On the recordDecember 21, 2010
As a cosponsor of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, I rise today in strong support of this legislation, and I commend the United States Senate for passing this legislation before the end of 111th Congress. Today's consideration shows Congress's commitment to ensuring our children and grandchildren receive the education they need to compete in a global marketplace in the 21st Century. While our country and our children have not lost the spirit of innovation and creativity, we have in recent years watched as our country has fallen woefully behind in educating our children. Passage of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act will help to reverse this trend by making the strong investments necessary in research, education and manufacturing. This bipartisan legislation reauthorizes our basic research programs, making needed increased investments in the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology and laying the groundwork for doubling the authorized funding levels for these programs. Funding through these programs has been critical to hundreds of the faculty, staff, scientists and investigators in my district who rely on opportunities from these agencies to support their research. America COMPETES also reauthorizes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy, which has made great efforts at developing the energy technology of the future.
