6.07.06 HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY PASSES COMPETITIVENESS PACKAGE

The House Science Committee today unanimously passed two bills that will advance U.S. economic competitiveness by strengthening math and science education and research programs. It also passed a bill that will improve efforts to forecast and respond to costly droughts.

The bills, each of which passed by voice vote, are H.R. 5358, Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act; HR 5356, Early Career Research Act (H.R. 5357, Research for Competitiveness Act was incorporated into HR 5356 by an amendment in the nature of a substitute); and HR 5136, National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006.

Additional information on each of the bills, including the bill text and summaries, is available on the Science Committee website.

"These measures represent an intelligent middle-ground between those who want to create scores of new, untested, expensive programs and those who argue that all that's necessary is to increase overall funding for basic research and leave everything else to chance," said Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), a co-sponsor of each of the bills that passed today. "If we are to remain competitive, then we have to bolster key programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), especially programs focused on K-12 and undergraduate education, and it's the prerogative of the Congress to do that. I want to thank Mr. Schwarz and Mr. McCaul, two active freshmen on this Committee with a deep understanding of these issues, for introducing these bills."

Rep. Joe Schwarz, M.D. (R-MI), lead sponsor of H.R. 5358, said, "I am delighted that the Science Committee reported H.R 5358 favorably today and I hope that it will reach the House floor expeditiously. We need to ensure that there are enough well-educated young people here in the United States that are qualified to work and excel in the global economy. This legislation is an important part of our nation's overall mission to be competitive and innovative in the technical and information-driven world in which we now live."

"By helping our youngest and brightest minds develop high-tech skills, and by facilitating synergy between universities and private industry, we are taking the vital steps to assure America continues to rank as the world leader in technology and innovation," stated Rep. Michael McCaul, lead sponsor of H.R. 5356 and H.R. 5357. "Congress must act now to ensure our nation remains competitive as there are a growing number of nations which are poised to take our place in the high-tech sector."

Environment, Technology, and Standards Subcommittee Chairman Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), a co-sponsor of the competitiveness package, added, "By addressing teacher training, graduate interdisciplinary studies, and research in areas that bridge scientific fields, these bills combine to provide a comprehensive alliance putting us on the right track to remain competitive in today's global economy."

"Droughts have a devastating effect on our local, state and national economies," said Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), lead sponsor of H.R. 5136. "It is clear that we need to do a better job preparing and mitigating this disaster. HR 5136 will coordinate drought efforts between local, state, and federal entities and provide decision makers with the best tools to manage our natural resources."

H.R. 5358 and H.R. 5356 comprise the Science Committee's competitiveness package, which builds upon the President's American Competitiveness Initiative and implements key recommendations from several recent reports on U.S. economic competitiveness, including the National Academy of Sciences' report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. The bills have been endorsed by a wide range of business, education, science and engineering groups.

H.R. 5358, Science and Mathematics Education for Competitiveness Act (Rep. Schwarz)

An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5328 was agreed to by voice vote. As amended, the bill would strengthen math, science, and engineering education at all levels-K-12, undergraduate and graduate. The programs in the bill will develop and provide teacher training, attract math and science majors to teaching, improve undergraduate math, science, and engineering courses, and expand interdisciplinary graduate work. Rather than create a slate of new programs, H.R. 5328 builds upon and expands existing programs at NSF, several of which the Committee wrote into law as part of the 2002 NSF reauthorization act.

These include the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to math and science majors in return for a commitment to teaching; the Math and Science Partnership Program, which would be strengthened and focused on programs and training for K-12 math and science teacher; and the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program, which provides grants to colleges and universities to improve undergraduate science, math and engineering programs. Witnesses at a March 15 Research Subcommittee hearing cited improving undergraduate education as a key to increasing the American technological workforce, improving overall science literacy, and especially strengthening K-12 math and science education. The legislation also authorizes education programs at the Department of Energy (DOE).

By voice vote, the Committee agreed to an amendment by Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) that would require NSF to gather information on whether students who receive scholarships through the Noyce program continue teaching after their service requirements are completed.

Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) offered and withdrew and amendment that would have required NSF to provide grants to elementary and secondary schools for the purchase of laboratory equipment.

H.R. 5356, Early Career Research Act (Rep. McCaul)

An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 5356 was also agreed to by voice vote. The amended bill includes the legislative language of H.R. 5357. H.R. 5356, as amended, authorizes programs at NSF and DOE's Office of Science to provide grants to researchers just starting their careers to conduct high-risk, high-return research at the cutting edge of new scientific fields. Some of the grants would go to researchers to perform innovative work for which the government would match funds provided by businesses. The bill also expands an NSF program that helps universities acquire high-tech equipment that is shared by researchers and students from various fields.

Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) offered and withdrew an amendment that would have required NSF to establish a new program to help universities commercialize their research.

HR 5136, National Integrated Drought Information System Act of 2006 (Rep. Hall)

H.R. 5136 would establish a National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) that would help decision makers better prepare for drought periods by expanding monitoring and data collection systems to include coordinated, comprehensive coverage of key indicators such as soil moisture and ground water; implementing an integrated data collection and dissemination system; and developing effective and useful tools to support analysis and decision making at all levels and geographic scales. The bill was endorsed by a panel of witnesses representing Western states, water resource agencies, and farming interests at an Environment, Technology, and Standards Subcommittee hearing on May 4.

By voice vote, the Committee agreed to a manager's amendment by Rep. Hall that reduced the total authorization level from $94 million to $81 million.