Chairman Gordon's Floor Speech on H. R. 2020, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2009

 

H.R. 2020, the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2009, is a good bipartisan bill which I and Mr. Hall jointly introduced, along with a number of our Committee colleagues. 

 

H.R. 2020 continues to improve and update a program that was originally created in the High Performance Computing Act of 1991.

 

The NITRD Program, as it is known, involves a collaboration of more than a dozen Federal research and development agencies for a current total federal investment of approximately $3.5 billion.

 

This may sound like a lot, but the European Union is investing $7 billion over the next five years in cyber-physical systems alone.

 

To ensure that we make the most effective use of our own resources and to remain a leader in these fields, it is critical that these many agencies come together to develop common goals and well-defined strategies. 

 

H.R. 2020 strengthens interagency planning, coordination, and prioritization for NITRD by requiring the development and periodic update of a strategic plan informed by both industry and academia.  

 

This plan is meant to create a vision for networking and information technology R&D across the federal government, and provide specific metrics for measuring progress toward that vision.

 

Next, the bill calls for increased support of large-scale, long-term, interdisciplinary research in networking and information technology that will help us tackle national challenges. These large-scale, long-term investments can provide substantial benefits to society such as improving the effectiveness and efficiency of our healthcare and energy delivery systems.

 

Finally, H.R. 2020 promotes partnerships between the federal government, academia and industry to foster technology transfer. It makes certain that the existing, independent advisory committee will have the technical knowledge necessary to guide the program. And it ensures that the education of the future NIT workforce remains an important component of the program. 

 

Our nearly 20-year investment in the NITRD program has helped create jobs across all sectors of our economy and contributed immeasurably to our economic and national security. 

 

Given how rapidly these fields evolve, a comprehensive look at the NITRD program by Congress is timely.

 

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2020.