This document provides an overview of a Society of Women Engineers (SWE) session on public policy and women in STEM. It discusses the current political environment around STEM funding and diversity issues. It then outlines four bills that SWE supports to promote women and minorities in STEM: the STEM Opportunities Act, the Project Ready STEM Act, the Educating Tomorrow's Engineers Act, and the Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act. The document emphasizes building relationships with members of Congress and encourages participants to take action by reviewing an online alert urging support for these four bills.

1. WE13 Session: “What Does Public
Policy Mean for Women Engineers?”
Paula Stenzler
Chair, Government Relations and Public
Policy Committee

2. Agenda
• Welcome/ Overview
• Participant Ask
• GRPP- Who are we?
• Current Environment
• Current Public Policy Issues Related to Women
and STEM
• Talking Points
• Importance of Congressional Visits/ Action Alerts
• Repeat Participant Ask/ Q&A
• Closing Remarks

3. Participant Ask
• You are about to learn about four diversity in
STEM bills SWE supports.
• Post-session, we will be asking you to go to the
SWE public policy web site, and review an
“action alert” that urges you to contact your
Representative and two Senators to support
these four bills.
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4. 4
GRPP- Who Are We?
• Government Relations & Public Policy (GRPP)
Committee:
• Chair: Paula Stenzler
• Chair-Elect: Betty Irish
• GRPP Board and HQ Contact:
• Betty Shanahan, SWE Executive Director and CEO
• Part-time Representation in Washington:
• Melissa Carl, SWE Washington Representative
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5. SWE Public Policy Focus Areas
• Title IX and STEM
•SWE is the lead organization
•Primary area for the focus of SWE’s efforts
• K-12 STEM Education
•SWE is a supporting organization – others lead
this effort
• Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity
•Fills gap in policy statements related to women
in the non-academic workforce
•Primarily for educational or informational
purposes for our members
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6. Non-profit, Non-partisan
• SWE is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit
professional organization. SWE is
non-partisan, bi-partisan in its
advocacy activities.
• SWE strictly follows IRS
guidelines related to advocacy/
lobbying.
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7. Important!
• A SWE member must be expressly authorized by the SWE
President or Executive Director to represent the Society,
and present or explain approved SWE statements or
positions; i.e. Congressional testimony before House/
Senate Committees.
• Without this authorization, any statement by a member
must be identified as providing a personal viewpoint.
When you are meeting with your Member of Congress, you
are supporting SWE’s position.
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8. Current Environment
Melissa Carl
SWE Washington Representative

9. Current Environment (cont.)
• On October 1st, the federal government shut down
for the first time in 17 years
• The White House Office of Management and Budget
has posted the shutdown contingency plans of the
federal science and engineering agencies on its web
site.

10. Current Environment (cont.)
• Previously, sequestration from the Budget Control
Act commenced in March of 2013
• Non-defense discretionary spending now faces a
5.5% to 7.8% cut annually over the next ten years,
while defense discretionary spending faces a 8.5% to
10% cut annually

11. Current Environment (cont.)
• Even in the pre-sequester constrained environment,
President Obama had sought to maintain funding for
non-defense research and development (R&D) and
STEM education.
• In FY 12, Congress cut his request, but provided
much more for R&D and STEM education than many
expected.
• As of March 1, the federal science and engineering
agencies were subject to the sequester. Agencies are
implementing it in very different ways.

12. Profile of Congress
• 75 new Members of House and 14 new Senators were
elected in November of 2012.
• For the first time, 101 women serve in Congress (20
Senators, 78 Representatives and 3 Delegates)
• This House Democratic Caucus is the most diverse in its
history.
• 80 women
• 43 African American members (15 African American
women, including 2 delegates)
• 27 Hispanic members, including 1 delegate and the
Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico (7 Hispanic
women)
• 12 Asian/ Pacific Islander members (6 women)

13. Profile of Congress (cont.)
• According to Congressional Research Service (CRS),
only 19 members of the 113th Congress have PhDs,
while 21 members of the House and 1 member of
the Senate have no educational degree beyond a
high school diploma.
• While there are 169 Members of Congress who have
law degrees, there are only 11 Representatives with
engineering degrees and 1 Senator

14. Spending Divide
• Current budget impasse
• Need to pass a continuing resolution for government
to be fully open again
• FY 2014 House budget resolution, which reduced
federal budget more than the sequester
• FY 2014 Senate budget resolution
• Sequestration
• President Obama’s FY14 budget (was released
April 8- dead on arrival in Congress, both
Republicans and Democrats)

15. Current Public Policy Issues Related
to Women and STEM
Paula Stenzler
FY14 Chair, SWE Government Relations and
Public Policy Committee

16. Core Message
• Through the recent visits and action alert, we
are educating Members and staff about how a
commitment to attaining a diverse and inclusive
U.S. science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) workforce would help
maintain our competitiveness through
innovation.
• However, we need to acknowledge the current
budget situation, and the fact that Congress
must prioritize funding.

17. Core Message
• Women and other under-represented groups
currently represent only a small portion of the
STEM workforce.
• While funding for R&D and STEM education are
important, Congress and the Administration
must prioritize resources to those efforts that
target underrepresented groups in STEM; i.e.
the ADVANCE program.

18. Changing Demographics
5.6%
76.2%
3.2%
0.3%
14.8%
U.S. Population
(Census Bureau, 2010)
U.S. Engineers
(NSF, 2010)

19. Women as percent of selected U.S.
occupations, 2011

20. Core Message (cont.)
• Leveraging the U.S.’s diverse population
is our country’s unique advantage in a
global competition.
• A truly diverse workforce will fuel
increased innovation when it takes
advantage of the variety of approaches
and perspectives offered by diversity.

21. Overview of Talking Points
Melissa Carl
SWE Washington Representative

22. Talking Points
• Much attention has been paid to STEM issues,
but unfortunately little has focused on the
critical importance of having a diverse U.S.
STEM workforce.

23. Talking Points (cont.)
• While SWE appreciates both President Obama
increasing funding levels for STEM activities in
his federal budget request and the Senate
dedicating additional funding for a domestic
STEM workforce development initiative in its
immigration bill, we encourage Congress to
focus more clearly on the importance of
ensuring the advancement of women and
underrepresented minorities in the STEM
workforce.

24. Specific Asks (House)
1) Co-sponsor H.R. 1358, STEM
Opportunities Act of 2013, sponsored
by Congresswoman Eddie Bernice
Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member,
House Science, Space and
Technology Committee; Ranking
Member Johnson provided remarks
at SWE’s March 2013 Capitol Hill Day
reception to introduce the bill;

25. Specific Asks (House)
2) Co-sponsor H.R. 1343, Project Ready STEM
Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Marcia Fudge
(D-OH), Chairwoman of the Congressional Black
Caucus;

26. Specific Asks (House and Senate)
3) Co-sponsor H.R. 2426/ S. 1178, Educating
Tomorrow’s Engineers Act, sponsored by
Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY), Joe Kennedy
(D-MA), and Walter Jones (R-NC) in the House and
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) in the Senate.

27. Specific Asks (Senate)
4) Co-sponsor S. 288, Women and Minorities in
STEM Booster Act, sponsored by Senator Mary
Landrieu (D-LA), Chair of the Committee on Small
Business and Entrepreneurship

28. Importance of Congressional Visits/
Action Alerts
Betty Irish
FY14 Chair-Elect, SWE Government
Relations and Public Policy Committee

29. Advocacy partners
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30. Importance of Advocacy
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• “All politics is local”: Members of
Congress are concerned about what their
constituents think, and how potential
legislation will affect their districts
• Given the lack of engineers in Congress,
many do not realize women and
minorities are underrepresented in the
engineering population
• It is important for you to let your
Members of Congress know that the
diversity in STEM issues are very
important to you, and that you would like
their support.

31. Importance of Advocacy
31
• The main purpose of advocacy is
relationship building for you and
your professional organization.
• They should not be one-shot
meetings/ e-mails.
• Remember, staff members are your
friends!
• Responsible for multiple issues;
• You – and SWE/ your
professional organization – can
offer to serve as a resource and
expert on engineering issues.

32. Before the Meeting/ Communication
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• Research the past positions of your
Members of Congress related to STEM
issues, as well as what Congressional
Committee(s) he/she is a member of
• www.house.gov
• www.senate.gov
• If supportive, remember to thank the
Member/ staff, but it is best not to
“preach to the choir.” Respect the staff
member’s limited time, and know that
you can contact that individual again
when there is action on an issue.

33. Congressional Staff Roles
• Chief of Staff or Administrative Assistant
• Legislative Director
• Senior Legislative Assistant
• Legislative Assistant
• Legislative Correspondent
• Staff Assistant

34. Meeting with your Legislator
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• Arrive on time; or better yet, arrive early!
• Always be courteous!
• Meeting may be delayed;
• Staff may be late;
• Meet with staff instead of Member of Congress
• Respect their Time!
• Plan for 10 minutes max
– Introductions: 2 minutes
– Issue points (with ask!): 3-4 minutes
– Questions/discussion: 4-5 minutes
– If still have time, follow-up points: 2-3 minutes

35. Meeting with your Legislator
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1. Introductions
• Who do you represent;
• Why are you here;
• Personal expertise;
• “Thank you” for past support of diversity in STEM
issues (if appropriate)
2. Message
3. Specific “Asks”
• Requests for Congressional Action
• Please note: You should only need a general level of
understanding of the bills of interest and your
society’s position for your meetings, and any detailed
questions can be referred to the SWE Washington
Representative.

36. If Legislator is Supportive…
36
• Thank them, and thank them again.
• Be a resource. If they need additional
information or help, offer to assist them.
• Encourage them to move from being a
supporter to a champion of your cause. Ask
them if they will write a guest column, speak at
a public event, or any other action that will
support your position. However, it is typically
best to refrain from these activities close to an
election, and please coordinate these activities
with the SWE Washington Representative.

37. If Legislator is NOT Supportive…
37
• Thank them for their time and don’t spend
a lot of your time. If they really do not support
your cause, move on and spend your time on
those who will.
• Stay friendly and cordial. Although you
disagree on this issue, you might find
agreement on other issues, and there might be
opportunities to work together in the future.

38. If Legislator is undecided…
38
• Seek to understand their reservations and
continue to educate them about your side of the
issue.
• If they request additional information,
provide it to them in a timely manner.
• Think about their supporters and which ones
you could try to mobilize on your behalf.

39. After the meeting
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• Send a thank you note for the meeting and
discussion
• Send additional materials that they may have
requested
• Follow-up on your “ask”
• Reiterate your offer to be a resource
• Finally, keep in touch with the staffer, and
follow-up a couple months later

40. Communicating with your Legislator
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• Members of Congress receive thousands of
emails on a daily basis, and it is very important
to send your email in such a way that it doesn't
get lost in the masses. Use the same guidelines
as if you were writing a formal letter.
• Your purpose for writing should be stated in the
first paragraph of the letter. If your letter
pertains to a specific piece of legislation, identify
it accordingly, e.g., House bill: H. R. ____,
Senate bill: S.____.

41. Communicating with your Legislator
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• Be courteous, to the point, and include key
information, using examples to support your
position (never use inflammatory language,
even if you disagree).
• Address only one issue in each e-mail to help
keep your message concise.
Please note: You should only need a general
level of understanding of the aforementioned
bills and your society’s position for your
meetings, and any detailed questions can be
referred to the SWE Washington
Representative.

42. Action Alert
• Discussion of Draft Action Alert
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43. Additional Resources
• ACS How-to Video:
• http://pointers.audiovideoweb.com/stcas
x/il80win10115/OLGA/speaking_for_scien
ce.wmv/play.asx

44. Public Policy Section of SWE Website
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45. Repeated Participant Ask
• You just learned about four diversity in STEM
bills SWE supports.
• Post-session, please go to the SWE public policy
web site, and review the “action alert” that urges
you to contact your Representative and two
Senators to support these four bills.
45

46. Questions?
Thanks for attending this WE13 session, and
we hope you will get more involved in SWE’s
public policy activities in the coming year.