Lamar Smith: “I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), the chairwoman of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, for…”

“I thank the gentlewoman from Virginia (Mrs. Comstock), the chairwoman of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, for yielding me time to speak on her legislation. The bill, H.R. 6229, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Reauthorization Act of 2018, is an important bill that has been worked on both by Chairwoman Comstock and the gentleman from Illinois, Subcommittee Ranking Member Dan Lipinski, and I appreciate their taking the initiative on this legislation. This bipartisan bill was unanimously approved by the Science, Space, and Technology Committee in June. It authorizes NIST's research and technology programs for 2 years. The NIST Reauthorization Act ensures that the research and development conducted by NIST keeps the United States on the cutting edge of global technological capabilities. NIST is one of the Nation's oldest physical science laboratories. The technology, standards, and measurements provided by NIST support U.S. competitiveness in key industries, including manufacturing, nanomaterials, computing, communications, and cybersecurity. These have real-world applications. Through basic research, NIST sets standards and facilitates the implementation and use of technologies that impact the lives of our constituents every day. Examples include providing the precise official time for the United States that we see on our computers and smartphones, to the thresholds for the smoke detectors that protect our families and homes.…”