NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION TOUTS DEM. INNOVATION AGENDA: REAL IDEAS FOR A COMPETITIVE AMERICA

WASHINGTON, DC-- WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, the co-chairs of the New Democrat Coalition (NDC) derided the Republican high-tech agenda as inadequate to meet the needs of the new global economy.  New Democrats have consistently been leaders on high-tech and innovation issues including access to broadband, patent reform, expanding and making permanent the research and development (R&D) tax credits and supporting initiatives to attract the best and brightest talent the world has to offer. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) laid out an ambitious and pioneering high tech and innovation agenda last fall. In it, the Leader advocated new proposals to continue America's leadership in this arena and proposed ideas that would unleash the next generation of discovery, invention and growth in this country. Democrats clearly have a superior vision for broad-based economic growth and bolstering our nation’s competitiveness.

“In order for America to play a competitive role in the development of innovative technology we need new ideas and fewer barriers. New Democrats have a dynamic hi-tech agenda that protects our hi-tech companies, promotes the work of American scientists and researchers, and ensures the availability of the best technology to the public, our nation’s health practitioners, and, most critically, to our first responders,” said NDC Co-Chair U.S. Representative Ellen Tauscher (D-CA).

For decades, the United States has led the world in technology and innovation. New Democrats believe that universal access to broadband is essential to maintaining a global competitive edge. Broadband will spur both public and private sector endeavors to push the envelope in new ideas and innovations.  Improving access to broadband can vastly improve public safety, public health and homeland security. It can also provide new opportunities for telemedicine, connecting rural communities to expert physicians who can make a diagnosis from hundreds of miles away.

“A serious effort to sharpen our competitive edge would require a commitment to universal broadband coverage.  Too many rural areas have become isolated because they lack access to broadband, a factor which is particularly acute in southern districts like mine,” said NDC Co-Chair U.S. Representative Artur Davis (D-Ala.) “In addition, New Democrats have shown a far stronger commitment than Republicans to incentives for research and development by American entrepreneurs.”

Patent reform is also another area where the New Democrats have taken the lead in Congress. One of the primary goals of the New Democrats has been to advance American technological and economic leadership by fostering an atmosphere of innovation, of which patent reform legislation is necessary to achieve that goal. A key factor in achieving this reform would be to increase the funding for the Patent and Trademark Office. This office is responsible for maintaining and issuing new patents. The office is underfunded and overloaded, thus slowing down the issuing of new patents and reducing the quality of new patents.
 
“Reforming the patent system to maximize innovation is a top legislative priority for the New Democrats,” said NDC Co-Chair U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, (D-WA). “The Republican tech agenda released today barely scratches the surface of this issue. For many years, New Democrats have realized that a fairer and streamlined patent system will increase innovation which in turn drives the American economy. This is a commonsense solution that can have benefits today and can drive tomorrow's next big thing.”

Finally, New Democrats have long called for expanding and making the R&D tax credit permanent. By modernizing and permanently extending a globally competitive R&D tax credit, the United States will greatly increase domestic investment, create more U.S. jobs and it will allow companies to pursue long-term projects with the certainty that the credit will not expire, keeping these innovations for American companies. 

“American businesses thrive when they have the tools and opportunities to drive innovation to the next level,” stated NDC Co-chair Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI.). “New Democrats have long been committed to creating an innovation environment so American businesses can stay competitive in the global marketplace, including training the next generation of scientists and researchers and then providing opportunities through R&D for that talent to develop the next generation of scientific breakthroughs and revolutionary discoveries. The Republican agenda falls short of that commitment.”

If America is to continue as the world leader in high-tech innovation, New Democrats believe that House Republicans need to focus on universal access to broadband, reforming the patent system, expanding and making permanent the R&D tax credit, supporting initiatives to attract the best and brightest talent to the U.S. and the other initiatives that are included in the House Democrats innovation agenda.

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