DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Advancing U.S. Competitiveness through Technological Innovation, Free Trade, and Intellectual Property Protection

• Supports the American Competitiveness Initiative. Provides $634 million for investments in quantum and neutron research, nanotechnology, and related scientific work at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a 20-percent increase over the 2008 enacted level, excluding earmarks and unrequested grants.

• Facilitates the transition to digital television broadcasts. Ensures a smooth transition from analog to digital television broadcasts by February 18, 2009, through information and assistance efforts, thereby clearing valuable radio spectrum to enhance the capabilities of first responders and bring greater choice to media and telecommunications consumers.

• Advances free trade. Opens and expands new markets for U.S. goods and services, helps develop and enforce free trade agreements with other nations, eliminates barriers to sales of U.S. products, and improves the competitiveness of U.S. firms. Disseminates advanced U.S. clean energy technologies throughout the Asia-Pacific region by hosting trade missions and other outreach events.

• Protects intellectual property rights. Combats global piracy and counterfeiting, and strengthens the United States Patent and Trademark Office to support efforts to safeguard the value of intellectual property through more efficient and higher quality patent and trademark examinations.

Improving Public and Private-Sector Decisions with Enhanced Data

• Prepares for the 2010 Decennial Census. Opens field offices and finalizes systems for the population count in spring 2010, which is called for in Article I of the Constitution.

• Improves economic data. Promotes more accurate data on the contributions of the health care sector and research and development to gross domestic product (GDP), and also significantly improves measurement of the service sector.

Enhancing the Ability to Observe, Protect, and Manage the Earth’s Resources

• Improves weather forecasting and global climate monitoring. Provides $981 million to develop and acquire vital weather satellites and climate sensors (an increase of $175 million over the 2008 request and $220 million over the enacted level) and $31 million over the 2008 request in new initiatives to improve forecasts of severe weather, fires, and droughts.

• Protects oceans and manages natural resources. Increases funding for last year’s initiative supporting the Ocean Action Plan by $31 million over the 2008 request, to $154 million. These funds will enhance fisheries management and support the Magnuson-Stevens Act requirement of eliminating overfishing by 2011, as well as strengthen efforts to advance ocean observing networks, study ocean acidification, reduce harmful marine debris, support maritime commerce, and protect marine mammals.

Major Savings and Reforms

• Six programs representing $375 million have been identified for termination or reduction, including:

  • Federal funding for Manufacturing Extension Partnership centers, which will become independent, as intended when the program began.

  • Economic Development Administration grants, which will be reduced and re-focused on economic adjustment assistance, to respond to sudden and severe economic events.

  • Public Telecommunications Facilities, Planning, and Construction grants, which in recent years have supported public broadcasters’ transition to digital broadcasts—a transition that is now largely complete.

Since 2001, the Department of Commerce has:

• Vigorously contributed to the Administration’s free-trade agenda, leading to the signing or completion of free trade agreements with 17 countries that feature increased intellectual property protections and expanded access for U.S. products and services. From 2001 to 2006, annual U.S. exports increased by $440 billion (nearly 30 percent in constant dollars), which benefits businesses of all sizes and American workers.

• Enforced trade agreements by initiating 286 antidumping or countervailing duty investigations and applied anti-subsidy countervailing duty investigations on imports from emerging non-market economies for the first time in 23 years.

• Enhanced the quality and timeliness of key economic data; for example, making GDP information on a State-by-State basis available 12 months earlier.

• Supported sound management of fisheries and related ocean resources, including protecting over 7,000 species within the world’s largest marine protected area—the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.

• Improved weather forecasting and climate science capabilities, such as increasing the lead time for winter storm warnings from 9 hours in 2000 to 19 hours in 2007.