I 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5922 To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM fields, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEBRUARY 18, 2020 Ms. LEE of California (for herself and Mr. GRIJALVA) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subse- quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To direct the Secretary of Defense to establish the Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM fields, and for other purposes. 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 ‘‘Ronald V. Dellums 4 Memorial Fellowship for Women of Color in STEAM and 5 National Security Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 Congress finds the following: 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5922 IH (1) From 1993 to 1995, Ronald V. Dellums 1 served as the Chairman of the Armed Services Com- 2 mittee of the House of Representatives after 20 3 years of service on such Committee. 4 (2) As a stalwart champion of diversity and in- 5 clusion, Chairman Dellums was an early supporter 6 of integrating lesbian, gay, transgender, and bisex- 7 ual individuals into the military. 8 (3) Before Chairman Dellums was elected to 9 the House of Representatives in 1970, he was a psy- 10 chiatric social worker, community organizer, and lec- 11 turer. 12 (4) Chairman Dellums served in the United 13 States Marine Corps from 1954 to 1956. 14 (5) In section 4201 of the Fiscal Year 2018 15 National Defense Authorization Act, Congress reit- 16 erated the importance of prioritizing this relation- 17 ship by authorizing more than $12,000,000 above 18 the President’s requests, including 2,000,000 au- 19 thorized specifically for minority women in the fields 20 of science, technology, engineering, and mathe- 21 matics. 22 (6) While women of color have made significant 23 progress in graduating from college in the areas of 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5922 IH study related to STEAM, they continue to be under- 1 represented in the STEAM fields. 2 (7) While underrepresented minority students 3 overall face an opportunity gap in STEAM edu- 4 cation, women of color face a larger achievement gap 5 in science and engineering education. 6 (8) In 2016, of bachelor’s degrees awarded in 7 STEAM majors— 8 (A) women received 36 percent; 9 (B) Black individuals received 13 percent; 10 (C) Hispanic individuals received 15 per- 11 cent; 12 (D) Native American or Alaska Native in- 13 dividuals received 14 percent; and 14 (E) Asian or Pacific Islander individuals 15 received 33 percent. 16 (9) A 2017 report published by the National 17 Science Foundation found that the percentage of all 18 bachelor’s degrees in computer sciences, mathe- 19 matics, and statistics, and engineering received by 20 women of color has declined since 1996. 21 (10) Intentional and proactive strategies and 22 programs are necessary to ensure the underrepresen- 23 tation of women of color in the disciplines and pro- 24 fessions related to STEAM fields is appropriately 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:48 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5922 IH addressed to ensure broad and inclusive participa- 1 tion in areas of national importance. 2 SEC. 3. FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. 3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Defense 4 shall establish a fellowship program, which shall be known 5 as the ‘‘Ronald V. Dellums Memorial Fellowship for 6 Women of Color in STEAM’’, to provide scholarships and 7 internships for eligible students with high potential talent 8 in STEAM. 9 (b) OBJECTIVES.—In carrying out the program, the 10 Secretary shall— 11 (1) consult with institutions of higher education 12 and relevant professional associations, nonprofit or- 13 ganizations, and relevant defense industry represent- 14 atives on the design of the program; and 15 (2) design the program in a manner such that 16 the program— 17 (A) increases awareness of and interest in 18 employment at a Defense Agency among under- 19 represented students in the STEAM fields, par- 20 ticularly women of color, who are pursuing a 21 degree in a STEAM field; 22 (B) supports the academic careers of 23 underrepresented students, especially women of 24 color, in STEAM fields; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5922 IH (C) builds a pipeline of women of color 1 with exemplary academic achievements in a 2 STEAM field who can pursue careers in na- 3 tional security and in areas of national need. 4 (c) COMPONENTS.—The fellowship program shall 5 consist of— 6 (1) a scholarship program under subsection (d); 7 and 8 (2) an internship program under subsection (e). 9 (d) SELECTION.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Each fiscal year, subject to 11 the availability of funds, the Secretary shall select at 12 least 30 eligible students to participate in the fellow- 13 ship program for a period of 2 years. 14 (2) STUDENTS FROM MINORITY-SERVING INSTI- 15 TUTIONS AND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND 16 UNIVERSITIES.—The Secretary may not award fewer 17 than 50 percent of the fellowships under this section 18 to eligible students who attend historically Black col- 19 leges and universities and other minority-serving in- 20 stitutions, including Hispanic-serving institutions, 21 Asian American and Native American Pacific Is- 22 lander-serving institutions, American Indian Tribally 23 controlled colleges and universities, Alaska Native 24 and Native Hawaiian-serving institutions, Tribal col- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5922 IH leges and universities, Predominantly Black Institu- 1 tions, and Native American-serving, Nontribal insti- 2 tutions. 3 (3) SCHOLARSHIP.—Each fellow shall receive a 4 scholarship of up to $50,000 each academic year of 5 the fellowship program. A fellow who receives a 6 scholarship may only use the scholarship funds to 7 pay for the cost of attendance at an institution of 8 higher education. 9 (4) CONSIDERATION OF UNDERREPRESENTED 10 STUDENTS IN STEAM FIELDS.—In awarding a fel- 11 lowship under this section, the Secretary shall con- 12 sider— 13 (A) the number and distribution of minor- 14 ity and female students nationally in science 15 and engineering majors; 16 (B) the projected need for highly trained 17 individuals in all fields of science and engineer- 18 ing; 19 (C) the present and projected need for 20 highly trained individuals in science and engi- 21 neering career fields in which minorities and 22 women are underrepresented; and 23 (D) the lack of minorities and women in 24 national security, especially in science and engi- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5922 IH neering fields in which such individuals are tra- 1 ditionally underrepresented. 2 (5) STUDENT AGREEMENT.—As a condition of 3 the receipt of a scholarship under this section, a fel- 4 low shall agree— 5 (A) to maintain satisfactory academic 6 standing in accordance with standards deter- 7 mined by the institution of higher education at 8 which the student is enrolled; 9 (B) to complete an internship described in 10 subsection (e) in a manner that the Secretary 11 determines is satisfactory; 12 (C) upon completion of the degree that the 13 student pursues while in the fellowship pro- 14 gram, to work for the Federal Government or 15 in the field of education in the area of study for 16 which the scholarship or fellowship was award- 17 ed, for a period specified by the Secretary, 18 which shall not be longer than the period for 19 which scholarship assistance was provided to 20 such student; and 21 (D) to return the amount of the assistance 22 provided the recipient under the program with 23 interest at a rate no higher than the high yield 24 of the 10-year Treasury note auctioned at the 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5922 IH final auction held prior to such June 1 if the 1 student fails to comply with any of subsections 2 (A) through (E). 3 (6) ENFORCEMENT OF AGREEMENT.—The Sec- 4 retary may enforce the agreement under paragraph 5 (5) as the Secretary determines appropriate. 6 (e) INTERNSHIP.— 7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 8 an internship program that provides each student 9 who is awarded a fellowship under this section with 10 an internship at a Defense Agency. 11 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—Each internship shall— 12 (A) to the extent practicable, last for a pe- 13 riod of at least 10 weeks; 14 (B) include a stipend for transportation 15 and living expenses incurred by the fellow dur- 16 ing the fellowship; and 17 (C) be completed during the initial 2-year 18 period of the fellowship. 19 (3) MENTORSHIP.—To the extent practicable, 20 each fellow shall be paired with a mid-level or a sen- 21 ior-level official of the Defense Agency who shall 22 serve as a mentor during the internship. 23 (f) EXTENSIONS.— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5922 IH (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to this section, a fel- 1 low may apply for, and the Secretary may grant, a 2 1-year extension of the fellowship. 3 (2) NUMBER OF EXTENSIONS.—There shall be 4 no limit on the number of extensions under para- 5 graph (1) that the Secretary may grant an eligible 6 student. 7 (3) LIMITATION ON DEGREES.—A fellow may 8 use an extension of a fellowship under this section 9 for the pursuit of not more than the following num- 10 ber of graduate degrees: 11 (A) Two master’s degrees. 12 (B) One doctorate of philosophy. 13 (4) TREATMENT OF EXTENSIONS.—An exten- 14 sion granted under this subsection does not count 15 for the purposes of— 16 (A) the number of fellowships granted 17 under subsection (d)(1); or 18 (B) the percentage of fellowships granted 19 to eligible students. 20 (5) EXTENSION REQUIREMENTS.—A fellow may 21 receive an extension under this subsection only if— 22 (A) the fellow is in good academic standing 23 with the institution of higher education where 24 the fellow is enrolled; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:48 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 5922 IH (B) the fellow has satisfactorily completed 1 an internship under subsection (e); and 2 (C) the fellow is currently enrolled full- 3 time at an institution of higher education and 4 pursuing, in a STEAM field— 5 (i) a bachelor’s degree; 6 (ii) a master’s degree; or 7 (iii) a doctorate of philosophy. 8 (g) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—For 9 each academic year, the Secretary may use not more than 10 5 percent of the funds made available to carry out this 11 section for administrative purposes, including for purposes 12 of— 13 (1) outreach to institutions of higher education 14 to encourage participation in the program; and 15 (2) promotion of the program to eligible stu- 16 dents. 17 (h) ADMINISTRATION OF PROGRAM.—The Secretary 18 may appoint a lead program officer to administer the pro- 19 gram and to market the program among students and in- 20 stitution of higher education. 21 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 22 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 23 $5,000,000 for each of the next 5 fiscal years. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 5922 IH (j) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after the date 1 on which the first fellowship is awarded under this section, 2 and each academic year thereafter, the Secretary of De- 3 fense shall submit to the Congress a report containing— 4 (1) a description and analysis of the demo- 5 graphic information of students who receive fellow- 6 ships under this section, including information with 7 respect to such students regarding— 8 (A) race, in the aggregate and 9 disaggregated by the same major race groups 10 as the decennial census of the population; 11 (B) ethnicity; 12 (C) gender identity; 13 (D) eligibility to receive a Federal Pell 14 Grant under the Higher Education Act of 1965 15 (20 U.S.C. 1070a et seq.); and 16 (E) eligibility of the household in which the 17 student resides to receive benefits under the 18 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program 19 under section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act 20 of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014), in the case of grad- 21 uate students; 22 (2) an analysis of the effects of the program; 23 (3) a description of— 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5922.IH H5922 pamtmann on DSKBC47HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 5922 IH (A) the total number of students who ob- 1 tain a degree with fellowship funds each year; 2 and 3 (B) the type and total number of degrees 4 obtained by fellows; and 5 (4) recommendations for changes to the pro- 6 gram and to this Act to ensure that women of color 7 are being effectively served by such program. 8 (k) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 9 (1) COST OF ATTENDANCE.—The term ‘‘cost of 10 attendance’’ has the meaning given the term in sec- 11 tion 132 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 12 U.S.C. 1015a). 13 (2) DEFENSE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Defense 14 Agency’’ has the meaning given the term in section 15 101(a) of title 10, United States Code. 16 (3) ELIGIBLE STUDENT.—The term ‘‘eligible 17 student’’ means an individual who— 18 (A) submits an application for a fellowship 19 under this section; 20 (B) is enrolled, or will be enrolled for the 21 first year for which the student applies for a 22 fellowship, in either the third or fourth year of 23 a four-year academic program; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 21:24 Feb 20, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Fr [Text truncated for display. 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