Ron Kind: “Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs in the New Democrat Coalition, and as a co-chair with Representative Rush Holt of…”

“Mr. Speaker, as one of the co-chairs in the New Democrat Coalition, and as a co-chair with Representative Rush Holt of our Innovation Task Force, I rise in proud support of the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. And I commend our Chairman Bart Gordon on the Science Committee for the work that he has put into producing this bipartisan bill. We may be losing him to retirement, but he is leaving one of the most important legacies that we can do around here, and that is to ensure strong and robust job growth in the short term, the midterm, and the long term. That is what this bill is all about. This bill is about making crucial investments to make sure that our Nation remains the most innovative and creative Nation in the world, on the cutting edge of scientific, medical, and technological discoveries and breakthroughs. We do that by investing in the STEM fields of study--science, technology, engineering, math--where the job growth is going to be occurring; by investing in basic and applied research in both the private and public sector; by creating innovation centers around the Nation so that we can partner with the private sector to create the jobs of the future, and ensuring that all Americans are full participants in the 21st century global economy.”