Date: 2014-07-14
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. I want to thank Chairman SMITH and Ranking Member EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON for their leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor and for their commitment to advancing STEM education and including computer science within the definition of STEM. As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee. I rise in support of H.R. 5031. the "STEM Education Act of 2014." STEM workers drive our nations innovation and competitiveness by generating new ideas. new companies and new industries. I am committed to making sure that our nation can keep pace with global innovation today and into the future. During the 113th Congress: I originally sponsored the Cybersecurity Education Enhancement Act. which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education for: cybersecurity professional development programs. associate degree programs in cybersecurity. and the purchase of equipment to provide training in cybersecurity for either professional development or degree programs. I offered an amendment that was adopted by the Full Homeland Security Committee that would establish a fellowship program to attract STEM undergraduate and doctoral students to work at the Department of Homeland Security in exchange for tuition reimbursement assistance. I cosponsored the Veterans STEM Education Program. the STEM Gateways Act. the National STEM Education Act. the Tax Incentive for Teacher Act. and the Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2014 all of which work towards bolstering the growth of STEM. I also hosted the first Annual Congressional STEM Competition for my District. which challenged High School Students to design and/or create projects using Science. Technology. Engineering. and Mathematics skills. Houston is the 4th largest city in the United States and the 5th most populated metropolitan area in the nation. The Houston region is one of the most important industrial bases in the world and was recently Manufacturers New ranked the city first among other U.S. manufacturing cities. Houston is also home to the largest medical complex in the worldthe Texas Medical Centerand provides clinical health care. research and education at its 54 institutions. The Houston Texas region lost 153.100 jobs during the Great Recession and gained 309.100 jobs during the recovery. Only 3 other top metropolitan areas have done as well as Houston: Dallas at 158.9% recovery of jobs. Washington. DC at 144.2% of post recession job recovery and Boston had a 123.4% post recession jobs recovery. The middle class of this decade is being determined by workers who get the right STEM education and job training today. Brookings Metropolitan Policy Programs report "The Hidden STEM Economy." reported that in 2011. 26 million jobs or 20 percent of all occupations required knowledge in 1 or more STEM areas. Half of all STEM jobs are available to workers without a 4 year degree and these jobs pay on average $53.000 a year. which is 10 percent higher than jobs with similar education requirements. There will be STEM winners and losers. but not because the skills needed are too difficult to obtain. but because people are not aware of the jobs that are going unfilled today nor do they know what education or training will create job security for the next 2 to 3 decades. A third of Houston jobs are in STEMbased fields. Houston has the second largest concentrations of engineers (22.4 for every 1.000 workers according to the Greater Houston Partnership.) Houston has 59.070 engineers the second largest populations in the nation. STEM Jobs can be found in every sector of the economy. For example: Science Houston has more than 400 software development companies and a ready customer base in the areas of energy. space science. biotechnology and leading technology research and development entities. Houston has the Johnson Space Center. a $1.5 billion complex housing one of NASAs largest Research and Development facilities that provides some of the nations best hightech professionals in science and engineering. Mr. Speaker. in the past 10 years. growth in STEM jobs has been three times greater than nonSTEM jobs. In the next decade. almost all of the 30 fastestgrowing jobs will require some STEM skills. yet 61 percent of middle school students would rather take out the garbage than do their math homework. STEM jobs are expected to keep up an accelerated pace in the coming years leading to 1.8 million STEMrelated job openings in 60 percent of U.S. employers are having difficulties finding qualified workers to fill vacancies at their companies. In the current overall employment market. unemployed people outnumber job postings 3.6 to one. In the STEM occupation 4. job postings outnumbered unemployed people by 1.9 to one. At all levels of educational attainment. STEM job holders earn 11 percent higher wages compared with their samedegree counterparts in other job. I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting passage of H.R. 5031.