Bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Rep Barbara Comstock (R-VA) to encourage women to enter the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields was signed into law on Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
The Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act, H.R. 321, authorizes the NASA administrator to encourage women to pursue the aerospace field and STEM careers through mentorship and outreach.
NASA will support initiatives like NASA Girls and NASA Boys, Aspire to Inspire, and the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering and Research program at the Goddard Space Flight Center.
The president also signed another piece of legislation into law that Comstock supported: the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act, H.R. 255. The measure allows the National Science Foundation to use its entrepreneurial programs to encourage women to expand their focus beyond the laboratory and into the commercial world.
“Our next generation of young women will now have greater opportunities to pursue careers in the STEM fields that are central to our 21st century economy,” Comstock, the chairwoman of the House Science, Space and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology, said.
U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), the chairman of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, applauded the president signing the INSPIRE Act and the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act into law.
“… A well-educated and trained STEM workforce promotes our future economic prosperity,” Smith said. “I believe the INSPIRE Women Act and the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act will help encourage more talented young women to pursue their dreams, and change the world with their ideas.”
U.S. Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV), who partnered with U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) on Senate versions of the bills, said they marked a “step forward in recognizing the role women can and should play in tomorrow’s economy.”
“These bills provide another avenue to encourage young women to seek a career in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as ensure women’s entrepreneurial and innovative efforts succeed,” Heller said. “With these new laws, even more women will pursue and lead new advancements in technology and innovation, and make the world a better place.”