FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 7, 2003

LARSON STATEMENT ON PASSAGE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Congressman John B. Larson (CT-01) today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 766, the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003. The bill passed by a vote of 405-19, with Congressman Larson voting in favor.

"I am thrilled to see the House pass this critical legislation," said Larson. "The National Science Foundation has predicted that within a decade, an international market for nanotechnology will develop amounting to approximately $1 trillion, illustrating the tremendous economic implications this technology holds for the United States. Nanotechnology has the potential to benefit all high-technology fields, from materials, to energy, to computing, resulting in vast improvements in quality of life for Americans. It also holds great promise for the field of medicine because, essentially, machines that are too small to be seen by the naked eye will be able to accomplish enormous tasks such as dispensing medications or flowing through the bloodstream removing unwanted material. This legislation is an important first step in funding the research and development needed to further advance this field in both the public and private sectors."

H.R. 766, the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2002, authorizes $2.36 billion over three years for nanotechnology research and development programs at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Commerce, NASA, and the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill provides a formal structure for coordination of research across the agencies, emphasizes interdisciplinary research, addresses societal concerns raised by nanotechnology, and requires outside reviews of the program.

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Congressman Larson is a Member of the House Science Committee