,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #dhcc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #aj1 #bjad ,mrs4 ,carolyn ,b4 ,maloney of ,new ,york 7for herself and ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to increase the participation of historically underrepresented demographic groups in science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics education and industry4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,women and ,minorities in ,,stem ,booster ,act of #bjad4 #b4 ,grant program to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in ,,stem fields 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,one of the core missions of the ,national ,science ,foundation is to achieve excellence in ,u4,s4 science1 technology1 engineering and mathematics 7,,stem7 education4 7#b7 ,according to the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 ,,stem education at the undergraduate level is vital to developing a workforce that will allow the ,united ,states to remain the leader in the #bast century global economy4 7#c7 ,according to the ,national ,academy of ,sciences1 in order to maintain scientific and engineering leadership amid increasing economic and educational globalization1 the ,united ,states must aggressively pursue the innovative capacity of all people in the ,united ,states--women and men4 7#d7 ,according to the ,august #bjaa report ,women in ,,stem3 ,a ,gender ,gap to ,innovation1 the ,department of ,commerce found the following3 7,a7 ,according to the ,census ,bureau's #bjji ,american ,community ,survey 7,,acs71 women comprise #dh percent of the ,u4,s4 workforce but just #bd percent of ,,stem workers44 7,b7 ,between #bjjj and #bjji1 women's share of the ,,stem workforce remained constant at #bd percent1 while their share of all college-educated workers increased from #df to #di percent4 7,c7 ,the ,,acs data on undergraduate fields of study show that women account for nearly half of employed college graduates age #be and over1 but only about #be percent of employed ,,stem degree holders and an even smaller share--just about #bj percent--of ,,stem degree holders working in ,,stem jobs44 7#e7 ,in #bjjg1 underrepresented minority groups comprised #cc4b percent of the college-age population of the ,united ,states1 but only #ag4g percent of undergraduate students earning a baccalaureate degree in a ,,stem field4 7#f7 ,the ,higher ,education ,research ,institute at the ,university of ,california1 ,los ,angeles1 found that1 while freshmen from underrepresented minority groups express an interest in pursuing a ,,stem undergraduate degree at the same rate as all other freshmen1 only #bb4a percent of ,latino students1 #ah4d percent of ,african-,american students1 and #ah4h percent of ,native ,american students studying in ,,stem fields complete their degree within #e years1 compared to an approximate #cc percent and #db percent #e-year completion rate for ,white and ,asian students1 respectively4 7#g7 ,according to the ,national ,action ,council for ,minorities in ,engineering1 ,inc41 no one race or ethnic category will be a majority by #bjej1 and as the ,united ,states works to remain competitive in the world of technological innovation1 the ,united ,states should address the need to increase the number of individuals from underrepresented minority segments of the population who work in engineering4 7b7 ,program ,authorized ,the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation1 acting through the ,education and ,human ,resources ,directorate and not less than #a research directorate of the ,national ,science ,foundation1 shall award grants to eligible entities1 on a competitive basis1 to enable such eligible entities to carry out the activities described in subsection 7e71 in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 7c7 ,eligible ,entity ,in this section1 the term eligible entity means-- 7#a7 a department of science1 technology1 engineering1 or mathematics at an institution of higher education1 as defined under section #aja of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja72 7#b7 a consortium of departments described in paragraph 7#a72 7#c7 a department or consortium described in this subsection1 in partnership with a department1 college1 or school of education at such institution of higher education2 or 7#d7 a nonprofit organization1 which may include-- 7,a7 a nonprofit scientific or professional society or organization that represents #a or more science or engineering disciplines2 or 7,b7 a nonprofit organization that has the primary mission of advancing the participation of underrepresented segments of the population in science and engineering4 7d7 ,application ,each eligible entity that desires to receive a grant under this section shall submit an application to the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation at such time1 in such manner1 and containing such information as the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation may reasonably require4 7e7 ,authorized ,activities ,an eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use such grant funds to carry out the following activities designed to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics3 7#a7 ,online workshops4 7#b7 ,mentoring programs that partner science1 technology1 engineering1 or mathematics professionals with students4 7#c7 ,internships for undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 7#d7 ,conducting outreach programs that provide elementary school and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to the fields of science1 technology1 engineering1 or mathematics4 7#e7 ,such additional programs as the ,director of the ,national ,science ,foundation may determine4 7f7 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section #aj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjae1 #bjaf1 and #bjag4