[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7314 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7314
To create a task force within the Department of Commerce to oversee and
promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the tech
industry.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 9, 2024
Mr. Meeks (for himself and Ms. Lee of California) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the
Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To create a task force within the Department of Commerce to oversee and
promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the tech
industry.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Diversify Tech Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT AND POWERS OF THE TASK FORCE.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce shall establish,
within the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning, the Tech Industry
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Task Force (in this Act
referred to as the ``Task Force'').
(b) Composition.--
(1) Members.--The Task Force shall consist of the following
members:
(A) The Chief Diversity and Equity Officer of the
Department of Labor.
(B) The Chair of the Communications Equity and
Diversity Council of the Federal Trade Commission.
(C) The Director of the Women's Bureau of the
Department of Labor.
(D) The Under Secretary of Commerce for the
Minority Business Development Agency.
(E) The Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Officer of the Department of Commerce.
(F) The four temporary members selected pursuant to
paragraph (2).
(2) Temporary members.--The members described in
subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph (1) shall, by a
majority vote, select the following temporary members for two-
year terms:
(A) Two experts in the field of diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility who work in the tech
industry and have a diverse background, including
diversity related to race, ethnicity, gender, and
sexual orientation.
(B) Two non-voting representatives-at-large who may
attend meetings to provide insight into--
(i) any matter that the Task Force may
request; and
(ii) the diversity operations of the entity
in the tech industry for which such
representative-at-large is employed.
(c) Meetings.--
(1) In general.--The Task Force shall meet quarterly to
carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Task Force
under section 3.
(2) Closed meetings.--Notwithstanding section 1009(a)(1) of
title 5, United States Code, the meetings of the Task Force
shall be closed to the public and shall be limited to the
members described in subsection (b) and any such individuals as
the members of the Task Force allow.
(d) Prohibition of Compensation of Federal Employees.--Members of
the Commission who are full-time officers or employees of the United
States may not receive additional pay, allowances, or benefits by
reason of their service on the Commission.
SEC. 3. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TASK FORCE.
(a) Initial Audit.--Not later than 60 days after the establishment
of the Task Force, the Task force shall--
(1) conduct an audit to inform how the Task Force will
carry out the activities in subsections (b), (c), and (d),
which shall include--
(A) the percentage of employees in the tech
industry who are minorities;
(B) the hiring and retainment policies of entities
in the tech industry; and
(C) an identification of any trends in layoffs in
the tech industry; and
(2) submit to Congress a report that includes the
information collected from the audit described in paragraph
(1).
(b) Duties and Responsibilities.--The Task Force shall--
(1) promote DEIA in the tech industry, including issues
related to race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation;
(2) provide guidance to entities in the tech industry on
how to achieve DEIA goals and how to measure progress in
achieving such goals;
(3) through the non-voting members described in subsection
(b)(2)(B) of section 2, consult with stakeholders in the tech
industry, including employees and investors about DEIA in the
tech industry;
(4) monitor the treatment of minorities in the tech
industry, and consider releasing to the public any information
collected pursuant to such monitoring;
(5) promote minority-owned startups in the tech industry as
described in subsection (c); and
(6) carry out the reporting requirements in subsection (d).
(c) Promotion of Minority-Owned Startups in the Tech Industry.--The
Task Force shall--
(1) advise the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of
Commerce, and the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission
regarding--
(A) the development of outreach programs to
minority-owned startups to ensure such startups are
aware of grant opportunities; and
(B) existing outreach programs to minority-owned
startups to ensure such Secretaries and such Chair are
aware of all available resources, including technical
assistance, training, and mentorship; and
(2) encourage venture capital investment into minority-
owned startups in the tech industry.
(d) Reporting Requirements.--
(1) Report on layoffs in 2023.--Not later than 180 days
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Task Force shall
submit to the President and Congress a publicly available
report that--
(A) identifies the number of individuals that were
laid off during calendar year 2023 by entities in the
tech industry;
(B) evaluates how the layoffs affected DEIA at
entities in the tech industry, including whether--
(i) DEIA departments were eliminated;
(ii) overall diversity in the tech industry
decreased; and
(iii) any Federal civil rights or labor
laws may have been violated; and
(C) identifies the process and procedures each
entity in the tech industry followed in laying off such
individuals.
(2) Annual report.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter,
the Task Force shall submit to the President and Congress a
publicly available report that--
(A) evaluates the progress of entities in the tech
industry in achieving the DEIA goals of such entities;
(B) makes recommendations regarding policies and
programs that can promote DEIA in the tech industry;
(C) evaluates how artificial intelligence can be
used to promote DEIA and identify the ways in which
artificial intelligence is affecting social, socio-
economic, and gender discrimination; and
(D) proposes policy solutions to increase
accountability in the tech industry concerning such
discrimination.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) DEIA.--The term ``DEIA'' means diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility.
(2) Entity in the tech industry .--The term ``entity in the
tech industry'' means an entity that--
(A) has its principal office located in the United
States or has a subsidiary the principal office of
which is located in the United States;
(B) has over 10 million aggregate subscribers or
users of social media platforms that are provided by
such entity; and
(C) manufactures, supports, researches, and
develops technology products and services on a large
scale.
(3) Minority-owned startup.--The term ``minority-owned
startup'' means a business that is owned, managed, or
controlled by one or more minority persons who have,
collectively, at least 51 percent of an ownership interest in
such business.
(4) Tech industry.--The term ``tech industry'' means the
sector of the economy comprised of the entities described in
paragraph (2).
(5) Technology product and service.--The term ``technology
product and service'' means--
(A) a computing, telecommunications, or consumer
electronics-based technology intensive product,
including products related to digital electronics,
software, optics, or new energy; and
(B) a technology service, including an internet-
related service, such as services related to software,
hardware, social media and digital platforms, cloud
storage, or e-commerce.
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