By Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Members of Congress learned some startling facts from experts at the National Academy of Sciences back in 2005. For example, children in India and China may be better prepared for the jobs of the future than our own children in Dallas.
And the United States has begun to lose its status as a global economic and technological leader.
Congress has responded with legislation to restore the competitiveness of our engineering, technology, math and science workforce.
The law is called the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science Act, or America Competes. Based on the 2005 National Academy report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm," this law responds to expert recommendations on how to improve science instruction and to strengthen the innovative workforce.
Hours of hearings and expert briefings helped us feel confident about our decisions – made in our roles as members of the House Science Committee – concerning which policies to support to best leverage our financial resources. I'm proud to report that a majority of those recommendations are included in this bill.
This legislation will better prepare thousands of new teachers and give current teachers the content and instructional skills they need in order to teach science and mathematics. We're increasing early career grant programs for outstanding young investigators at both the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. We're expanding programs to grow and educate the future science and engineering workforce.
We're investing in our greatest asset – America's brainpower – and we're putting it to work, addressing, among other challenges, the looming energy crisis facing this country. Bold, cutting-edge research is the key to providing the American people with cheaper, cleaner energy options.
This bill extends our investment in the innovative spirit of this country by funding a program within the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
It will help companies right here in Texas to succeed through the Manufacturing Extension Partnership and its subsidized expert consulting advice to small businesses. This ensures that good jobs stay here at home and that our local businesses stay competitive.
The National Science Foundation is set on a path of $22 billion investment. The agency has a 50-year record of success in supporting and encouraging scientific education, training and research. America Competes will build upon the foundation's strengths.
I fought for this law to include special provisions to include and encourage women and underrepresented minorities to pursue science and technology careers.
The bill is peppered with initiatives that will especially benefit the constituents of downtown Dallas and the surrounding areas that I represent. I feel strongly that every child deserves a good education and a path to an advanced degree and rewarding career, if she or he chooses.
In this increasingly competitive world, high-tech manufacturing jobs are being sent overseas. Nations far from Dallas are exporting more high-tech goods than the U.S. and educating more scientists and engineers.
Today is the day we stem the tide of the "gathering storm." Today, we ensure that our nation remains one of the most competitive countries in the world.
U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson represents the 30th Congressional District, which includes much of Dallas and several Dallas County suburbs. Her e-mail address is rep.e.b.johnson@mail.house.gov.
