[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 14 (Tuesday, February 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H389-H408]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT

  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, by direction of the 
Committee on Rules, I call up House Resolution 422 and ask for its 
immediate consideration.
  The Clerk read the resolution, as follows:

                              H. Res. 422

       Resolved, That at any time after the adoption of this 
     resolution the Speaker may, pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule 
     XVIII, declare the House resolved into the Committee of the 
     Whole House on the state of the Union for consideration of 
     the bill (H.R. 2086) to authorize funding for networking and 
     information technology research and development for fiscal 
     years 2000 through 2004, and for other purposes. The first 
     reading of the bill shall be dispensed with. General debate 
     shall be confined to the bill and shall not exceed one hour 
     equally divided and controlled by the chairman and ranking 
     minority member of the Committee on Science. After general 
     debate the bill shall be considered for amendment under the 
     five-minute rule. It shall be in order to consider as an 
     original bill for the purpose of amendment under the five-
     minute rule the amendment in the nature of a substitute 
     recommended by the Committee on Science now printed in the 
     bill, modified by striking section 8 (and redesignating 
     succeeding sections accordingly). Each section of that 
     amendment in the nature of a substitute shall be considered 
     as read. During consideration of the bill for amendment, the 
     Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may accord priority in 
     recognition on the basis of whether the Member offering an 
     amendment has caused it to be

[[Page H390]]

     printed in the portion of the Congressional Record designated 
     for that purpose in clause 8 of rule XVIII. Amendments so 
     printed shall be considered as read. The Chairman of the 
     Committee of the Whole may: (1) postpone until a time during 
     further consideration in the Committee of the Whole a request 
     for a recorded vote on any amendment; and (2) reduce to five 
     minutes the minimum time for electronic voting on any 
     postponed question that follows another electronic vote 
     without intervening business, provided that the minimum time 
     for electronic voting on the first in any series of questions 
     shall be 15 minutes. At the conclusion of consideration of 
     the bill for amendment the Committee shall rise and report 
     the bill to the House with such amendments as may have been 
     adopted. Any Member may demand a separate vote in the House 
     on any amendment adopted in the Committee of the Whole to the 
     bill or to the amendment in the nature of a substitute made 
     in order as original text. The previous question shall be 
     considered as ordered on the bill and amendments thereto to 
     final passage without intervening motion except one motion to 
     recommit with or without instructions.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Hansen). The gentleman from Washington 
(Mr. Hastings) is recognized for 1 hour.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, for the purpose of debate 
only, I yield the customary 30 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Frost), pending which I yield myself such time as I may consume. During 
consideration of this resolution, all time yielded is for the purpose 
of debate only.
  (Mr. HASTINGS of Washington asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 422 would grant H.R. 
2086, the Network and Information Technology Research and Development 
Act, an open rule. The rule provides 1 hour of general debate, equally 
divided between the chairman and ranking minority member of the 
Committee on Science.
  The rule provides that it shall be in order to consider as an 
original bill, for the purpose of amendment, the amendment in the 
nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on Science now 
printed in the bill, modified by striking Section 8. The amendment in 
the nature of a substitute as modified shall be open for amendment by 
section.
  The rule allows the chairman of the Committee of the Whole to accord 
priority in recognition to Members who have preprinted their amendments 
in the Congressional Record and provides that those amendments shall be 
considered as read.
  The rule also allows the chairman of the Committee of the Whole to 
postpone votes during consideration of the bill and to reduce voting 
time to 5 minutes on a postponed question if the vote follows a 15-
minute vote. Finally, the rule provides for one motion to recommit, 
with or without instructions.
  Mr. Speaker, the Networking and Information Research and Development 
Act, H.R. 2086, amends the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to 
authorize funding for networking and information technology research 
and development programs of the National Science Foundation, National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Energy, the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and the Environmental Protection Agency 
for fiscal years 2000 through 2004. The bill was reported favorably by 
the Committee on Science by unanimous vote of 41 to 0.
  Mr. Speaker, the Federal Government has an enormous task in 
maintaining its position as the global leader in the information-
technology field. This bill serves to reiterate our commitment to this 
agenda by emphasizing basic research and information-technology funding 
levels. This research has played an essential role in fueling the 
Information Revolution, advancing national security, and bolstering the 
U.S. economy by creating new industries and millions of new jobs. 
Information-technology now represents one of the fastest growing 
sectors of our economy, growing at an annual rate of 12 percent between 
1993 and 1997 and generating over $300 billion of U.S. revenue in 1998.
  In order to maintain the economic growth the U.S. is currently 
experiencing, we must maintain our role as a technological leader. 
Although the private sector provides the bulk of information-technology 
research funding, the Federal Government has a responsibility to 
support long-term basic research to the private sector, but that is 
ill-suited to pursue. H.R. 2086 recognizes this by providing adequate 
funds for such activities.
  Specifically, over the next 5 years the bill would authorize $2.2 
billion for the National Science Foundation, $602 million for the 
Department of Energy, $1.4 billion for NASA, $73 million for the 
National Institutes of Standards and Technology, $71 million for the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and $22.3 million for 
EPA.
  Finally, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that appropriating 
the amounts authorized in H.R. 2086 would result in discretionary 
spending totaling $3.7 billion over the 5-year period.
  The Committee on Rules was pleased to grant the request of the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) for an open rule on 
H.R. 2086, and accordingly I encourage my colleagues to support H. Res. 
422 and the underlying bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today the United States leads the world in information-
technology, and, because of our global dominance in this field, we 
continue to lead in the fields of science and engineering, our economy 
is stronger and growing faster than any other, working Americans are 
more productive than ever, and our future is bright with promise.
  But if we are to maintain this dominance, we cannot sit back and rest 
on our laurels. For, just as the Federal Government has been 
responsible for much of the basic and follow-on research that has made 
this technology revolution possible, it is necessary that the Federal 
Government now refocus its efforts on long-term fundamental research, 
while continuing its spectacularly successful partnership with private 
industry and academia.
  It is also critically important that we find ways to continue to 
encourage students to enter the fields of science and information-
technology in order that we can be assured in the future we will have 
the highly skilled workers we need to continue our dominance in these 
fields.
  H.R. 2086, Mr. Speaker, seeks to address those questions in a 
comprehensive manner by authorizing nearly $4.8 billion available over 
4 years for a variety of research and development projects, as well as 
for grants to colleges and universities for the creation of for-credit 
internship programs at IT companies and grants to 2-year colleges to 
improve programs in education related to IT. This Networking and 
Information Technology Research and Development Act is an important 
legislative proposal for what surely is a national, not a partisan, 
priority.
  Mr. Speaker, the fact that this bill was reported from the Committee 
on Science on a vote of 41 to 0 certainly demonstrates that the 
promotion of research and information-technology is not a partisan 
issue. The rule providing for the consideration of the Networking and 
Information Technology Research and Development Act is an open rule 
which will allow any Member to offer germane amendments to this 
important bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support both the rule and the bill so that 
the House may act quickly on this proposal that will reap benefits for 
every American for years to come.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 2 
minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Calvert).
  Mr. CALVERT. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my chairman, the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), for introducing this 
visionary piece of legislation. It was passed out of the Committee on 
Science with unanimous bipartisan support.
  I would also like to honor our former colleague, the Honorable George 
Brown, who put a lot of work into this bill, and the continuation of 
George's work by the gentleman from the great State of Texas (Mr. 
Hall), our ranking member.
  The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
Act, H.R. 2086, is truly a visionary

[[Page H391]]

 piece of legislation. I am proud to stand here today with my 
colleagues as an original cosponsor.
  H.R. 2086 is about one simple thing, access to information. A major 
component of access to information is the continued development and 
expansion of information-technology.

                              {time}  1300

  I find it distressing today that we are forced to bring people in 
from outside of the United States to fill the employment needs of our 
IT companies. The average annual wage of technology workers in the 
Silicon Valley is $72,000 a year.
  Quite simply, our work force pool lacks the experience and knowledge 
to fill a lot of these high-paying jobs. We must begin to focus on this 
problem, and this IT bill does just that.
  The businesses in my home State of California exported $105 billion 
in products in 1998. Twenty-eight percent of those exports were in the 
electrical and electronics realm alone.
  Mr. Speaker, in 1999 California had the largest State economy with an 
estimated gross State product of over $1 trillion.
  The importance of H.R. 2086 to California alone is enormous. This 
bill ensures the United States and California continue to lead the way 
in information technology way into the 21st century.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the rule and strongly 
encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support our 
future in the global economy, support the generation's participation 
and the information technology community.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Gutknecht).
  Mr. GUTKNECHT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman 
Sensenbrenner), first of all, and congratulate him. I appreciate the 
exceptional work that he and the committee has done on H.R. 2086, the 
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act.
  I also want to commend my colleagues, including the gentleman from 
Michigan (Chairman Smith), who heads the Subcommittee on Basic Research 
and the rest of the Committee on Science, Democrats and Republicans, 
for unanimous support of this important piece of legislation.
  No single field of study or research is so vitally important to our 
future from academia to industry, from the CEO, to the high school 
student. Information technology is the cutting edge of American and 
global economies in the next century.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill represents over $5 billion of investment that 
will be made over the next 5-year period. Congress often talks about 
raising the standard of living for Americans. H.R. 2086 will bring 
about positive change and new high-tech jobs which now pay 50 percent 
more than the average wage.
  This bill would create jobs not just through the funding of research 
but also by creating whole new industries. Recently there has been 
concern about the demand and subsequent shortage of information 
technology workers in the United States.
  This bill provides funding for both improved education in the 
information technology fields and grants to partner colleges with 
companies to train today's students to be tomorrow's leaders.
  Most importantly, H.R. 2086 provides long-term basic information 
technology research that has largely been neglected by the private 
sector and other Federal programs and uses a peer review system to make 
sure that the money is spent where it will produce the best results.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill will create information technology research 
centers where multi-discipline research can be combined for the 
greatest results.
  It will allow the National Science Foundation to produce new state-
of-the-art computer systems through a competitive bidding process that 
will help fight disease, track and predict weather and allow grant 
recipients access to the computer hardware they need to carry out their 
research at a new level of excellence.
  In the 20th century, Federal research money brought us the Internet, 
which has revolutionized computing and information technology for all 
of us. H.R. 2086 will help make the United States the leader for the 
next generation and the next century in the information revolution and 
will continue to lead the world in information technology far into the 
next century.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that my colleagues will join me in supporting the 
rule and the bill.
  Mr. LINDER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 4 minutes to the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), a leader in the technology age in 
this Congress.
  (Mr. EHLERS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in favor of the rule and of 
the bill. I also wish to commend the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the Committee on Science, for taking 
what was submitted to the Science Committee last year as a very flawed 
piece of work and which he developed into an excellent bill which will 
serve this Nation well.
  As was mentioned I have been in the technical field of computers and 
the Internet, but I am also of an age that allows me to recognize the 
importance of what went on many, many years ago. Too often our citizens 
do not appreciate the value of basic research, even though it takes a 
very long time to pay off. Let me explain.
  During World War II, a group of scientists working together developed 
the first computers. It is interesting that some very knowledgeable 
people in the field at that time predicted that the world probably 
would never need more than 10 of those huge computers. Today, on every 
desk in every office in this Congress and this country, we have 
computers that are far more powerful and faster than those huge 
computers that were developed back then. It is a rapidly growing field 
and a very important field, with a multi, multibillion dollar industry 
that has developed out of this.
  Similarly, with the Internet, today we have many people who claim to 
have developed or invented the Internet. That always happens after an 
invention, but when we look back at history, there is only a small 
handful of physicists and computer scientists who developed the basic 
ideas of the Internet. No one at the time really appreciated the future 
benefits. It was intended simply to allow our national laboratories to 
communicate information and data very rapidly.
  However, once the Interenet was commercialized, it developed into a 
another multibillion dollar industry. Fundamental research in 
information technology has contributed to the creation of new 
industries and high-paying jobs that today pay about 80 percent above 
the average in the private sector. Today, we have 7.4 million people 
working in high-tech jobs.
  What this bill does is prioritize the basic information technology 
research of the Nation, and this is extremely important to us. It funds 
basic IT research that will provide a real payoff in the next 
generation of innovations and it will set the framework for our economy 
for 10, 20, even 30 years from today. We cannot rely on industry to do 
the basic research; they have to deal with the bottom line every 
quarter. But the government has an appropriate role here and this bill 
recognizes that.
  In addition to that, the bill will help produce the next generation 
of highly-skilled information technology workers. We need more students 
in this field. We have a grave shortage, as evidenced by the number of 
H1B visas that this Nation issues ever year. The internship program in 
the bill will help meet the need for those new employees.
  This bill will also meet the need for state of the art computing 
systems for the civilian research community, a need that will grow in 
the future, and it provides for a terascale computing competition at 
the National Science Foundation. Most people do not realize that the 
Japanese supercomputers have now surpassed ours and they have a huge 
market they are developing internationally. We must, as a Nation, catch 
up to that and develop equally good computers, and preferably better 
computers.
  This is bipartisan legislation. It passed the Committee on Science on 
a 41 to zero vote, and I congratulate the

[[Page H392]]

chairman on getting that agreement within our committee. It 
demonstrates a real commitment to upholding our Nation's preeminence in 
information technology. It has been endorsed by dozens of organizations 
and clearly is a good piece of work that is going to serve this Nation 
well.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members of this Congress to support this 
legislation and to recognize the importance of basic research, not only 
in this field, but in other fields. I urge my colleagues to vote for 
this bill.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Weldon).
  (Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, we are in the middle of a 
revolution right now in America, only the second such revolution in the 
history of our country. The first was when America transitioned from an 
agrarian society to an industrial society. Many of our colleagues and 
citizens did not want to make that change, but we had no choice because 
the economy of the world was going to be driven by that Nation that 
could lead the industrial age. We rose to the occasion, and we were 
successful.
  The revolution we are going through today is an information 
revolution. We are changing from an industrial society to an 
information society. Therefore, we have to change. If we are going to 
lead the world's economy, we have to lead the information revolution. 
Therefore, it presents to us a challenge, a challenge to have the best 
educated, the best equipped, and the best technology available to make 
sure that we are leading the information revolution.
  As the chairman of the Subcommittee on National Security Research, I 
am extremely concerned about the security implications of this 
challenge. In fact, information dominance, the threat of cyber 
terrorism, and the use of information technology is one of our three 
greatest threats in the 21st century. We have to be prepared.
  The kind of battle that will be fought in the 21st century will 
probably not be one fought on soil or on the water, but will be fought 
through computer systems and cyber terrorism acts. We must make sure 
that we have the tools, the people, the training necessary to meet that 
challenge. In the military, we are attempting to establish a program to 
develop young people who go through ROTC programs to gain the skills 
that are necessary. This legislation does the same thing in the 
civilian community.
  The greatest challenge we have in this century and the greatest 
factor for improving our quality of life is the use of information 
technology. I submit to our colleagues it is also the greatest 
vulnerability we have in this society, because those adversaries of 
America who wish to take us down, understand that if they can take out 
our information capabilities, they could disrupt not just our military, 
but our civilian quality of life. We have to be prepared, and that 
means we have to put billions of dollars into the R&D investment for 
the military, for information dominance and for protection against 
cyber terrorism and in the private sector, to encourage those 
technologies to allow us to build the systems to use data mining, to do 
the rapid speed transmission of data that is going to be so necessary 
in the 21st century economy.
  So for all of those reasons, I join with my colleagues in supporting 
this legislation. I commend the chairman of the Committee on Science. 
We on the Committee on Armed Services have pledged to work closely with 
the Committee on Science so that both our military establishment and 
our civilian establishment are working hand in hand to make sure that 
America leads the world in the 21st century in this information 
revolution.
  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Moran).
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Frost), the distinguished member of the Committee on Rules, for 
yielding me this time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in very strong support of this legislation and 
the critical investment that it makes in the future of information 
technology research. At a time when our Nation is enjoying unlimited 
economic growth and prosperity, we should use this opportunity to 
invest in scientific research and development, especially in the area 
of information technology.
  This legislation would authorize $3 billion for the National Science 
Foundation over the next 5 years, of which nearly two-thirds of this 
funding would be designated for long-term, basic research grants to 
support research on a variety of IT projects. The authorization 
represents a 92 percent increase in information technology funding, 
which is a badly needed boost in a field that really has been defining 
our economy.
  We can attribute much of our economic prosperity today to the Federal 
investments we made in the National Science Foundation and the Defense 
Advanced Research Projects Agency in terms of their development of the 
Internet. That research investment was basic and has given us a multi-
fold return, more return than we can calculate or imagine, really, in 
addition to the other basic research programs that are taken for 
granted but really fuel the engine of growth for America's economy.
  Who would have thought that such an investment in DOD and the 
National Science Foundation would have permeated every sector of our 
economy and our way of life, but they have. The National Science 
Foundation has been performing amazing work toward establishing the 
next generation Internet, as well as fostering the pursuit of science, 
math, engineering, and other technical sciences in this country. So by 
investing in R&D and these programs today, we are investing in our 
future economic potential as a Nation. Unless we increase the flat 
budgets which basic research has experienced in the past several years, 
we cannot expect to continue to yield the kind of scientific advances 
that will ensure that the United States remains at the forefront of our 
global economy.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for H.R. 2086 and to 
support these critical investments in information technology research. 
I also urge my colleagues on the Committee on Appropriations to support 
the necessary funding in the fiscal year 2001 bills to carry out the 
activities of this legislation.

                              {time}  1315

  Mr. FROST. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the rule, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. HASTINGS of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of 
my time, and I move the previous question on the resolution.
  The previous question was ordered.
  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 422 and rule 
XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House 
on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill, H.R. 2086.

                              {time}  1315


                     In the Committee of the Whole

  Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the 
Whole House on the State of the Union for the consideration of the bill 
(H.R. 2086) to authorize funding for networking and information 
technology research and development for fiscal years 2000 through 2004, 
and for other purposes, with Mr. Gillmor in the chair.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. Pursuant to the rule, the bill is considered as having 
been read the first time.
  Under the rule, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will control 30 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner).
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  (Mr. SENSENBRENNER asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, the United States stands as the 
global leader in computing, communication, and information technology. 
This $500 billion a year industry accounted for one-third of our 
Nation's economic growth since 1992 and created new industries and 
millions of new high-paying jobs. This staggering success, however, is 
predicated on Federal

[[Page H393]]

research conducted over the last 3 decades.
  Fundamental IT research played an essential role in the information 
revolution. However, maintaining the Nation's global leadership in 
information technology is not a given. The congressionally-chartered 
President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, called PITAC, 
stated that the ``current boom in information technology is built on 
basic research in computer science carried out more than a decade ago. 
There is an urgent need to replenish the knowledge base.''
  Although the private sector conducts most of the IT research, that 
spending has focused on short-term applied work. As our Nation's 
economy becomes more dependent upon the Internet and IT in general, 
current Federal programs and support for fundamental research and IT 
must be revitalized.
  To accomplish this, I, along with George Brown, the late ranking 
minority member of the Committee on Science, and 24 other Members 
introduced H.R. 2086, the Networking and Information Technology 
Research and Development Act, a 5-year authorization bill. The 
committee subsequently passed this bill by a vote of 41 to nothing, 
showing rare bipartisan unanimity on an important piece of legislation 
facing this Congress.
  H.R. 2086 provides comprehensive authorization for the Federal 
government's civilian basic information technology research efforts at 
the six agencies under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, 
the National Science Foundation, NASA, the Department of Energy, the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration, and the EPA.
  This bill fundamentally will alter and greatly enhance the way 
information technology research is supported and conducted. Its 
centerpiece is the Networking and Information Technology Research and 
Development Program, which will be managed primarily through NSF and 
which will focus on long-term peer-reviewed basic research of the kind 
in which the NSF excels.
  While funding for individual investigators remains an important 
aspect of IT research, funding for research teams and centers can also 
lead to dramatic progress. Therefore, this bill authorizes $130 million 
for large grants of up to $1 million each for high-end computing, 
software, and networking research, and $220 million for information 
technology research centers that are comprised of research teams of six 
or more members.

  To attract more students to science and to careers in IT, the bill 
also authorizes $95 million for universities to establish for-credit 
internship programs for IT-related research at private high-tech 
companies. Both 2-year and 4-year schools will be eligible for these 
grants, which will operate on a 50-50 cost-sharing basis.
  To help meet the need for state-of-the-art computing systems for the 
civilian research community, H.R. 2086 authorizes $385 million for a 
terascale computing competition at NSF. The bill requires that the 
funds be allocated on a competitive, peer-reviewed basis, and that 
awardees be required to connect to the Partnership for Advanced 
Computational Infrastructure network.
  Finally, the bill authorizes the Next Generation Internet program 
through completion in fiscal year 2002.
  Mr. Chairman, our future global influence lies in the hands of our 
young people, the education and training they receive, and the new 
scientific breakthroughs they produce. This bill combines increased 
authorizations for research funding with important policy changes that 
will keep the Nation at the cutting edge of information technology and 
produce the next generation of highly-skilled IT workers. It offers 
opportunities for all by providing open competition for IT grant 
funding, as well as benefiting diverse groups ranging from 2-year 
community colleges through the largest universities.
  This bipartisan legislation demonstrates a commitment to upholding 
our Nation's preeminence in information technology. It has been 
endorsed by dozens of organizations, including the 1999 co-chairs Bill 
Joy and Ken Kennedy of PITAC, the Technology Network, the Computing 
Research Association, the Big Ten universities, and the U.S. Chamber of 
Commerce.
  I believe that H.R. 2086's widespread support stems from the 
realization that information technology research assists all fields of 
science. Indeed, the research funded under this bill will help 
physicists, mathematicians, engineers, meteorologists, and computer 
scientists alike.
  I ask my colleagues to join me in maintaining our world leadership in 
information technology by supporting H.R. 2086.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Chairman, I rise, of course, in support of H.R. 2086, the 
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act. It 
is a bill to support a coordinated basic research initiative in 
information technology. The chairman of the committee covered that very 
well.
  I think it was introduced, of course, by the chairman of the 
Committee on Science, with bipartisan cosponsorship. I am pleased that 
the committee acted in a spirit of cooperation to perfect the bill. 
Some improvements have come from both sides of the aisle and were 
accepted during the markup of the measure.
  H.R. 2086, as reported, enjoys, as the gentleman from Wisconsin 
(Chairman Sensenbrenner) reported, broad bipartisan support. I 
congratulate the gentleman for his leadership in moving the bill 
forward for consideration of the House. I thank the late George Brown 
for his input.
  Mr. Chairman, I also want to knowledge the efforts of the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Smith) and my colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas 
(Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), the chairman and the ranking member, 
respectively, of the Subcommittee on Basic Research, for their 
contributions to the development of the bill.
  Information technology is transforming the way people live, the way 
people learn, the way people work, and the way people play. It has been 
estimated that information technology is responsible for at least one-
third of the Nation's economic growth since 1995.
  I would also submit that H.R. 2086 will help to ensure that the 
advances that we have referred to here in information technology 
continue. This will in turn, I think, create new infrastructure for 
business, new infrastructure for scientific research and personal 
communication. This will go hand-in-hand with the next 5 years of what 
I believe are going to be the greatest years and era of prosperity 
certainly since I have been in this Congress. It is the first time that 
we expect, we reasonably expect, that we are going to have a surplus to 
work with to do the things that we really ought to do to push this 
country forward.
  The bill supports research needed to underpin the technological 
advances that are going to emerge even 20 years from now. I think it 
will take up some of the slack that this Congress lost when we killed 
the super collider. My goodness, how destructive we were of finding our 
place in the field of technology when we cast that vote.
  Put another way, the initiative is focused on the long-term high-risk 
research that industry itself cannot fund, for a lot of reasons. Due to 
intense competitive pressures, the computer and communications 
companies are forced to concentrate their resources on near-term 
development that is necessary to bring products to market rapidly, so 
we understand that.
  But in addition to generating the new ideas that will form the basis 
for future products and services, the programs authorized by H.R. 2086 
will train the next generation of scientists and engineers who are 
essential to ensure continued U.S. leadership in information 
technology. The bill will accomplish this valuable outcome through its 
focus on university-based research. They are waiting with bated breath 
for this support, this new support, which combines leading edge 
research with graduate student education.
  I will offer an amendment, Mr. Chairman, at the appropriate time to 
increase the authorization level for the National Science Foundation 
program to align the bill with the fiscal year 2001 request.
  The bill has received very strong support, not only from the academic 
and industrial research communities, but from a wide range of computer, 
software, and communication companies.

[[Page H394]]

 It has also been endorsed by broad industry groups such as the U.S. 
Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers.
  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 2086 is a bipartisan bill that will lead to many 
societal benefits. It will help ensure that this Nation continues to 
maintain economic growth and international competitiveness in the 
information economy of the 21st century. I ask for the support of my 
colleagues for the passage of this bill.
  Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Smith), who is the Chair of the Committee on 
Science's Subcommittee on Basic Research, which has jurisdiction over 
NSF.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, first, I would thank the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Hall), who have done such great service to further the 
efforts of science and research in this country. I would also 
compliment the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Basic Research, 
the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
  This legislation I think gives the emphasis needed to move us ahead 
in information technology, and certainly we should remind ourselves 
that information technology research has been instrumental in bringing 
about the information revolution, which some have compared to the 
industrial revolution in its size and in its scope.
  This revolution has spawned new businesses, created millions of good 
high-paying jobs, advanced the sciences, and certainly improved the 
health and welfare of the citizens of the country and people all over 
the world.
  However, as the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee 
recently noted, the current boom in information technology is based on 
the basic research in computer science carried out more than 15 years 
ago. There is an urgent need to replenish the knowledge base. The 
advisory committee advocated a 5-year initiative to boost basic 
research funding significantly and help maintain the Nation's lead in 
this critical area. This bill, H.R. 2086, was designed to carry through 
on PITAC's recommendations.
  In testimony before the Subcommittee on Basic Research last year, 
university researchers and members of the private sector were very 
supportive. Dr. Lazowska, a professor at the University of Washington 
and chair of the Computer Research Association, praised this bill, 
saying that it exemplifies a sound approach to making research policy 
by responding to clear national needs with recognizable objectives and 
a well-defined program for meeting those objectives.

                              {time}  1330

  In addition, Dr. Roberta Katz, president and CEO of the Technology 
Network, noted favorably that the 5-year authorizations in the bill 
demonstrate a commitment to a continued strong Federal investment in 
basic IT research to move information technology ahead.
  In today's fast-paced science and technology environment, resting on 
our past successes is not enough if we are going to keep ahead in a 
world where other countries are dedicated to matching our productivity 
and taking away our customers. H.R. 2086 will help ensure that America 
stays at the cutting edge of new information technologies that will 
stimulate economic growth, improve our lives, and push forward the 
frontiers of science.
  I am pleased to have been a cosponsor of this bill, because it is 
this kind of initiative that is going to help assure a good future for 
the citizens of the United States.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 6 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support 
of H.R. 2086. The bill authorizes a major new research investment in 
information technology, which is consistent with the President's 
information technology for the 21st century initiative. This research 
initiative is very important to the Nation's future and its well-being, 
and I am pleased that the measure has now come before the House for its 
consideration; and I give my thanks and respect to the chairman, and 
the chairman of the subcommittee and the ranking member of the 
committee.
  Information technology is a major driver of economic growth. It 
creates high-wage jobs, provides for rapid communication throughout the 
world, and provides the tools for acquiring knowledge and insight from 
information. Advances in computering and communications will make the 
workplace more productive, improve the quality of health care, and make 
government more responsive and accessible to the needs of our citizens.
  Vigorous long-term research is essential for realizing the potential 
of information technology. The technical advances that led to today's 
computers and the Internet evolved from past federally sponsored 
research, in partnership with industry and universities.
  H.R. 2086 will ensure that the store of basic knowledge is 
replenished and thereby enable the development of future generations of 
information-technology products and services.
  H.R. 2086 has received the bipartisan cosponsorship of many Members, 
and I would like to acknowledge the collegial manner in which the bill 
was developed by the Committee on Science.
  I want to thank the chairman of the committee, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), for his efforts in crafting the bill and 
further thank the chairman, and the ranking Democratic Member, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), for their efforts in moving the bill 
to the floor.
  H.R. 2086 will establish a multiagency research initiative that 
responds to the recent findings and recommendations of the President's 
information-technology advisory committee. This committee, which was 
established through statute, is composed of distinguished 
representatives from computer and communication companies and from 
academia. It reached its conclusions following a comprehensive 
assessment of current federally funded information-technology research.
  The President's advisory committee found that Federal funding for 
information-technology research has tilted too much toward support for 
near-term, mission-focused objectives. They discovered a growing gap 
between the power of high performance computers available to support 
agency mission requirements versus support for the general academic 
research community. They identified the need for socioeconomic research 
on the impact on society of the rapid evolution of information 
technology, and they judged that the annual Federal research investment 
is inadequate by more than $1 billion.
  I believe that H.R. 2086, as reported from the Committee on Science, 
addresses each of the deficiencies identified by the advisory committee 
and will effectively implement its recommendations. I am particularly 
pleased by the inclusion of a provision that I offered in committee to 
explicitly authorize research to identify, understand, anticipate, and 
address the potential social and economic cost and benefits from the 
increasing pace of information technology-based transformations.
  In addition to support for research, H.R. 2086 will also contribute 
to providing the highly trained workers needed by the information 
industry. My district knows about this all too well. The bill would 
expand the human resources pool through two principal mechanisms. 
First, as a part of their training, graduate students will participate 
in most of the individual research projects supported by the bill; and, 
secondly, special provision is made for student internships in industry 
to help recruit individuals for careers and information-based 
companies.

  I sponsored the provision in the bill that opened such internships to 
students participating in the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority 
Participation program administered by the National Science Foundation.
  Research discoveries in information technology over the past 30 years 
have resulted in new commercial enterprises that now constitute a major 
fraction of the economy. Businesses that produce computers, 
semiconductors, software and communications equipment have accounted 
for a third of the total growth in the United States economic 
production since 1992.
  Clearly, there is ample evidence of the value of past Federal 
investments

[[Page H395]]

in information-technology research. A 1995 study by the National 
Academy of Sciences documented several billion-dollar-per-year 
companies that had their genesis from discoveries resulting from 
government-sponsored research.
  H.R. 2086 will provide the basic research needed to underpin the 
technological advances in the future. Because of the wide recognition 
of the importance of the research and education components of H.R. 
2086, many organizations have expressed their support for the bill's 
passage. Among the industrial organizations that have endorsed 2086 are 
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Association for Manufacturing 
Technology, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Business 
Software Alliance, and the Computing Technology Industry Association.
  In addition, many academic institutions and technical societies have 
expressed support for the bill, including the Association of American 
Universities, the National Association of State Universities Land Grant 
Colleges, and the Computer Research Association.
  Mr. Chairman, I believe that H.R. 2086 is an important investment in 
the future prosperity of this Nation and in the well-being of our 
fellow citizens. I commend the measure to all of my colleagues and ask 
for their support for its passage.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), who is the Chair of the Subcommittee on 
Technology of the Committee on Science.
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman, the gentleman from 
Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), for yielding to me this time.
  Mr. Chairman, as an original cosponsor, I am very pleased to rise in 
support of H.R. 2086, the Networking and Information Technology 
Research and Development Act. I want to commend the chairman of the 
full Committee on Science, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner); and the ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall); and all of the cosponsors and those who are involved in the 
various subcommittees who helped to craft this bipartisan piece of 
legislation.
  As Chair of the Committee on Science's Subcommittee on Technology, I 
realize that today's rapid advancement in technology development has 
opened up to all of us a new and exciting world that has forever 
changed the way that we live, the way that we work, the way that we 
learn.
  If we are to maintain our global preeminence in IT, it is clear that 
we must prioritize and increase our investment in fundamental 
information-technology research, and that is why the Committee on 
Science has introduced this bill.
  H.R. 2086 is an innovative 5-year authorization bill aimed at 
returning this Federal Government's funding emphasis on information 
technology to basic research.
  I am pleased that the legislation authorizes funding for cutting-edge 
research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the 
critical areas of computer security and wireless technology. Every day, 
we hear more and more about the need for that.
  In addition to increasing IT research funding, H.R. 2086 seeks to 
improve the information-technology workforce by providing college 
students the opportunity to get hands-on experience in the information-
technology workforce.
  Specifically, it authorizes $95 million over 5 years to establish an 
internship program which will award grants to colleges, including 
community colleges, for students to intern at IT companies. Throughout 
my many meetings and hearings involving the information-technology 
industry, I have heard time and time again there is a shortage of IT 
workers to meet the needs of both government and industry. Well, this 
internship program takes important steps to actively train and recruit 
U.S. workers to fill these high-tech jobs.
  I am also concerned that we need to do more to draw women and 
minorities into the IT workforce. Women represent nearly 50 percent of 
all U.S. workers, and yet they only comprise about 22 percent of the 
science and engineering workforce. So I think the internship program 
that is proposed in this legislation can also go a long way in helping 
to engage and involve those who are currently underrepresented in the 
science and engineering fields to explore careers in information 
technology.
  Finally, the bill directs the National Science Foundation to conduct 
a study on the availability of encryption technologies in foreign 
countries. While the administration recently approved regulations that 
helped to ease some of the export restrictions on encryption products 
for certain sectors, many in the United States high-tech industry argue 
they did not go far enough. I am hopeful that the study conducted by 
NSF will allow the administration and Congress to make informed 
decisions on criteria for exporting U.S. encryption products and will 
help us to ensure that U.S. companies remain competitive in the 
international marketplace. This is a win/win piece of legislation.
  Mr. Chairman, I applaud the efforts of the chairman of the Committee 
on Science, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), and the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the ranking member, to advance this 
important legislation. I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 2086 
here today.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Woolsey), a senior Member from California.
  (Ms. WOOLSEY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2086. As a 
Member of the Committee on Science and as a representative from the 
North Bay of the San Francisco Bay area, I am acutely aware of the 
enormous contributions information-technology research has made for the 
economies of my district and its positive impact on our State of 
California and the national economy in total.
  Mr. Chairman, I would like to take this opportunity to share with my 
colleagues an amendment offered to this bill that was accepted by the 
full Committee on Science that is now part of the bill we are debating 
right now. As we all know, computer and information-technology know-how 
will be essential to our children's success in the 21st century.
  As I look at the limited use of technology in our classrooms, I 
wonder and have asked myself over and over, who is taking care of our 
children? Who is giving today's students the tools they need to be 
tomorrow's high-tech contributors and tomorrow's high-tech leaders? To 
help answer these questions, H.R. 2086 now contains an amendment that I 
wrote and creates a research program at the National Science Foundation 
to look at exactly how schools can better use available technology.
  Through the assistance of NSF, we will now be able to assess and 
develop ways to increase the use of computer technology in elementary 
and secondary schools. This provision links academic researchers and 
teachers who will be developing materials and teaching methods. It 
requires that demonstrations be conducted in a broad range of 
educational settings to assess the effectiveness of computer materials 
and methods, to gain evidence about which methods and programs work and 
which work better than others.
  Lastly, the program includes a provision to establish electronic 
libraries with access to this information in order to disseminate best 
practices and materials.
  We all know the first step is to wire our schools, Mr. Chairman; but 
until we develop meaningful ways to incorporate that technology into 
our children's education, the technical infrastructure will be of 
little benefit to most of them.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support research and 
development. Vote for H.R. 2086.

                              {time}  1345

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee), a very valued member of the committee.
  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to revise 
and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time. I rise in support of H.R. 2086, and applaud our 
chairman,

[[Page H396]]

the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), as well as the 
ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the gentlewoman 
from Maryland (Mrs. Morella), and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie 
Bernice Johnson).
  Mr. Chairman, I also applaud the fact that the Committee on Science 
was able to capture the moment as we entered the 21st century and 
focus, now moving from the superhighway to the concept of networking 
and information technology research and development.
  I was elected in 1994 and had the pleasure of starting to serve on 
the Committee on Science in 1995. For some reason, I began to coin a 
phrase in most of my opening statements in the Committee on Science, 
which was to emphasize that science would be the work of the 21st 
century. At that time, even in 1995, the 21st century seemed to be 
enormously distant. It is not that at this point, we are here in the 
21st century.
  So we must continue to provide substantial resources for the American 
people in the 21st century, and the support of technological research 
and development will ensure that the United States continues to be at 
the forefront of the information age. Moreover, great strides in 
information technology will allow the economy to sustain its expansion 
over all of our sectors.
  Though we had a guru in Dr. John Koskinen, I believe, who handled our 
Y2K, and certainly, unless we were all imagining, we seemed to have 
done very well with getting through the Y2K effort, or the Y2K journey. 
But I would add in my compliments a sense of caution and reservation. 
For even as we worked to get through Y2K, there was a noticeable 
missing element of outreach to all segments of our population. Low 
income, minorities, and nonprofits all seemed to be at the short end of 
receiving the kind of information that would help enhance their 
progress into this next century and this new technological society.
  The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development 
Act, I believe, will take a decisive act in providing grants necessary 
to adequately fund and equip those agencies and groups that are 
dedicated to ensuring America's technological hegemony. In particular, 
this act grants the National Science Foundation with $1.8 billion for 
long-term research grants.
  These grants would support research on high-end computing software, 
the social and economic consequences of information technology, and I 
will add to that by focusing on some of our low-income population and 
women in this, network stability, and security issues involving 
privacy. Furthermore, $385 million is provided for computing equipment 
that can process information at a rate of at least 1 trillion 
operations per second.
  I am most gratified, as has already been stated, by the opportunity 
to provide and ensure monies to colleges and universities, but in 
particular to create internship programs.
  I also raise the issue, although we are not discussing it at this 
time, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) joins me as 
a member of the Committee on the Judiciary, that there will be many 
things happening with this Internet. The world opens to us. We are 
proud of the technology, but we are also cognizant of many sort of 
negative influences. Although we do not discuss that today, we will be 
facing in the years to come the whole issue of Internet gambling. We 
will be discussing, as many victims groups have come to me and brought 
to my attention, the idea of utilizing the Internet in a sort of morbid 
auctioning of the belongings of victims of heinous crimes. So we will, 
in this research, I hope, be able to expand technology but, at the same 
time, be cognizant of the need to be cautious about technology.
  Mr. Chairman, H.R. 2086 provides Information Technology Education and 
Training Grants authorizing $95 million for colleges and universities 
helping to create internship programs in information technology 
research along with private sector companies. Additionally, this bill 
also requires private companies to offer at least half of the funding 
for internships. H.R. 2086 grants $56 million for the NSF to establish 
a research program to develop and analyze information technology 
application to elementary and secondary education. NASA, the Energy 
Department, NIST, NOAA, and the EPA will also participate and support 
the NSF.
  This Act will improve the Internet by funding the Next Generation 
Internet (NGI) Program with $111 million in FY 2000 and FY 2001; $30 
million to the Energy Department; $50 million to NSF; $20 million for 
NASA; and $11 million for NIST.
  Moreover, $1 million is earmarked for the NSF, to work in concert 
with the National Research Council, to study Internet privacy issues. 
These privacy issues touch privacy research and policy, laws and best 
practices in other countries.
  This bill will offer prosperity to all and provide and educational 
opportunities for all Americans, especially those in the lower economic 
strata. I urge all my colleagues to support this Act for the good of 
the country.
  Mr. Chairman, this is a very good bill. I hope to speak more about it 
as I put forth an amendment to ensure that some of those issues that I 
have discussed have been raised.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Colorado (Mr. Udall).
  (Mr. UDALL of Colorado asked and was given permission to revise and 
extend his remarks.)
  Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 
2086. There is a clear need for this legislation. Last year's report by 
the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee pointed out 
that Federal programs in information technology research are 
insufficient. The committee stressed that if we were to continue to 
make advances in education, manufacturing, medicine, and 
communications, this country needs a long-term plan to replenish 
Federal investment in basic IT research.
  While information technology as a sector of the economy has grown at 
an annual rate of 12 percent between 1993 and 1997, Federal funding for 
IT research has grown only at the rate of inflation. In fact, 
appropriation levels for information technology initiatives and for all 
coordinated IT research programs for this fiscal year were well below 
the President's request.
  H.R. 2086 authorizes dramatically increased government-funded 
research in long-term basic information technology and networking, an 
increase mainly directed at the National Science Foundation and NASA, 
but also benefiting DOE, NIST, NOAA and the EPA.
  I wanted to call the attention of the House to the part of our 
committee's report on H.R. 2086 that stresses the importance of 
including physics, mathematics, chemistry, engineering, and other 
fields of science in the IT research efforts. This language is intended 
to ensure that the NSF and other agencies that participate in the 
research initiative authorized by the bill tap into the expertise and 
capabilities of other disciplines.
  As author of this part of the report, I appreciate the support of the 
chairman, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner), the ranking 
member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), and the committee for this 
statement. It will send a message that the planning process should 
reflect an inclusive attitude.
  I also want to take a moment to talk about a few of the amendments 
being offered today. The amendments offered by my colleagues, the 
ranking member, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), and the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Wu) would make a good bill better by boosting 
authorization levels for the National Science Foundation, and I urge 
its support.
  Another amendment by my colleague, the gentleman from Connecticut 
(Mr. Larson), would require the NSF and other agencies to prepare a 
report that would address key issues relating to the digital divide. 
More than half of the U.S. classrooms are connected to the Internet 
today, compared to less than 3 percent in 1993. But students in schools 
without Internet access are quickly falling behind the Internet. The 
amendment of the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) would help 
meet this challenge.
  Finally, I wanted to speak in support of the amendment offered by my 
colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel), who will 
address the issue of Internet access for seniors. In 1998, the number 
of people aged 50 to 74 using the Internet doubled from the year 
before. It is estimated by the end of this year there will be 100 
million citizens over the age of 50 on line. I can count my mother as 
one of those people, and I am soon to be one of those people over 50 as 
well. The gentleman

[[Page H397]]

from Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel) would make sure that the benefits of 
the Internet are available to senior citizens.
  So all in all these amendments are important in their emphasis on 
making the benefits of these newest technologies available to all 
Americans. I support these amendments and support H.R. 2086.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman 
from New York (Mrs. Maloney).
  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for 
yielding me this time, and I rise in favor of H.R. 2086.
  Investment in long-term fundamental information technology research 
is critical to the continued evolution of the Internet and to the 
economy of New York City and the country.
  Mr. Chairman, I believe this investment in IT research will benefit 
the country many times over. As the economy becomes increasingly global 
in nature, the U.S. must continue to invest in developing safer and 
faster information technology.
  While the press has largely concentrated on the incredible wealth 
that has accumulated in high-tech stocks, the most substantial impact 
of IT on the economy can be measured in productivity gains and in job 
growth.
  In New York City, the power of IT as a job creator has been stunning. 
According to a November report in Craine's New York Business, New 
York's Silicon Alley has created 56,000 jobs since 1994. When 
peripheral jobs that work with Silicon Alley companies are included, 
the total is well over 100,000 jobs, twice the number that neighboring 
Wall Street has added during the unprecedented Bull market.
  Research projects funded by the bill include the development of the 
next generation Internet and ``terascale'' computing equipment. Funding 
will also go to information technology education and training grants 
that will be jointly funded with the private sector.
  Mr. Chairman, I applaud the chairman of the committee, the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr.  Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall) for their hard work and leadership in this important bill. I 
would also like to thank President Clinton and Vice President Gore for 
their 8-year commitment to technology issues.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Blumenauer).
  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman for yielding me 
this time. I too would like to add my voice in appreciation as a member 
of this chamber for the leadership from the committee in terms of 
making sure that the United States' leadership in the area of 
information technology will be assured with the enactment of this 
legislation. This is an important step in the right direction.
  I wanted to reference simply two points that are of special interest 
to me.
  I appreciate the language in this legislation that would require the 
study of the encryption technologies that are available in foreign 
countries. I have often been concerned that our encryption policy in 
the United States in terms of export restrictions verged on the 
ludicrous.

                              {time}  1400

  We were in danger having the potential of some Gameboy platforms 
running athwart our restrictions until recently by action of the 
administration. And having a rational study of what is available 
overseas, compare that to what is available here, trying to make this 
something that makes sense in the broader world stage is important, I 
think, for our constituents who are engaged ultimately in ways to make 
sure that we have maximum benefit of encryption technology in the 
United States and we do not put American companies at a disadvantage.
  Second, I appreciate and applaud the leadership of this committee 
trying to focus the need on having permanent research and development 
tax credit. This is something that makes a huge difference to industry 
in the long term looking over the long haul, something that industry 
can use to be able to make its research and development decisions.
  I hope that the legislative leadership in both Chambers will take 
seriously the message that has been delivered by the committee to make 
sure that this is made permanent so that industry can count upon it.
  I look forward to having a clean vote on this item before we adjourn. 
I think it would be overwhelmingly approved, it would be an important 
signal for our industry, and I think it is something that we no longer 
need to delay.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, as is usual in the courtroom, we 
save the best for the last. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Nadler).
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of this 
legislation. I want to congratulate the chairman and the ranking member 
of the committee and the other members of the committee for bringing 
the bill to the floor today.
  It is critical that we continue to invest in basic research and 
technology and support the Next Generation Internet. The Government can 
play and has played a critical role in stimulating science and in 
improving people's lives. Government investment in basic research was 
essential to the creation and the development of the Internet we know 
today. We must continue to invest in cutting-edge technology and basic 
science to develop the Internets of the future. We must do everything 
we can to support this type of research.
  I support this bill specifically because it continues to fund the 
Next Generation Internet. This initiative focuses on developing 
revolutionary applications and networking capabilities that will 
dramatically increase the speed and efficiency of the Internet.
  The Next Generation Internet will be capable of operating at what we 
today would call incredible speeds. Imagine downloading data not at 
56k, but at 622 megabits per second or even 2.4 gigabits per second or 
even 9.9 gigabits per second. That is what the future holds for 
Internet users if we continue to fund this.
  These types of networks will enable bandwidth-intensive applications, 
such as telemedicine, video-conferencing, advanced engineering, and 
virtual-learning environments. The Internet of the future ought to be 
able to transmit voice, date, and video quickly and efficiently. If we 
invest wisely and support continued funding, then it will do so.
  The National Science Foundation has played a central role in steering 
and providing seed money for this new national network. The bill 
recognizes the critical importance of strong Federal investment in 
basic research and science and specifically in the Next Generation 
Internet.
  The research of today will stimulate future economic development as 
the research of yesterday has stimulated our current economic boom, and 
the research of today will further benefit our economy and our country 
in future years.
  Again, I congratulate the committee; and I urge all my colleagues to 
support this bill.
  Mr. EWING. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2086, 
the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act. 
This legislation supports the vital funding of basic information 
technology research in the high-Performance Computing and 
Communications, Next Generation Internet, and additional NITRD 
programs.
  I am particularly proud to support this legislation because of the 
instrumental role my own constituents at the University of Illinois 
have played in information technology research. While many in 
Washington are talking about making the Internet more accessible, but 
it has been researchers at the university of Illinois' National 
Computational Science Alliance (NCSA) that have made it happen. It was 
these researchers that pioneered the effort to create Mosaic, the 
browser which has the allowed the public access to the World Wide Web 
and the Internet. Without the National Science Foundation's support of 
this research, access to the Internet may still be only reserved for 
the few.
  By devoting $130 million to the NSF for high-end computing, software, 
and networking research, H.R. 2086 will continue to support such 
important endeavors as those in my district to ensure that America's 
technological revolution leaves no one behind. Events of the past 10 
years are evidence that any costs we incur today will be far outweighed 
by the rewards we reap tomorrow.
  It is my hope that my colleagues on both sides of the aisle will join 
the bipartisan coalition of Science Committee members who passed H.R. 
2086 by a unanimous 41-0 vote at Full Committee. Please support H.R. 
2086 and support real efforts to make the information super-highway 
available to all.

[[Page H398]]

  Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of H.R. 2086, the 
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act, 
because I believe that this legislation provides funding for internet 
and computing research that is essential to maintaining our status as a 
world leader in information technologies. Last week's hacker attacks on 
some of the foremost e-commerce web sites indicates the degree to which 
the development of the internet and our understanding of all of its 
possibilities and pitfalls, is still in its infancy. Just as buying 
stock in information technology companies has been a successful 
investment, dedicating funds to basic research into internet privacy, 
security, and stability, and helping to develop the technologies that 
will drive the next-generation internet, is as worthwhile an investment 
as we can make.
  The federal government played a founding role in the growth of the 
internet, helping to develop and build both the infrastructure that 
carries the internet and the computers that power it. This bill 
continues that tradition of our role in the growth of this technology, 
technology that has the power to benefit so many people. H.R. 2086 
provides nearly half a billion dollars to the National Science 
Foundation, hundreds of millions of dollars to NASA and the Department 
of Energy, and millions more to the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 
Environmental Protection Agency. The money is dedicated to long-term 
basic research on networking and information technology, and involves 
universities and the private sector in this collective research effort 
through grants for development and study.
  This bill is truly legislation that everyone, particularly everyone 
involved in the growth of our new high-tech economy, can support. And 
most everyone already has. The Science Committee approved this bill 
unanimously, and a tremendous coalition of business, university, and 
government groups from across the country have voiced their support for 
this extremely important legislation. This bill will be a boon to the 
people of Silicon Valley, the area that I represent, and companies and 
trade associations that have been at the forefront of the development 
of the newest generation of information technology. But this is hardly 
a local phenomenon. The University of Washington, the Big Ten 
Universities, MIT, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the 
Co-Chairs of the President's Information Technology Advisory Council 
all have endorsed this legislation. Little wonder that internet 
technology, which has connected people from across the country and 
across the world like nothing before it, could also connect people in 
support of this legislation assisting in its development.
  Mr. Chairman, basic research into new internet technologies drove the 
development of the world wide web and the incredible system of networks 
that now traverse the globe. Decades of basic research into computers 
and information technology were the catalyst for the internet economic 
boom that is now sweeping the country with a broad swath of prosperity 
in its wake. This bill provides hundreds of millions of dollars of 
extremely well-spent investment into further basic research to continue 
there geometric advances in information technologies, and I hope that 
the rest of my colleagues will join the 41 Members of the Science 
Committee in supporting it wholeheartedly.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I have no further requests for time, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I also have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The CHAIRMAN. All time for general debate has expired.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute consisting of 
the bill, modified by striking section 8 and redesignating succeeding 
sections accordingly, shall be considered by sections as an original 
bill for the purpose of amendment, and pursuant to the rule, each 
section is considered read.
  During consideration of the bill for amendment, the Chair may accord 
priority in recognition to a Member offering an amendment that he has 
printed in the designated place in the Congressional Record. Those 
amendments will be considered read.
  The Chairman of the Committee of the Whole may postpone a request for 
a recorded vote on any amendment and may reduce to a minimum of 5 
minutes the time for voting on any postponed question that immediately 
follows another vote, provided that the time for voting on the first 
question shall be a minimum of 15 minutes.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous consent that the 
committee amendment in the nature of a substitute be printed in the 
Record and open to amendment at any point.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Wisconsin?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as 
modified, is as follows:

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Networking and Information 
     Technology Research and Development Act''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       The Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) Information technology will continue to change the way 
     Americans live, learn, and work. The information revolution 
     will improve the workplace and the quality and accessibility 
     of health care and education and make government more 
     responsible and accessible.
       (2) Information technology is an imperative enabling 
     technology that contributes to scientific disciplines. Major 
     advances in biomedical research, public safety, engineering, 
     and other critical areas depend on further advances in 
     computing and communications.
       (3) The United States is the undisputed global leader in 
     information technology.
       (4) Information technology is recognized as a catalyst for 
     economic growth and prosperity.
       (5) Information technology represents one of the fastest 
     growing sectors of the United States economy, with electronic 
     commerce alone projected to become a trillion-dollar business 
     by 2005.
       (6) Businesses producing computers, semiconductors, 
     software, and communications equipment account for one-third 
     of the total growth in the United States economy since 1992.
       (7) According to the United States Census Bureau, between 
     1993 and 1997, the information technology sector grew an 
     average of 12.3 percent per year.
       (8) Fundamental research in information technology has 
     enabled the information revolution.
       (9) Fundamental research in information technology has 
     contributed to the creation of new industries and new, high-
     paying jobs.
       (10) Our Nation's well-being will depend on the 
     understanding, arising from fundamental research, of the 
     social and economic benefits and problems arising from the 
     increasing pace of information technology transformations.
       (11) Scientific and engineering research and the 
     availability of a skilled workforce are critical to continued 
     economic growth driven by information technology.
       (12) In 1997, private industry provided most of the funding 
     for research and development in the information technology 
     sector. The information technology sector now receives, in 
     absolute terms, one-third of all corporate spending on 
     research and development in the United States economy.
       (13) The private sector tends to focus its spending on 
     short-term, applied research.
       (14) The Federal Government is uniquely positioned to 
     support long-term fundamental research.
       (15) Federal applied research in information technology has 
     grown at almost twice the rate of Federal basic research 
     since 1986.
       (16) Federal science and engineering programs must increase 
     their emphasis on long-term, high-risk research.
       (17) Current Federal programs and support for fundamental 
     research in information technology is inadequate if we are to 
     maintain the Nation's global leadership in information 
     technology.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) National Science Foundation.--Section 201(b) of the 
     High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5521(b)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``From sums otherwise authorized to be 
     appropriated, there'' and inserting ``There'';
       (2) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     $439,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $468,500,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $493,200,000 for fiscal year 2002; $544,100,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $571,300,000 for fiscal year 2004. 
     Amounts authorized under this subsection shall be the 
     total amounts authorized to the National Science 
     Foundation for a fiscal year for the Program, and shall 
     not be in addition to amounts previously authorized by law 
     for the purposes of the Program.''.
       (b) National Aeronautics and Space Administration.--Section 
     202(b) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 
     U.S.C. 5522(b)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``From sums otherwise authorized to be 
     appropriated, there'' and inserting ``There'';
       (2) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     $164,400,000 for fiscal year 2000; $201,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $208,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; $224,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $231,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2004.''.
       (c) Department of Energy.--Section 203(e)(1) of the High-
     Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5523(e)(1)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     $106,600,000 for fiscal year 2000; $103,500,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $107,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; $125,700,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $129,400,000 for fiscal year 
     2004.''.
       (d) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--(1) 
     Section 204(d)(1) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(d)(1)) is amended--
       (A) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (B) by striking ``1996; and'' and inserting ``1996; 
     $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $9,500,000

[[Page H399]]

     for fiscal year 2001; $10,500,000 for fiscal year 2002; 
     $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and $17,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2004; and''.
       (2) Section 204(d) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(d)) is amended by striking ``From sums 
     otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there'' and 
     inserting ``There''.
       (e) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.--
     Section 204(d)(2) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(d)(2)) is amended--
       (1) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (2) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     $13,500,000 for fiscal year 2000; $13,900,000 for fiscal year 
     2001; $14,300,000 for fiscal year 2002; $14,800,000 for 
     fiscal year 2003; and $15,200,000 for fiscal year 2004.''.
       (f) Environmental Protection Agency.--Section 205(b) of the 
     High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5525(b)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking ``From sums otherwise authorized to be 
     appropriated, there'' and inserting ``There'';
       (2) by striking ``1995; and'' and inserting ``1995;''; and
       (3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; 
     $4,200,000 for fiscal year 2000; $4,300,000 for fiscal year 
     2001; $4,500,000 for fiscal year 2002; $4,600,000 for fiscal 
     year 2003; and $4,700,000 for fiscal year 2004.''.

     SEC. 4. NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND 
                   DEVELOPMENT.

       (a) National Science Foundation.--Section 201 of the High-
     Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5521) is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new subsections:
       ``(c) Networking and Information Technology Research and 
     Development.--(1) Of the amounts authorized under subsection 
     (b), $310,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $333,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2001; $352,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; 
     $390,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and $415,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2004 shall be available for grants for long-term 
     basic research on networking and information technology, with 
     priority given to research that helps address issues related 
     to high end computing and software; network stability, 
     fragility, reliability, security (including privacy), and 
     scalability; and the social and economic consequences of 
     information technology.
       ``(2) In each of the fiscal years 2000 and 2001, the 
     National Science Foundation shall award under this subsection 
     up to 20 large grants of up to $1,000,000 each, and in each 
     of the fiscal years 2002, 2003, and 2004, the National 
     Science Foundation shall award under this subsection up to 30 
     large grants of up to $1,000,000 each.
       ``(3)(A) Of the amounts described in paragraph (1), 
     $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $40,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; $45,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 
     shall be available for grants of up to $5,000,000 each for 
     Information Technology Research Centers.
       ``(B) For purposes of this paragraph, the term `Information 
     Technology Research Centers' means groups of 6 or more 
     researchers collaborating across scientific and engineering 
     disciplines on large-scale long-term research projects which 
     will significantly advance the science supporting the 
     development of information technology or the use of 
     information technology in addressing scientific issues of 
     national importance.
       ``(d) Major Research Equipment.--(1) In addition to the 
     amounts authorized under subsection (b), there are authorized 
     to be appropriated to the National Science Foundation 
     $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $70,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2001, $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $80,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2003, and $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2004 for 
     grants for the development of major research equipment to 
     establish terascale computing capabilities at 1 or more sites 
     and to promote diverse computing architectures. Awards made 
     under this subsection shall provide for support for the 
     operating expenses of facilities established to provide the 
     terascale computing capabilities, with funding for such 
     operating expenses derived from amounts available under 
     subsection (b).
       ``(2) Grants awarded under this subsection shall be awarded 
     through an open, nationwide, peer-reviewed competition. 
     Awardees may include consortia consisting of members from 
     some or all of the following types of institutions:
       ``(A) Academic supercomputer centers.
       ``(B) State-supported supercomputer centers.
       ``(C) Supercomputer centers that are supported as part of 
     federally funded research and development centers.

     Notwithstanding any other provision of law, regulation, or 
     agency policy, a federally funded research and development 
     center may apply for a grant under this subsection, and may 
     compete on an equal basis with any other applicant for the 
     awarding of such a grant.
       ``(3) As a condition of receiving a grant under this 
     subsection, an awardee must agree--
       ``(A) to connect to the National Science Foundation's 
     Partnership for Advanced Computational Infrastructure 
     network;
       ``(B) to the maximum extent practicable, to coordinate with 
     other federally funded large-scale computing and simulation 
     efforts; and
       ``(C) to provide open access to all grant recipients under 
     this subsection or subsection (c).
       ``(e) Information Technology Education and Training 
     Grants.--
       ``(1) Information technology grants.--The National Science 
     Foundation shall provide grants under the Scientific and 
     Advanced Technology Act of 1992 for the purposes of section 
     3(a) and (b) of that Act, except that the activities 
     supported pursuant to this paragraph shall be limited to 
     improving education in fields related to information 
     technology. The Foundation shall encourage institutions with 
     a substantial percentage of student enrollments from groups 
     underrepresented in information technology industries to 
     participate in the competition for grants provided under this 
     paragraph.
       ``(2) Internship grants.--The National Science Foundation 
     shall provide--
       ``(A) grants to institutions of higher education to 
     establish scientific internship programs in information 
     technology research at private sector companies; and
       ``(B) supplementary awards to institutions funded under the 
     Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation program for 
     internships in information technology research at private 
     sector companies.
       ``(3) Matching funds.--Awards under paragraph (2) shall be 
     made on the condition that at least an equal amount of 
     funding for the internship shall be provided by the private 
     sector company at which the internship will take place.
       ``(4) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the 
     term `institution of higher education' has the meaning given 
     that term in section 1201(a) of the Higher Education Act of 
     1965 (20 U.S.C. 1141(a)).
       ``(5) Availability of funds.--Of the amounts described in 
     subsection (c)(1), $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, 
     $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, $20,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2002, $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and $25,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2004 shall be available for carrying out this 
     subsection.
       ``(f) Educational Technology Research.--
       ``(1) Research program.--As part of its responsibilities 
     under subsection (a)(1), the National Science Foundation 
     shall establish a research program to develop, demonstrate, 
     assess, and disseminate effective applications of information 
     and computer technologies for elementary and secondary 
     education. Such program shall--
       ``(A) support research projects, including collaborative 
     projects involving academic researchers and elementary and 
     secondary schools, to develop innovative educational 
     materials, including software, and pedagogical approaches 
     based on applications of information and computer technology;
       ``(B) support empirical studies to determine the 
     educational effectiveness and the cost effectiveness of 
     specific, promising educational approaches, techniques, and 
     materials that are based on applications of information and 
     computer technologies; and
       ``(C) include provision for the widespread dissemination of 
     the results of the studies carried out under subparagraphs 
     (A) and (B), including maintenance of electronic libraries of 
     the best educational materials identified accessible through 
     the Internet.
       ``(2) Replication.--The research projects and empirical 
     studies carried out under paragraph (1)(A) and (B) shall 
     encompass a wide variety of educational settings in order to 
     identify approaches, techniques, and materials that have a 
     high potential for being successfully replicated throughout 
     the United States.
       ``(3) Availability of funds.--Of the amounts authorized 
     under subsection (b), $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, 
     $10,500,000 for fiscal year 2001, $11,000,000 for fiscal year 
     2002, $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, and $12,500,000 for 
     fiscal year 2004 shall be available for the purposes of this 
     subsection.
       ``(g) Peer Review.--All grants made under this section 
     shall be made only after being subject to peer review by 
     panels or groups having private sector representation.''.
       (b) Other Program Agencies.--
       (1) National aeronautics and space administration.--Section 
     202(a) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 
     U.S.C. 5522(a)) is amended by inserting ``, and may 
     participate in or support research described in section 
     201(c)(1)'' after ``and experimentation''.
       (2) Department of energy.--Section 203(a) of the High-
     Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5523(a)) is 
     amended by striking the period at the end and inserting a 
     comma, and by adding after paragraph (4) the following:
     ``and may participate in or support research described in 
     section 201(c)(1).''.
       (3) National institute of standards and technology.--
     Section 204(a)(1) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(a)(1)) is amended by striking ``; and'' 
     at the end of subparagraph (C) and inserting a comma, and by 
     adding after subparagraph (C) the following:
     ``and may participate in or support research described in 
     section 201(c)(1); and''.
       (4) National oceanic and atmospheric administration.--
     Section 204(a)(2) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524(a)(2)) is amended by inserting ``, and 
     may participate in or support research described in section 
     201(c)(1)'' after ``agency missions''.
       (5) Environmental protection agency.--Section 205(a) of the 
     High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5525(a)) is 
     amended by inserting ``, and may participate in or support 
     research described in section 201(c)(1)'' after ``dynamics 
     models''.

     SEC. 5. NEXT GENERATION INTERNET.

       Section 103 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
     (15 U.S.C. 5513) is amended--
       (1) by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:
       ``(c) Study of Internet Privacy.--
       ``(1) Study.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of the Networking and Information Technology 
     Research and Development Act, the National Science Foundation 
     may enter into an arrangement with the National Research 
     Council of the National Academy of Sciences for that Council 
     to conduct a study of privacy on the Internet.
       ``(2) Subjects.--The study shall address--
       ``(A) research needed to develop technology for protection 
     of privacy on the Internet;

[[Page H400]]

       ``(B) current public and private plans for the deployment 
     of privacy technology, standards, and policies;
       ``(C) policies, laws, and practices under consideration or 
     formally adopted in other countries and jurisdictions to 
     protect privacy on the Internet;
       ``(D) Federal legislation and other regulatory steps needed 
     to ensure the development of privacy technology, standards, 
     and policies; and
       ``(E) other matters that the National Research Council 
     determines to be relevant to Internet privacy.
       ``(3) Transmittal to congress.--The National Science 
     Foundation shall transmit to the Congress within 21 months of 
     the date of enactment of the Networking and Information 
     Technology Research and Development Act a report setting 
     forth the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the 
     National Research Council.
       ``(4) Federal agency cooperation.--Federal agencies shall 
     cooperate fully with the National Research Council in its 
     activities in carrying out the study under this subsection.
       ``(5) Availability of funds.--Of the amounts described in 
     subsection (d)(2), $900,000 shall be available for the study 
     conducted under this subsection.''; and
       (2) in subsection (d)--
       (A) in paragraph (1)--
       (i) by striking ``1999 and'' and inserting ``1999,''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``, $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and 
     $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2002'' after ``fiscal year 
     2000'';
       (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``, and $25,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2001 and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2002'' after 
     ``Act of 1998'';
       (C) in paragraph (4)--
       (i) by striking ``1999 and'' and inserting ``1999,''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, and 
     $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2002'' after ``fiscal year 
     2000''; and
       (D) in paragraph (5)--
       (i) by striking ``1999 and'' and inserting ``1999,''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``, $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2001, and 
     $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2002'' after ``fiscal year 2000''.

     SEC. 6. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

       Section 101 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
     (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b)--
       (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as 
     subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively;
       (B) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``Advisory Committee.--''; 
     and
       (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
       ``(2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), 
     the advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of 
     the funding, management, implementation, and activities of 
     the Program, the Next Generation Internet program, and the 
     Networking and Information Technology Research and 
     Development program, and shall report not less frequently 
     than once every 2 fiscal years to the Committee on Science of 
     the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
     Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its findings and 
     recommendations. The first report shall be due within 1 year 
     after the date of the enactment of the Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development Act.''; and
       (2) in subsection (c)(1)(A) and (2), by inserting ``, 
     including the Next Generation Internet program and the 
     Networking and Information Technology Research and 
     Development program'' after ``Program'' each place it 
     appears.

     SEC. 7. EVALUATION OF CAPABILITIES OF FOREIGN ENCRYPTION.

       (a) Study.--The National Science Foundation shall undertake 
     a study comparing the availability of encryption technologies 
     in foreign countries to the encryption technologies subject 
     to export restrictions in the United States.
       (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 6 months after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the National Science 
     Foundation shall transmit to the Congress a report on the 
     results of the study undertaken under subsection (a).

     SEC. 8. STUDY OF APPROPRIATIONS IMPACT ON INFORMATION 
                   TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH.

       Within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
     the Comptroller General, in consultation with the National 
     Science and Technology Council and the President's 
     Information Technology Advisory Committee, shall transmit to 
     the Congress a report on the impact on information technology 
     research of the fiscal year 2000 appropriations acts for the 
     Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban 
     Development, and Independent Agencies; for the Departments of 
     Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related 
     Agencies; and for Energy and Water Development.


             Amendment No. 10 Offered by Mr. Hall of Texas

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 10 offered by Mr. Hall of Texas:
       Page 5, lines 12 through 15, strike ``$439,000,000'' and 
     all that follows through ``$571,300,000'' and insert 
     ``$520,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $645,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $672,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; $736,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $771,000,000''.
       Page 6, lines 14 through 17, strike ``$106,600,000'' and 
     all that follows through ``$129,400,000'' and insert 
     ``$120,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $108,600,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $112,300,000 for fiscal year 2002; $131,100,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $135,000,000''.
       Page 8, lines 14 through 17, strike ``$310,000,000'' and 
     all that follows through ``$415,000,000'' and insert 
     ``$350,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $421,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $442,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; $486,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2003; and $515,000,000''.
       Page 9, line 1, strike ``20'' and insert ``25''. Page 9, 
     line 4, strike ``30'' and insert ``35''. Page 9, lines 6 
     through 8, strike ``2000; $40,000,000'' and all that follows 
     through ``$50,000,000'' and insert ``2000; $45,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2001; $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2002; 
     $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; and $60,000,000''.

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, the amendment I am offering with the 
gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) will adjust the funding authorized in 
the bill in response to the administration's budget request for fiscal 
year 2001. I would like to briefly describe the amendment and then turn 
to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) for a description of the value 
and impact of the amendment.
  The purpose of H.R. 2086 is to authorize the portfolio of information 
technology research activities that are formally coordinated among the 
Federal R&D agencies. This includes the authorization for new programs 
to implement the recommendation of the President's Information 
Technology Advisory Committee for a major new initiative focused on 
long-term, high-risk research.
  This amendment addresses the two funding issues raised by the 
President's fiscal year 2001 budget request for information-technology 
research.
  First, the budget request changes the baseline for formally 
coordinated research activities. The baseline now includes projects 
that the various agencies have been conferring on but that were not 
reported to the Office of Management and Budget for fiscal year 2000 as 
part of the formal interagency program.
  H.R. 2086, as reported, is below the fiscal year 2001 request partly 
because the bill assumes the lower baseline level in determining the 
authorization level for the fiscal years 2001 through the year 2004.
  The second funding issue the amendment addresses is a significant 
increase that the fiscal year 2001 budget request provides for new 
research support. I support this proposed increase because it will 
reverse the 36 percent shortfall in the appropriations level for fiscal 
year 2000 for the information-technology research initiative, as well 
as the 13 percent shortfall for all coordinated information-technology 
research programs.
  The amendment also adjusts the level of the Department of Energy 
authorization to reflect the fiscal year 2000 appropriations level.
  Finally, the amendment adjusts the outyear authorizations for the two 
agencies to maintain the same total percentage funding growth between 
fiscal years 2001 and 2004 as provided by H.R. 2086, as reported.
  This long-term focus of the bill, I think, also will provide support 
for an area of great importance for all of our citizens. Most important 
to me in the entire bill is the biomedical research. Information 
technology has become increasingly important to the medical sciences. 
It holds the key to harnessing the vast quantities of genomic data 
being gathered in order to understand the expression and control of 
genes.
  Statistical analysis of large databases is central to the diagnosis 
and treatment of medical illnesses. Medical imaging techniques rely on 
complex software and algorithms.
  Other research under this initiative will address fundamental studies 
of robotics that will revolutionize the practice of medicine. Advances 
in robotics will lead to applications, for example, to allow surgeons 
to manipulate and repair blood vessels. Devices at the micron scale 
will provide physicians with the capability to search out and destroy 
cancer cells at the earliest stages of the disease.
  Mr. Chairman, this bill will help enable the future. I commend the 
measure to my colleagues and ask for their support.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
  Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), 
the ranking member, and the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman 
Sensenbrenner) for working with me on this amendment, or allowing me to 
work

[[Page H401]]

with them on this amendment, which would increase for fiscal year 2001 
the NSF funding by $176 million and increase the outyear funding levels 
in conformance with that percentage increase. I believe that this 
adjustment enjoys bipartisan support, and it is also supported by the 
administration.
  I am in receipt of a letter from the administration stating that the 
administration supports the amendment to be offered by the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Hall) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) that would 
increase authorizations for FY 2001 for the National Science Foundation 
to the administration's budget request.
  A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel throughout my 
district with the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner). We 
visited research universities, including Oregon Health Sciences 
University, Portland State University, and several high-tech companies 
where we were able to see firsthand the benefit of NSF grants.
  At Portland State University, we learned about a unique collaboration 
between Oregon Health Sciences University, Oregon Graduate Institute, 
and the University of Washington to develop the State's highest speed 
access to Internet to facilitate research in areas such as 
biotechnology and medicine.
  The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) has 
expired.
  (At the request of Mr. Wu, and by unanimous consent, Mr. Hall of 
Texas was allowed to proceed for 5 additional minutes.)
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I continue to yield to the gentleman 
from Oregon (Mr. Wu).
  Mr. WU. Mr. Chairman, the research link between these institutions 
will provide access to unique laboratories and equipment located at 
each of these schools. At Oregon Health Sciences University this means 
access to information from the Museum of Health in Medicine to 
reconstruct hearts in order to find gene defects.
  ``Collaboration'' is the keyword to research in this bill and in this 
amendment. The new resources made available by this amendment will make 
a significant contribution to strengthening NSF's role as the lead 
agency for Federal multi-agency and information technology research 
efforts. This research encompasses advances in software design, 
wireless networking, high-end computing and mathematics.
  In addition, it will enable application of computing and networking 
and technology in many fields of science and engineering that would not 
be possible with current technology. It will train the scientists and 
engineers needed to sustain the economic growth fueled by information 
technology. This investment will deliver tools and capabilities that 
will benefit every field of science and society broadly.
  The resources made available by the amendment will be used by NSF for 
several focused efforts. Foremost, the funding will be used to support 
fundamental, long-term, high-risk research. This work will encompass 
investigation of computer system architectures, information storage and 
retrieval, scalable networks, and totally new approaches to 
computation.
  Another particularly important use of the new funding will be for 
education programs in information technology. These include 
scholarships and fellowships, support for undergraduate participation, 
and research projects and development of new curriculum. New graduate 
students will obtain the skills necessary for future generations of 
researchers that are in high demand in the postindustrial economy.
  At home, NSF-funded research provides support for important projects 
at Oregon's Urban University, Portland State University. The school has 
received nearly $5 million for funding for NSF projects this year that 
involve undergraduate and graduate students in research. Much of this 
research relates to community needs and priorities, including training 
American workers to fill high-tech, high-wage jobs. High-tech companies 
now constitute Oregon's largest private sector employer.
  Finally, the increase in NSF funding will be used to establish a 
second terascale computing facility to support the academic research 
community. NSF is the principal access to high-performance computing 
for the academic research community. Access to the most powerful 
computers is essentially for leading-edge research, as well as 
educating the next generation of computer and computational scientists.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), and I 
support his constructive amendment. This amendment would expand the 
definition of ``information technology'' under the NSF account and 
change the NSF numbers accordingly.
  This year the administration expanded the definition of programs 
deemed ``information technology'' within NSF's budget. This expanded 
definition is compatible with H.R. 2086, and I am pleased to include 
the new NSF numbers in the bill.
  The administration prioritization of NSF in 2001 also demonstrates 
that they have accepted the committee's philosophy for IT spending. The 
committee believes that the NSF is the best agency to run open 
competitive and peer review IT grant programs.
  With the adoption of this amendment, H.R. 2086 will incorporate the 
new expansive definition of IT at NSF within the same stable and 
sustainable rate of growth passed by the committee with a 41-0 vote 
last year. Thus, NSF IT spending in the Networking and Information 
Technology Research and Development Act will remain the same total 
growth rate over the 5 years of the bill after this amendment is 
adopted as it had been before the new expanded IT definition was 
proposed.
  While this amendment accepts the aggregated definition of NSF IT 
spending, I would like to point out that this amendment does not 
rubber-stamp the President's request. This amendment does not plus up 
any other agencies to the President's request, nor does it reflect the 
decreases in overall NSF spending after fiscal year 2001 found in the 
administration's fiscal 2001 request. With the exception of NSF, the 
committee will review on a case-by-case basis the requested increases 
for IT and other agencies during the consideration of those agencies' 
authorization bills.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment reflects a bipartisan agreement on the 
part of the committee to a bill that has strong bipartisan support. I 
commend the ranking member from Texas (Mr. Hall) for offering this 
amendment, and I urge its adoption.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall).
  The amendment was agreed to.


            Amendment No. 5 Offered by Mr. Smith of Michigan

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 5 offered by Mr. Smith of Michigan:
       Page 16, after line 2, insert the following new paragraph:
       (6) United states geological survey.--Title II of the High-
     Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5521 et seq.) is 
     amended--
       (A) by redesignating sections 207 and 208 as sections 208 
     and 209, respectively; and
       (B) by inserting after section 206 the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 207. UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.

       ``The United States Geological Survey may participate in or 
     support research described in section 201(c)(1).''.

  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, this amendment would have been 
put on yesterday by our Committee on Science meeting except it would 
have involved the possibility of re-referral to the Subcommittee on 
Research and Development. With the consent of Mr. Young as well as the 
chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, and also 
the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin) gave her support, we are 
offering this amendment at this time.
  This amendment would allow the United States Geological Survey to 
participate in the Networking and Information Technology Research and 
Development Grant Program established by this bill.

                              {time}  1415

  In doing so, the USGS would join with the National Science Foundation 
and other participating agencies in helping focus government funding on 
information technology research.

[[Page H402]]

  The United States Geological Survey has a simple mission, to describe 
and understand the Earth. When I was young, I traveled around the 
country with my dad who was a topographic engineer with the USGS. Dad 
helped meet the challenge of mapping this country by taking to the 
field with the old fashioned rod and compass in hand.
  Today, the topographic maps my father helped create are digitized and 
the data they contain augmented by readings from satellites, sensors 
buried in the ground, and experiments run in the lab. Today, the 
current shuttle radar topography mission to map the world is in its 5th 
day of sending back billions of bytes of data.
  The USGS has spent the last 121 years building a collection of these 
maps, images, and other information assets as a way of answering some 
of our fundamental questions about the Earth and its processes. These 
assets now include extremely large data sets requiring extraordinary 
technology challenges to maintain and use. That is why this amendment 
is important.
  It is difficult to get a grasp on the size of the challenge without 
resorting to an analogy. For example, the USGS information assets 
include petabyte size data sets. A petabyte is 2 to the 50th power 
bytes, one million gigabytes, a thousand trillion bytes, a number that 
even someone used to dealing with the Federal budget has a hard time 
understanding. To describe the vastness of this information in another 
way, these databases are the equivalent of 20 million four-drawer 
legal-sized filing cabinets stuffed full of text. The computers and 
processors that deal with these data sets must be correspondingly 
capable and the network connections that feed them must be adequately 
quick.
  The USGS continues to research these technologies as part of their 
research agenda. Allowing them to partner in the research funded under 
this bill will help ensure that their technology needs are met. It will 
also allow them to bring their considerable skills to the table and 
help focus this research into the areas where it is sure to do the most 
good.
  I should point out, Mr. Chairman, that this amendment does not 
authorize any new funding. This simply recognizes the USGS in its role 
as a participant in IT research. I am pleased to offer this amendment 
with the support of the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) 
the chairman of the Committee on Science and the approval of the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) the chairman of the Committee on 
Resources and the gentlewoman from Wyoming (Mrs. Cubin) the chairman of 
that committee's Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
  The CHAIRMAN. The time of the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) has 
expired.
  (On request of Mr. Sensenbrenner, and by unanimous consent, Mr. Smith 
of Michigan was allowed to proceed for 30 additional seconds.)
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to support the 
amendment offered by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith). He 
correctly states that the only reason this was not included in the bill 
when it was considered by the Committee on Science is that it would 
have triggered a sequential referral to the Committee on Resources 
which would have resulted in a delay. I would like to thank the 
gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Young) for signing off on this amendment. 
This simply integrates the efforts of the U.S. Geological Service into 
the type of research that is being done so that their mapping efforts 
can be much better digitalized and, thus, much more effective.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Chairman, I would conclude by requesting 
the support of my colleagues in the passage of this amendment.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support, of course, of 
this amendment by the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith). It is 
entirely appropriate that the U.S. Geological Survey participate in the 
interagency information technology research program. I would also 
observe that the gentleman from Michigan learned this subject well at 
the feet of his father, a longtime member of the USGS team. We 
certainly support this amendment and urge its adoption.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 14 Offered by Mrs. Morella

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 14 offered by Mrs. Morella:
       Page 8, after line 5, insert the following new subsection:
       (g) National Institutes of Health.--Title II of the High-
     Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5521 et seq.) is 
     amended by inserting after section 205 the following new 
     section:

     ``SEC. 205A. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ACTIVITIES.

       ``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program 
     described in title I, the National Institutes of Health shall 
     conduct research directed toward the advancement and 
     dissemination of computational techniques and software tools 
     in support of its mission of biomedical and behavioral 
     research.
       ``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Health and 
     Human Services for the purposes of the Program $223,000,000 
     for fiscal year 2000, $233,000,000 for fiscal year 2001, 
     $242,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, $250,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2003, and $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.''.

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Chairman, H.R. 2086 will maintain our global 
leadership in information technology and prioritize our Nation's basic 
IT research by authorizing funding for six agencies that are 
undertaking civilian IT research and development initiatives. We have 
heard a lot about that.
  These six lead agencies, NSF, NIST, NASA, NOAA, EPA and the 
Department of Energy, to use all those acronyms, all participate in 
programs involved with high-performance computing and communications 
and next generation Internet programs. One major agency, however, Mr. 
Chairman, the National Institutes of Health, is not among the group of 
agencies currently authorized in the bill.
  My amendment would allow NIH to receive the funding authorization 
that it needs for vital information technology resources needed to map 
out the human genetic map, battle cancer and other life-threatening 
diseases, provide bioinformatic and molecular analysis, assist with 
telemedicine and advance computational medicine, among other efforts.
  Mr. Chairman, let me provide just one example of the importance of 
cutting edge information technology for today's innovative medical 
research. The human genome project, overseen by NIH and the Department 
of Energy, is an international research program designed to construct 
detailed genetic maps and determine the complete sequence of human DNA 
and localize the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 genes within the human 
genome.
  Later this year, researchers will complete the first draft of the 
entire human genome, the very blueprint of life. It is clear that the 
development and use of this genetic knowledge will have momentous 
implications for both individuals and society, potentially opening the 
doors to breakthrough medical discoveries that will allow all of us to 
live longer and improve our human condition. At the very heart of the 
human genome project are high speed, high performance computers that 
analyze and sequence the voluminous information collected by 
researchers. As more information is collected, these cutting edge 
computers must continually be advanced and upgraded to complete the 
job. In the past 6 years, Congress has made a priority of NIH research 
funding. Our wise investments in NIH research have already paved the 
way to a revolution in our ability to detect, treat, and prevent 
disease. Yet we must also ensure that the NIH is provided with the 
necessary information technology funds that are needed to conduct its 
very important medical research.
  The amendment before us today would authorize $233 million in NIH 
information technology funding for fiscal year 2001, $242 million in 
fiscal year 2002, and $250 million in fiscal years 2003 and 2004. This 
funding level meets NIH's budget request for information technology and 
is consistent with an NIH letter requesting such funding sent to the 
gentleman from Virginia

[[Page H403]]

(Mr. Bliley) the chairman of the Committee on Commerce. I wish to thank 
the gentleman from Virginia for his collaborative efforts in preparing 
this amendment and indeed I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin 
(Mr. Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) for their 
support. I certainly urge all my colleagues to support this amendment.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Mrs. MORELLA. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from 
Maryland for yielding. I support her amendment. The reason this 
amendment is before us today on the floor is the same reason why the 
previous amendment was before us, and, that is that the NIH is not 
under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science. Had we added this 
money in during the Committee on Science consideration of the bill, it 
would have delayed the bill's consideration through a sequential 
referral to the Committee on Commerce.
  What the gentlewoman from Maryland is doing is closing an important 
hole in this bill, and I am happy to note that the chairman, the 
members, and the staff of the Committee on Commerce support her efforts 
in doing so. So this has been worked out without any brouhaha over 
committee jurisdiction. This makes a good bill better; and it gets the 
NIH into developing better information technologies, to develop better 
ways of making sick people better and preventing them from getting sick 
in the first place.
  Mrs. MORELLA. I thank the gentleman for his very eloquent comments on 
the amendment. It is a pleasure to be able to offer this amendment to 
close that loophole.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I of course am privileged to 
congratulate the gentlewoman from Maryland and to recommend her 
amendment. It simply authorizes as the gentleman from Wisconsin has 
said the funding for National Institutes of Health. It formally funds 
the NIH contribution to the interagency research program. We urge the 
acceptance of this amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Maryland (Mrs. Morella).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 4 Offered by Mr. Larson

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 4 offered by Mr. Larson:
       At the end of the bill, insert the following new section:

     SEC. 10. REPORT TO CONGRESS.

       Section 103 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
     (15 U.S.C. 5513), as amended by section 5 of this Act, is 
     further amended by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and 
     (d) as subsections (c), (d), and (e), respectively, and by 
     inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection:
       ``(b) Report to Congress.--
       ``(1) Requirement.--The Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall conduct a study of the issues described in 
     paragraph (3), and not later than 1 year after the date of 
     the enactment of the Networking and Information Technology 
     Research and Development Act, shall transmit to the Congress 
     a report including recommendations to address those issues. 
     Such report shall be updated annually for 6 additional years.
       ``(2) Consultation.--In preparing the reports under 
     paragraph (1), the Director of the National Science 
     Foundation shall consult with the National Aeronautics and 
     Space Administration, the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology, and such other Federal agencies and educational 
     entities as the Director of the National Science Foundation 
     considers appropriate.
       ``(3) Issues.--The reports shall--
       ``(A) identify the current status of high-speed, large 
     bandwidth capacity access to all public elementary and 
     secondary schools and libraries in the United States;
       ``(B) identify how high-speed, large band-width capacity 
     access to the Internet to such schools and libraries can be 
     effectively utilized within each school and library;
       ``(C) consider the effect that specific or regional 
     circumstances may have on the ability of such institutions to 
     acquire high-speed, large bandwidth capacity access to 
     achieve universal connectivity as an effective tool in the 
     education process; and
       ``(D) include options and recommendations for the various 
     entities responsible for elementary and secondary education 
     to address the challenges and issues identified in the 
     reports.''.

  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, before I begin I would like to thank the 
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) our esteemed chairman of 
the Committee on Science for his guidance and thoughtfulness in helping 
me construct this very fine bill and amendment but more importantly I 
would like to join the chorus of those who have indicated his 
outstanding work, and I am proud to be a cosponsor of the bill to which 
we are going to amend this legislation. But I think the highest sense 
of praise comes not only from his colleagues but having been out in San 
Francisco this past year attending a convention, to hear Bill Joy from 
Sun Microsystems stand up and say that this bill that was put forward 
by our chairman is clearly the most outstanding IT bill of its kind 
ever put forward before the United States Congress. I think that is 
high praise from someone who clearly understands technology and its 
importance.
  In addition, I would like to thank both the gentlewoman from Maryland 
(Mrs. Morella) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Smith) for their 
help as well as the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Barcia) and the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for holding a joint 
hearing of the Subcommittees on Technology and Basic Research of the 
Committee on Science last year on this important topic. Finally, I 
would be remiss if I did not also thank the former ranking member of 
the Committee on Science, Mr. Brown. He collaborated with me on this 
piece of legislation, and indeed I am sad today that he is not here but 
again want to thank him as well. I would also like to thank Javier 
Gonzalez from my staff.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment is straightforward and it is practical, 
it is narrow and technical in its application, and very simply calls 
for the National Science Foundation to do a technological assessment of 
what is the most efficient and economical means of bringing forward the 
information superhighway to our public schools and our public 
libraries.
  Here are the underpinnings, briefly. The Department of Commerce 
issued a study in July of last year citing that the digital divide in 
this country in fact is growing further apart. It is growing apart 
along the lines of race, gender, wealth, and geography. And so in order 
to look at closing that gap, it becomes important upon policy makers to 
make sure if we are going to provide universal, ubiquitous access to 
the information superhighway, that we have the best possible assessment 
available. This bill calls upon NSF in conjunction with NASA, the 
Department of Education, and other agencies it should so choose to make 
sure it brings this about in a timely manner so that we can make the 
best policy decisions as relates to this.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. LARSON. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I am happy to support this 
amendment. It is identical to a bill which he introduced and which I 
cosponsored earlier. We are talking about how to make information 
technology available in the cheapest possible way, particularly to our 
public schools and libraries. This is something that is timely and 
needed, and to make sure that the money we are authorizing under this 
bill is spent in the most efficient manner possible.
  Mr. LARSON. Mr. Chairman, I would ask for my colleagues' support and 
move the adoption of this amendment.

                              {time}  1430

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in strong support of the 
amendment.
  Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) who 
is a very thoughtful and hard-working Member of the Committee on 
Science. As a matter of fact, since entering Congress, he has been in 
the forefront of publicized problems of the ``digital divide.''
  He has proposed a series of legislative measures to focus on this 
situation, including this amendment. I strongly concur in the policy 
behind these legislative efforts, which is to ensure that all 
communities, including rural and inner city areas, have adequate access 
to advanced information technology.
  One of the keys to maintaining a surging economy that offers 
opportunities for all of our citizens is to provide

[[Page H404]]

the very best educational tools to all of our Nation's students.
  Mr. Chairman, if, for no other reason, there are many other reasons 
to support it, but if for no other reason, this amendment is worthy of 
support, because the study at a minimum will identify the true present 
status of high-speed large band width capacity access to all public, 
elementary, and secondary schools and libraries throughout the country 
and, as the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman Sensenbrenner) said, at 
a fair figure.
  In conclusion, I strongly support and urge the adoption of this 
amendment.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Chairman, as one of the few members of both the 
Science and Education committees, I rise today in support of Mr. 
Larson's amendment to H.R. 2086.
  As a member of both committees, it's of particular importance to me 
that our children have the access to technology in order to succeed in 
school and in their future endeavors.
  Congressman Larson's amendment is a step in the right direction to 
ensure that students have access to information and internet 
technologies and also that schools can better use these available 
technologies.
  However, as we strive to make technology more available and 
effective, let's not focus only on the physical barriers, but also 
consider the cultural and social barriers as well.
  The emerging ``digital divide'' that we are all concerned about will 
not only break along economic lines, but social lines as well.
  For instance, girls generally do not continue to use technology as 
they get older the way boys do.
  It won't do us any good to procure the best computers, and completely 
wire our schools, if there is a group of students who aren't encouraged 
to use this technology.
  We need to create education and outreach programs to promote 
opportunities for girls in high-tech futures.
  In fact, I've authored legislation that tracks girls from the 4th 
grade through high school in order to find ways to increase their 
awareness of high-tech careers and provide them with mentoring and 
hands-on experience to help them succeed.
  Like my colleague from Connecticut, I believe all our children 
deserve every opportunity to succeed as they face the challenges of the 
21st century. It is time we focus on getting our children ready to 
learn and ready to succeed by making certain schools have the 
technological tools and equipment.
  I urge my colleagues to support Congressman Larson's amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. Are there further Members wishing to speak on the 
amendment?
  The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from 
Connecticut (Mr. Larson).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                Amendment No. 11 Offered by Mr. Hoeffel

  Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 11 offered by Mr. Hoeffel:
       Page 2, line 13, insert ``It is important that access to 
     information technology be available to all citizens, 
     including elderly Americans and Americans with 
     disabilities.'' after ``responsible and accessible.''.
       At the end of the bill, insert the following new section:

     SEC. 9. STUDY OF ACCESSIBILITY TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

       Section 201 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 
     (15 U.S.C. 5524), as amended by sections 3(a) and 4(a) of 
     this Act, is amended further by inserting after subsection 
     (g) the following new subsection:
       ``(h) Study of Accessibility to Information Technology.--
       ``(1) Study.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     enactment of the Networking and Information Technology 
     Research and Development Act, the Director of the National 
     Science Foundation, in consultation with the National 
     Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, shall 
     enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council 
     of the National Academy of Sciences for that Council to 
     conduct a study of accessibility to information technologies 
     by individuals who are elderly, individuals who are elderly 
     with a disability, and individuals with disabilities.
       ``(2) Subjects.--The study shall address--
       ``(A) current barriers to access to information 
     technologies by individuals who are elderly, individuals who 
     are elderly with a disability, and individuals with 
     disabilities;
       ``(B) research and development needed to remove those 
     barriers;
       ``(C) Federal legislative, policy, or regulatory changes 
     needed to remove those barriers; and
       ``(D) other matters that the National Research Council 
     determines to be relevant to access to information 
     technologies by individuals who are elderly, individuals who 
     are elderly with a disability, and individuals with 
     disabilities.
       ``(3) Transmittal to congress.--The Director of the 
     National Science Foundation shall transmit to the Congress 
     within 2 years of the date of enactment of the Networking and 
     Information Technology Research and Development Act a report 
     setting forth the findings, conclusions, and recommendations 
     of the National Research Council.
       ``(4) Federal agency cooperation.--Federal agencies shall 
     cooperate fully with the National Research Council in its 
     activities in carrying out the study under this subsection.
       ``(5) Availability of funds.--Funding for the study 
     described in this subsection shall be available, in the 
     amount of $700,000, from amounts described in subsection 
     (c)(1).''

  Mr. HOEFFEL. Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to the 
information technology research and development authorization bill that 
would require the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study on 
what barriers exist to accessing information technologies for the 
elderly and for disabled Americans and to recommend ways to overcome 
those barriers.
  I would like to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman 
Sensenbrenner) for his cooperation and the cooperation and assistance 
of his staff, as well as our ranking member, the gentleman from Texas 
(Mr. Hall), for his cooperation and assistance as well.
  Thanks to advances in medical technology and research, Americans are 
living longer lives. There are more than 50 million Americans alive 
today over the age of 65. There are over 20 million Americans, 15 years 
of age or older who are living with disabilities that impair their 
ability to work.
  Mr. Chairman, as we move forward with information technology, we have 
to make sure that all Americans can reap the rewards of a strong 
economy and a rapidly changing technological landscape. Information 
technology has an enormous potential to improve the quality of life for 
elderly Americans and those with disabilities.
  People who have trouble leaving their homes can now do all of their 
grocery shopping online. People who are ill can research their 
condition online, interact with others who suffer from the same 
ailments, and contact medical experts online.
  Specialized information technologies can help blind people access 
information over the Internet. Speech recognition software can help 
people who cannot use a computer keyboard or mouse. Despite all of 
these opportunities and all of these advances, studies have shown that 
the information-technology revolution is leaving elderly and disabled 
Americans behind.
  Mr. Chairman, studies have shown that those with disabilities are 
less than half as likely as nondisabled people to have access to a 
computer at home. And the disabled are only about 30 percent to be 
likely to access the Internet from home, possibly because they are 
unaware of technologies that would help them do it, possibly because 
they cannot afford the technologies.
  The point is, Mr. Chairman, you cannot go surfing on the Net if you 
cannot get to the ocean. We have to reduce barriers for the elderly and 
for the disabled. My amendment would assess these problems and pose 
some solutions by calling for the National Science Foundation, in 
consultation with the National Institute on Disability and 
Rehabilitation Research, to commission a study from the National 
Academies of Science that will identify current barriers to access to 
information technologies by individuals who are elderly, by individuals 
with disabilities; to identify research and development needed to 
remove those barriers; and to recommend any Federal legislative policy 
or regulatory changes needed to remove those barriers.
  The digital divide that we are all concerned with may affect the 
elderly and disabled more than any other group of Americans.
  I urge my colleagues to support this amendment and help ensure that 
advances in information technology are available to all Americans.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  Mr. Chairman, this amendment would authorize a $700,000 study by the 
National Research Council on IT accessibility by the disabled and 
elderly. I would note that there have been studies conducted by a 
number of different groups looking at similar issues, including the 
Federal Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory

[[Page H405]]

Committee, the University of Wisconsin Trace Research and Development 
Center, the California State University at Northridge Center on 
Disability, and the Worldwide Web Consortium Web Access Initiative have 
all taken or are taking a look at similar issues.
  I had some misgivings about the amendment as it was originally 
drafted, but since the funding will now come out of the available funds 
and not as a separate authorization, I will not oppose this, and urge 
Members to adopt it.
  Mr. COSTELLO. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of Mr. Hoeffel's 
amendment to conduct a study to examine the accessibility to 
information technology for the elderly and persons with disabilities. 
This amendment will make certain that our seniors and individuals with 
disabilities are not left out of current technological advances that 
ensure easy access to our family and friends. Seniors and the disabled 
also stand to gain the most from medical information listed on the 
Internet. Information on nursing homes, health insurance and 
prescription drugs can easily be obtained within minutes.
  As a cosponsor of this legislation, I am pleased to support this bill 
that will significantly increase our commitment to long-term research, 
information technology and networking. Not only will this bill help our 
universities in providing information technology research, it will also 
encourage further technological advances in elementary and secondary 
education, and move the nation forward in bringing technology into 
millions of American homes that do not have it today.
  While this bill will greatly help our nation's researchers and 
students, adoption of this amendment will make certain that our 
nation's senior citizens and persons with disabilities are included in 
the benefits of accessible information technology. I encourage my 
colleagues to support passage of this amendment and final passage of 
this important legislation.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Hoeffel).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                    Amendment Offered by Mr. Andrews

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Andrews:
       Page 8, line 22, insert ``and counterinitiatives'' after 
     ``including privacy''.
       Page 8, line 23, insert ``(including the consequences for 
     healthcare)'' after ``social and economic consequences''.

  Mr. ANDREWS. Mr. Chairman, this is an excellent piece of legislation 
that I am privileged to support. I think very rarely are we going to 
get more return on our investment than we are from this piece of 
legislation. I thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Chairman 
Sensenbrenner) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), the ranking 
member, for bringing it forward.
  The purpose of my amendment is to be sure that important research and 
development funds are invested in an event that I hope will never 
happen, and in an event I hope will happen.
  The event to prevent something that I hope will never happen is the 
importance of providing information security, making sure what we refer 
to in the amendment as ``counter-initiatives'' are thwarted. The news 
media has been rife with reports in the last few days of what has been 
called cyber-vandalism, attacks on some well-known commercial Web sites 
throughout this country. It is very important that we stay more than 
one step ahead of those who would do us harm through cyber-terrorism or 
cyber-vandalism.
  As my friend and colleague, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Weldon), said in the general debate on this bill, those of us on the 
Committee on Armed Services are making a concerted effort in 
conjunction with the administration this year to be sure that our 
military cyber-defenses are prepared and ready.
  I believe that this legislation, aided by this amendment, will be 
sure that we take the maximum steps to prevent this kind of cyber-
terrorism in our civilian sector.
  The event that I hope will happen will be the extension of high-tech 
medical technology, excellent medical technology to people all over the 
country and all over the world, through the initiative of telemedicine. 
My amendment directs and encourages that telemedicine research be one 
of the major priorities under this bill as well.
  I am very privileged to have had the cooperation of the gentleman 
from Wisconsin (Mr. Sensenbrenner) and his staff and that of the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall), and I urge support for the amendment.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. ANDREWS. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I think the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey makes a very good bill even better, and I am 
pleased to support it and hope that the committee adopts it.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).
  The amendment was agreed to.


          Amendment No. 12 Offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 12 offered by Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas:
       Page 21, after line 7, insert the following new section:

     SEC. 9. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY.

       Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Comptroller General shall transmit to the 
     Congress a report on the results of a detailed study 
     analyzing the effects of this Act, and the amendments made by 
     this Act, on lower income families, minorities, and women.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Chairman, again I want to thank the 
Committee on Science and the chairman and ranking member for the vision 
of this legislation and to reinforce one of the unique features of this 
legislation, the funding amounts for the National Science Foundation, 
in particular I think the notation of the 20 grants of up to $1 million 
each in FY 2000 and 2001, and 30 grants of up to $1 million each in FY 
2002 through 2004.
  I raise that and bring that to the attention, because my amendment is 
a study. My amendment involves dealing with some of the additional 
populations that may need further assessment as to how this legislation 
will impact them.
  I hope that I will garner the support of the committee for this 
amendment, because I believe it fits very neatly into two features of 
the legislation. One in particular for the National Science Foundation 
will complete a study comparing the availability of encryption 
technology in foreign countries to encryption technologies in the 
United States that are subject to export restrictions. In addition, as 
I earlier noted, we will also be giving out grants more hopefully to 
universities to do other kinds of research.
  Today's economy is spurred by the unprecedented advances of our 
society, and we are reaping the benefits of technology. Therefore, it 
is critical that all Americans share in the digital age.
  Currently, low income families, minorities and women are not actively 
participating in the information age. The National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration within the Commerce Department reports 
in its study named ``Falling Through the Net, Defining the Digital 
Divide,'' that, one, households with incomes of $75,000 and higher are 
more than 20 times more likely to have access to the Internet than 
those at the lowest income levels and more than nine times as likely to 
have a computer at home.
  Whites are more likely to have access to the Internet from home than 
blacks or Hispanics have from any location, and that black and Hispanic 
households are approximately one-third as likely to have home Internet 
access as households of Asian-Pacific Islander decent, and roughly two-
fifths as likely as white households.
  My amendment empowers the Comptroller General to submit a detailed 
reported analyzing the effects of this act on lower-income families, 
minorities and women. This amendment will enable Congress to assess the 
overall impact of this act upon groups desperately needing government 
assistance concerning technology. Moreover, a targeted study will then 
provide critical data on the economic and educational benefits to 
Americans affected by the digital divide that separates our society to 
those who have and have not.
  As I indicated, Mr. Chairman, we successfully made it through Y2K. I 
am gratified for that. In the course of doing so, however, we heard 
from small

[[Page H406]]

businesses, nonprofits, individuals, libraries, and schools that we 
still needed to assess the digital divide.
  I believe that this legislation, in its ability to give grants to the 
National Science Foundation, which then will allow various groups to 
access those dollars in $1 million grants, is a positive. This study I 
think will add to our knowledge base and allow us to move into the 21st 
century and to effectively be able to ensure that all of our citizens 
have access to this wonderful technology.
  Mr. Chairman, today I rise to offer an amendment to the Networking 
and Information Technology Research and Development Act (HR 2086). 
Today's economy is spurred by the unprecedented advances of the 
Information Age; however, not all members of our society are reaping 
the benefits of technology. Therefore, it is critical that all 
Americans share in the digital age.
  Currently, low income families, minorities, and women are not 
actively participating in the Information Age. The National 
Telecommunication and Information Administration within the Commerce 
Department reports in its study named, ``Falling Through the Net: 
Defining the Digital Divide'' that: ``(1) Households with incomes of 
$75,000 and higher are more than twenty times more likely to have 
access to the Internet than those at the lowest income levels, and more 
than nine times as likely to have a computer at home; (2) whites are 
more likely to have access to the Internet from home than Blacks or 
Hispanics have from any location; and that Black and Hispanic 
households are approximately one-third as likely to have home Internet 
access as households of Asian/Pacific Islander descent, and roughly 
two-fifths as likely as White households.''
  The Jackson-Lee Amendment to H.R. 2086 empowers the Comptroller 
General to submit a detailed report analyzing the effects of this Act 
on lower income families, minorities, and women. This Amendment will 
enable Congress to assess the overall impact of this Act upon groups 
desperately needing Government assistance concerning technology. 
Moreover, a targeted study will then provide critical data on the 
economic and educational benefits to Americans affected by the 
``Digital Divide'' that separates our society to those that have and 
have not.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentlewoman yield?
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas 
for yielding.
  Mr. Chairman, let me say I am going to support the gentlewoman's 
amendment. Any Member can request a GAO study. Placing the language in 
the bill I think is a constructive addition because whether the GAO 
responds to the House as a whole or to an individual Member, this is an 
issue that has got to be addressed, and it has got to be resolved as we 
figure out how to make the rising tide of information-technology 
applications lift all of the boats in our society. So I thank the 
gentlewoman from Texas, and I hope the committee adopts her amendment.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the amendment.

                              {time}  1445

  Mr. Chairman, I certainly join the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner), the chairman of the Committee on Science, in 
recommending this amendment. It simply directs the GAO to conduct a 
study after 1 year of the effects of this bill on lower income 
families, minorities, and women.
  This is one of many thoughtful and well-constructed amendments from 
the gentlewoman from Houston, Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee). I certainly 
support it and recommend that it be passed.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 1 Offered by Mr. Capuano

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 1 offered by Mr. Capuano: Page 20, line 21, 
     through page 21, line 7, strike section 9.

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman, this amendment I think is a very simple 
amendment. It actually strikes language that I put in in the committee 
at an earlier time when we were discussing this. I think the language 
is no longer relevant and no longer useful to this bill. It refers to a 
different fiscal year, and that is why I ask to strike it.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, will the gentleman yield?
  Mr. CAPUANO. I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, heaven rejoices when a sinner 
repents, and this amendment strikes language that the gentleman from 
Massachusetts added to the bill in committee. I commented at the time 
that I thought it was ill-advised to get the GAO involved in what 
amounted to a political debate over the budget. I am glad that the 
gentleman from Massachusetts has seen the light, and I hope that his 
amendment is adopted.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                 Amendment No. 9 Offered by Mr. Capuano

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The CHAIRMAN. The Clerk will designate the amendment.
  The text of the amendment is as follows:

       Amendment No. 9 offered by Mr. Capuano:
       Page 8, after line 5, insert the following new subsection:
       (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       (1) National science foundation.--Notwithstanding the 
     amendment made by subsection (a)(3) of this section, the 
     total amount authorized for the National Science Foundation 
     under section 201(b) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 
     1991 shall be $580,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $699,300,000 
     for fiscal year 2001; $278,150,000 for fiscal year 2002; 
     $801,550,000 for fiscal year 2003; and $838,500,000 for 
     fiscal year 2004.
       (2) Department of energy.--Notwithstanding the amendment 
     made by subsection (c)(2) of this section, the total amount 
     authorized for the Department of Energy under section 
     203(e)(1) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 shall 
     be $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; $54,300,000 for fiscal 
     year 2001; $56,150,000 for fiscal year 2002; $65,550,000 for 
     fiscal year 2003; and $67,500,000 for fiscal year 2004.

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Chairman, what this amendment does is basically it 
takes half of the money it currently designated for the Department of 
Energy and shifts it over to the National Science Foundation.
  The reason I offer this amendment is because I strongly believe that 
this money is best utilized as far out from government as we can get it 
into the private sector and to the universities, because I believe they 
do a better job in pushing along new technologies than does the 
government.
  It is very interesting to note that though I have proposed this 
amendment now for a couple of days, I just literally 2 minutes ago got 
a communication from the Secretary of Energy that raises some serious 
and interesting questions about the amendment. Had I received it 
earlier, I would have been happy to discuss it at any time with the 
Secretary or any member of the Department, but I think it is a little 
late at this point in time.
  However, I will say that if this amendment is adopted that I would be 
more than happy to work with the Secretary or any other member of the 
Department to discuss their concerns, and if appropriate, I would work 
with them to amend this amendment further or to reduce it or to strike 
it.
  Nonetheless, having not received any communications of such note 
prior to this time, I still feel strongly that in concept, our money is 
best spent as close to the private sector as we can get it.
  Mrs. TAUSCHER. Mr. Chairman, every dollar we spend on research and 
development, especially in high-technology, translates directly into 
growth for U.S. businesses and good, high-paying jobs for our working 
families.
  For the same reasons I fervently support the Networking and 
Information Technology R&D Act, I rise in opposition to this Amendment 
that would shift R&D resources away from the Department of Energy and 
to the National Science Foundation.
  As the ranking Member of the new Panel to oversee the Department of 
Energy's reorganization and as a Member with 2 National Laboratories in 
my district, I am intimately familiar with the Department of Energy's 
record on R&D. And it is superb. The Energy Department has been at the 
forefront of civilian science and computing for generations. They 
specialize in developing computing applications in areas ranging from 
material science to high-energy physics, and from atomic structure to 
biology.
  For example, as early as the 1970's, the Energy Department developed 
the first interactive access to supercomputers via long-distance 
networks. And in the 1980's, the Department laid the groundwork for 
what became the

[[Page H407]]

National Science Foundation's supercomputer centers. Over the years, 
Department scientists have won 70 Nobel prizes, discovered new heavy 
elements, advanced medical breakthroughs in breast cancer treatment and 
more.
  Moreover, if this amendment becomes law, it will force the closure of 
the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center at Lawrence 
Berkeley National Laboratory--the most powerful unclassified computer 
center available for civilian research in the nation. It also will 
force the Department to end its joint research efforts with major U.S. 
computer and telecommunications firms including IMB and Quest 
Communications.
  The National Science Foundation is also a worthy organization. But 
the two agencies have different missions, different personnel and 
different strengths. By dividing our R&D dollars between the two, we 
are creating the best environment for scientific and high-technology 
breakthroughs that will continue to fuel our economy and create jobs 
for our working families.
  Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment and pass 
the overall bill.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano).
  The amendment was agreed to.


                   Amendment Offered by Mr. Traficant

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.
  The Clerk read as follows:

       Amendment offered by Mr. Traficant:
       Page 21, after line 7, insert the following new section:

     SEC. 9. BUY AMERICAN.

       (a) Compliance With Buy American Act.--No funds 
     appropriated pursuant to this Act may be expended by an 
     entity unless the entity agrees that in expending the 
     assistance the entity will comply with sections 2 through 4 
     of the Buy American Act (41 U.S.C. 10a-10c).
       (b) Sense of Congress.--In the case of any equipment or 
     products that may be authorized to be purchased with 
     financial assistance provided under this Act, it is the sense 
     of the Congress that entities receiving such assistance 
     should, in expending the assistance, purchase only American-
     made equipment and products.
       (c) Notice to Recipients of Assistance.--In providing 
     financial assistance under this Act, the head of each Federal 
     agency shall provide to each recipient of the assistance a 
     notice describing the statement made in subsection (b) by the 
     Congress.

  Mr. TRAFICANT (during the reading). Mr. Chairman, I ask unanimous 
consent that the amendment be considered as read and printed in the 
Record.
  The CHAIRMAN. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from 
Ohio?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Chairman, I would just like to say that our last 
quarterly trade deficit was $82 billion. Annualized, it will be over 
$328 billion for the year. For every $1 billion in trade deficit, the 
formula is a loss of 22,000 jobs.
  I support this bill. I think the chairman has done a marvelous job, 
but I do not know if cyberspace is going to hire all of those workers 
who are losing manufacturing jobs. I sure hope they do.
  The simple amendment says, abide by the Buy America Act; when 
possible, buy American-made products. Anybody getting any money under 
this bill should understand what the intent of Congress is, and in 
fact, get a notice so that they would know that they must comply with 
the Buy America Act.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. 
Sensenbrenner), our distinguished chairman.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Ohio for 
yielding. I have always supported Buy American provisions. I support 
his efforts again. Obviously the money that we are authorizing under 
this bill should, to the greatest extent possible, go to goods and 
services that are made in the USA and done by Americans, and I think 
the gentleman has emphasized that point. This amendment improves a very 
good bill.
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Chairman, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall), our distinguished ranking member.
  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Chairman, this is another of the gentleman's 
many efforts to urge buy American and to support and push this country. 
I urge the adoption of the amendment. I totally support it.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the amendment offered by the 
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Traficant).
  The amendment was agreed to.
  Mr. SENSENBRENNER. Mr. Chairman, I move to strike the last word.
  Mr. Chairman, we have come to the conclusion of the debate on a bill 
which the Committee on Science sincerely believes will be one of the 
most important pieces of legislation enacted in the year 2000 by the 
106th Congress. Should the other body agree and we send this bill to 
the President for his signature, America will have made a commitment to 
the information technology research that we need to continue our 
country as number 1 in this area.
  The pipeline for Federal research breakthroughs has slowed to a 
trickle as a result of some changes that have occurred since 1986. This 
bill provides a 5-year commitment to steady increases in funding for 
civilian information technology programs in the health areas as well as 
in the areas of computer science and information technology, and 
roughly doubles the funding for these programs over the next 5 years.
  The legislation before us, H.R. 2086, focuses Federal efforts on 
basic research. Federal basic research nicely complements private 
sector-applied research. In many cases, the basic research that is done 
under this bill and which has been done in the past has been too high 
risk for the private sector to prudently invest their own money in. So 
having a Federal Government-private sector partnership where the 
taxpayers pick up the basic research that the private sector cannot do, 
and then the private sector goes and commercializes the results of 
successful basic research, will mean that we will continue our 
nationwide preeminence which provides good jobs for Americans, and I 
think has made our economy the healthiest in the world.
  Mr. Chairman, all I can say is look where information technology has 
brought this country during the decade of the 1990s. We have the 
longest peacetime sustained growth rate in the history of our country. 
Unemployment is at a 30-year low, and inflation has been kept in check. 
One only needs to compare this success for Americans with the double-
digit unemployment that has plagued the major countries in Europe and a 
Japan that has been teetering on the brink of depression for the better 
part of the last 10 years shows that we have done it right. A lot of 
the reason for America doing it right is the breakthroughs in 
information technology.
  We cannot predict where the research authorized under this bill will 
lead other than that basic research breakthroughs will lead to 
applications in disciplines from A to Z. It has happened in the past, 
and it will happen in the future.
  The bill before us provides better coordination of civilian 
information technology programs. Grouping these programs under one 
legislative umbrella will lead to better coordination and thus give the 
taxpayers more value for their dollar. The National Science Foundation 
has an enhanced role as the lead agency in this undertaking. They spend 
their money through competitive peer-reviewed grant programs. We have 
expanded the grant programs, but we have also made the grant programs 
more relevant to the private sector by requiring at least one 
representative from the private sector on each of these peer review 
committees.
  Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. 
Hall), the ranking member, and to all of the members of the Committee 
on Science for working on this cooperative effort. I think that 20 
years from now, as historians look back at what the 106th Congress did 
in the year 2000, should this bill pass through the Senate and be 
enacted into law, they will view this as probably the most important 
single piece of legislation that the Congress considers.
  So as this bill passes, we all look forward to working with the 
Senate to make sure that this investment in our Nation's future ends up 
becoming a reality.
  The CHAIRMAN. The question is on the committee amendment in the 
nature of a substitute, as amended.
  The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, 
was agreed to.
  The CHAIRMAN. Under the rule, the Committee rises.
  Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. 
Ose) having assumed the chair, Mr.

[[Page H408]]

Gillmor, Chairman of the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration 
the bill (H.R. 2086) to authorize funding for networking and 
information technology research and development for fiscal years 2000 
through 2004, and for other purposes, pursuant to House Resolution 422, 
he reported the bill back to the House with an amendment adopted by the 
Committee of the Whole.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is 
ordered.
  Is a separate vote demanded on any amendment to the committee 
amendment in the nature of a substitute adopted by the Committee of the 
Whole? If not, the question is on the amendment.
  The amendment was agreed to.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

                          ____________________