(Washington, DC) – United States Senator Dean Heller (R-NV) issued the following statement after recently introducing the Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act, S. 42. This legislation is the Senate companion to a bill United States Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) introduced in the United States House of Representatives, H.R. 321, to address women pursuing careers in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. 

“The future of tomorrow lies in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Opportunities to pursue a STEM career in Nevada are rapidly growing and will continue to do so for generations to come. With Nevada experiencing a recent boom in long-term commitments to our state from technology-based companies, it is imperative we encourage our daughters and granddaughters to pursue careers in STEM fields. They will be the ones to push and lead new advancements in technology for the world of tomorrow. I’m proud to partner with Congresswoman Comstock on this important legislation and am thankful for her leadership on this issue,” said U.S. Senator Dean Heller

“I thank Senator Dean Heller for taking the lead in the United States Senate and introducing the INSPIRE Women Act. In the House, we introduced this bipartisan bill with forty-three original cosponsors.  The INSPIRE Women Act calls on the NASA Administrator to use programs within NASA to put young women and girls on a course toward STEM careers that will further help the space program and American businesses.  For the American economy to be successful in the 21st Century, we need to have a skilled labor force that understands innovation and emerging technologies. The INSPIRE Women Act will help generate a climate for young girls and women to be successful in STEM and competitive on the world stage, and leaders in growing the 21st Century economy,” said U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Comstock.

Background:

The INSPIRE Women Act authorizes the NASA Administrator to encourage females to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and to pursue careers that will further advance America’s space science and exploration efforts through support of initiatives such as NASA GIRLS and NASA BOYS; Aspire-Inspire; and the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research. The legislation would require a report to Congress on how NASA plans to achieve the goals laid out in the bill.

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