May 28, 2010

New Dems Applaud Passage of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act

Today, leaders of the New Democrat Coalition, led by Congressman Joseph Crowley (NY-7) and the New Dem Innovation and Competitiveness Task Force Co-Chairs Congressman Ron Kind (WI-3) and Congressman Rush Holt (NJ-12), released the following statement upon passage of The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116):

"In our nation's history, we have witnessed the direct connection between innovation, economic development and job creation. The New Dems have long been leaders in fostering innovation through public-private partnerships, embracing technology and supporting competitiveness for American businesses and workers. We were proud to work with House Leadership on the Innovation Agenda in 2007, which paved the way for passage of the original America COMPETES Act. Now, as we work to lay the foundation for long-term economic growth, making investments in innovation, research, our workforce and education is critical. For this reason, the New Dems praise passage of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act , which will help maintain the United States leadership in innovation, prepare our workers and students for 21st century jobs, and keep our nation globally competitive in important fields of the future, such as science, innovation, and math.

"We applaud the work of the Chairman Bart Gordon of the House Committee on Science and Technology and House Leadership for their dedication to investing in innovation and American ideas. Additionally, we congratulate our fellow New Dems, whose amendments made significant improvements to the final COMPETES Act that was passed by the House of Representatives today."

New Dem Record on Boosting Innovation and Strengthening American Competitiveness:

  • Recently, the New Dems released an agenda for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, comprised of key proposals to invest in innovation, boost small businesses and foster long term sustainable growth. (Click here to view the New Democrats' Innovation and Entrepreneurship Agenda.)
  • The New Dems called for fully funding the COMPETES Act in the New Dem Innovation and Competitiveness Task Force Principles, released this Congress. (Click here to view the Task Force Principles).
  • In 2007 the New Dems joined House leadership in working on the Innovation Agenda, which served as a framework for the COMPETES Act. (Click here to for additional information on the Innovation Agenda)

New Dem Amendments Passed by House:

  • Rep. David Wu's Amendment (#5) broadens the Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy eligibility and solicitation period to create a greater diversity of science and technology projects and boost awards to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
  • Rep. Carolyn McCarthy's Amendment (#11) ensures that any needs assessments to improve the operation and reliability of emergency communications builds upon existing conclusions and reports on the matter.
  • Rep. Chris Carney Amendment (#17) requires the National Science Foundation to reach out to rural colleges and private entities in rural areas to encourage participation in a grant program for STEM internships in private sector companies.
  • Rep. Loretta Sanchez's Amendment (#14) includes the membership of elementary school and secondary school administrator associations to the President's Advisory Committee on STEM Education.
  • Reps. Rush Holt, Ron Kind, and Scott Murphy's Amendment (#23) requires the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to submit to Congress a national competitiveness and innovation strategy. The strategy must include suggested legislative and executive branch actions and a proposal for metric-based evaluation of improvements in U.S. competitiveness and innovation.
  • Rep. Rush Holt's Amendment (#24) expresses the Sense of Congress that peer review is an important part of ensuring the integrity of scientific research and that in developing public access policies, federal agencies should take into account the role of scientific publishers in the peer review process.
  • Rep. John Boccieri and Mark Schauer's Amendment (#34) increases the authorization level for funding for Federal Loan Guarantees for Innovative Technologies in Manufacturing from $50 million to $100 million.
  • Rep. Debbie Halvorson's Amendment (#38) instructs the Director of the National Science Foundation to give consideration to the goal of promoting the participation by veterans when evaluating applications for the Postdoctoral Research fellowship program established by the COMPETES Act.
  • Rep. Martin Heinrich's Amendment (#40) enables science parks and federal laboratories to become eligible recipients for competitive grants in the "Regional Innovation Program."
  • Rep. Martin Heinrich's Amendment (#41) allows the Secretary of Energy to create an online database of unclassified technologies and capabilities available at national laboratories to support the commercial application of new technologies developed by the Department of Energy. Currently, private industry is only aware of the capabilities through word-of-mouth, and an online database DOE wide could help raise awareness and stimulate growth of small businesses.
  • Rep. Ron Klein's Amendment (#43) directs of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) to evaluate obstacles small manufacturers face when trying to compete in the global marketplace and design a plan to support MEP centers as they work to meet the needs of small manufacturers.
  • Reps. Frank Kratovil and Gerry Connolly's Amendment (#44) encourages employees of Federal agencies to volunteer in STEM education activities.
  • Reps. Patrick Murphy and Jason Altmire's Amendment (#48) creates a competitive grant program for colleges, including 2 year institutions, to create or expand courses and degree programs in the areas of green energy systems science and engineering.

Statement supported by New Democrat Coalition Innovation and Competitiveness Task Force Co-Chairs Representative Ron Kind (WI-3) and Representative Rush Holt (NJ-12) along with the New Dem Leadership Members, led by Chair Representative Joseph Crowley (NY-07), and Vice-Chairs Representative Melissa Bean (IL-08), Representative Ron Kind (WI-03), Representative Allyson Schwartz (PA-13), and Representative Adam Smith (WA-09).??

The New Democrat Coalition is a Coalition of 69 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who are dedicated to the prosperity and security of American families and business. Founded in 1997, the NDC provides Members of Congress with the opportunity to advance a common sense policy agenda focused on empowering the U.S. to grow economically and maintain a vibrant job market, preserving the U.S. standing as the world's leader in innovation and technological advancement, and strengthening our economic and national security. For more information, visit the New Dems website at https://ndc.crowley.house.gov.

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