Jeff Bingaman: “first I thank Senator Reid and Senator McConnell for their fine statements and their willingness to be the lead in…”

“first I thank Senator Reid and Senator McConnell for their fine statements and their willingness to be the lead in bringing this bill to the floor. It is bipartisan legislation. It is legislation that was developed in the last Congress. We were not able to complete action on it there, so we are trying to do so at this time. It does represent the work of three committees over the past year. Those are the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and, of course, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. I am fortunate to serve on two of those committees. The chairman and ranking member of each of the three committees are cosponsoring this bill. In fact, we now have 57 Members of the Senate who are cosponsoring this legislation, with Senators Reid and McConnell as the lead sponsors. This bill reflects a deep undercurrent of anxiety in this country. It was highlighted recently by the very best-selling book by Tom Friedman called 'The World Is Flat.' It is also highlighted by the report to which Senator McConnell just referred, the 'Rising Above the Gathering Storm' report issued by the National Academies of Science and Engineering. Both of these publications highlight a strengthening, worldwide, of the effort in science and technology. Although we in the United States are still a world leader in these areas, other nations are clearly catching up.”