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U.S. Innovation and Competitiveness
SCIENCE COMMITTEE COMPETITIVENESS BILLS AS REPORTED
* H.R. 5358, The Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (as reported)
* H.R. 5358, Section By Section Summary (as reported)
* H.R. 5356, The Research for Competitiveness Act (as reported)
* H.R. 5356, Section By Section Summary (as reported)
Press Release: SCIENCE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES COMPETITIVENESS PACKAGE - June 7, 2006
COMPETITIVENESS DOCUMENTS
In his recent State of the Union address, the president announced the American Competitiveness Initiative and the Advanced Energy Initiative, which together would strengthen the economic position of the U.S. by doubling the budgets of key science agencies, renewing our nation’s focus on K-12 math and science education, and developing new fuel sources that will help break the U.S. addition to foreign oil.
The Science Committee has been an active leader in addressing our economic competitiveness challenges and promoting energy independence. Key Committee accomplishments are listed below.
COMPETITIVENESS AGENDA
· The Science Committee held a hearing (May 3, 2006) to review the effectiveness and value of the National Science Foundation's (NSF's) past and present programs in support of improvement of K-12 math and science education and to examine what role the Foundation should play in future federal initiatives for strengthening K-12 science and math education.
· The Science Committee held a hearing (March 30, 2006) with five top science education officials, outlining a coordinated federal effort to improve K-12 science and math education. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings along with top officials from NSF, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Department of Energy (DOE) outlined their efforts at this historic hearing, marking the first time each of the science education agencies appeared together before Congress.
· The Subcommittee on Research held a hearing (March 15, 2006) to examine the state of undergraduate education in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The witnesses told the Committee that improving undergraduate STEM education is mandatory in order to improve K-12 math and science education and strengthen U.S. competitiveness. The witnesses also advocated for targeted funding from NSF for undergraduate education programs.
· The Science Committee held a hearing (March 9, 2006)to evaluate a proposal by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to create an Advanced Research Projects Agency in DOE (ARPA-E), modeled on the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Most witnesses were open to the notion of creating a new research entity in DOE, but they cautioned that the funding for it should not be taken from the increases proposed for DOE’s existing basic research programs.
· The Science Committee held a hearing (February 15, 2006) on the Administration’s fiscal 2007 budget request – the first Congressional hearing to review all aspects of the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI). Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement, and Deputy Commerce Secretary David Sampson, testified on behalf of the three science agencies that are slated to have their cumulative budgets doubled over the next 10 years under the ACI (DOE’s Office of Science, NSF, and Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology). Also testifying were White House Science Advisor John Marburger and Homeland Security Undersecretary for Science and Technology Charles McQueary.
· The Committee held a hearing (October 20, 2005) on the National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. Norman Augustine, retired chairman of Lockheed Martin and chairman of the National Academy panel that conducted the study, testified at the hearing along with Dr. Roy Vagelos, retired chairman of Merck & Co., and Dr. William Wulf, president of the National Academy of Engineering. This report was the basis of many of the President’s proposals.
· The Committee held a hearing (July 21, 2005) on U.S. Competitiveness: The Innovation Challenge. Nicholas Donofrio, executive vice president at IBM, John Morgridge, chairman of Cisco Systems, Inc., and Dr. William Brody, president of The Johns Hopkins University, testified on the competitive challenges facing the U.S. This hearing drew attention to the National Innovation Initiative of the Council on Competitiveness, another forerunner of the President’s proposals.
· The Committee helped organize the National Summit on Competitiveness: Investing in U.S. Innovation, which brought together more than 50 CEOs and university presidents to discuss an innovation agenda with top Administration officials, including the secretaries of Commerce, Education, Energy and Labor. The summit was held on December 6, 2005 at the Department of Commerce.
· In the Fiscal Year 2006 Views and Estimates (issued last February), Science Committee members urged increased funding for the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology, each of which is slated for significant budget increases in the President’s plan. The Committee has made similar pleas in previous years.
· The Committee has passed numerous bills calling for additional investments in research and development, including in this Congress, legislation to increase investment in supercomputing across the federal research agencies. Significant initiatives in the recent past include the National Science Foundation Authorization Act, which the President signed into law in 2002 and which called for doubling the budget of the National Science Foundation, and the 21st Century National Nanotechnology Research and Development Act, the President signed into law in 2003, and which set up a focused, coordinated research program across the federal science agencies in nanotechnology. In addition, the Science Committee’s portions of the Energy Policy Act, which the President signed into law last summer (P.L. 109-58), authorized significant increases in funding for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science – one of the entities for which the President is now seeking more funding.
EDUCATION POLICY
· The Committee held a hearing (April 14, 2005) with the top K-12 math and science teachers from across the country to examine the challenges they face. The teachers who testified were recipients of the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science and Mathematics Teaching.
· Education issues were a focus of the National Summit on Competitiveness and initiatives to improve math and science education at all levels were included in the National Science Foundation Authorization Act (P.L. 107-368).
· The Committee has repeatedly pressed for increased funding for National Science Foundation education programs, including in Views and Estimates and in hearings with the Director of the National Science Foundation.
ENERGY POLICY
· The President is urging an expanded use of non-hydrocarbon fuel sources, including nuclear energy. A key challenge with nuclear power is disposing of radioactive waste. The Committee held two hearings (June 16 and July 12, 2005) exploring new reprocessing technologies that could significantly reduce the amount of waste generated at nuclear power plants, while also addressing proliferation concerns.
· The Committee also wrote portions of the Energy Policy Act authorizing new research into alternative forms of energy and energy efficiency technologies. This included research to improve nuclear reactors as well as to increase the use of wind and solar energy. The Science Committee titles also authorized the President’s hydrogen initiative.
MEDIA COVERAGE
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