WASHINGTON, D.C. – Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) encourages the Senate to pass the America COMPETES Act, S. 761, which authorizes grants for the expansion and promotion of math, science, and technology research and development, as well as education programs from elementary through graduate school.

In a recent hearing on U.S. Competitiveness through Basic Research, Chairman Inouye noted that reports have shown a decline in U.S. student participation in the math and science fields, and as a result a decline in the U.S.’s competitive edge. Chairman Inouye urged the Senate to take action to combat this trend.

The America COMPETES Act would increase education partnerships funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Laboratories, and significantly increase funding to the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science. It would also direct the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to increase basic research and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to promote leadership in the ocean and atmospheric research and education fields.

The Act is a joint effort of the Senate Commerce; Health, Education Labor and Pensions (HELP); and Energy Committees. More than 50 Senators are cosponsors, including Chairman Inouye and Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), who are original cosponsors.

 

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Technological innovation is the lifeblood of U.S. economic growth and well-being.  To achieve growth and success, the United States must continue to support the two critical components necessary during the early stages of the innovation ecosystem: education and basic research. 

 

With the release of a Council on Competitiveness Report entitled “Innovate America” and a National Academy of Sciences report “Rising Above the Gathering Storm,” the idea of science-driven innovation as a driver for economic growth has gained currency and urgency.  The basic premise of both reports is that innovation arises out of scientific discovery and that innovation drives economic growth.  While the United States cannot compete with nations such as China and India based on wages, our traditional advantage has been the innovation and technical skill of our workforce. 

 

Today, the Senate has a unique opportunity to respond to the nation’s defining economic challenge in the 21st century: how to remain strong and competitive in the face of emerging challenges from India, China, and the rest of the world.  We have examined the expert reports, and today, the Senate is considering S. 761, the America COMPETES Act.

 

S. 761 is a bipartisan product of several Committees including: the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee; the Energy Committee; and the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. As Chairman of the Commerce Committee which was instrumental in developing Divisions A and D of the bill, I encourage my colleagues to support S. 761.

 

Many point out that the United States’ declining scientific prowess is palpable.  They cite, for example, the country’s dismal proficiency scores: less than one-third of U.S. fourth-graders performed at or above a level deemed “proficient” and about one-fifth of eighth-graders lacked the competency to perform basic math computations.  U.S. fifteen year olds ranked 22 out of 28 Organization for Economic Co-Operation Development (OECD) countries tested in mathematics.  This is a troubling statistic.  In math and science education our country is losing ground to the likes of Germany, China, and Japan. In the United States, only 32 percent graduate with college degrees in science and engineering, while 36 percent of German undergraduates receive degrees in science and engineering.  In China it is 59 percent, and in Japan, 66 percent of undergraduates receive science and engineering degrees. 

 

In 2004, China graduated over 600,000 engineers; India, 350,000; and the United States, less than 70,000.  These statistics are alarming and will have dire consequences as the U.S. talent pipeline begins to dry up.  To respond, the America COMPETES Act emphasizes science, education, and technology, as the keystones of a comprehensive American competitiveness agenda. 

 

We considered programs in several agencies.  Within the Department of Commerce, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is charged with promoting U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology.  The bill would continue NIST on a ten-year doubling path and promote high-risk, high-reward research within the agency.

 

Also within the Department of Commerce, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) conducts significant basic atmospheric and oceanographic research, including climate change research. Its management decisions and operational programs rely on a strong scientific and technical underpinning.  Some have argued that the ocean truly is the last frontier on Earth, and ocean research and technology may have broad impacts on improving health and understanding our environment.  Toward this end, our Committee included modest provisions on NOAA research and education, which we hope to strengthen during the course of debate on S. 761.

 

The bill also includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in the Administration’s competitiveness agenda.  Like the oceans, space captivates the minds of our young people and can help attract them into a lifelong study of science.

 

America COMPETES continues the Senate’s commitment to doubling the funding of the National Science Foundation.  The Foundation is the nation’s premier investment in undirected, basic science.  The bulk of its funding is distributed as competitive grants.  The bill includes provisions to ensure all states, including small states like Hawaii, can share in important research funding.  After all, good ideas know no boundaries.  In order to be strong, we will need the ideas and leadership of researchers and entrepreneurs in every corner of the nation.

 

I was pleased to work with my colleagues on the HELP Committee to develop the NSF education provisions.  I am proud to have included programs to encourage women to have careers in science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

 

In recent years, we have passed legislation affecting interagency research in nanotechnology, information technology, computer security, climate change, oceans and human health, earthquake research, wind research, and aeronautics research. The America COMPETES Act provides for a Science Summit to encourage interactivity and knowledge sharing between science, scientists, and industry.

 

I would like to end by noting that technology and innovation pervade many policy problems that the Commerce Committee and the Congress face.  Changes in telecommunications policy are being driven by innovation.  In particular, low broadband penetration is cited as a factor in the loss of competitiveness in many U.S. regions.  Also, our transportation infrastructure would benefit from increased investment and deployment of new technologies, such as investment in technologies that can increase energy independence. 

 

To succeed in a whole host of arenas, we need scientific discoveries and a technologically savvy workforce.  If enacted, the America COMPETES Act can provide the first step for this country to get back into the global race.  Many countries are looking to overtake us to claim technological and economic superiority.  While we continue to lead, we cannot take this lead for granted.  I fully support what we are trying to accomplish with the America COMPETES Act and I look forward to working with my colleagues towards its final passage. 

 

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The “America COMPETES Act” is a bipartisan legislative response to recommendations contained in the National Academies’ “Rising Above the Gathering Storm” report and the Council on Competitiveness’ “Innovate America” report.  The bill is similar to the “National Competitiveness Investment Act” that Senators Frist, Reid, Domenici, Bingaman, Stevens, Inouye, Enzi, Kennedy, Ensign, Lieberman, Alexander, Mikulski, Hutchison, and others introduced in September 2006.  The Commerce and Science Division of the bill is derived from the “American Innovation and Competitiveness Act of 2006” (S.2802), approved without opposition by the Senate Commerce Committee last year. 

 

More specifically, the Commerce and Science Division of the America COMPETES Act would:

 

Increase Research Investment by:

 

·        Establishing the Innovation Acceleration Research Program to direct federal agencies funding research in science and technology to set as a goal dedicating approximately 8% of their Research and Development (R&D) budgets toward high-risk frontier research.

 

·        Authorizing the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from approximately $703 million in Fiscal Year 2008 to approximately $937 million in Fiscal Year 2011 and requiring NIST to set aside no less than 8 percent of its annual funding for high-risk, high-reward innovation acceleration research.

 

·        Directing NASA to increase funding for basic research and fully participate in interagency activities to foster competitiveness and innovation, using the full extent of existing budget authority.

 

·        Coordinating ocean and atmospheric research and education at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies to promote U.S. leadership in these important fields.

 

Develop an Innovation Infrastructure by:

 

·        Establishing a President’s Council on Innovation and Competitiveness to develop a comprehensive agenda to promote innovation and competitiveness in the public and private sectors.

 

·        Requiring the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study to identify forms of risk that create barriers to innovation.

 

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