WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.)—a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee—today voted during a committee markup to advance two pieces of legislation she recently introduced—the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act and the Building Blocks of STEM Act. The committee approved both bills unanimously.
“The [Senate Broadband Caucus] has been working hard to highlight the lack or the difference in rural broadband that many of us have in our respective states,” Senator Capito said during the markup, discussing the importance of the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act.
The legislation, which Senator Capito introduced earlier this month with Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), would require a federal study on the effects of broadband deployment on the U.S. economy.
In discussing her other legislation approved by the committee today, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, Senator Capito highlighted the West Virginia Girls Rise Up event she recently hosted with IBM in Keyser, West Virginia.
“I just spent … quite a bit of time with some [eighth grade] young women talking about STEM education and the great opportunities in the STEM fields to help solve problems and build their confidence, so I think this is a great step to helping them,” Senator Capito said.
This legislation, which Senator Capito introduced in March with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and a bipartisan group of colleagues, would create and expand upon STEM education initiatives at the National Science Foundation for young children, including new research grants to increase the participation of girls in computer science.
Both pieces of legislation can now be considered and voted on by the full Senate.
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