Two bills authored jointly by 5th District Congresswoman Elizabeth Esty have passed the U.S. House of Representatives.  Both bills aim to help women launch careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields where they are under represented and encourage women to start their own STEM-focused small businesses.

Both H.R. 255, the Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act, and H.R. 321, the Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act, passed the House by unanimous voice vote. The bills now head to the Senate for consideration.

Esty says the passage of these bills will help build a stronger, more inclusive economy and help women break into fields where they are under represented.

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.

The INSPIRE Women Act calls on NASA to encourage girls and young women to pursue careers in aerospace.  Esty says NASA can do that through three existing programs: NASA Girls, Aspire to Inspire, and the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research.

Esty is a member of the House Science and Technology Committee. Two years ago, she convened a Connecticut STEM Advisory Board comprised of educators, workers, and industry leaders to identify strategies for strengthening the state’s high-tech workforce and connect more students with career opportunities in the STEM fields.  In 2015, Esty worked to pass the STEM Education Act, which supports training for STEM teachers and includes computer science for the first time as a focus of STEM education initiatives. President Obama signed the STEM Education Act into law.