A new bipartisan bill to improve programs that support women entrepreneurs in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, where they have been historically underrepresented, has been put forth by Connecticut U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty.
The legislation, called the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act, expands the mission of the National Science Foundation to include supporting entrepreneurial programs for women that extend their focus beyond the laboratory and into the commercial world.
Three members joined Esty in introducing the bill: Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee; Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D- TX), the committee’s ranking member; and, Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-VA), chair of the House SST Subcommittee on Research and Technology.
“The STEM fields play an increasingly important role in the U.S. economy, but women are still underrepresented in most … sectors,” said Esty.
Esty said making education and skills-training programs more accessible for women and other underrepresented groups is a key part of solving that problem, but it isn’t enough. The bill seeks to do more to support women when it comes to commercializing what Esty calls “great ideas, starting small businesses, and creating jobs.”
