Title: 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
Policy area: Education

Summary:
21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to local educational agencies to pay the costs of carrying out STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education activities for girls and underrepresented minorities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1299 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1299

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
      grants to local educational agencies to encourage girls and 
   underrepresented minorities to pursue studies and careers in STEM 
                                fields.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 2019

Ms. Harris (for herself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Brown, Ms. Klobuchar, and Ms. 
Rosen) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
       to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to provide 
      grants to local educational agencies to encourage girls and 
   underrepresented minorities to pursue studies and careers in STEM 
                                fields.

    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 ``21st Century STEM for Girls and 
Underrepresented Minorities Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS TO PREPARE GIRLS AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES.

    Title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``PART G--PREPARING GIRLS AND UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES FOR THE 21ST 
                                CENTURY

``SEC. 4701. PROGRAM AUTHORITY.

    ``(a) In General.--Beginning not later than 90 days after the date 
of enactment of the 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented 
Minorities Act, the Secretary shall carry out a program under which the 
Secretary makes grants to qualified local educational agencies, on a 
competitive basis, to pay the costs of carrying out STEM education 
activities for girls and underrepresented minorities as described in 
subsection (c).
    ``(b) Application.--
            ``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this part, a qualified local educational agency shall submit to 
        the Secretary an application at such time, in such form, and 
        containing such information as the Secretary may reasonably 
        require. At minimum, the application shall include a 
        description of the following:
                    ``(A) The educational program that will be carried 
                out by the local educational agency using the grant, 
                including the content of the program and the research 
                and models used to design the program.
                    ``(B) How elementary schools and secondary schools 
                served by the agency will collaborate to fulfill goals 
                of the program.
                    ``(C) How the agency will ensure that there is a 
                comprehensive plan to improve STEM education for girls 
                and underrepresented minorities in grades kindergarten 
                through grade 12.
                    ``(D) The process that will be used for the 
                recruitment and selection of students for participation 
                in the program.
                    ``(E) The instructional and motivational activities 
                that will be included as part of the program.
                    ``(F) Any expected collaboration among local, 
                regional, or national institutions and organizations 
                for the purpose of fulfilling the goals of the program.
            ``(2) Priority.--In selecting among applications, the 
        Secretary shall give priority to qualified local educational 
        agencies that partner or coordinate, to the extent practicable, 
        with local, regional, or national institutions and 
        organizations that have extensive experience and expertise in--
                    ``(A) increasing the participation of girls or 
                underrepresented minorities in STEM fields; or
                    ``(B) conducting research on methods to increase 
                such participation.
    ``(c) Use of Funds.--A qualified local educational agency that 
receives a grant under this part shall use the grant to carry out a 
STEM education program for girls and underrepresented minorities from 
elementary schools and secondary schools served by the agency. The 
program may include the following activities:
            ``(1) Preparing girls and underrepresented minorities for 
        careers in STEM fields and the advantages of pursuing careers 
        in such fields.
            ``(2) Educating the families of girls and underrepresented 
        minorities about the opportunities and advantages of STEM 
        careers.
            ``(3) Enlisting the help of the families of girls and 
        underrepresented minorities--
                    ``(A) to overcome the obstacles faced by such 
                groups; and
                    ``(B) to encourage their child's continued interest 
                and involvement in STEM subjects.
            ``(4) Providing tutoring and mentoring programs in STEM 
        subjects.
            ``(5) Establishing partnerships and other opportunities 
        that expose girls and underrepresented minorities to role 
        models in the STEM fields.
            ``(6) Enabling girls and underrepresented minority students 
        and their teachers to attend events and academic programs in 
        STEM subjects.
            ``(7) Providing after school and summer activities designed 
        to encourage interest and develop the skills of girls and 
        underrepresented minorities in STEM subjects.
            ``(8) Summer programs designed to help girls and 
        underrepresented minorities--
                    ``(A) develop an interest in STEM subjects;
                    ``(B) develop skills in such subjects; and
                    ``(C) understand the relevance and significance of 
                such subjects.
            ``(9) In accordance with subsection (d), purchasing--
                    ``(A) educational instructional materials or 
                software designed to help girls and underrepresented 
                minorities develop an interest in STEM subjects; or
                    ``(B) equipment, instrumentation, or hardware for 
                teaching STEM subjects to girls and underrepresented 
                minorities and encouraging their interest in such 
                subjects.
            ``(10) Field trips to locations, including institutions of 
        higher education, to expose girls and underrepresented 
        minorities to STEM activities, encourage their interest in such 
        activities, and acquaint them with careers in STEM fields.
            ``(11) Providing academic advice and assistance in high 
        school course selection to encourage girls and underrepresented 
        minorities to take advanced courses in STEM subjects.
            ``(12) Paying up to 50 percent of the cost of an internship 
        in a STEM discipline for girls and underrepresented minority 
        students.
            ``(13) Providing professional development for teachers, 
        school leaders, and specialized instructional support 
        personnel, including with respect to--
                    ``(A) eliminating gender, racial, and other biases 
                in the classroom;
                    ``(B) developing cultural competence;
                    ``(C) sensitivity to gender and racial differences;
                    ``(D) engaging students in the face of gender-based 
                and racial peer pressure and parental expectations;
                    ``(E) creating and maintaining a positive 
                environment; and
                    ``(F) encouraging girls and underrepresented 
                minorities through academic advice and assistance to 
                pursue advanced classes and careers in STEM fields.
            ``(14) Such other STEM-related activities as the local 
        educational agency determines to be appropriate.
    ``(d) Special Rule.--A qualified local educational agency shall not 
use more than 15 percent of grant funds under this part for purchases 
described in subsection (c)(9).
    ``(e) Grant Duration and Amount.--
            ``(1) Duration.--Each grant under this section shall be 
        made for a period of 4 years.
            ``(2) Amount.--The amount of each grant under this section 
        shall be $250,000 for each year of the grant period.
    ``(f) Supplement, Not Supplant.--A qualified local educational 
agency that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant 
only to supplement, and not to supplant, other assistance and funds 
made available from non-Federal sources for the activities supported by 
the grant.
    ``(g) Annual Reports.--
            ``(1) Report required.--Not later than 30 days after last 
        day of each school year for which a qualified local educational 
        agency receives a grant under this section, the agency shall 
        submit to the Secretary a written report regarding the program 
        carried out using the grant.
            ``(2) Elements.--The report required under paragraph (1) 
        shall include--
                    ``(A) a description of the program and activities 
                carried out using the grant;
                    ``(B) a description of the curriculum and any 
                partnerships developed using the grant;
                    ``(C) the percentage of time that students who 
                participated in the program spent directly engaged in 
                STEM activities;
                    ``(D) an assessment of the academic progress made 
                by such students during the program, which shall be 
                based on an evaluation of each student at the beginning 
                of the program and after the student completes the 
                program;
                    ``(E) participant data disaggregated and cross 
                tabulated by race and gender; and
                    ``(F) such other information as the Secretary may 
                require.
    ``(h) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `STEM' means science, technology, 
        engineering, and mathematics, and is inclusive of computer 
        science.
            ``(2) The term `qualified local educational agency' means a 
        local educational agency or educational service agency that--
                    ``(A) receives funds under part A of title I; and
                    ``(B) serves a total student population of which 
                not less than 40 percent are children who are eligible 
                for a free or reduced price lunch under the Richard B. 
                Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et 
                seq.).
            ``(3) The term `underrepresented minority' includes an 
        individual who is Black, Latino, Native American, lesbian, gay, 
        bisexual, transgender, queer, or a child with a disability.

``SEC. 4702. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2023.''.
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