,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gjib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #bf1 #bjah,mr4 ,veasey introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,administrators of the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration and the ,national ,science ,foundation to produce a report to ,congress regarding the efforts to support minority women involvement in ,,stem fields4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,minority ,women in ,,stem ,inclusion ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,according to the ,bureau of ,labor ,statistics1 in an article published in the ,may #bjae issue of ,monthly ,labor ,review1 there is significant heterogeneity in the ,,stem labor market3 the academic sector is generally oversupplied1 while the government sector and private industry have shortages in specific areas4 7#b7 ,women of color1 particularly ,black women have made significant progress in graduating from college in the areas of study related to science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 7#c7 ,despite these gains1 members of this group continue to be underrepresented in the ,,stem fields of study and related occupations1 and in areas representation has remained flat or has declined4 7#d7 ,bipartisan enactment of the ,inspiring the ,next ,space ,pioneers1 ,innovators1 ,researchers1 and ,explorers 7,,inspire7 ,women ,act and the ,promoting ,women in ,entrepreneurship ,act served as an important first step to inspire and engage women and girls in certain programs administered by ,,nasa and the ,,nsf4 7#e7 ,research and other developments demonstrate the need to build upon these #b laws with intentional programs that optimize outreach to and engagement of minority women and girls in ,,stem-related disciplines relevant to the public and private sectors4 7#f7 ,according to a ,pew ,research ,center report1 ,women and ,men in ,,stem ,often at ,odds ,over ,workplace ,equality1 released in ,january #bjah1 ,black and ,hispanic workers continue to be underrepresented in the ,,stem workforce4 ,blacks make up #aa percent of the ,u4,s4 workforce overall but represent #i percent of ,,stem workers1 while ,hispanics comprise #af percent of the ,u4,s4 workforce but only #g percent of all ,,stem workers4 7#g7 ,a report published by the ,national ,science ,foundation1 ,women1 ,minorities1 and ,persons with ,disabilities in ,science and ,engineering #bjag provides that the percentages are particularly low for ,black and ,hispanic women1 who make up #g percent and #h percent of the population respectively1 but hold only #b percent of science and engineering occupations4 7#h7 ,the hacking in #bjah of an all-,black female high school team participating in a ,,nasa competition revealed realities unique to minority women participating in ,,nasa programs and the groundswell of enthusiasm supporting the increased engagement of ,black girls in ,,nasa programs4 7#i7 ,,nasa and other science agencies have an opportunity to translate lessons learned from this incident into programs that increase engagement of underrepresented women and girls in its programs4 7#aj7 ,programs such as the ,louis ,stokes ,alliance for ,minority ,participation1 and many other ,federal programs1 have successfully engaged millions of underrepresented and underserved students in ,,stem fields of study and related outreach and programs4 ,these and other federally supported programs can be helpful in preparing a more robust pipeline of women of color in ,,stem professions4 #c4 ,report on ,,nasa and ,,nsf ,efforts to ,support ,women and ,minority ,involvement in ,,stem fields 7a7 ,in ,general ,the ,administrator of ,,nasa and the ,administrator of the ,,nsf shall each conduct a study that includes an analysis and description of ways to increase the participation of minority women within existing programs related to ,,stem fields carried out by ,,nasa and the ,,nsf1 respectively4 7b7 ,contents ,in carrying out the study required under subsection 7a71 the ,administrators shall consider the following3 7#a7 ,scholarships1 internships1 mentoring1 targeted high school competitions1 fellowships1 faculty assignments1 and other support to encourage and engage minority women in ,,stem areas of study throughout high school1 university1 graduate education and the acquisition of faculty positions4 7#b7 ,resources to ensure minority women participate more broadly in the full range of programs sponsored by each agency1 and as potential employees and high-potential leaders4 7c7 ,report ,not later than #f months after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,administrator of ,,nasa and the ,administrator of the ,,nsf shall submit to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,commerce1 ,science1 and ,transportation of the ,senate1 and make publicly available on an internet website1 a report that contains the results of the study required under subsection 7a7 and policy recommendations for ,congress to consider to increase participation of minority women in ,,stem1 including proposals for new programs1 ways to expand existing programs1 and potential increases in funding of existing programs4 #d4 ,definitions 7a7 ,,stem ,the term ,,stem means the academic and professional disciplines of science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics4 7b7 ,,nasa ,the term ,,nasa means the ,national ,aeronautics and ,space ,administration4 7c7 ,,nsf ,the term ,,nsf means the ,national ,science ,foundation4