[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S11559]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION DOUBLING ACT

  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am delighted that Congress passed 
the National Science Foundation Doubling Act last week. I have been 
working for quite some time to increase basic research funding at the 
National Science Foundation. Passing this bill at such a critical time 
for our economy is extremely important, since investing in science and 
technology is one of the best ways to ensure long-term growth.
  I am particularly pleased at the inclusion of two programs I 
authored, the Math and Science Partnership Program and the Robert Noyce 
Scholarship Program, that I separately proposed in freestanding 
legislation. Each program is an investment designed to strengthen and 
improve math and science education at elementary and secondary schools.
  The Math and Science Partnership Program has strong bipartisan 
support, and President Bush requested and received funding in last 
year's appropriation bill to jump start this important program. The 
Math and Science Partnership program's inclusion in the reauthorization 
bill is important to provide both policy guidance and a long-term 
commitment to the program. This legislation provides increasing funding 
for math and science partnerships for five years, with a specific 
recommendation of $900 million for the first 3 years.
  These grants will be awarded to universities, businesses, and State 
agencies to coordinate activities in math and science education for 
elementary and secondary school students. For example, funding could be 
given to a university which is working with a local business to offer 
workshops to kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, giving them new 
ideas for teaching science and math classes. Since introducing this 
initiative, I have visited many West Virginia classrooms, and teachers 
are excited about the potential for this program. Teachers are eager to 
partner with engineers and scientists from business and academia to 
engage students in high quality science and math programs.
  The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program will similarly take a big step 
toward improving math and science education in schools. By awarding 
college scholarships in exchange for a promise from leading college 
students to teach in disadvantaged elementary and secondary schools, 
this program is intended to attract the most motivated students into 
the teaching profession. This NSF bill provides funding for the Noyce 
program for 5 years, with a recommendation of $60 million for the first 
3 years.
  Together, the Math and Science Partnership Program and the Noyce 
Scholarship Program will help the country in many ways. Promoting math 
and science education for our children is the most important investment 
we can make for the future of science and technology in the United 
States. I truly appreciate the bipartisan support for these incentives. 
I particularly want to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of 
House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert, who introduced the 
companion bill in the House and has been an ally for many years on 
science and education issues.
  In addition to bolstering elementary and secondary math and science 
education, this bill also strives to stimulate scientific research 
throughout the country with the Experimental Program to Stimulate 
Competitive Research, EPSCoR. This program targets States, like West 
Virginia, that have historically had low amounts of science and 
technology research, and uses a State's own science and technology 
resources to promote economic development.
  Under EPSCoR, disadvantaged states still must develop competitive 
proposals that pass peer review standards at NSF, but states do get 
assistance to become competitive and develop their research capacity. 
It is essential to encourage many states to invest in research. For 
many years, I have worked closely with the West Virginia EPSCoR 
program, and I am proud of its work. I know that this program has 
helped to leverage research and investment in our State. It has also 
helped to promote partnerships within our state universities and 
colleges, which is vital.
  With this NSF bill, EPSCoR is a declared priority for NSF. Helping 
West Virginia and other states become competitive in first class 
research helps the individual States and our country as a whole.
  Overall, the most important part of this legislation is the plan to 
double the NSF budget over the next 5 years, with the increases in the 
fourth and fifth year contingent on NSF meeting performance measures. 
This increase in funding will increase the length and amount of all 
research grants funded through NSF, giving researchers a better 
opportunity to conduct more in-depth studies and concentrate on 
discovery rather than grant proposals.
  These types of grants are essential to technological and scientific 
advancements, which are the engines for long-term economic prosperity. 
Indeed, realizing the vital role that NSF plays in the economy's long-
term health, some have called for a tripling of the NSF budget. Many of 
the discoveries currently occurring in other fields, including health 
care, are linked to the basic research in math, computing, and science 
that is supported by the NSF. By seeking to increase the agency's 
budget, the Congress has helped to ensure that the United States 
remains the world's leader in science and technology research and 
development.
  Once again, I am proud that Congress has passed this valuable, 
bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to its approval by President 
Bush.

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