Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise in support of my amendment to H.R. 5116--``To invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes.'' My amendment amends Section 345(e) to mandate the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to report on the economic and ethnic breakdown of ``Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics'' (STEM) industry internship program recipients. At present, this section mandates the Director of the NSF to submit a report to Congress on the number and total value of awards made under this section, the number of students affected by those awards, and any evidence of the effect of those awards on workforce preparation and jobs placement for participating students. In my opinion, requirements for assessing participation of minority and economically-disadvantaged backgrounds are conspicuously absent from these reporting requirements, and my amendment seeks to rectify this problem. Mr. Chair, facilitating links between institutes of higher education and the private sector is vital to ensuring that education enables a skilled and relevant workforce. Such links are especially important for minorities and under-served communities because these students often lack alternative avenues to connect their education with an industry. Internship experience is an increasingly vital component of a successful resume, yet the unpaid nature of internships is cost- prohibitive for many people.…”