Action on U.S. Jobs & Innovation

Science Education and Research are Keys to Keeping the USA Competitive in the Global Economy

Innovation is not just a goal, it's a necessity. Innovation breeds progress, the driving force behind a strong economy. Science Democrats have worked to bring attention to the resources our country needs to stay competitive. We must take bold steps now to insure that American students and workers are prepared for the careers of the future and that our nation is equipped to compete in the global economy.

In 2005, a group of bipartisan Congressional lawmakers asked the experts at The National Academies for a list of the top 10 actions that policy-makers must take to ensure that the U.S. remains competitive in the global economy. Their report - Rising Above The Gathering Storm - found that the U.S. would stand to lose its competitive edge without immediate action.

Click the cover image to read the Executive Summary of the report

| Legislative Action | Press Releases | Letters to Administration | Hearings | Op-Eds | Member Speeches |

Legislative Action

Rep. Gordon and Science Committee Democrats were successful in shaping the Committee's legislation addressing key recommendations of the Gathering Storm report.  Bipartisan legislation (H.R. 5356 and H.R. 5358), passed by the Committee on June 7, 2006, incorporated much of the Gordon legislation introduced last fall and will equip the United States to create and retain quality jobs, educate the next generation of scientists and put resources in place that will insure innovation and the U.S. job market keep pace with international competitors.

Democratic provisions in H.R. 5356 »
Democratic provisions in H.R. 5358 »

With the Democrats' changes included, the bills passed by Committee will implement the top priority of the Academies’ report, which is to put in place effective teacher training programs for new and in-service science and math teachers.

Mr. Gordon's package of legislation included:

H.R. 4434, 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act

H.R. 4435, Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E) Act

H.R. 4596, Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act

The Science Committee Democratic staff compiled a chart comparing the recommendations of the Augustine Committee's report to the provisions in Rep. Gordon's legislation.  Also included are comparisons to the legislation introduced by Senators Pete Domenici, Jeff Bingaman, Lamar Alexander and Barbara Mikulski as the Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) package, to the National Innovation Act of 2005 proposed by Senators John Ensign and Joseph Lieberman, and the American Competitiveness Initiative included in the President's State of the Union Address.

Download the chart (updated May 15) »

(June 7, 2006) - Democrats Significantly Improve and Support House Competitiveness Legislation

The U.S. House Committee on Science today advanced legislation aimed at spurring global competitiveness and improving science and math education.  Committee Democrats were successful in shaping the legislation to address the key recommendations of a National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report entitled Rising Above the Gathering Storm. That influential report was issued last fall and warned the U.S. could fall behind our global counterparts without immediate action....

"The substitute legislation to H.R. 5356 and H.R. 5358, which I have cosponsored, meld provisions from the majority’s bills and my bipartisan bills, H.R.4434 and H.R. 4596," said Ranking Member Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN).  "I want to thank the Chairman and other Members of the Majority for working with me to improve both the scope and funding levels authorized in the manager’s amendments so that they are more in-line with National Academy report."...

(April 27, 2006) - Bold Approaches to Energy Research May Spur Innovation

..."We in Congress have a responsibility to find creative and new ways to inspire researchers, business leaders, and our youth to utilize new energy sources," said Rep. Lipinski. "Hydrogen holds enormous potential as the base of our future economy, but we must take action today to ensure that we have the technology that we need tomorrow. The H-Prize will help us get there by inspiring researchers, entrepreneurs, and others to compete to find the keys to developing and commercializing hydrogen fuel."

The H-Prize legislation addresses a similar issue raised by Ranking Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) in his ARPA-E legislation (H.R 4435). Gordon’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy, or ARPA-E, builds upon an idea promoted in last October’s widely acknowledged National Academies report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. That report identified a range of action items that must be addressed if the U.S. is to remain competitive in the global marketplace. The report called establishment of an ARPA-E the key to producing "transformational research that could lead to new ways of fueling the nation and its economy."...

Letters to Administration

(January 25, 2006) - Letter to President from Rep. Gordon Recommending Implementation of Augustine Recommendations on American Competitiveness

"Dear Mr. President:

In recent years, a growing chorus has been calling attention to the eroding position of American firms and workers in the world economy. The National Academy of Sciences recent report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, attempts to chart a course forward that will create a vital, robust American economy with good paying jobs for our citizens. I want to join those who have been encouraging you to study this report closely and embrace its conclusions...."

Hearings

(March 9, 2006) - Should Congress Establish "ARPA-E", The Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy?

Opening statements from Mr. Gordon and Mr. Honda and witness statements from:

• Dr. Steven Chu, Director, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley, CA)
• Dr. David Mowery, Professor, Haas School of Business, University of California (Berkeley, CA)
• Melanie Kenderdine, Vice President, Washington Operations, Gas Technology Institute (Washington, DC)
• Dr. Frank Fernandez, President, F.L. Fernandez Inc. (Del Mar, CA)
• Dr. Catherine Cotell, Vice President for Strategy, University and Early Stage Investment, In-Q-Tel (Arlington, VA)

(February 15, 2006) - An Overview of the Federal R&D; Budget for Fiscal Year 2007

Opening statement from Mr. Gordon and witness statements from:

• The Honorable John Marburger III, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (Washington, DC)
• The Honorable Samuel Bodman, Secretary of Energy (Washington, DC)
• The Honorable David Sampson, Deputy Secretary of Commerce (Washington, DC)
• The Honorable Arden Bement, Director, National Science Foundation (Arlington, VA)
• The Honorable Charles McQueary, Undersecretary for Science and Technology, Department of Homeland Security (Washington, DC)

Opinion Articles and Editorials

(April 21, 2006) - Published in the San Jose Mercury News:
Look Beyond Bush's Rhetoric on Tech to Find Dismal Record
By Rep. Mike Honda

"President Bush is asleep at the wheel on the information superhighway.

"As a candidate, he campaigned in Silicon Valley paying lip service to the importance of technological innovation.

"His policy record since has been a triumph of rhetoric over substance, failing to appreciate and support the values that make this area the global high-tech capital....

"As a former high school teacher and principal now representing America's high-technology center in Congress, I am deeply concerned that our children and entrepreneurs are being shortchanged and that, as a result, the United States may lose its edge in the global technology race.

"For this reason, I have joined with my Democratic House colleagues to develop an Innovation Agenda, a commitment to competitiveness to keep America No. 1.

"Along with high-technology, venture capital, academic, biotech and telecommunications leaders, we have committed ourselves to guaranteeing affordable broadband access for all Americans, achieving energy independence in 10 years, educating 100,000 new scientists, engineers and mathematicians in the next four years and placing a highly qualified teacher in every math and science K-12 classroom...."

Read more »

Member Speeches

(February 10, 2006) - Prepared Remarks by the Hon. Mark Udall for the National Science Board Meeting on Science Education

"...With the NOAA and NIST labs, important scientific research being performed at our Universities, and many leading high-tech companies based in the area, the STEM disciplines are crucial in driving Colorado’s economy.

"Scientific innovation is, therefore, a particularly relevant issue for Colorado and the district I represent. Most important of all, scientific research and innovation are the lifeblood of America’s economic future....

"Representative Gordon has introduced legislation that would directly implement the recommendations of this report. I am a cosponsor of these bills and hope they will initiate debate about how we can best serve innovation in our country. These bills will strengthen our economy by ensuring students have the resources necessary to successfully compete in the global marketplace.

"In the end, I believe because NSF has close ties with the scientific community it could play a unique role in developing and providing support services to enhance our country’s math and science education programs and I support increased resources being directed to education within the agency...."

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