New Bill Proposed to Aid STEM Programs

United States Senator Brian Schatz, along with Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, introduced the Inspiring New STEM Professionals by Investigating in Renovation of Education Spaces Act of 2015 on Wednesday.

The INSPIRES Act of 2015, according to Senator Schatz, would give school districts, community colleges, and other educational institutions funding for modernizing, renovating, or repairing STEM and career and technical education facilities.

STEM is an acronym that stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“Over the past decade, we have seen STEM job growth outpace all others, but because of a lack of resources, our schools have not kept up with the demand,” said Senator Schatz.  “The federal government can do more to help states provide better learning environments to help students achieve their full potential.  The INSPIRES Act would give educators more resources to modernize their facilities and expand access to STEM education so that our students have greater opportunities to succeed.”

It’s expected that the STEM job market will continue to grow at a rapid pace. With the INSPIRES Act, attention is called to the improvement of the quality and availability of STEM and CTE instruction. The act would assist local educational agencies and community colleges with grants that would be put toward improvements on facilities. Twenty-five percent of the funds provided through the act would be geared toward high-need learning educational agencies or rural area community colleges.

“With our global competitors investing in STEM, we must ensure that American students have the resources they need to remain competitive,” said Senator Brown. “This federal investment will ensure that all students – regardless of their zip code – have the modern educational facilities needed to prepare for high-demand careers.  The INSPIRES Act would help give students across the nation the chance excel in STEM education and become the next generation of researchers, statisticians, and engineers.”