Jay Rockefeller: “I want to add my thanks and congratulations to the conference leaders and the dedicated staff for completing the…”

“I want to add my thanks and congratulations to the conference leaders and the dedicated staff for completing the negotiations on the America Competes Act. This legislation is an important investment in our Nation's strategy to promote competitiveness. It is a bipartisan package with broad support, based on the National Academy of Sciences report known as The Gathering Storm. Many members deserve our thanks and praise, and the report is a strong example that Congress can come together to develop comprehensive public policy. America Competes is a comprehensive package that includes major sections covering math and science research and education initiatives. I am particularly pleased and proud that the legislation will reauthorize the National Science Foundation, NSF, at $22 billion from fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2010, to support several grant programs intended to encourage more students to teach math and science, as well as grants for college and graduate student science research. I have worked long and hard on programs within NSF. This bill supports the principle that the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoR, increases in proportion with the overall budget of NSF. Earlier this year, I introduced a bipartisan bill, S. 753, the EPSCoR Research and Competitiveness Act of 2007 which makes a similar recommendation. In my view, if our country seeks to broadly promote competitiveness, every state needs to be part of the effort.”