[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2102-E2103]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                               H.R. 4664

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. RALPH M. HALL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National 
Science Foundation Authorization Act, H.R. 4664, which provides a 5-
year reauthorization for the National Science Foundation's research and 
education programs.
  The bill represents a bipartisan effort to provide the level of 
resources necessary to sustain the important work of the National 
Science Foundation in science and engineering research and education.
  I want to congratulate Research Subcommittee Chairman Smith and 
Ranking Democratic Member Eddie Bernice Johnson for their efforts to 
craft the bill. I also want to thank Science Committee Chairman 
Boehlert for his leadership and for working closely with this side of 
the aisle in developing the bill.
  NSF is our premier agency for support of basic research at academic 
institutions in the physical sciences and the non-medical biological 
sciences, in mathematics, and in engineering. Basic research 
discoveries launch new industries that bring returns to the economy far 
exceeding the original public investment.
  In fact, over the past 50 years, half of U.S. economic productivity 
can be attributed to technological innovation and the science that has 
supported it. Unfortunately, the simple truth is that during the 1990s 
we under invested in the fields of science that NSF supports.
  A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences provides 
specific examples that make this case. The report shows that between 
1993 and 1999 federal research support at academic institutions fell by 
14 percent in mathematics, by 7 percent in physics, by 2 percent in 
chemistry, and by 12 percent in electrical engineering.
  Inadequate funding for basic research in such important fields 
imposes a price on society, because new ideas are lost that would 
otherwise underpin future technological advances.
  Of even more importance, anemic funding of academic science and 
engineering research reduces the numbers of new young scientists and 
engineers, who constitute the essential element necessary to ensure the 
nation's future economic strength and security.
  H.R. 4664 authorizes funding growth for NSF of 15 percent per year 
for 5 years, bringing the total authorization level to $9.8 billion by 
the final year. This follows the funding path to double NSF's budget 
over 5 years, as was proposed by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson in the NSF 
authorization bill she introduced, and I cosponsored, last year.
  The funding growth proposed by H.R. 4664 will enable the Foundation 
to expand its investments in cutting-edge research initiatives and 
shore up its core research programs.
  In particular, this new funding will enable NSF to increase average 
grant size and duration, as well as increase the number of new awards. 
Due to budget constraints, NSF now declines more than $1 billion 
dollars worth of research applications each year that receive merit 
review scores as high or higher than the average score for funded 
applications.
  The funding authorized by H.R. 4664 will also begin to address the 
growing imbalance in federal support for fundamental research in the 
physical sciences and engineering relative to the biomedical fields. 
This is a serious matter because, for any field of science, progress is 
dependent on advances made in other fields. As pointed out by the past 
director of the National Institutes of Health, Nobel Laureate Harold 
Varmus, most of the revolutionary changes that have occurred in biology 
and medicine are rooted in new methods that, in turn, are usually 
rooted in fundamental discoveries in many different fields.
  For the past half-decade, we have been very free in our support of 
biomedical research. I consider that to be a very good thing for all of 
our people. However, investing too narrowly in medical fields without 
investing in all the other sciences--sciences that contribute to the 
base of knowledge necessary for medical breakthroughs--will lead to a 
slowdown in medical progress in the long run.
  H.R. 4664 will provide the resources needed by NSF to support 
multidisciplinary research initiatives in such areas as nanotechnology, 
information technology, and the mathematical sciences. It will allow 
construction of new national user facilities for astronomers, 
computational scientists, earth and atmospheric scientists, and life 
scientists.
  And equally important, the bill institutes new programs to strengthen 
science and math education in the schools and to train the scientists 
and engineers the nation needs for the future. Without a constant 
infusion of well-trained, talented young people into technically 
challenging fields, our country would lose its edge on the rest of the 
world.
  H.R. 4664 incorporates many provisions from the National Mathematics 
and Science Partnerships Act that passed the House earlier this year. 
These important provisions are designed to bring more support to our K-
12 science and math teachers, their students, and their schools. The 
overall goal is to help our children become much more proficient in 
science and math, and I am confident that the programs authorized by 
this bill will do just that.
  I would particularly like to highlight some programs incorporated in 
H.R. 4664 that originated in H.R. 1693, a science education bill I 
introduced with many of my Democratic colleagues from the Science 
Committee. These include research to explore ways to effectively use 
educational technologies in the classroom and programs to encourage and 
support women and minorities in pursuing careers in science and 
engineering.

[[Page E2103]]

  H.R. 4664 also includes substantial provisions from the Undergraduate 
Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education Improvement 
Act, H.R. 3130, that authorize several programs at the National Science 
Foundation to strengthen undergraduate education in these fields of 
study. Basically, these programs will help increase the numbers of 
students graduating in science, math and engineering and will help 
improve the quality of undergraduate science education.
  The undergraduate educational programs build on existing NSF programs 
that have proven their effectiveness, such as Research Experiences for 
Undergraduates. Similarly, the bill will provide support for the 
expansion of successful, small-scale undergraduate education reform 
activities that some colleges and universities have been engaged in.
  H.R. 4664 is an important bill that will help ensure the nation 
maintains a vigorous basic research enterprise, which is an essential 
component for a strong economy and for national security. And equally 
important, it will help educate the next generation of scientists and 
engineers, the essential ingredient in ensuring the nation's 
technological strength.
  Mr. Speaker, I commend this measure to my colleagues and ask for 
their support for its passage by the House.

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