Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2021
Bill: S.2217 | Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. (D-HI)
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2021
An eligible entity that receives a grant shall use grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities designed to increase the participation of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or both:

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 Representatives 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 PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN AND 
              UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES IN STEM FIELDS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (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 Bureau, 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 Foundation, 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 Education 
        Statistics (NCES), women are more likely than men to switch out 
        of STEM majors: 32 percent, 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).
            (5) According to the National Action Council for Minorities 
        in Engineering, Inc., the United States needs to increase the 
        number of underrepresented minorities who become engineers in 
        order to remain competitive in a world of technological 
        innovation.
            (6) According to Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), 
        data on Asian Americans and Pacific 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 significantly 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), 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 entities to carry out the activities 
described in subsection (d), in order to increase the participation of 
women and underrepresented 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 application to the National 
Science Foundation at such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Director of the National Science Foundation may 
reasonably 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 activities designed to increase the participation 
of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or 
both:
            (1) Online workshops.
            (2) Mentoring programs that partner science, technology, 
        engineering, or mathematics professionals with students.
            (3) Internships for undergraduate and graduate students in 
        the fields of science, technology, engineering, and 
        mathematics.
            (4) Conducting outreach programs that provide elementary 
        school and secondary school students with opportunities to 
        increase their exposure to the fields of science, technology, 
        engineering, or mathematics.
            (5) Programs to increase the recruitment and retention of 
        underrepresented faculty.
            (6) Such additional programs as the Director of the 
        National Science Foundation may determine.
    (e) Definitions.--In this Act--
            (1) the term ``minority'' means American Indian, Alaskan 
        Native, Black (not of Hispanic origin), Hispanic (including 
        persons of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, and Central or South 
        American origin), Asian (including underrepresented subgroups), 
        Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander origin subgroup, or other 
        ethnic group underrepresented in science and engineering; and
            (2) the term ``underrepresented in science and 
        engineering'' means a minority group whose number of scientists 
        and engineers per 10,000 population of that group is 
        substantially below the comparable figure for scientists and 
        engineers who are White and not of Hispanic origin, as 
        determined by the Secretary of Education under section 637.4(b) 
        of title 34, Code of Federal Regulations.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026.
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