Mike Honda: “I regret that illness prevents me from casting my vote in favor of H.R. 5116 today, but I would like to express my…”

“I regret that illness prevents me from casting my vote in favor of H.R. 5116 today, but I would like to express my strong support for H.R 5116, America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010, for the record. I commend Chairman Bart Gordon and the other members of the Science and Technology Committee, on which I am proud to have once served, for the hard work and thoughtful consideration that went into this bill. The America COMPETES Act of 2007 significantly bolstered American innovation, the most fundamental hope for sustainable economic growth and competitiveness in the United States and a critical driver of the economy in my Silicon Valley district. It helped drive new research and its commercialization, encouraged the creation of a more dynamic business environment, and made improvements to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education that are important for our nation's long term economic health. It is critical that we sustain proper support for scientific research and STEM education, or our ability to compete in the global economy will be put in jeopardy.”