Jacky Rosen’s STEM bill heads to Senate floor

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan bill to bolster participation of young women in skilled education initiatives and computer science was approved by a Senate committee Wednesday and heads to the floor for consideration.

The Building Blocks of STEM Act, sponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., was approved by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on a voice vote. The bill would create education initiatives and provide research grants.

Similar bipartisan legislation is under consideration in the House.

The Senate bill would create initiatives at the National Science Foundation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics studies. The initiatives would focus on boosting participation of women students in fields where they are underrepresented.

The legislation includes new research to increase the participation of girls in STEM education fields.

Rosen, a former computer programmer, said the legislation would “give our students in Nevada, and across the country, access to the education that will prepare them for careers in the 21st century.”

“I will continue to advocate for investment in STEM education for underrepresented communities,” Rosen said.

Original co-sponsors of the bill included three Republicans and three Democrats. One of those was Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev.

Contact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.