No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3340 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 3340
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
December 3, 2025
Ms. Alsobrooks (for herself 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.
(a) In General.--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 this part, 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 national,
regional, or local institutions and organizations for
the purpose of fulfilling the goals of the program.
``(2) Priority.--In selecting among applications submitted
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to
qualified local educational agencies that partner or
coordinate, to the extent practicable, with national, regional,
or local 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 parents of girls and underrepresented
minorities about the opportunities and advantages of STEM
careers.
``(3) Enlisting the help of the parents 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 female and underrepresented minority
students and their teachers to attend events and academic
programs in STEM subjects.
``(7) Providing after school 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) 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 not more than 50 percent of the cost of an
internship in a STEM discipline for female and underrepresented
minority students.
``(13) Providing professional development for teachers and
other school personnel, including with respect to--
``(A) eliminating gender and racial bias in the
classroom;
``(B) sensitivity to gender and racial differences;
``(C) engaging students in the face of gender-based
and racial peer pressure and parental expectations;
``(D) creating and maintaining a positive
environment; and
``(E) 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) 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.
``(e) 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.
``(f) Annual Evaluations.--
``(1) Evaluation required.--Not later than 30 days after
the 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 evaluation of
the program carried out using the grant.
``(2) Elements.--The evaluation 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; and
``(E) such other information as the Secretary may
require.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) The term `qualified local educational agency' means a
local educational 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.).
``(2) The term `STEM' means science, technology,
engineering, and mathematics.
``SEC. 4702. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this part
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 2 of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 is amended by inserting
after the item relating to section 4644 the following:
``PART G--Preparing Girls and Underrepresented Minorities for the 21st
Century
``Sec. 4701. Program authority.
``Sec. 4702. Authorization of appropriations.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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