H.R. 3855 – Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2021

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Updated February 8, 2026 at 4:12 AM UTC

The Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2021 amends the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program to include accounting education and career awareness as part of a well‑rounded STEM experience. It adds accounting‑focused activities and courses for K‑12 students, with special attention to groups historically underrepresented in the accounting field. The changes aim to boost early exposure to accounting, improve diversity, and link accounting to technology and data skills.

Key Provisions

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to insert a new subclause that specifically lists “accounting education, including accounting career awareness” as a permissible activity under the grant program.
Adds a new paragraph authorizing activities that develop, implement, and strengthen programs to teach accounting, including expanding access to high‑quality accounting courses for students through grade 12 who belong to underrepresented groups.

Legislative Activity

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HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Education and Workforce Committee

June 11, 2021

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

June 11, 2021

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.

Education and Workforce Committee

June 11, 2021

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in HouseIssued June 11, 2021

I

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 3855

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

June 11, 2021

Ms. Stevens (for herself and Mrs. Spartz) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor

A BILL

To amend the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grant program to promote career awareness in accounting as part of a well-rounded STEM educational experience.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Accounting STEM Pursuit Act of 2021.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds as follows:

(1)

The accounting profession is working to ensure that it meets the needs of the public, businesses, governments, and not-for-profit organizations in a technology-driven marketplace.

(2)

Promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion within the accounting profession fosters a field that is reflective of the local, regional, and global communities it serves, and is better positioned to innovate around the complex issues facing organizations of all kinds and the evolving public interest.

(3)

Early exposure to the accounting profession through family, friends, and other community interactions, or relevant elementary and secondary course offerings, increases opportunity for students to recognize the limitless possibilities of a career in accounting, and therefore inspires that professional trajectory.

(4)

This Act seeks to build on existing financial literacy initiatives by establishing the significance of early course offerings in accounting education as drivers for improving career opportunity and diversity within this STEM profession.

(5)

There is a clear and logical integration between accounting and technology: as the profession continues to advance its use of technology to serve the public interest, accounting professionals, including CPAs, are technological leaders who manage and analyze big data, ensure data security, manage cybersecurity risk, and work alongside Information Technology professionals.

3.

Accounting as part of a well-rounded educational experience

Subpart 1 of part A of title IV of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7111 et seq.) is amended—

(1)

in section 4104(b)(3)(A)(i), by—

(A)

striking or at the end of subclause (VI);

(B)

redesignating subclause (VII) as subclause (VIII); and

(C)

inserting after subclause (VI) the following new subclause:

(VII)

accounting education, including accounting career awareness; or

; and

(2)

in section 4107(a)(3), by—

(A)

striking or at the end of paragraph (I);

(B)

redesignating paragraph (J) as paragraph (K); and

(C)

inserting after paragraph (I) the following new paragraph:

(J)

activities to promote the development, implementation, and strengthening of programs to teach accounting, including increasing access to high-quality accounting courses for students through grade 12 who are members of groups underrepresented in accounting careers; or

.