast, 86 percent of men who had earned 
STEM degrees in 2020 were employed in STEM oc-
cupations, 73 percent of men remained in STEM 
within 5 years of earning their degree, and 70 per-
cent of men remained in STEM after 10 years. 
(10) According to NCSES, STEM retention is 
even lower for women of color. In 2021, only 50 per-
cent of Black women and 44 percent of Hispanic 
women who received STEM degrees in 2020 were 
employed in a STEM occupation, compared with 82 
percent of white, non-Hispanic women. Less than 30 
percent of Black or Hispanic women remained in 
STEM after 10 years, compared with 52 percent of 
white, non-Hispanic women. 
(11) According to NCSES, STEM retention 
rates for Black or Hispanic men are higher than for 
women of any race but lower than white, non-His-
panic men. In 2021, 87 percent of Black or His-
panic men who received STEM degrees in 2020 were 
employed in a STEM occupation, compared with 93 
percent of white, non-Hispanic men. Only 51 percent 
of Black and 61 percent of Hispanic men remained 
in STEM after 10 years, compared with 74 percent 
of white, non-Hispanic men. 
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(12) Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indi-
cate that certain Asian-American subgroups are still 
underrepresented in STEM. From 2017 through 
2021, while 8 percent of workers in the United 
States were employed in computing, engineering, 
and science occupations, less than 8 percent of Cam-
bodian, Filipino, Hmong, and Laotian workers were 
employed in these occupations. These subgroups are 
even less represented when compared to all workers 
of Asian descent. In 2023, nearly 20 percent of all 
workers of Asian descent who were employed full 
time in the United States were employed in com-
puter, engineering, and science occupations. 
(13) The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that in 
2023, only 5 percent of Native Hawai‘ian and other 
Pacific Islander (NHPI) workers were employed in 
computing, engineering, and science occupations. 
(14) 
Also, 
according 
to 
NCES, 
Native 
Hawai‘ian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) 
STEM degree recipients are underrepresented com-
pared with their overall population (0.2 percent of 
all United States individuals). NHPI students re-
ceived less than 0.2 percent of all bachelor’s degrees, 
and less than 0.1 percent of master’s and doctoral 
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degrees, awarded in STEM from 2020 through 
2021. 
(15) According to research published by the 
American Association for the Advancement of 
Science (AAAS), undergraduate students identifying 
as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ) were 7 
percent less likely to be retained in STEM programs 
compared with their heterosexual counterparts, de-
spite the fact that LGBQ students are 10 percent 
more likely to participate in undergraduate research 
experiences, which is a significant contributor to 
STEM retention absent other factors such as sexual 
or gender identity, than their heterosexual counter-
parts. 
(16) According to research published by the 
American Society for Cell Biology, transgender and 
gender nonconforming undergraduate students, who 
represent 1 in 14 adults in the United States aged 
18–24, are 10 percent less likely to remain in STEM 
majors than their cisgender counterparts. 
(17) Research published by the AAAS also indi-
cates that 22 percent of LGBTQ professionals had 
thought about leaving their STEM job, compared 
with 15 percent of non-LGBTQ STEM profes-
sionals. Moreover, 12 percent of LGBTQ profes-
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sionals planned to leave their STEM profession 
within the next 5 years, compared with 8 percent of 
non-LGBTQ professionals. 
(18) Finally, according to the NSF, persons 
with a disability are underrepresented in the general 
workforce (4 percent) compared with their represen-
tation in the general United States population (9 
percent), and even less represented in the STEM 
workforce (3 percent). 
(b) PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Director of the 
National Science Foundation shall award grants to eligible 
entities, on a competitive basis, to enable such eligible en-
tities to carry out the activities described in subsection (d), 
in order to increase the participation of women, persons 
underrepresented in science and engineering, and persons 
with disabilities in the fields of science, technology, engi-
neering, and mathematics. 
(c) APPLICATION.—Each eligible entity that desires 
to receive a grant under this section shall submit an appli-
cation to the National Science Foundation at such time, 
in such manner, and containing such information as the 
Director of the National Science Foundation may reason-
ably require. 
(d) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity 
that receives a grant under this section shall use such 
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