Mazie Hirono: “studies show that women and underrepresented minorities face substantial barriers to completing educational…”

“studies show that women and underrepresented minorities face substantial barriers to completing educational opportunities and pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Congress and the Federal government should be doing more to help women and underrepresented minorities succeed in these areas, which will strengthen our economy and communities in the long-term. For these reasons, I come to the floor today to reintroduce the STEM Opportunities Act of 2019 and the Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2019, two important bills that would help to broaden participation in STEM and strengthen our nation's STEM pipeline for women and minorities. Recent trends indicate that we are not keeping pace with training the scientists and engineers we will need for the 21st century careers of the future. Unfortunately, women and minorities too often ``leak'' out of the STEM pipeline before completing degrees in these critical fields. In order for the United States to remain competitive in our increasingly global economy, we need to make sure opportunities are available for everyone because only when everyone succeeds can we all succeed. As members of Congress, we have a responsibility to ensure that our country remains competitive and provides opportunities for all Americans.…”