I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4366 
To increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic 
groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education 
and industry. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 6, 2021 
Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, 
and Ms. STRICKLAND) 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 Minorities 
in STEM Booster Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO INCREASE THE PARTICIPA-
TION OF WOMEN AND UNDERREPRESENTED 
MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 
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(1) According to the National Academy of 
Sciences, STEM education is critical to ensuring the 
United States maintains a diverse and competitive 
workforce. 
(2) According to the United States Census Bu-
reau, women were still vastly underrepresented in 
the STEM workforce in 2019: comprising nearly 
half of the United States workforce (48 percent), 
but only slightly more than a quarter of STEM 
workers (27 percent). 
(3) According to the National Science Founda-
tion, women only represent 28 percent of all science 
and engineering workers: comprising 29 percent of 
physical scientists, 25 percent of computer and 
mathematical scientists, and 13 percent of engineers. 
(4) According to the National Center of Edu-
cation Statistics (NCES), women are more likely 
than men to switch out of STEM majors: 32 per-
cent, compared to 26 percent. NCES has also found 
that while a higher percentage of bachelor’s degrees 
are awarded to females than males (58 percent, 
compared to 42 percent), within STEM fields a 
lower percentage of bachelor’s degrees were awarded 
to females than males (36 percent, compared to 64 
percent). 
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(5) According to the National Action Council 
for Minorities in Engineering, Inc., the United 
States needs to increase the number of underrep-
resented minorities who become engineers in order 
to remain competitive in a world of technological in-
novation. 
(6) According to Asian Americans Advancing 
Justice (AAJC), data on Asian Americans and Pa-
cific Islanders (AAPIs) tend to hide the fact that 
certain AAPI subgroups are still underrepresented 
in STEM: with Cambodian (9 percent), Laotian (8 
percent), Hmong (8 percent), and Native Hawaiian 
and Pacific Islander (7 percent) workers signifi-
cantly underrepresented compared to other workers 
in the United States (12 percent). 
(7) Data also tend to hide the fact that certain 
subgroups are underrepresented in postsecondary 
education: with Cambodian (18 percent), Hmong (17 
percent), Laotian (16 percent), and Native Hawaiian 
and Pacific Islander (15 percent) students receiving 
a bachelor’s degree or higher at lower rates than 
other students (30 percent). Furthermore, certain 
subgroups also experience poverty at higher rates: 
with Hmong (28 percent), Cambodian (21 percent), 
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (20 percent), 
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and Laotian (17 percent) households living below the 
Federal poverty level at significantly higher rates 
than the overall population (15 percent). 
(8) Finally, NCES has found that women and 
underrepresented minorities leave STEM at higher 
rates than their counterparts, leading to a need to 
develop resources to retain these groups in STEM. 
(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 and under-
represented minorities in the fields of science, technology, 
engineering, 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 
grant funds to carry out one or more of the following ac-
tivities designed to increase the participation of women or 
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