Mike Levin: “the Levin-DeWine amendment would provide $140 million to the Advanced Technology Program to support cost-shared…”

“the Levin-DeWine amendment would provide $140 million to the Advanced Technology Program to support cost-shared industry-led research and development of cutting-edge high-risk technology with broad commercial potential and societal benefits. The amendment is fully offset with reductions in function 920. The Senate has voted twice recently in support of this program. Last year the Senate voted to adopt a Levin-DeWine budget amendment to provide for the Advanced Technology Program, ATP. The Senate defeated an amendment that would have eliminated the ATP Program during consideration of the fiscal year 2006 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill. We have lost nearly 2.8 million manufacturing jobs since January 2001. We should be doing all we can to promote programs that help create jobs and strengthen the technological innovation of American companies and produce the systems that are defending our national security. This budget resolution includes $28 billion for agriculture but includes very little for manufacturing. In fiscal year 2006 the Senate funded ATP at $140 million, but because the House zeroed out the program, ATP ended up with only $80 million in conference. The Senate needs to again provide $140 million for ATP to help ensure this program has at least last year's level of funding.…”