Media Center

WASHINGTON- This week, Congressman David Scott (GA-13), was joined by Reps. Mark Takano (CA-41) and Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-01) to announce the re-introduction of the Making Advances Kinetic, Education, Research & Skills (MAKERS) Act, legislation to promote the development of a STEM-capable workforce.

“Creating the next generation of STEM leaders is paramount to our nation's future,” stated Congressman David Scott. “The MAKERS Act will provide students with the skills needed to excel in the STEM fields by allowing them to apply a concept learned in classrooms to a project in their school’s makerspace. Utilizing hands-on equipment to develop a prototype or inventing the next new piece of technology is the spirit of makerspaces. The goal is to work together to learn, collaborate, and share these experiences. Most importantly, the MAKERS Act will allow academic institutions to facilitate the exploration, inventiveness, and skillset of their brightest students.”  

“Makerspaces represent a vital resource in the landscape of 21st-century innovation—it is critical we support funding to our community colleges and educational institutions to not only enhance their facilities with cutting-edge technology but cultivate a highly skilled STEM workforce for the future,” said Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1). “Our MAKERS Act represents a bipartisan mission to harness the innate curiosity of our students. By providing them with hands-on experiences in an environment that fosters forward-thinking creativity, we are empowering individuals from all backgrounds to develop the skills necessary to contribute to the promising world of innovation.”

“I am proud to cosponsor the MAKERS Act to ensure that all students have the training to join strategic and growing sectors in our labor market,” said Congressman Mark Takano. As a former teacher I have seen the power of coupling talent with opportunity. Connecting underserved communities with funding from the National Science Foundation will ensure that diverse and highly skilled students can be active in science and technology industries.”

The bipartisan MAKERS Act would direct the National Science Foundation to award research grants, prioritizing community colleges, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for purchasing technologies and equipment to outfit makerspaces. Makerspaces allow students a workplace to use innovative tools, such as 3D printers, sewing machines, digital production equipment, and more to explore and create.

As technology continues to advance, investments must be made in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), particularly ensuring that students and workers of all backgrounds can be trained in these essential skills.  Unfortunately, not every institution of higher education has the resources to construct a makerspace or fund repairs and modernization courses. According to the National Science Foundation, research shows that Black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in STEM jobs. Hispanic or Latino workers make up 18% of the U.S. workforce but represent only 14% of STEM workers. Black or African American workers make up 12% of the U.S. working population but represent only 9% of STEM workers.

The text of the bill can be found here.