[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 138 (Tuesday, December 7, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2168-E2169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        IN SUPPORT OF H.R. 4670

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RUSH D. HOLT

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 7, 2004

  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce letters of 
endorsement for the Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment Act 
of 2005 (H.R. 4670). I have introduced the enabling bipartisan 
legislation with Mr. Houghton, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mr. Honda, Mr. 
Gordon, Mr. McDermott, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Oliver, Mr. Greenwood, Mr. 
Castle, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Frost, Mr. Berman, Mr. Ruppersberger, and 
Mr. Ehlers.
  The Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment would be a 
bicameral and bipartisan resource providing Congress with highly 
respected, impartial analysis and assessment of scientific and 
technical issues and would enable Congress better to oversee the 
Federal science and technology programs, which receives over $130 
billion, annually. Finally, the Center also would help the Congress to 
better understand complex technical issues by providing timely 
information to members of Congress and our Committees before we have to 
make difficult voting decisions and funding tradeoffs. There is growing 
support for H.R. 4670 among our Nation's best science and technology 
professionals. I submit the following letter of endorsement by several 
professional societies for H.R. 4670:

                                                  October 7, 2004.
     Hon. Rush Holt,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Amo Houghton,
     House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives Holt and Houghton: The following 
     engineering professional organizations are writing to express 
     our support for your bipartisan bill, H.R. 4670, to establish 
     a Center for Scientific and Technical Assessment (CSTA).
       America's national security and economic well-being demand 
     that the United States remain the world's leaders in advanced 
     technology in the 21st century. However, technological 
     development is advancing with unprecedented speed and 
     complexity in a truly global environment and other countries, 
     for the first time in U.S. history, are now threatening 
     America's scientific and technological preeminence. 
     Members of Congress, now more than ever, need to have 
     access to objective, timely, and sound science, 
     engineering and technology-related assessment pertinent to 
     legislation and the complex policy issues before them.
       The sheer volume and complexity of the technological data 
     facing federal legislators necessitate some mechanism for 
     balanced, non-partisan and technologically-informed analysis 
     provided in a judicious manner. A Center for Scientific and 
     Technical Assessment as envisioned in H.R. 4670 would satisfy 
     these criteria by operating under the highly respected 
     Government Accountability Office (GAO), being overseen by a 
     bipartisan, bicameral Technical Assessment Board (TAB) 
     consisting of Members of Congress and the Comptroller General 
     of the GAO, to provide nonpartisan peer reviews of all CSTA 
     reports.
       We are encouraged that this bill takes into consideration 
     the GAO's successful technical assessment pilot program as 
     well as the GAO study ``Technology Assessment: Providing 
     Independent Assessments of Technologies,'' for guidance when 
     crafting this legislation. We feel that H.R. 4670, if passed, 
     would provide a valuable service to members of the House and 
     Senate in making informed decisions on the complex 
     technological issues of the times.
       We look forward to working with you and your staff in 
     advancing this important legislation.
           Respectfully Submitted,
       American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES).
       American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
       American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
     Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
       American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

[[Page E2169]]

       Federation of Materials Societies (FMS).
       The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers--
     United States of America (IEEE-USA).
       National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
       Optical Society of America.

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