I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7790 
To increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic 
groups in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education 
and industry. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 21, 2024 
Ms. STRICKLAND (for herself, Ms. BROWN, Mr. COHEN, Ms. CLARKE of New 
York, Mr. EVANS, Ms. CHU, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. SOTO, Mrs. WATSON 
COLEMAN, Ms. NORTON, Ms. ROSS, Mrs. BEATTY, and Mr. GRIJALVA) 
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 2024’’. 
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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) According to the U.S. Census Bureau, from 
2017 through 2021, less than 5 percent of women 
who worked full-time in the United States were em-
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ployed in computer, engineering, or science occupa-
tions while more than 10 percent of men who 
worked full-time in the United States were employed 
in computer, engineering, or science occupations. 
Only 4 percent of Black or African Americans who 
worked full-time in the United States were employed 
in computer, engineering, or science occupations and 
only 5 percent of American Indian and Alaska Na-
tives who worked full-time in the United States were 
employed in computer, engineering, or science occu-
pations, while the national average of the full-time 
workforce in the United States who were employed 
in computer, engineering, or science occupations was 
8 percent. 
(8) 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-
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 
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within 5 years of earning their degree, and 70 per-
cent of men remained in STEM after 10 years. 
(9) 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. 
(10) 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 per-
cent of Black and 61 percent of Hispanic men re-
mained in STEM after 10 years, compared with 74 
percent of White, non-Hispanic men. 
(11) Data from the U.S. Census Bureau indi-
cate that certain Asian American, Native Hawaiian 
and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) subgroups are still 
underrepresented in STEM. From 2017 through 
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