[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 42 (Tuesday, April 12, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S3488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. Durbin):
  S. 765. A bill to preserve mathematics- and science-based industries 
in the United States; to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and 
Pensions.
  Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce, along with 
Senator Durbin, an important bipartisan bill related to education and 
our national, homeland, and economic security. My good friend and 
colleague in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Frank Wolf, 
is introducing the same legislation today in the House.
  Without a doubt, our ability to remain ahead of the curve in 
scientific and technological advancements is a key component to 
ensuring America's national, homeland and economic security in the post 
9/11 world of global terrorism.
  Yet alarmingly, the bottom line is that America faces a huge shortage 
of home-grown, highly trained scientific minds.
  The situation America faces today is not unlike almost 50 years ago. 
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first 
man-made satellite into space, Sputnik. The launch shocked America, as 
many of us had assumed that we were preeminent in the scientific 
fields. While prior to that unforgettable day America enjoyed an air of 
post World War II invincibility; afterwards our Nation recognized that 
there was a cost to its complacency. We had fallen behind.
  In the months and years to follow, we would respond with massive 
investments in science, technology and engineering. In 1958, Congress 
passed legislation creating the National Defense Education Act, which 
was designed to stimulate advancement in science and mathematics. In 
addition, President Eisenhower signed into law legislation that 
established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). 
And a few years later, in 1961, President Kennedy set the Nation's goal 
of landing a man on the moon within the decade.
  These investments paid off. In the years following the Sputnik 
launch, America not only closed the scientific and technological gap 
with the Soviet Union, we surpassed them. Our renewed commitment to 
science and technology not only enabled us to safely land a man on the 
moon in 1969, it spurred research and development which helped ensure 
that our modern military has always had the best equipment and 
technology in the world. These post-Sputnik investments also laid the 
foundation for the creation of some of the most significant 
technologies of modern life, including personal computers and the 
Internet.
  Why is any of this important to us today? Because, as the old saying 
goes--he or she who fails to remember history is bound to repeat it.
  The truth of the matter is that today America's education system is 
coming up short in training the highly technical American minds that we 
now need and will continue to need far into the future.
  The 2003 Program for International Student Assessment found that the 
math, problem solving, and science skills of fifteen year old students 
in the United States were below average when compared to their 
international counterparts in industrialized countries. While a little 
bit better news was presented by the recently released 2003 Trends in 
International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), it is still 
nothing we should cheer about. TIMSS showed that eighth grade students 
in the U.S. had lower average math scores than fifteen other 
participating countries. U.S. science scores weren't much better.
  Our colleges and universities are not immune to the waning 
achievement in math and science education. The National Science 
Foundation reports the percentage of bachelor degrees in science and 
engineering have been declining in the U.S. for nearly two decades. In 
fact, the proportion of college-age students earning degrees in math, 
science, and engineering was substantially higher in 16 countries in 
Asia and Europe than it was in the United States.
  In the past, this country has been able to compensate for its 
shortfall in homegrown, highly trained, technical and scientific talent 
by importing the necessary brain power from foreign countries. However, 
with increased global competition, this is becoming harder and harder. 
More and more of our imported brain power is returning home to their 
native countries. And regrettably, as they return home, many American 
high tech jobs are being outsourced with them.
  Moreover, in the post 9/11 era, it is more important than ever from a 
security perspective to have American citizens performing certain 
tasks. We cannot run the risk of having to out-source the security of 
this country simply because we don't have enough highly trained U.S. 
citizens to meet our America's needs.
  The legislation we are introducing today is a targeted measure that 
will help America meet its needs by providing strong incentives to 
students and graduates to pursue studies and careers in these important 
scientific and technical fields.
  Our bill simply allows the Federal Government to pay the interest on 
undergraduate student loans for certain graduates of math, science, or 
engineering programs who agree to work in the United States in these 
fields for 5 consecutive years. Priority will be given to those 
students with degrees in majors that are key to protecting our 
national, homeland and economic security as a nation.
  Almost 50 years ago our Nation learned a lesson about the cost of 
complacency in science and technology. While we responded with 
immediate vigor and ultimately prevailed, today, new dangers are upon 
us.
  Once again, America must rise to meet a new challenge. In my view, 
this initiative is an important step forward that will encourage 
Americans to enter important fields of study that are crucial to the 
national, homeland, and economic security of this country.
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