Press Releases :: November 20, 2008

Chairman Gordon Re-elected, Lays Out Vision For Committee

Washington, DC) –Today, the Democratic caucus re-elected Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) as Chairman of the Committee on Science and Technology for the 111^th Congress.  

“I am honored and excited to continue our work at the Committee on Science and Technology.  I am very proud of the progress we made in the 110^th Congress.  We enacted the America COMPETES Act, to maintain and regrow America’s economic competitiveness by supporting education and innovation.  We reauthorized NASA, reaffirming our commitment to a balanced, robust program of science, aeronautics, and human spaceflight and exploration.  And our contributions to the Energy Independence and Security Act expanded research, development, and demonstration of energy technologies and promoted renewable energy, energy efficiency, and clean coal technologies,” said Gordon.  “But there is much more work to be done, especially in light of our country’s current economic problems.  The major challenges facing our country—a foundering economy, a changing climate, a growing need for clean energy we produce at home—will be solved by science, technology, and American innovation.  It’s more important than ever that we are looking at how we can grow new sectors of the U.S. economy and ensure our long-term competitiveness.”

Chairman Gordon was first elected Chair after Democrats gained the Majority in the 2006 elections.  He joined the Committee as a freshman in the 99^th Congress, and became Ranking Member in the 108^th Congress.

In the 110^th Congress, the Committee held 123 hearings and 17 Full Committee markups.  A total of 82 pieces of legislation originating in the Committee were passed by the House, including 27 bills that were signed into law. 

“I want this to be the committee of good ideas,” said Gordon.  “I recognize that neither party has a monopoly on that.  I appreciate the cooperation we had in the last Congress—everyone was willing to roll up their sleeves and work shoulder-to-shoulder towards consensus.  We were able to pass most bills unanimously, because we worked through our differences ahead of time.  I hope we can continue that record of collaboration.”   

Committee Members are expected to be assigned in January.

For more information, please visit the Committee’s website. 

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