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




                               H.R. 4664

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 14, 2002

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank 
Chairman Boehlert, Ranking Member Hall, and Chairman Smith for working 
with me in a bipartisan manner on this important piece of legislation 
that makes a strong statement about our commitment to invest in 
America's future. I would also like to extend my appreciation to 
Senator Kennedy, Senator Hollings, Senator Gregg, and Senator Bond in 
the other body.
  As Ranking Member of the House Science Research Subcommittee, I am 
pleased to say that this is truly an historic piece of legislation for 
science policy in the United States. The conference report of H.R. 4664 
begins the process of doubling NSF's budget, which was the goal of H.R. 
1472, the NSF authorization bill I introduced in April of 2001. I 
introduced H.R. 1472 because I strongly believe that investing in basic 
science, math, and engineering research is essential to the future 
economic prosperity and global competitiveness of our country. Many of 
today's scientific breakthroughs in medicine, consumer electronics, 
homeland security and other technical fields are the direct result of 
investments made in basic research decades ago.
  To appreciate the importance of NSF to scientists in America, 
consider some facts. NSF provides 23 percent of basic research funding 
at academic institutions and as much as 72 percent and 78 percent of 
the research in critical areas such as mathematics and science. Yet 
despite its importance to key sectors of our nation's economy, NSF 
previously had to decline more than $1 billion worth of high quality 
research proposals each year due to insufficient funds. With the 
passage of today's conference report, that situation has begun to 
change. The increase is applied equally to research and education 
programs, and specific funding authorizations are made for the focused 
research initiatives in some of the most promising frontiers of 
science, such as information technology and nanoscale science and 
engineering. The bill also makes a number of improvements in the way 
major research projects are funded, the transparency of the agency, and 
the coordination with other federal research agencies.
  NSF also plays a leading role in educating our youth in the math and 
sciences and training the scientists and engineers of tomorrow, and the 
agency is working to ensure that tomorrow's high-tech workers reflect 
the diversity of America. This legislation includes a number of 
important initiatives that will improve upon science education in the 
United States. With Senator Kennedy's help, H.R. 4664 includes portions 
of H.R. 1660, the Mathematics and Science Proficiency Partnership Act I 
introduced in May of 2001 to help secondary schools leverage private 
sector funds for math, science, and engineering scholarships. The 
Technology Talent Act of 2002, H.R. 3130, is also included in the NSF 
reauthorization. This initiative will increase the number of students 
studying and receiving associate's or bachelor's degrees in established 
or emerging fields within science, mathematics, engineering, and 
technology. It also establishes specific grant programs in these fields 
at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and enables eligible 
nonprofit organizations to work with NSF and public-private consortia 
to improve science and math education. My home state of Texas has an 
excellent track record of these innovative partnerships.
  I am also pleased that the conference report of H.R. 4664 includes 
the text of H.R. 2051, the Regional Plant Genome and Gene Research 
Expression Act Chairman Smith and I developed together and that passed 
the House in May of 2002. The legislation establishes competitive, 
merit based grants to eligible entities to conduct basic research on 
crops that can be grown in the developing world. The research supported 
by these grants will help scientists discover innovative solutions to 
some of the developing world's most intractable problems, such as 
hunger, malnutrition, and disease. An important feature of this 
authorization is that U.S. scientists are required to partner with 
their colleagues in developing nations, which will help develop the 
scientific capacity of developing nations and stimulate the free flow 
of ideas, which is so essential to the progress of science.
  If we want future Americans to enjoy the pace of progress that we are 
blessed with today, it is imperative that we bolster funding for our 
nation's premier basic research agency, the National Science 
Foundation. H.R. 4664 is a step in the direction of making that dream 
possible. The legislation that passed last week provides our nation's 
premier science research agency with the resources it needs to continue 
and improve upon its excellent track record and authorizes a number of 
important science policy initiatives. I urge the President to sign H.R. 
4664 into law, and I look forward to working with my colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle in both chambers to ensure that NSF is fully funded 
under these new authorization levels.

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