Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3855 To amend the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program to promote career awareness in accounting as part of a well-rounded STEM educational experience. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JUNE 11, 2021 Ms. STEVENS (for herself and Mrs. SPARTZ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program to promote career awareness in account- ing as part of a well-rounded STEM educational experi- ence. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Accounting STEM 4 Pursuit Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 The Congress finds as follows: 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:42 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3855.IH H3855 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3855 IH (1) The accounting profession is working to en- 1 sure that it meets the needs of the public, busi- 2 nesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations 3 in a technology-driven marketplace. 4 (2) Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion 5 within the accounting profession fosters a field that 6 is reflective of the local, regional, and global commu- 7 nities it serves, and is better positioned to innovate 8 around the complex issues facing organizations of all 9 kinds and the evolving public interest. 10 (3) Early exposure to the accounting profession 11 through family, friends, and other community inter- 12 actions, or relevant elementary and secondary course 13 offerings, increases opportunity for students to rec- 14 ognize the limitless possibilities of a career in ac- 15 counting, and therefore inspires that professional 16 trajectory. 17 (4) This Act seeks to build on existing financial 18 literacy initiatives by establishing the significance of 19 early course offerings in accounting education as 20 drivers for improving career opportunity and diver- 21 sity within this STEM profession. 22 (5) There is a clear and logical integration be- 23 tween accounting and technology: as the profession 24 continues to advance its use of technology to serve 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:42 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3855.IH H3855 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3855 IH the public interest, accounting professionals, includ- 1 ing CPAs, are technological leaders who manage and 2 analyze big data, ensure data security, manage cy- 3 bersecurity risk, and work alongside Information 4 Technology professionals. 5 SEC. 3. ACCOUNTING AS PART OF A WELL-ROUNDED EDU- 6 CATIONAL EXPERIENCE. 7 Subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Elementary 8 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7111 9 et seq.) is amended— 10 (1) in section 4104(b)(3)(A)(i), by— 11 (A) striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of subclause 12 (VI); 13 (B) redesignating subclause (VII) as sub- 14 clause (VIII); and 15 (C) inserting after subclause (VI) the fol- 16 lowing new subclause: 17 ‘‘(VII) accounting education, in- 18 cluding accounting career awareness; 19 or’’; and 20 (2) in section 4107(a)(3), by— 21 (A) striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 22 (I); 23 (B) redesignating paragraph (J) as para- 24 graph (K); and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:42 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3855.IH H3855 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3855 IH (C) inserting after paragraph (I) the fol- 1 lowing new paragraph: 2 ‘‘(J) activities to promote the development, im- 3 plementation, and strengthening of programs to 4 teach accounting, including increasing access to 5 high-quality accounting courses for students through 6 grade 12 who are members of groups underrep- 7 resented in accounting careers; or’’. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 17:42 Jun 30, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H3855.IH H3855 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with BILLS