[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 64 (Friday, April 20, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4790-S4802]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AMERICA COMPETES ACT

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Under the previous order, the 
Senate will proceed to consideration of S. 761, which the clerk will 
report.
  The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 761) to invest in innovation and education to 
     improve the competitiveness of the United States in the 
     global economy.

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, sometime last year, word was received that 
Senators Bingaman and Alexander had an idea. The idea was to do 
something about our country's educational slide the wrong way. I spoke 
to them on several occasions. They wanted to see what we could do to 
increase our competitiveness internationally. Their suggestion was, 
first, let's do a study and find out how bad it is; is it as bad as we 
think it is. These two fine Senators got other Senators to join with 
them in the idea. They received a study from the National Academy of 
Sciences to find out where we were internationally with our science 
programs. The information was not good. As a result of that, we have 
the legislation now before the Senate.
  This legislation is not the know-all and cure-all, but it is 
certainly a major step forward, if we can do this, and there is no 
reason we cannot.
  I am happy and pleased to speak about the America COMPETES 
legislation. America COMPETES comes from the words ``creating 
opportunities to meaningfully promote excellence in technology, 
education, and science,'' COMPETES. This is something we should do and 
are doing on a bipartisan basis. The bill is sponsored by both leaders 
and 50 Senators. That is a step in the right direction. Frankly, this 
is the way we used to do legislation here. There was so much that was 
done on a bipartisan basis. If we are able to complete this 
legislation, it will allow us to move forward on other meaningful 
legislation dealing with this subject generally.
  The bill is the result clearly of a truly bipartisan effort. This 
legislation has been in the making for 2 years. I said last year. Time 
flies by. It was the year before last that these two Senators came to 
me to talk about this subject. They asked the National Academy to make 
recommendations on steps we should take as a nation to maintain our 
competitive advantage. The result was the Augustine report, ``Rising 
Above the Gathering Storm.'' The report warned that the Nation's 
traditional advantages are eroding at a time when many other nations 
are gathering strength and that decisive action is needed now.
  We faced a challenge such as this before, one that occurred when I 
was in high school. In 1957, when the Soviets launched Sputnik, there 
was panic and concern. That panic and concern came about from our 
inability to do what they were doing to maintain our technological 
superiority. The Soviet Union clearly was ahead of us. Our great 
country responded to these threats quickly. The following year Congress 
passed, on a bipartisan basis, the National Defense Education Act, the 
sole purpose of which was to keep the United States ahead of the Soviet 
Union, to increase investment in math and science education. As a 
result of that bipartisan legislation, our country trained a whole new 
generation of engineers and scientists and ensured our preeminence in 
technology innovation for a generation.
  The fact is, Federal investment in the basic sciences and research 
has long been a critical component of America's competitive dominance 
globally. Some economists have estimated that more than half of the 
country's economic growth since World War II has been a result of that 
technological innovation and dominance. Today, sadly, our position of 
dominance has been lost. We can debate where we are, but our dominance 
is not there--strong, of course, but dominant, no. We are challenged by 
emerging countries such as India and China where national investment in 
basic research, math, and science education continues to grow at a far 
greater pace than in the United States.

  The Augustine panel cited many examples, but some statistics are 
striking. Consider that in 2005, more than 600,000 engineers graduated 
from institutions of higher education in China, 600,000; 350,000 in 
India; in the United States, 70,000--70,000 in the United States, 
600,000 in China, and 350,000 in India. We can't keep up at that rate. 
China's population is more than the United States, of course, yet they 
graduate eight times the number of engineers even though they are only 
three times larger than the United States. The report also found that 
American 12th graders, seniors in high school, performed below the 
national average for 21 countries on a general knowledge of math and 
science.
  Another study cited in the report had American 15-year-olds rank 24th 
out of 40 countries on a math assessment. I am embarrassed to tell the 
Senate and everyone within the sound of my voice Nevada students ranked 
43rd out of 50 States in the Nation on math assessment.

[[Page S4791]]

  As other countries become more competitive, it is clear we must 
refocus our energies on enhancing the Federal commitment to funding 
basic research in education.
  My mind goes back to Paul Simon. The three of us had the opportunity 
to serve with him. Of course, Senator Alexander served with him in 
different capacities when he was part of the Cabinet. He was a 
wonderful man, uneducated himself, no college education, wrote more 
than 20 books. He was a newspaper publisher when he was 19 years old. 
He knew that education was important, even though he was uneducated. He 
wrote a book called ``The Tongue-Tied American,'' about our declining 
knowledge of languages and how it was hurting us internationally. I 
joined with him in legislation to give summer workshop programs 
sponsored by the Federal Government where we could pay math and science 
teachers on an elementary and secondary level so they could make more 
money than other teachers to keep up with math and science and keep 
them in the classroom. Paul Simon has passed away, but I am sure he is 
smiling on us today as a result of our trying to move forward on 
something that was his vision many years ago.
  The America COMPETES Act addresses concerns of Paul Simon and the 
National Science Foundation. It is in effect a downpayment, a very 
modest first step in ensuring that America retains its competitive 
edge.
  I extend my appreciation to Senators Bingaman and Alexander for 
authorizing the academy study. This study, along with a number of 
recent reports and books, brought a much needed sense of urgency to 
this issue. There are also chairmen and ranking members of committees 
who have expressed an interest in and support of what we are doing. 
Senators Inouye, Stevens, Kennedy, Enzi, Lieberman, Ensign, Mikulski, 
Hutchison, and Nelson of Florida have been instrumental in crafting 
this legislation. This legislation will double the Federal investment 
for the National Science Foundation over the next 4 years and for the 
Office of Science at the Department of Energy over the next decade. I 
personally think it should be more than five. I am happy if we can do 
this. I hope we can. I am confident we can.
  The bill provides grants to States in order to better align 
elementary and secondary school curriculum with the knowledge and 
skills needed for the global economy. Nevada has a program recognizing 
where we are in the overall scheme. It is called a P-16 Council.

  This Federal legislation we have introduced and are considering now 
will also strengthen our math and science teaching workforce--that was 
Paul Simon's dream--by recruiting and training teachers to teach in 
high-need schools and help improve math instruction at the elementary 
and middle school level, through Math Now grants.
  I suggest to the two authors and the two managers of this bill we go 
back and look at the idea Senator Simon had--and I joined with him--
that we have summer workshop programs sponsored by the Federal 
Government for elementary and secondary teachers so they can update 
their math and science skills, get paid for doing that, and stay 
teaching. We have such a shortage of math and science teachers.
  On the high school level, we have far fewer physics teachers than we 
have schools. Of course, the other reason for doing this is, with the 
collective bargaining agreements--I support them, and we have them in 
many of our schools, in most of our school districts--it makes it very 
difficult to pay math or science teachers more than you can pay a PE 
teacher. This summer workshop program would allow that to take place.
  So I hope that is something Senator Alexander and Senator Bingaman 
will look at and see if we can come up with that. It is not only 
important to produce these math and science teachers but to keep them 
in the schools also.
  America COMPETES will expand important advanced placement and 
international baccalaureate, IB, programs by increasing the number of 
math, science, and foreign languages AP and IB courses and preparing 
more teachers to teach these challenging courses. This is essential for 
all States. But take, again, Nevada, where only 6 percent of 12th 
graders took the AP calculus exam and only 7 percent took the AP 
science exam.
  If signed into law, our bill will do much of what the Augustine 
Report recommended, but the truth is, in years to come we will have to 
do even more.
  Although we make new and significant investments in research, we 
still must address our tax structure and make sure we do as much as 
possible to encourage investment in research and development.
  In 1844, this Congress was approached by an individual who said he 
had a great idea. He could not raise the money in the private sector, 
but he had an idea that would revolutionize the communications of this 
country, and in 1844 Congress appropriated $40,000 for a man to build a 
telegraph line between Washington, DC, and Baltimore, MD.
It revolutionized--revolutionized--the communication industry, the 
telegraph.
  The Federal Government is going to have to understand there are times 
when we have to advance moneys for research and development that cannot 
come from the private sector. I hope we will look to do it. We should 
start by finally making the R&D tax credit permanent.
  We must also do more in education. The bill strengthens educational 
opportunities in science, technology, engineering, math, and critical 
foreign languages, but this, again, is a first step--but it is a big 
first step.
  As an example, we must take a very hard look at our high schools. As 
Bill Gates has said, and often, our high schools were designed for a 
20th century economy and often do not address the needs of the 21st 
century workforce.
  Bill Gates and Melinda Gates now are giving money to schools, school 
districts, but they have a lot of strings on it. For example, recently 
they gave money to a New York school district, with this proviso: You 
can only use this money if you are going to make your schools smaller.
  Nevada, again--we have high schools in Nevada that have more than 
5,000 students. How in the world can students learn well--and try to 
make that basketball team--with 5,000 students? Some of the schools are 
not that big now, but we have many schools in southern Nevada that have 
over 3,000 students. So the Gates recognize this. We have to recognize 
this also as part of our problem. The average school in America is 
about 50 years old.
  We should also realize that unless our most basic commitments to 
America's students are met--by properly funding title I and No Child 
Left Behind and making a college education accessible and affordable--
these efforts alone in this bill cannot prepare our students for the 
global economy.
  The American COMPETES Act is a tremendously important step in 
maintaining this Nation's competitive advantage. I look forward to 
doing whatever I can to make this legislation a reality.
  I express my appreciation to the Republican leader for joining in 
this legislation. This is something he and I have talked about now for 
3 months since we have assumed our roles in this 110th Congress. We are 
going to work to make sure this legislation goes forward.
  I say to everyone within the sound of my voice, for this legislation 
there is going to be no cloture motion filed.
  We are either going to do this or not do it. This is something we 
need to do. We need to prove we can do things on a bipartisan basis. 
And if we cannot do this, Mr. President, we are in real trouble.
  So I hope we can move forward on this legislation. I hope it sets a 
foundation for the first of many items we can do on a bipartisan basis 
to move this country forward.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Republican leader is 
recognized.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I thank my good friend, the majority 
leader, for his remarks and indicate that even though this is a Reid-
McConnell bill, the true inspirations for this measure being on the 
Senate floor right now are Senator Alexander from Tennessee and Senator 
Bingaman from New Mexico.
  They made an extraordinary contribution in pulling together a 
disparate group of Senators from different committees to produce an 
extremely important piece of legislation.

[[Page S4792]]

  The America COMPETES Act is vitally important legislation that this 
Senate must pass to ensure America retains its competitive edge in the 
global economy of the 21st century.
  This bill, sponsored by my good friend and counterpart on the other 
side of the aisle, Senator Reid, also enjoys broad bipartisan support, 
as I just indicated. Our two parties' cooperation shows how we can and 
should work together to accomplish important things for the American 
people.
  The story of this bill began 2 years ago, when Senators Alexander and 
Bingaman, from the Energy Committee, with then-Chairman Pete Domenici's 
blessing, asked the National Academy of Sciences a simple question: 
What are the top 10 actions that policymakers in Washington could take 
to keep America in the lead in science and technology for the 21st 
century?
  That was the question. The National Academies turned to leaders of 
business, government, and academia for an answer, including three Nobel 
prize winners and a university president who is now the Secretary of 
Defense.
  The respected former CEO of Lockheed Martin, Norm Augustine, headed 
the panel and produced the report we have all heard so much about, 
titled ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm.''
  Mr. Augustine summed up the problem we face when he wrote in that 
report:

       In the five decades since I began working in the aerospace 
     industry, I have never seen American business and academic 
     leaders as concerned about this nation's future prosperity as 
     they are today.

  However, his report also specifically recommended to us how we attack 
this problem, and maintain America's lead in science and innovation.
  Additional recommendations were made by the Council on 
Competitiveness and by the President in his American Competitiveness 
Initiative.
  The good news is, boosting the number of rocket scientists--along 
with mathematicians, engineers, and computer designers--is not rocket 
science. We currently have the greatest scientific and technological 
enterprise in the world.
  We have the finest system of colleges and universities anywhere. But 
in many ways we have become complacent, while other countries are 
catching up.
  They see by investing in science and technology and in the education 
of their citizens, they can attract jobs and create wealth. We must 
make the same investment in our future if we are to maintain our 
leadership through this century and beyond in the global marketplace.
  This bill, S. 761, will help maintain and improve the competitive 
edge of the United States over the next century by increasing our 
investment in basic research, strengthening educational opportunities 
in science, technology, engineering, and math at all educational 
levels, and encouraging young people to pursue careers in those fields.
  From my home State of Kentucky, that means scholarships for future 
math and science teachers. It means increased research and development 
at our State universities, which could lead to new discoveries, new 
high-tech companies, and, of course, new jobs.
  This fall, Kentucky will open the Academy of Mathematics and Science 
in Kentucky at Western Kentucky University, located in Bowling Green. 
Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Julia Roberts, director of the Center 
for Gifted Studies at WKU, the academy will bring together talented 
high-school students from all over the Commonwealth to study advanced 
math and science year-round--year-round--for college credit.
  This bill will provide Federal support to advanced academies such as 
the Kentucky Academy throughout the Nation. A good friend of mine at 
the University of Kentucky, its president, Lee Todd, has also been 
working for decades to highlight the importance of math, science, and 
engineering in keeping Kentucky competitive. In a letter he recently 
sent me, President Todd wrote:

       The National Academies' report ``Rising Above the Gathering 
     Storm'' has the wrong title. The ``storm'' is not gathering--
     it is already here. . . . We are putting our economic future 
     at risk. We must do better.

  Now, President Todd knows what he is talking about. Prior to assuming 
the presidency of one of the State's flagship institutions of higher 
learning, he was a highly regarded engineer and successful 
entrepreneur. He has built technology companies that compete in the 
global economy, and he understands the challenges we face.
  The America COMPETES Act will make it easier for leaders like him to 
create more opportunities for technical learning and careers. I want to 
commend him for all the hard work he has done, and I ask unanimous 
consent his entire letter be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                          Office of the President,


                                       University of Kentucky,

                                     Lexington, KY, March 8, 2007.
     Hon. Mitch McConnell,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator McConnell: The ``America COMPETES Act'' 
     provides the visionary investment in education and research 
     America needs, and we appreciate your continued leadership in 
     support of the act. If we are serious about competing in the 
     global economy, we have to pursue bold policy change.
       The National Academies' report ``Rising above the Gathering 
     Storm'' has the wrong title. The ``storm'' is not gathering--
     it is already here. America is not producing enough 
     engineers, scientists, and mathematicians to maintain our 
     role as a world leader in technological advance. We are 
     putting our economic future at risk. We must do better.
       The same is true for Kentucky. If we want to recruit and 
     retain knowledge-based businesses, we have to change the way 
     we teach our kids. We must inspire a lot more of them to seek 
     technical careers, and they need to have the skills necessary 
     to fill high-paying jobs and create new ones. That is why I 
     am leading a statewide Task Force on Science, Technology, 
     Engineering, and Math (STEM). We will soon announce 
     recommendations that have much in common with the ``America 
     COMPETES Act.'' Tinkering with Kentucky's current structure 
     will not be enough if we want real and lasting change in math 
     and science education. The time has come for fundamental 
     change.
       A second initiative the Task Force will share with the 
     ``America COMPETES Act'' is recognition of the vital role 
     energy education and research play in our future economic and 
     homeland security. Kentucky is well positioned to provide 
     solutions to America's need for energy independence.
       Senator McConnell, I want our state to be a national leader 
     in producing STEM graduates and solving America's energy 
     problems. For too long, we have been willing to wait and 
     watch as other states make tough choices that result in 
     progress for them and leftovers for us. Kentucky has that 
     opportunity to lead right now if we are willing to take 
     action. I am ready to work with you in any way I can to move 
     Kentucky and America forward.
       Thank you again for your leadership in math and science and 
     your strong and consistent support for the University of 
     Kentucky.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Lee T. Todd, Jr.,
                                                        President.

  Mr. McCONNELL. Finally, Mr. President, I especially want to commend, 
once again, as I did at the outset of my remarks, my good friend from 
the neighboring State of Tennessee, Senator Alexander, for his 
extraordinary leadership in building the case for this legislation, 
helping to craft its various components, and shepherding it through 
each stage of the process to this point.
  It was Senator Alexander who, 2 years ago, along with Senator 
Bingaman, asked the National Academy of Sciences the question that led 
to their recommendations, and sparked this entire process.
  Their inquiry led to the release of the Academy's report, which made 
plain for all that the leadership of the United States in science and 
technology is eroding, with serious consequences for our workers, our 
jobs, our economy, and our very way of life.
  Three different committees contributed titles to this bill--the 
Energy, Commerce and HELP Committees--so I also want to thank those 
committees' leaders--Senators Inouye and Stevens, Senators Domenici and 
Bingaman, and Senators Kennedy and Enzi--for their cooperation and hard 
work on this important bipartisan bill.
  In a sign of how cooperative their efforts have been, this bill was 
actually assembled last year when Republicans held the majority, but it 
was created in such a bipartisan fashion that we are bringing the very 
same bill up today under a Democratic majority.
  That is a credit to the Republican leaders of these three committees, 
who worked closely with their Democratic counterparts every step of the 
way to craft this important legislation.

[[Page S4793]]

  I also want to recognize the efforts of my friend and predecessor as 
Republican leader, Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee. Senator Frist 
invested a great deal of time and energy last year to bring these three 
committees together, and he was the primary sponsor of the bill last 
year, along with Senator Reid.
  America has led the world in innovation for over a century. From the 
light bulb, to the airplane, to the integrated circuit, America has 
given the world the tools to live happier, easier, and more productive 
lives.
  Now the rest of the world is beginning to catch up. Nations such as 
China and India are seeing the benefits of brainpower and what it can 
do to remake their economies.
  The America COMPETES Act is the best way to keep more of the jobs of 
the 21st century right here in America, and the best way to ensure that 
our children have the skills to keep America at the forefront of 
innovation and discovery.
  Once again, I thank all of my colleagues for working on this 
comprehensive, bipartisan solution to reinvigorate scientific 
exploration and invention at home. This bill is an investment in our 
children, our schools, and in the future of America.
  It is a bill this Senate can pass and the President can sign into 
law. With my colleagues' support, I hope to see exactly that in the 
very near future.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from New Mexico.
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, first I thank Senator Reid and Senator 
McConnell for their fine statements and their willingness to be the 
lead in bringing this bill to the floor. It is bipartisan legislation. 
It is legislation that was developed in the last Congress. We were not 
able to complete action on it there, so we are trying to do so at this 
time.
  It does represent the work of three committees over the past year. 
Those are the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Commerce, 
Science and Transportation Committee and, of course, the Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. I am fortunate to serve on two 
of those committees.
  The chairman and ranking member of each of the three committees are 
cosponsoring this bill. In fact, we now have 57 Members of the Senate 
who are cosponsoring this legislation, with Senators Reid and McConnell 
as the lead sponsors.
  This bill reflects a deep undercurrent of anxiety in this country. It 
was highlighted recently by the very best-selling book by Tom Friedman 
called ``The World Is Flat.'' It is also highlighted by the report to 
which Senator McConnell just referred, the ``Rising Above the Gathering 
Storm'' report issued by the National Academies of Science and 
Engineering. Both of these publications highlight a strengthening, 
worldwide, of the effort in science and technology.
  Although we in the United States are still a world leader in these 
areas, other nations are clearly catching up. Without effort and 
intervention now, and attention to this issue now, I fear we may lose 
our edge in high technology areas that are critical to our future 
economy. The high technology competition has been an ongoing effort and 
continues and will continue indefinitely.
  In the 1980s, during the Cold War, we were about to lose our 
semiconductor leadership to Japan. Motivated then by national security 
concerns, the U.S. Government worked with industry to help preserve our 
domestic chip-making capability. Along with Secretary of Defense Caspar 
Weinberger and Dr. Bob Noyce, Gordon Moore from Intel, and others, we 
were able to launch a public-private partnership called Sematech. This 
partnership developed early phase technologies designed to keep our 
semiconductor industry competitive.
  Sematech was a success. It kept our industry competitive through the 
1990s and even today. But the issue we are faced with here in 2007 is 
even more troubling. India and China and other countries from the 
former Soviet Union now represent nearly 3 billion new capitalists who 
are coming at us in a competitive way through the Internet where, in 
one click, anyone in this country can order a product from anywhere in 
the world and have that delivered to his or her doorstep. Not only can 
these countries and entrepreneurs in these countries manufacture at a 
fraction of the cost that oftentimes is required here in the United 
States, but in coordination with their Governments they are climbing up 
the value chain by developing the professional talents in areas such as 
research and engineering and in telemedicine and in finance--in a whole 
variety of areas.
  We have taken for granted that our Nation would never be displaced in 
many of these areas. These are areas that represent part of the pillars 
of our national identity. Many Americans have grown up assuming the 
United States would always be the leader in high technology, but that 
is not a foregone conclusion. It is not the simple box fan that is 
being made in China today that concerns people. It is the sophisticated 
code from Beijing for enterprise server software or state-of-the-art 
locomotives and turbines designed in Bangalore when they used to be 
designed in this country.
  The data paints a disturbing picture about the trends with which we 
are faced. Right now the United States invests about 2.7 percent of its 
gross domestic product in research and development. That is not bad. It 
puts us No. 5 in the world in the percentage of our gross domestic 
product invested in research and development. Yet we are still behind 
Korea. We are still behind Japan. Both those countries invest over 3 
percent of their gross domestic product in research and development.
  However, the issue is not to look at the static snapshot that says 
today we are fifth in this level of effort, but to look at the change 
in the rate of commitment over time.
  Let me do that with a chart here. I have several charts I want to 
briefly take people through, to make the case for what we are up 
against. This is the Emerging Economies Rapidly Increasing Research and 
Development Investments chart. The top line with the orange dots upon 
it shows the United States and shows we are investing more than other 
nations. But the bottom line, which, of course, is rising rapidly, is 
fast-growing economies. Those economies are specifically China, 
Ireland, Israel, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. So clearly we have 
a circumstance where the rate of change is not favorable to us. In 
fact, during this same timeframe, China's research and development per 
GDP grew from .6 percent to 1.4 percent. That is still well behind us, 
the United States, but it doubled in slightly more than a half dozen 
years, at a 7-percent annual growth rate.
  The trend line on the chart is self-evident. We need to begin to 
focus again on this area if we are going to maintain our ability to 
compete in biotechnology, in semiconductors, in flat panel displays. In 
some of those areas, particularly flat panel displays, the reality is 
we no longer compete effectively.
  Let me move to a second chart. This second chart shows the widening 
trade deficit in certain advanced technologies, in areas such as 
semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and telecommunications. As the 
sophistication of the imports we bring into this country increases, so 
will the sophistication of the research and development that is needed 
to support this type of manufacturing. You can see this orange line 
here, which represents the trade balance in advanced technology. You 
can see that up until somewhere around 2000, or the late 1990s, we had 
a very positive balance of trade with regard to advanced technology 
products. Since then, the line has been going down and going down 
rapidly. This is a concern which all of us should focus on, and this 
legislation is designed to address this concern head on.
  The third chart shows the average science literacy score of 15-year-
old students by country. This is very hard to read. Unfortunately, the 
lettering is too small. But the main point can be understood. These, of 
course, are the future scientists and engineers in the world, young 
people on whom we depend to become future scientists and engineers and 
innovators. Obviously, we are concerned that the United States ranks 
way down here on the chart compared to 15-year-old students in all of 
these countries above us: Japan, South Korea, Australia, Netherlands, 
Czech Republic, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, France, Belgium, 
Sweden, Ireland, Hungary--you can follow on down. We come in right 
behind Iceland. We need to do better. I think

[[Page S4794]]

everyone in this country who is concerned about the future of our 
economy and the future of our children knows we need to do better by 
those children and provide a better opportunity for them to compete in 
this world.

  Let me move to the fourth chart. If we look further up the pipeline 
of future innovators, the news is not that much better. This chart 
shows the fraction of United States undergraduates who receive science 
and engineering degrees, so you can see that at least three times more 
college students graduate with science and engineering degrees in China 
each year than in the United States. This is not a favorable trend 
either. Obviously, there are more people in China. But our ability to 
compete in the world, to a substantial extent, is going to depend on 
how many people we can train and equip to compete in this science and 
competition.
  The fifth chart I have here relates to trained scientists and 
engineers. This shows that China now produces almost as many Ph.D.'s as 
the United States. Again, the trend is the disturbing part of this 
chart. It is not that China is producing nearly as many doctoral 
degrees in the natural sciences and math and engineering as is the 
United States today. That is a fact but one that does not cause great 
concern. The concern is that we were dominant in this area and have 
been for a very long time. Now that has changed very dramatically. 
Universities in these other countries are first-class universities and 
people need to focus on that. Universities such as Tsinghua, in China, 
are very high quality. If they turn out a Ph.D. in engineering or 
science or the natural sciences in these schools, those individuals are 
world-class scientists in their fields.
  There is a 1995 quote by Alan Greenspan that sums up the importance 
of investment in research and development and education:

       Had the innovations of recent decades, especially in 
     information technologies, not come to fruition, productivity 
     growth would have continued to languish at the rate of the 
     preceding 20 years.

  Much of the prosperity we have enjoyed and have come to expect has 
been the result of the focus we have had on science and engineering in 
our history.
  The final chart I have here is one from ``The Economist.'' It is 
based on the 2006 work that was done by three individuals at the 
Federal Reserve. It deals with this broad category of so-called 
intangible assets, assets such as research and development, information 
technology, even finance.
  Basically what it says is, as a percentage of gross domestic product, 
there is a very large amount of our gross domestic product that is tied 
to these so-called intangible assets. They now account for nearly 11 
percent of our gross domestic product--that is $3.1 trillion in 2003. 
In other words, growth that is attributed to such areas is absolutely 
crucial to our overall economy--again, another reason why we need to be 
concerned about this issue.
  With this background, let me briefly talk about what is in the bill 
before I defer to my colleague here, Senator Alexander. In the Energy 
and Natural Resources Committee, the portion of the bill that was 
developed out of that committee, we do several things. First, we create 
a director for math and science education in the Department of Energy 
whose job it is to coordinate math and science education, 
departmentwide. The director would report to the Under Secretary for 
Science in the Department of Energy.
  Next, we would significantly increase funding for the Department of 
Energy's Office of Science to match the multiyear funding profile of 
the President's advanced competitiveness initiative which he presented 
to us here this year.
  Third, the bill proposes to create an Advanced Research Projects 
Agency for Energy, to translate basic research that is carried out in 
the Office of Science into solutions for critical problems facing the 
applied energy programs in the Department.
  Examples of such problems would include hydrogen fuel storage using 
new materials or applying nanoscience to a new generation of solid-
state lights.
  The bill will also address broader themes related to math and science 
education. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the technical 
building blocks of our Nation's economic strength have been eroding for 
a time. We need to produce students who are prepared to meet the 
challenges of the 21st century. That means more attention to math and 
science education.
  America COMPETES contains a number of important provisions to improve 
K-12 math and science education, strengthen science and math skills of 
our teaching workforce. I know Senator Reid talked eloquently about 
that need and, of course, the commitment our former colleague, Paul 
Simon, had to progress in that area.
  First, it provides incentives for universities to systematically 
change the way they prepare teachers to teach math and science. The 
legislation provides grants to universities to integrate the teacher 
preparation programs with rich content subject matter in math and 
science, develop bachelor's degree programs in math and science with 
concurrent teacher certification, as well as master's degree programs 
in math and science for people who are currently teaching in our 
schools.
  Second, to make these programs attractive to students who are 
inclined to study these subjects--math, science, and engineering--the 
legislation significantly expands the National Science Foundation 
scholarships for students to become math and science teachers.
  The legislation significantly expands opportunities for teachers to 
strengthen their math and science skills. The bill increases training 
for teachers to become qualified to teach advanced placement courses 
and international baccalaureate courses in math and science. The bill 
provides significant training opportunities for teachers at both the 
National Science Foundation, as well as our National Laboratories, and 
there I think some of the summer programs Senator Reid was talking 
about are intended to take place at our universities, at our 
laboratories. Clearly, he is right in saying we need to provide the 
financial wherewithal so that teachers can take advantage of these 
programs and can upgrade their knowledge and then give that knowledge 
to their students the next school year.
  Further, the legislation provides grants to States to promote better 
alignment of elementary and secondary education with the knowledge and 
skills needed for success in postsecondary education and in the 21st 
century workforce.
  The bill significantly increases funding for the National Science 
Foundation, essentially doubling that budget in 5 years, while ensuring 
that the math and science education programs that are in the National 
Science Foundation increase at the same rate as the overall budget 
increases.
  The bill helps manufacturers by increasing funding for the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST, by 33 percent over 4 
years.
  As I have said many times, this America COMPETES bill is only an 
authorization bill. The hard part, obviously, is going to be providing 
the funds to carry out the programs in this bill to meet these 
authorization targets we have set.
  In this regard, we were successful just a month or so ago, with 
Senator Alexander's good help, in adopting an amendment in the Senate 
which was an amendment to the budget resolution. It was adopted 71 to 1 
to provide $1 billion in additional leeway or additional opportunity to 
meet the President's request in the areas of funding for the Department 
of Energy's Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and 
NIST. Because of that amendment to the budget resolution, virtually all 
of the authorization we are calling for in this legislation will be 
permitted to be appropriated this year, and that is very good news.
  This bill is a good bill. It is bipartisan. Like most bipartisan 
bills, it is the product of much negotiation. Many competing views, 
many competing interests have had a chance to be heard.
  I am proud of the way this bill has come together. Our staffs deserve 
great credit for the hard work they have put into this legislation.
  I particularly commend Senator Alexander. He is the person who got 
this initiative started and came to me initially and said: Let's do 
this letter to the National Academies and see if they will do a study 
and tell us what are the most important things we can do in this 
country to keep this country competitive in world markets. That is what

[[Page S4795]]

then led to the Augustine Commission report and, of course, that 
combined with the other reports that came forward--and there were 
several other very useful reports--that have gotten us to this point. 
Senator Alexander deserves particular credit for the success we have 
had so far.
  I hope all colleagues will look seriously at this legislation and 
will support the effort to move ahead with it. This is authorizing 
legislation. In doing the appropriations bills that will come to the 
floor later this year, we still will have an opportunity to debate the 
specific funding levels for some of these programs. This sets out a 
framework for progress which can be very beneficial to this country and 
a framework which is long overdue.
  I urge my colleagues to support the legislation.
  I yield the floor. I know my colleague from Tennessee wishes to speak 
at this time.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Tennessee.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I thank the Senator from New Mexico. No 
one in the Senate on either side of the aisle has been more consistent 
or more effective in advancing our Nation's position in science and 
technology. He is also a delight to work with. It is rare to have a 
chance to work across the aisle in the way we have the last couple of 
years, not only on this legislation, but Senator Bingaman, for example, 
noticed that we were losing our edge in world-class computing. He saw 
that because of a visit to Japan. He came to me, and we worked together 
to try to restore that edge. He constantly is doing that in a quiet and 
effective way. It is a pleasure to work with him.
  I also thank the majority leader, Senator Reid, and the Republican 
leader, Senator McConnell. Senator Bingaman and I went to see the 
majority leader 2 years ago when he was the minority leader. We asked 
him to do exactly what he has done. He and Senator Frist did. They 
created an environment in which this bill had a chance to succeed. Then 
Senator McConnell stepped right up, following Senator Frist's 
tremendous help and leadership in this effort, and it is fairly 
remarkable that we worked so evenly together in the last Republican 
Senate on this bill that the legislation was introduced in the 
Democratic Senate in the same way because we worked together on it and, 
hopefully, that has produced a better result.
  I begin my remarks with a story. Last August, a group of Senators 
went to China. We were led by two of our most distinguished Members, 
Senator Stevens and Senator Inouye, the two leaders of the Commerce 
Committee and two of the major contributors to this legislation. Those 
two Senators were very well received in China. Senator Inouye, of 
course, is a Congressional Medal of Honor winner from World War II, and 
Senator Stevens was a Flying Tiger. He flew the first cargo plane into 
Beijing toward the end of World War II. So he was very well received in 
China.
  As a result, we had a chance to meet with the senior leaders of China 
in a way most Americans had not to that time. We spent an hour with 
President Hu. We spent another hour with the No. 2 leader in China, Mr. 
Wu, who is chairman of the National People's Congress.
  We talked about the issues one would expect an American delegation of 
a dozen Senators would talk about with the leaders of China. We talked 
about their military posture. We talked about North Korea. We talked 
about Iraq. We talked about Iran. But, Mr. President--I can still see 
this--in both of the meetings we had, one with Mr. Hu, the second with 
Mr. Wu, there was one subject about which those two leaders of China 
were most animated, and that was the subject we are discussing today: 
how to develop China's brain power advantage so they can create more 
good, new jobs in China. That was the subject they really wanted to 
talk about.
  President Hu had gone to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the 
Chinese Academy of Engineering just a month earlier in July. He 
assembled them in the Great Hall of the people. He outlined a new 15-
year plan to make China a technology leader in the world.
  In his speech, President Hu said China must ``promote a huge leap 
forward in science and technology. We shall put strengthening 
independent innovation capability at the core of economic structure 
adjustment.''
  Anyone who follows China knows that when their leaders talk about 
leaps forward, it is a pretty big deal. President Hu's new plan appears 
more likely to succeed and includes reforming China's universities and 
massively investing in new research.
  We regularly see stories of how Chinese-born academicians, some of 
our most distinguished faculty members at our major universities, are 
now accepting invitations to go back to China, their homeland, and 
create great universities there. There are a lot of people here--one-
half of the Nobel Prize winners in physics who are American are 
immigrants or the sons and daughters of immigrants.
  So China is serious about this plan. Mr. Hu said:

       We all bear the time-honored mission to provide strong 
     scientific support for the construction of a well-off society 
     by improving our independent innovation capability and 
     building an innovative country. I hope that our scientists 
     and technicians will strive hard to make our brilliant 
     achievements and constantly contribute to our country and our 
     people.

  Those are the leaders of China. They know what to do.
  The United States has a remarkable position. As Senator Bingaman 
said, Senator Reid said, and Senator McConnell said, we don't want to 
take it for granted because we can't. But let's stop and think about 
where we are. This huge brain power advantage we have in the United 
States of America has given us a situation in which we produce about 30 
percent of the gross national product in the world in for about 5 
percent of the people. About 30 percent of all the dollars, volume in 
the world this year is being produced in this country, a country that 
only includes 5 percent of the people. How does that happen? The United 
States has a number of advantages: its location, its resources, the 
great diversity we have here, the fact we have turned all that 
diversity into one country. But when we look at all of our advantages--
and I should quickly put the great entrepreneurial engine we have here, 
the fact that if you want to come to a big country and start from 
scratch and create a company--and I have had the privilege to help do 
that in the private sector--this is the place to do it. But when you 
look at our major advantage, it is our brainpower.
  No other country has had the broad system of education we have had. 
No other country has the large number of great research universities 
the United States of America has. No other country has the great 
National Laboratories we have. As a result, over the last century, 
especially since World War II, no other country has come close to 
turning its brainpower advantage into jobs, into dollars, into a high 
standard of living for a large number of people, and the rest of the 
world sees that. They see it on television. They see it on the 
Internet. They see it because more than half a million students from 
around the world, many of the brightest men and women in the world, 
come here to our universities, and they see what we have been able to 
do, and they say: Why can't we do this at home in China? Why can't we 
do this at home in India? Why can't we do this in Ireland? And they are 
doing it. We are glad they are doing it. We want them to have a high 
standard of living, too. The more money they make, the more goods they 
can buy from the United States of America. So we encourage that 
activity.
  It also spreads our democracy, our ideals. We go to Thailand or some 
other country, and we find the Minister of Agriculture is a graduate of 
the University of Tennessee. He has learned here. He goes there and 
teaches about agriculture, and he promotes our ideas. Our higher 
education system has probably been the most effective foreign aid we 
have ever invested in, just those half million students who go there.
  However, we are at risk of losing our brainpower advantage. If we 
lose our brainpower advantage, we lose our advantage and our standard 
of living. In other words, in plain English, we don't have as much 
money in our pockets, we don't have as many good jobs, and our families 
don't have the kind of prosperity many have come to take for granted. 
That is what this piece of legislation is about.

[[Page S4796]]

  We talk a lot about outsourcing jobs, about growing new jobs. Well, 
this is the way to keep good new jobs in the United States and to grow 
them. When a graduate of a university, such as the student at the 
University of Maryland--I think he dropped out, actually--a foreign 
student--creates Google, that creates thousands and thousands of new 
jobs in the United States, as Thomas Edison did years ago, as Bill 
Gates did more recently, and as thousands of entrepreneurs do every 
day. It takes the brainpower advantage to create the job and it takes 
the brainpower advantage to work at the facility or the plant that has 
the jobs.
  That is why, toward the end of a long Budget Committee hearing 2 
years ago, I was getting a little depressed listening to what I heard 
about the numbers. According to the budget 2 years ago, and the budget 
last year, and the budget this year, we are on an unsustainable course 
in terms of being able to pay for Medicare and Medicaid. So the 
question came to me: Well, if we are going to squeeze out everything 
else in order to pay for Medicare and Medicaid and other programs, the 
war in Iraq, then how are we going to invest in this great engine of 
brainpower that creates the money that pays all the bills? I struggled 
with this as the Governor of Tennessee. I was trying to raise our 
standard of living in Tennessee. We were the third poorest State 25 
years ago when I became Governor, based on family incomes. We already 
had low taxes. We had a right-to-work law. We needed to change some 
rules about the usury limit in banking. We needed to add a new four-
lane highway system. All those were progrowth. But the most progrowth 
action I discovered we could take was to improve our colleges and our 
universities and our research facilities. That is progrowth.
  As a result of better schools, better colleges, and better 
universities, combined with our other advantages, we moved ahead in our 
State. Better schools meant better jobs. Better colleges and 
universities mean better jobs. More research means better jobs. So we 
are talking today about better jobs--progrowth.
  We better realize as well that we have some pretty big bills to pay. 
Last year, we spent $237 billion on debt, $378 billion on Medicare, 
$545 billion on Social Security, $70 billion or more on hurricanes, and 
we are spending about $4 billion a week on Iraq. What this legislation 
does is authorizes $4 billion a year over the next 4 years. As Senator 
Bingaman said, we made room for it in the budget this year to create 
and encourage and continue to push ahead this brainpower engine that 
creates the money to pay for all these necessary and urgent needs we 
have, these priorities we have. This is a progrowth piece of 
legislation.
  I would say this may be the most important piece of legislation the 
Congress considers in this 2-year session. If it is not the most 
important piece of legislation, there is certainly no more important 
subject to most American families than: How do I keep money in my 
pocket to pay my bills? How do we keep our jobs from going to India and 
China? How do we keep our economic advantage? How do we come close to 
continuing to be the country that produces 30 percent of all the money 
in the world for only 5 percent of the people? That is why, at the end 
of that Budget Committee hearing I mentioned a little earlier, I 
literally walked down the street to the National Academy of Sciences 
and asked them, on behalf of Senator Bingaman and myself, with the 
approval of Senator Domenici, the chairman of our committee, and with 
the endorsement of Representatives Boehlert and Gordon in the House of 
Representatives--I said: Most ideas in Washington fail for lack of the 
idea. You are here at the end of a long day in the National Academies. 
You are supposed to be our advisers. So let me ask you a question: Why 
don't you tell us the 10 most important things we can do, in priority 
order, to keep our brainpower advantage? I said to them: I am merely 
one Senator, but I will bet if you do that, we will do it. We will take 
your advice.
  The National Academy of Sciences and of Engineering and the Institute 
of Medicine formed an immediate group. They asked Norm Augustine, the 
former chief executive officer of Lockheed Martin and a member of the 
National Academy of Engineering, to chair the group. He turned to 21 
distinguished Americans who know a lot about the world and our country, 
Craig Barrett, chairman of the board of Intel; Steven Chu, cowinner of 
the Nobel prize in physics and Director of Lawrence Berkeley National 
Laboratory; Robert Gates, who was then head of Texas A&M and now is the 
Secretary of Defense, and a number of others; the former head of MIT, 
Peter O'Donnell, a Texas businessman who has worked on AP courses, and 
they did this report: ``Rising Above The Gathering Storm.'' They didn't 
make 10 recommendations, they made 20, and they made them in priority 
order. Their priorities began with K-12 education. They went next to 
engineering and research. They went next to higher education. They went 
next to incentives for innovation.
  At that point, we formed a bipartisan group of Senators and began to 
have what we called ``homework sessions'' with the various agencies of 
the Federal Government that had jurisdiction over these programs and 
the areas where the programs would fit. We also recognized that Senator 
Lieberman, Senator Ensign, and others had been working hard with the 
Council on Competitiveness, and they had similar recommendations. We 
also acknowledged that Senators Hutchison, Bond, and Mikulski had for 
many years been advocating various aspects of these programs, so we 
tried to integrate all of this into a whole. That produced a long piece 
of legislation that had to make its way through five different 
committees, but it attracted 70 sponsors last year--35 Democrats, 35 
Republicans. The Republican leader, Senator Frist, and the Democratic 
leader, Senator Reid, were the principal sponsors of the bill.
  Senator Bingaman has done a good job of outlining most of the 
provisions of the bill, so I will, in a few minutes, put those into the 
record, but there is no other piece of legislation during the past 2 
years that was so broadly recommended by disinterested groups outside 
of the Senate and the House, that has been worked on by so many 
Senators here, and that has moved forward in the way this has. Making 
this even more remarkable is not only was it introduced by the 
Democratic and Republican leaders, it has been brought directly to the 
floor for debate. So what we hope is our colleagues will carefully read 
the bill, bring their amendments to the floor, and maybe we can operate 
in an old-fashioned way here. Maybe we can consider the amendments, or 
the improvements, debate them, vote on them, go to the next amendment, 
and then after we have finished with that, have a vote on whether to 
pass the bill, which I believe we will. I think we have a good chance 
of doing that.
  Mr. President, I wish to now insert into the Record a few items that 
are important for our colleagues and those who are following this 
debate, so I ask unanimous consent that following my remarks a ``Dear 
Colleague'' letter of April 10, written by Senator Reid and Senator 
McConnell to all of our colleagues, signed by the chairmen and 
Democratic and Republican leaders of the three major committees which 
contributed to this, and which produced 50 cosponsors--we hope there 
will be more by next week--be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a two-page 
summary of the America COMPETES Act be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See exhibit 2.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a list of 
the cosponsors of the America COMPETES Act, the 50 cosponsors, as it 
stands today, be printed in the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.
  (See exhibit 3.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Finally, Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that a 
section-by-section analysis of the America COMPETES Act be printed in 
the Record.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

[[Page S4797]]

  (See exhibit 4.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, we will have plenty of time to debate 
this next week, so I will reserve most of my comments until then, but 
let me reiterate some of the major provisions that are here. As Senator 
Bingaman said, this is only an authorization bill. It is permission to 
establish programs, but it is backed up by an amendment to the Budget 
Act which creates room in the appropriations bill to pay for these 
programs.
  Here is what we intend to do: Double funding for the National Science 
Foundation; set the Department of Energy's Office of Science on track 
to double its funding; strengthen the skills of thousands of math and 
science teachers by establishing training and education programs at 
summer institutes hosted by the national laboratories; and by 
increasing support for teacher institutes for programs at the National 
Science Foundation.
  These are the kinds of programs that Senator Reid, the majority 
leader, was talking about.
  Expand the teacher scholarship programs at NSF; help establish 
academies for math and science in the various States.
  North Carolina has had one for a long time, and 20 years ago, when I 
was Governor, I went to see if Tennessee could create one. We decided 
we didn't have the money to do it, so we created a summer Governor's 
school, which turned out to be a good idea, where outstanding students 
from math and science could go to the University of Tennessee for 4 
weeks in the summer. The faculty loves it, the students love it, and 
they participate in the Oak Ridge Laboratory. They go back fired up 
into their classrooms, and the teachers are fired up as well. Our 
Governor Bredesen wants to create a summer school for math and science, 
and he has started on a modest basis, but this will help him expand 
that.
  We will expand advanced placement in international baccalaureate 
programs by increasing the number of teachers who are trained to teach 
math, science, and foreign languages. This would allow thousands of new 
students to take these courses. The AP courses, as we call them, are a 
good track to college, and college is a good track to success. Those 
students are the ones who will help create the jobs to keep our high 
standard of living. But we have a lot of students, many of them lower 
income, who don't take these courses and who easily could. So we will 
help pay for their tests, and we will train more teachers so they can 
be taught, and we will see that three or four times more students will 
be able to do this.
  These programs weren't picked out of thin air. This group of 
distinguished Nobel laureates, university presidents, and business 
leaders spent their summer 2 years ago reviewing many programs. For 
example, the AP program comes from a Texas program which has been 
successful for 10 years. They picked the 20 best ideas in priority 
order from among hundreds of ideas. This is not merely a group of 
Senators and Congressmen picking our best friend's favorite program. We 
all have one of those. This is the National Academies of Sciences and 
Engineering and the Institute of Medicine reviewing hundreds of 
programs with a distinguished panel in answering our question exactly 
what do we need to do to keep our brainpower advantage, and they say 
here are the first 20 things you ought to do.
  Not in this legislation are other provisions that were part of this 
report and that were acted on in the last Congress. One was the 
temporary extension of the research and development tax credit. It 
should be made permanent. Another are several provisions for attracting 
and keeping in this country talented professionals from overseas. These 
500,000 foreign students who are here include some of the brightest 
students from China, some of the brightest students from India, some of 
the brightest from around the world. They are going to create jobs 
somewhere. We would like for them to stay and create jobs here, yet our 
archaic immigration laws prevent that. They require these students to 
swear they are going home before they come. They make it hard for them 
to stay once they get here.
  So the Senate, last year, in debating the immigration bill, adopted 
three of the provisions from this report. One, for example, pins a 
green card on any foreign student who gets a graduate degree in math, 
science, engineering and technology so that person can stay here and 
create jobs for us here.
  I am hopeful when we get to the immigration legislation within a few 
weeks that we will do at least that much to change our archaic 
immigration laws and allow those students to stay here and create jobs 
for us. We talk a lot about outsourcing jobs. This would be insourcing 
brain power, and we would be smart to do it.
  I particularly thank our staffs, and we will do this specifically by 
name next week. This is a complex bill with many different parts, as 
the section-by-section analysis shows. They have worked evenly to try 
to make this a well-crafted bill. We have more work to do.
  I conclude by again thanking the Democratic and Republican leaders, 
Senator Bingaman, Senator Domenici, especially, who was chairman of our 
committee last year, Stevens and Inouye, Enzi and Kennedy, Ensign and 
Lieberman, Bond, Hutchison, Chambliss, Murkowski, and Mikulski--all of 
these Senators made major contributions. I am sure they will be on the 
Senate floor next week to address this legislation and to support it.
  We are talking about keeping our brain power advantage so we keep our 
jobs. We are talking about a country that has grown accustomed to 30 
percent of all of the money in the world being produced each year with 
just 5 percent of the people, and we are saying, unless we take at 
least these steps, that won't continue.

                               Exhibit 1


                                                  U.S. Senate,

                                   Washington, DC, April 10, 2007.
       Dear Colleague: We are writing to invite you to cosponsor 
     the America COMPETES Act; a bipartisan bill to help America 
     maintain its edge in science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics in an increasingly competitive global economy. An 
     earlier version of this bill was introduced in the final days 
     of the 109th Congress as S. 3936.
       The America COMPETES Act is based upon recommendations from 
     both the national Academies' ``Rising Above the Gathering 
     Storm'' report and the Council on Competitiveness' ``Innovate 
     America'' report. It contains revised versions of the 
     legislation approved by both the Senate Energy and Commerce 
     Committees [from the 109th Congress] in response to those 
     recommendations: S. 2197, the PACE-Energy bill, and S. 2802 
     the American Innovation and Competitiveness bill, which were 
     reported without opposition to the Senate floor. The bill 
     also includes provisions developed by the bipartisan 
     leadership of the HELP Committee to improve science, 
     technology, engineering, mathematics, and critical foreign 
     language skills.
       The competitiveness package would significantly increase 
     the federal investment in basic research, foster and 
     innovative infrastructure, improve the teaching of math, 
     science, engineering and technology to our children, and 
     encourage the brightest minds to pursue careers in these 
     fields. Among other provisions, the bill would: Double the 
     investment in basic research at the national Science 
     Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Standards and 
     Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy's Office of 
     Science (DOE-SC) over five to ten years; Improve teacher 
     training in math and science, through summer institutes 
     hosted by the NSF and the DOE-SC and grants to increase 
     university degree programs that combine math and science 
     study with concurrent teacher certification; and Increase 
     support for Advanced Placement programs to expand access for 
     low income students to take and succeed in college 
     preparatory courses.
       This bill alone will not secure American leadership in the 
     decades to come. But it is a critical first step toward 
     protecting our competitive position in the world. We hope you 
     will join us in this effort and cosponsor this bipartisan 
     legislation.
           Sincerely,
         Harry Reid, Majority Leader; Jeff Bingaman, Chairman, 
           Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Daniel K. 
           Inouy, Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
           Transportation; Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman, Committee 
           on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Joseph I. 
           Lieberman, U.S. Senator; Barbara A. Mikulski, U.S. 
           Senator; Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator; Mitch McConnell, 
           Republican Leader; Pete V. Domenici, Ranking Member, 
           Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; Ted Stevens, 
           Vice-Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
           Transportation; Michael B. Enzi, Ranking Member, 
           Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; 
           John Ensign, U.S. Senator; Lamar Alexander, U.S. 
           Senator; Kay Bailey Hutchison, U.S. Senator.

[[Page S4798]]

           
                                  ____
                               Exhibit 2

                Summary of the ``America Competes Act''

       The ``America COMPETES Act'' is a bipartisan legislative 
     response to recommendations contained in the National 
     Academies' ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm'' report and 
     the Council on Competitiveness' ``Innovate America'' report. 
     The bill is similar to the ``National Competitiveness 
     Investment Act'' that Senators Frist, Reid, Stevens, Inouye, 
     Domenici, Bingaman, Enzi, Kennedy, Ensign, Lieberman, 
     Alexander, Mikulski, Hutchison, and others introduced in 
     September 2006. Several sections of the bill are derived from 
     proposals contained in the ``American Innovation and 
     Competitiveness Act of 2006'' (S. 2802), approved without 
     opposition by the Senate Commerce Committee, and the 
     ``Protecting America's Competitive Edge Through Energy Act of 
     2006'' (S. 2197) approved without opposition by the Senate 
     Energy Committee last year. Accordingly, the America COMPETES 
     Act focuses on three primary areas of importance to 
     maintaining and improving United States' innovation in the 
     21st century: (1) Increasing research investment, (2) 
     strengthening educational opportunities in science, 
     technology, engineering, and mathematics from elementary 
     through graduate school, and (3) developing an innovation 
     infrastructure. More specifically, the America COMPETES Act 
     would:


                    Increase Research Investment by:

       Doubling funding for the National Science Foundation (NSF) 
     from approximately $5.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2006 to $11.2 
     billion in Fiscal Year 2011.
       Setting the Department of Energy's Office of Science on 
     track to double in funding over 10 years, increasing from 
     $3.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2006 to over $5.2 billion in 
     Fiscal Year 2011.
       Establishing the Innovation Acceleration Research Program 
     to direct federal agencies funding research in science and 
     technology to set as a goal dedicating approximately 8 
     percent of their Research and Development (R&D) budgets 
     toward high-risk frontier research.
       Authorizing the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology (NIST) from approximately $703 million in Fiscal 
     Year 2008 to approximately $937 million in Fiscal Year 2011 
     and requiring NIST to set aside no less than 8 percent of its 
     annual funding for high-risk, high-reward innovation 
     acceleration research.
       Directing NASA to increase funding for basic research and 
     fully participate in interagency activities to foster 
     competitiveness and innovation, using the full extent of 
     existing budget authority.
       Coordinating ocean and atmospheric research and education 
     at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and 
     other agencies to promote U.S. leadership in these important 
     fields.


     Strengthen Educational Opportunities in Science, Technology, 
      Engineering, Mathematics, and Critical Foreign Languages by:

       Authorizing competitive grants to States to promote better 
     alignment of elementary and secondary education with the 
     knowledge and skills needed for success in postsecondary 
     education, the 21st century workforce, and the Armed Forces, 
     and grants to support the establishment or improvement of 
     statewide P-16 education longitudinal data systems.
       Strengthening the skills of thousands of math and science 
     teachers by establishing training and education programs at 
     summer institutes hosted at the National Laboratories and by 
     increasing support for the Teacher Institutes for the 21st 
     Century program at NSF.
       Expanding the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at 
     NSF to recruit and train individuals to become math and 
     science teachers in high-need local educational agencies.
       Assisting States in establishing or expanding statewide 
     specialty schools in math and science that students from 
     across the state would be eligible to attend and providing 
     expert assistance in teaching from National Laboratories' 
     staff at those schools.
       Facilitating the expansion of Advanced Placement (AP) and 
     International Baccalaureate (IB) programs by increasing the 
     number of teachers prepared to teach AP/IB and pre-AP/IB 
     math, science, and foreign language courses in high need 
     schools, thereby increasing the number of courses available 
     and students who take and pass AP and IB exams.
       Developing and implementing programs for bachelor's degrees 
     in math, science, engineering, and critical foreign languages 
     with concurrent teaching credentials and part-time master's 
     in education programs for math, science, and critical foreign 
     language teachers to enhance both content knowledge and 
     teaching skills.
       Creating partnerships between National Laboratories and 
     local high-need high schools to establish centers of 
     excellence in math and science education.
       Expanding existing NSF graduate research fellowship and 
     traineeship programs, requiring NSF to work with institutions 
     of higher education to facilitate the development of 
     professional science master's degree programs, and expanding 
     NSF's science, mathematics, engineering and technology talent 
     program.
       Providing Math Now grants to improve math instruction in 
     the elementary and middle grades and provide targeted help to 
     struggling students so that all students can master grade-
     level mathematics standards.
       Expanding programs to increase the number of students from 
     elementary school through postsecondary education who study 
     critical foreign languages and become proficient.


                Develop an Innovation Infrastructure by:

       Establishing a President's Council on Innovation and 
     Competitiveness to develop a comprehensive agenda to promote 
     innovation and competitiveness in the public and private 
     sectors.
       Requiring the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a 
     study to identify forms of risk that create barriers to 
     innovation.
                                  ____


                               Exhibit 3

                        Cosponsors, Alphabetical

                        [* = original cosponsor]

       Sen Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]--3/5/2007*; Sen Bennett, Robert 
     F. [R-UT]--4/19/2007; Sen Biden, Joseph R. [D-DE]--4/18/2007; 
     Sen Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]--3/5/2007*; Sen Brown, Sherrod [D-
     OH]--3/15/2007*; Sen Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]--3/5/2007* Sen 
     Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]--4/18/2007; Sen Carper, Thomas R. 
     [D-DE]--3/5/2007* Sen Chambliss, Saxby [R-GA]--3/7/2007; Sen 
     Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY]--3/5/2007* Sen Cochran, Thad 
     [R-MS]--4/17/2007; Sen Coleman, Norm [R-MN]--3/5/2007*; Sen 
     Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]--3/14/2007; Sen Cornyn, John [R-
     TX]--3/5/2007*; Sen Craig, Larry E. [R-ID]--3/5/2007*; Sen 
     Demenici, Pete V. [R-NM]--3/5/2007*; Sen Durbin, Richard [D-
     IL]--3/6/2007; Sen Ensign, John [R-NV]--3/5/2007*; Sen Enzi, 
     Michael B. [R-WY]--3/5/2007*; Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]--
     3/6/2007; Sen Hagel, Chuck [R-NE]--3/29/2007; Sen Hutchison, 
     Kay Baily [R-TX]--3/5/2007*; Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [D-HI]--3/
     5/2007*; Sen Isakson, Johnny [R-GA]--3/29/2007; Sen Kennedy, 
     Edward M. [D-MA]--3/5/2007*; Sen Kerry, John F. [D-MA]--3/5/
     2007*; Sen Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]--3/14/2007; Sen Kohl, Herb 
     [D-WI]--3/5/2007*; Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]--3/5/2007*; 
     Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ]--3/8/2007; Sen Levin, Carl 
     [D-MI]--4/19/2007; Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [ID-CT]--3/5/
     2007*; Sen Lott, Trent [R-MS]--4/18/2007; Sen Lugar, Richard 
     G. [R-IN]--3/5/2007*; Sen Martinez, Mel [R-FL]--3/5/2007*; 
     Sen McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]--3/8/2007; Sen McConnell, Mitch 
     [R-KY]--3/5/2007*; Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]--3/5/2007*; 
     Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD]--3/5/2007*; Sen Murkowski, 
     Lisa [R-AK]--3/5/2007*; Sen Nelson, Bill [D-FL]--3/5/2007*; 
     Sen Nelson, E. Benjamin [D-NE]--4/19/2007; Sen Obama, Barack 
     [D-IL]--3/5/2007*; Sen Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]--3/5/2007*; Sen 
     Roberts, Pat [R-KS]--3/5/2007*; Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV 
     [D-WV]--3/5/2007*; Sen Salazar, Ken [D-CO]--3/5/2007*; Sen 
     Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]--3/5/2007*; Sen Stabenow, Debbie [D-
     MI]--4/19/2007; Sen Stevens, Ted [R-AK]--3/5/2007*; Sen 
     Voinovich, George V. [R-OH]--3/5/2007*; and Sen Warner, John 
     [R-VA]--3/5/2007*.
                                  ____


                               Exhibit 4

                        The America COMPETES Act


                      section-by-section analysis

     Section 1. Short Title
       Section 1 would provide that the legislation be cited as 
     the ``America COMPETES Act.''
     Section 2. Organization of Act into Divisions; Table of 
         Contents
       Section 2 would organize the legislation into four 
     divisions. Division A would contain sections related to 
     commerce and science; Division B would contain sections 
     related to the Department of Energy; Division C would contain 
     sections related to education; Division D would contain 
     sections related to the National Science Foundation. This 
     section would also provide a Table of Contents for the 
     legislation.

                    DIVISION A--COMMERCE AND SCIENCE

     Section 1001. Short Title
       This section would provide that this division may be cited 
     as the ``American Innovation and Competitiveness Act''

   TITLE I--OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY; GOVERNMENTWIDE 
                                SCIENCE

     Section 1101. National Science and Technology Summit
       This section would require the President to convene a 
     National Science and Technology Summit within 180 days of 
     enactment to evaluate the health and direction of nation's 
     science and technology enterprise and to identify key 
     research and technology challenges and recommendations for 
     research and development investment over the next five years 
     as a result of the summit.
     Section 1102. Study on Barriers to Innovation
       Section 1102 would require the Director of the Office of 
     Science and Technology Policy to enter into a contract with 
     the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study to 
     identify forms of risk that create barriers to innovation one 
     year after enactment and four years after enactment. The 
     study is intended to support research on the long-term value 
     of innovation to the business community and to identify means 
     to mitigate risks presently associated with such innovation 
     activities.
     Section 1103. National Innovation Medal
       Section 1103 amends Section 16 of the Stevenson-Wydler 
     Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3711) to rename 
     the ``National

[[Page S4799]]

     Technology Medal'' as the ``National Technology and 
     Innovation Medal.''
     Section 1104. Release of Scientific Research Results
       Section 1104 would require the Director of the Office of 
     Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), in consultation with 
     the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the 
     heads of all federal civilian agencies that conduct 
     scientific research to develop and issue a set of principles 
     for the communication of scientific information by government 
     scientists, policy makers, and managers to the public within 
     90 days after the date of enactment of this Act. It is based 
     upon recommendations from the National Science Board's review 
     of the policies of federal science agencies concerning the 
     suppression and distortion of research findings and their 
     impact on the quality and credibility of all future 
     government-sponsored scientific research results.
     Section 1105. Semiannual Science, Technology, Engineering, 
         and Mathematics Days
       Section 1105 expresses a Sense of Congress that OSTP should 
     encourage all elementary and middle schools to observe a 
     Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Day twice in 
     every school year for the purpose of facilitating the 
     interaction of science, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics mentors and grade school students. This section 
     also expresses a Sense of Congress that OSTP should encourage 
     involvement of federal employees, the private sector and 
     institutions of higher learning in such days.
     Section 1106. Study on Service Science
       Section 1106 would express a Sense of Congress that the 
     Federal Government should better understand and respond 
     strategically to the emerging management and learning 
     discipline known as, ``service science.''
       Subsection (b) would require the Director of OSTP, through 
     the National Academy of Sciences, to conduct a study on how 
     the Federal Government should best support service science 
     through research, education, and training.

                     TITLE II--INNOVATION PROMOTION

     Section 1201. President's Council on Innovation and 
         Competitiveness
       Section 1201 requires the President to establish a 
     President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness to 
     develop a comprehensive agenda to promote innovation in the 
     public and private sectors. The Council, which could be 
     constituted by designating an existing body to perform its 
     functions, would include the Secretaries of Commerce, 
     Defense, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland 
     Security, Labor, and Treasury along with the heads of the 
     National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Securities 
     and Exchange Commission, the National Science Foundation, the 
     Office of the United States Trade Representative, the 
     Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Science and 
     Technology Policy, the Environmental Protection Agency, 
     and other relevant federal agencies involved in 
     innovation. As the President's Council on Innovation and 
     Competitiveness develops a comprehensive agenda for 
     strengthening innovation and competitiveness it should the 
     consult with advisors from the private sector, labor, 
     scientific organizations, academic organizations, and 
     other nongovernmental organizations working in the area of 
     science or technology.
     Section 1202. Innovation Acceleration Research.
       Section 1202 would require the President, through the head 
     of each federal research agency, to establish the 
     ``Innovation Acceleration Research Program'' to support and 
     promote innovation in the United States by requiring each 
     department or agency that sponsors scientific research to set 
     as a goal 8% of its annual research budget to be directed 
     towards innovation acceleration research.

        TITLE III--NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

     Section 1301. NASA's Contribution to Innovation
       Section 1301 would direct that NASA be regarded as a full 
     participant in interagency activities to promote 
     competitiveness and innovation and to enhance science, 
     technology, engineering and mathematics education. It would 
     identify NASA's balanced science program as an essential part 
     of NASA's contribution to innovation in and the economic 
     competitiveness of the United States and that funding NASA at 
     the levels authorized in the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 
     (P.L. 109-155) would enable NASA's programs to contribute to 
     U.S. innovation and competitiveness.
     Section 1302. Aeronautics Institute for Research
       Section 1302 would consolidate NASA's aeronautics research 
     authorized under the NASA Authorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 
     109-155) into an Aeronautics Institute for Research within 
     NASA. Subsection (c) would require the Institute to cooperate 
     with relevant programs in the Department of Transportation, 
     the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, and 
     the Department of Homeland Security, including the Joint 
     Planning and Development Office established under the VISION 
     100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-176). 
     The Aeronautics Institute would be allowed to accept 
     assistance, staff, and funding from other federal departments 
     and agencies.
     Section 1303. Basic Research Enhancement
       Section 1303 would establish, within NASA, a Basic Research 
     Executive Council to oversee the distribution and management 
     of programs and resources engaged in support of basic 
     research activity including the most senior agency official 
     representing the space science, earth science, life and 
     microgravity sciences, and aeronautical research. The duties 
     of the Council will be to set criteria for identification of 
     basic research, set priority of research activity, review 
     and evaluate research activity, make recommendations 
     regarding needed adjustments in research activities, and 
     provide annual reports to Congress on research activities.
     Section 1304. Aging Workforce Issues Program
       Section 1304 would express a Sense of Congress that the 
     Administrator of NASA should implement a program to address 
     aging workforce issues in aerospace that would (1) document 
     technical and management experiences of senior NASA employees 
     before they leave NASA; (2) provide incentives for retirees 
     to return to NASA to teach new NASA employees about their 
     lessons and experiences; (3) provide for the development of 
     an award to recognize and reward senior NASA employees for 
     their contributions to knowledge sharing.
     Section 1305. Conforming Amendments
       Section 1305 would amend Section 101(d) of the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 
     2005 (42 U.S.C. 16611(d)) by adding that the assessment 
     undertaken by NASA examine the number and content of science 
     activities which may be considered as fundamental, or basic 
     research, whether incorporated within specific missions or 
     conducted independently of any specific mission. In addition, 
     this section would require NASA to assess how NASA science 
     activities can best be structured to ensure that basic and 
     fundamental research can be effectively maintained and 
     coordinated in response to national goals in competitiveness 
     and innovation.
     Section 1306. Fiscal Year 2008 Basic Science and Research 
         Funding
       Section 1306 provides additional authorization, above the 
     levels authorized in the National Aeronautics and Space 
     Administration Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-155), of $160 million 
     for the funding of basic science and research for fiscal year 
     2008. The availability of these funds is made contingent upon 
     unobligated balances being available to the NASA

        TITLE IV--NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

     Section 1401. Authorization of Appropriations
       Section 1401 would authorize appropriations for the 
     National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 
     Fiscal Year 2008 through Fiscal Year 2011, including 
     authorizations for the Hollings Manufacturing Extension 
     Partnership Program (MEP). The MEP authorizations would be 
     taken from the authorizations provided for NIST. 
     Authorization levels would be set as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NIST Total..................   $703.611   $773.972   $851.369   $936.506
MEP.........................       $115       $120       $125       $130
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in millions.

     Section 1402. Amendments to the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
         Innovation Act of 1980
       Section 1402 would eliminate the Under Secretary of 
     Commerce for Technology at the Department of Commerce and the 
     related Technology Administration at the Department of 
     Commerce.
     Section 1403. Innovation Acceleration
       Section 1403 would establish the Innovation Acceleration 
     Research Program of Section 1202 at NIST, to be known as the 
     ``Standards and Technology Acceleration Research Program'' to 
     support and promote innovation in the United States through 
     high-risk, high-reward research and set aside no less than 8 
     percent of the funds made available to the measurement 
     laboratories at NIST each year for the program.
     Section 1404. Manufacturing Extension
       Section 1404 would amend Section 25(c)(5) of the National 
     Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 
     278k(c)(5)) by inserting a probationary program for MEP 
     centers that have not received a satisfactory rating. If the 
     issues of a center are not addressed in one year, the 
     Director would be required to conduct a competition to select 
     a new operator for the center.
       Subsection (b) would allow the acceptance of funds from 
     other. federal agencies and the private sector by the 
     Secretary of Commerce and Director to strengthen U.S. 
     manufacturing. Any private sector funding would not be 
     considered a part of the federal share for the purpose of 
     center cost-sharing. Funding accepted from other federal 
     departments or agencies may be considered in the calculation 
     of the federal share of capital and annual operating and 
     maintenance costs under 15 U.S.C. 278k(c).
     Section 1405. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 
         Technology
       Section 1405 would re-establish the Experimental Program to 
     Stimulate Competitive Technology (EPSCoT), previously managed 
     by the Technology Administration, at NIST.
       Subsection (d) would require that in making awards under 
     this section, the Director of NIST shall ensure that the 
     awards are awarded on a competitive basis that includes a 
     review of the merits of the activities that are subject to 
     the award. A special emphasis would be given to those 
     projects which would increase the participation of women, 
     Native

[[Page S4800]]

     Americans (including Native Hawaiians and Alaska Natives), 
     and other underrepresented groups in science and technology. 
     Subsection (d)(2) would impose a matching requirement that 
     not less than 50 percent of the cost of activities (other 
     than planning activities) carried out by an EPSCoT award be 
     funded by non-federal sources.
     Section 1406. Technical Amendments to the NIST Act and Other 
         Technical Amendments
       Section 1406 would make several technical amendments to the 
     NIST Act. Subsection (a) would lift the limitation on NIST-
     sponsored research fellowships under current law. Subsection 
     (b) would clarify NIST's authority to issue grants and 
     cooperative agreements, along with contracts, cooperative 
     research and development agreements, and other appropriate 
     instruments, bringing NIST authority into conformance with 
     the Federal Grant and Cooperative Agreement Act (31 U.S.C. 
     6301-08). The subsection also would clarify NIST's authority 
     to purchase memberships in scientific organizations and pay 
     registration fees for NIST employees' attendance at 
     conferences.
       Subsection (c) would permit NIST to utilize a portion of 
     its operating funds in the production of high priority 
     Standard Reference Materials and ensure that, once recovered 
     through sales, the working capital fund resources are 
     available to maintain future supplies. In addition, this 
     authority would permit funds transferred to NIST from other 
     federal agencies for the production of Standard Reference 
     Materials to be transferred to the fund.
       Subsection (d) would update several measurements found in 
     statute to be consistent with current practice and 
     internationally recognized standards.
       Subsection (e) would allow NIST to retain the depreciation 
     surcharge that is assessed against all federal agencies and 
     returned to the Treasury for the upkeep of public buildings.
       Subsection (f) would strike NIST authority for the Non-
     Energy Inventions program. This program is no longer operated 
     by NIST. Rather, it is now operated by the Department of 
     Energy.

                TITLE V--OCEAN AND ATMOSPHERIC PROGRAMS

     Section 1501. Ocean and Atmospheric Research and Development 
         Program
       Section 1501 would require the Administrator of the 
     National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), in 
     consultation with the Director of NSF and the Administrator 
     of NASA, to establish a coordinated program of ocean and 
     atmospheric research and development to promote United States 
     leadership in ocean and atmospheric science.
     Section 1502. NOAA Ocean and Atmospheric Science Education 
         Programs
       Section 1502 would require the Administrator of NOAA to 
     conduct, develop, support, promote, and coordinate formal and 
     informal educational activities at all levels to enhance 
     public awareness and understanding of ocean, coastal, and 
     atmospheric science and stewardship by the general public. In 
     conducting those activities the administrator shall build 
     upon the existing educational programs and activities of the 
     agency.
       Subsection (b) would require the Administrator of NOAA, 
     appropriate NOAA programs, ocean and atmospheric science and 
     education experts, and interested members of the public to 
     develop a science education plan that would set forth 
     education goals and strategies for NOAA, as well as 
     programmatic actions to carry out such goals and priorities 
     over the next 20 years. This plan would be reevaluated and 
     updated every 5 years.

                    DIVISION B--DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

     Section 2001. Short Title
       Section 2001 would specify that this Division may be 
     referred to as the, ``Protecting America's Competitive Edge 
     Act through Energy (PACE-Energy) Act.''
     Section 2002. Definitions
       Section 2002 would provide definitions for purposes of the 
     Division.
     Section 2003. Mathematics, Science and Engineering Education 
         at the Department of Energy
       Section 2003 would create a, ``Director of Mathematics, 
     Science and Engineering Education Programs'' at the 
     Department of Energy to coordinate all Mathematics, Science, 
     and Engineering Education Department-wide. The Director would 
     report to the Undersecretary of Science. Section 2003 would 
     also amend the Department of Energy Science Education 
     Enhancement Act to establish new programs in science, 
     mathematics, and engineering education, including:
       Specialty Schools for Math and Science--This portion of 
     Section 2003 would create a competitive grant program to 
     assist States in establishing or expanding public, statewide 
     specialty schools that provide comprehensive mathematics, 
     science, and engineering education. In addition, this portion 
     of Section 2003 would authorize scientific and engineering 
     staff of the National Laboratories to assist in teaching 
     courses in statewide specialty schools in mathematics and 
     science education, and to use National Laboratory scientific 
     equipment in the teaching of courses. This portion of Section 
     2003 would authorize $140 million over 4 years for these 
     schools.
       Experiential-Based Learning Opportunities--This portion of 
     Section 2003 would establish summer internships, including 
     internships at the National Laboratories, for middle and high 
     school students to promote experiential, hands-on learning in 
     math and science. This portion of Section 2003 would 
     authorize $15 million annually for this program from Fiscal 
     Year 2008 through Fiscal Year 2011.
       National Laboratories Centers of Excellence in Mathematics 
     and Science Education--This portion of Section 2003 would 
     establish a program at each of the National Laboratories to 
     support a Center of Excellence in Mathematics and Science at 
     one public secondary school located in the region of the 
     national laboratory. This portion of Section 2003 would also 
     require the Secretary to consider the performance of these 
     Centers in determining the contract award fee for the 
     management and operations contractor of each national 
     laboratory.
       Summer Institutes--This portion of Section 2003 would 
     establish a program of summer institutes at each of the 
     National Laboratories, and through grants to universities and 
     other nonprofit entities, to strengthen the math and science 
     teaching skills of K-12 teachers. This portion of Section 
     2003 would authorize $190 million over 4 years for these 
     institutes.
       Nuclear Science Education--This portion of Section 2003 
     would create a program for competitive, merit-based grants to 
     universities that establish or expand nuclear science and 
     engineering degree programs. This portion of Section 2003 
     would authorize approximately $140 million over 4 years for 
     these grants.
     Section 2004. Department of Energy Early Career Research 
         Grants
       Section 2004 would authorize research grants for early-
     career scientists and engineers pursuing innovative, 
     independent research. Eligible individuals must have 
     completed a doctorate within the previous 10 years, and must 
     show promise in a field of science or technology. Grants 
     awarded under this section would be for 5 years at a level of 
     up to $100,000 per year during the grant period. Section 2004 
     would authorize $91 million over 4 years for this program.
     Section 2005. Advanced Research Projects Authority--Energy
       Section 2005 would establish the Advanced Research Projects 
     Authority--Energy (ARPA-E) as a new agency within the 
     Department of Energy. The mission of ARPA-E would be to 
     support research with the potential to overcome long-term, 
     high-risk technological barriers in the development of 
     applied energy technologies (including carbon neutral 
     technologies). The Director of ARPA-E would report to the 
     Undersecretary of Science. An external advisory board would 
     recommend to the Director, on an annual basis, key areas of 
     energy research to include in the ARPA-E research portfolio.
     Section 2006. Authorization of Appropriations for the 
         Department of Energy Office of Science
       Section 2006 would authorize a doubling of Office of 
     Science funding over ten years. This rate of increase matches 
     that in the President's American Competitiveness Initiative. 
     The Fiscal Year 2008 request for the Office of Science was 
     $4.4 billion. The authorization is $4.6 billion.
     Section 2007. Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation 
         Institutes
       Section 2007 would establish multi-disciplinary institutes 
     centered at National Laboratories to apply fundamental 
     science and engineering discoveries to technological 
     innovations related to the missions of the Department and the 
     global competitiveness of the United States. Each Institute 
     would be authorized to receive $10 million in federal 
     funding annually.
     Section 2008. PACE Graduate Fellowship Program
       Section 2008 would establish a competitive graduate 
     fellowship program for up to 700 students pursuing doctoral 
     degrees in mission areas of the Department. The section 
     requires that students be selected for the fellowship program 
     through a competitive merit review process (involving written 
     and oral interviews) that will result in a wide distribution 
     of awards throughout the United States. This section would 
     authorize $93 million over 4 years for these fellowships.
     Section 2009. Title IX Compliance
       Section 2009 would require the Department of Energy to 
     conduct compliance reviews of two grant recipients to 
     determine compliance with the provisions of Title IX of the 
     Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX of the Education 
     Amendments of 1972 required government agencies to ensure 
     that female students had equal access to the programs 
     supported by federal grants.
     Section 2010. High-Risk, High-Reward Research
       Section 2010 would require the Secretary of Energy to 
     establish a grant program to encourage the conduct of high-
     risk, high-reward research at the Department of Energy.
     Section 2011. Distinguished Scientists Program
       Section 2011 would establish a joint program between 
     universities and national laboratories to support up to 100 
     distinguished scientists positions. These scientists would 
     hold joint appointments at the labs and their universities, 
     and would promote academic and scientific excellence 
     cooperation between the two institutions. Section 2011 would 
     authorize $290 million over 4 years for these appointments.

[[Page S4801]]

                         DIVISION C--EDUCATION

     Section 3001. Findings
       Section 3001 presents findings that the United States needs 
     to build on and expand the impact of existing education 
     programs that work to ensure a well-educated populace to 
     remain competitive in the global economy.
     Section 3002. Definitions
       Section 3002 contains definitions that are used throughout 
     the Education Division.

                      TITLE I--TEACHER ASSISTANCE

            SUBTITLE A--TEACHERS FOR A COMPETITIVE TOMORROW

     Section 3111. Purpose
       Section 3111 would provide that the purpose of this 
     subtitle is to develop and implement undergraduate programs 
     leading to a baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher 
     certification that provide integrated courses of study in 
     mathematics, science, engineering, or critical foreign 
     languages and teacher education, and master's degree programs 
     in mathematics, science, or critical foreign language 
     education for current teachers to enhance their content 
     knowledge and pedagogical skills.
     Section 3112. Definitions
       Section 3112 contains definitions that are used in this 
     subtitle.
       Section 3113. Programs for Baccalaureate Degrees in 
     Mathematics, Science, Engineering, or Critical Foreign 
     Languages, with Concurrent Teacher Certification.
       Section 3113 would authorize competitive grants for 
     partnerships to develop and implement programs that integrate 
     programs of study for undergraduate students majoring in 
     mathematics, engineering, science or a critical foreign 
     language with teacher education, so that students can obtain 
     baccalaureate degrees with concurrent teacher certification. 
     These partnerships would consist of institutions of higher 
     education, departments of mathematics, engineering, science 
     or critical foreign languages, teacher preparation programs 
     and high-need local educational agencies and their schools.
     Section 3114. Programs for Master's Degrees in Mathematics, 
         Science, or Critical Foreign Languages Education
       Section 3114 would authorize competitive grants for 
     partnerships to develop and implement 2- or 3-year part-time 
     master's degree programs in mathematics, science, or critical 
     foreign language education for current teachers to improve 
     their content knowledge and pedagogical skills. These 
     partnerships would consist of institutions of higher 
     education, departments of mathematics, engineering, 
     science or critical foreign languages, teacher preparation 
     programs and high-need local educational agencies and 
     their schools.
     Section 3115. General Provisions
       Section 3115 contains provisions that would be applicable 
     to both the baccalaureate and master's degree programs. Under 
     both programs, grants would be for five years; matching funds 
     would be required; and grant funds could be used only to 
     supplement, not supplant, other Federal or State funds. The 
     Secretary would be required to evaluate the programs and 
     provide an annual report to Congress.
     Section 3116. Authorization of Appropriations
       Section 3116 would authorize to be appropriated a total for 
     both programs of $210,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2008, and such 
     sums as may be necessary for each of the three succeeding 
     fiscal years, and specify the proportion of the total funding 
     that is to be spent carrying out each of the two programs.

SUBTITLE B--ADVANCED PLACEMENT AND INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE PROGRAMS

     Section 3121. Purpose
       Section 3121 would provide that the purpose of this 
     subtitle is to raise academic achievement through Advanced 
     Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs 
     by increasing the number of teachers serving high-need 
     schools who are qualified to teach AP or IB courses in 
     mathematics, science, and critical foreign languages; 
     increasing the availability of such courses in high-need 
     schools, including courses that prepare students to enroll 
     and succeed in AP and IB; and increasing the number of 
     students attending high-need schools who take such courses 
     and take and pass the examinations.
     Section 3122. Definitions
       Section 3121 contains definitions that are used in this 
     subtitle.
     Section 3123. Advanced Placement and International 
         Baccalaureate Programs
       Section 3123 would authorize competitive grants to achieve 
     the purposes of this subtitle and would authorize to be 
     appropriated $58,000,000 for Fiscal Year 2008, and such sums 
     as may be necessary for each of the three succeeding fiscal 
     years.

                           TITLE II--MATH NOW

     Section 3201. Math Now for Elementary School and Middle 
         School Students Program
       Section 3201 would authorize a grant program to improve 
     instruction in mathematics for elementary school and middle 
     school students, and to provide targeted help to students 
     struggling with mathematics, to enable all students to reach 
     or exceed grade-level academic achievement standards. Grants 
     would be awarded to implement mathematics instructional 
     materials and interventions, provide professional development 
     activities, and conduct continuous progress monitoring of 
     students in mathematics. State educational agencies would be 
     awarded grants on a competitive basis to enable them to award 
     grants to eligible local educational agencies. Priority would 
     be given to applications for projects that would implement 
     statewide strategies for improving mathematics instruction 
     and raising the mathematics achievement of students, 
     particularly those in grades 4 through 8. There would be a 
     matching requirement, but the Secretary would have the 
     authority to waive all or part of it in cases of serious 
     hardship. The section would authorize to be appropriated 
     $146,700,000 for Fiscal Year 2008, and such sums as may be 
     necessary for each of the 3 succeeding fiscal years.

            TITLE III--FOREIGN LANGUAGE PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

     Section 3301. Findings and Purpose
       Section 3301 presents findings that the United States faces 
     a shortage of skilled professionals with higher levels of 
     proficiency in foreign language and that the ability of 
     students to become proficient can be addressed by starting 
     language learning at a younger age and expanding 
     opportunities for continuous foreign language education from 
     elementary school through postsecondary education. The 
     purpose of this title is to increase significantly both the 
     opportunities to study critical foreign languages programs 
     and the number of students who become proficient in critical 
     foreign languages.
     Section 3302. Definitions
       Section 3302 contains definitions that are used in this 
     title.
     Section 3303. Program Authorized
       Section 3303 would authorize a competitive grant program to 
     enable institutions of higher education and local educational 
     agencies working in partnership to establish articulated 
     programs of study in critical foreign languages so that 
     students from elementary school through postsecondary 
     education can advance their knowledge successfully and 
     achieve higher levels of proficiency in a critical foreign 
     language.
     Section 3304. Authorization of Appropriations
       Section 3304 would authorize to be appropriated $22,000,000 
     for Fiscal Year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for 
     each of the three succeeding fiscal years.

               TITLE IV--ALIGNMENT OF EDUCATION PROGRAMS

     Section 3401. Alignment of Secondary School Graduation 
         Requirements with the Demands of 21st Century 
         Postsecondary Endeavors and Support for P-16 Education 
         Data Systems
       Section 3401 would provide that this title would authorize 
     competitive grants to States to promote better alignment of 
     elementary and secondary education with the knowledge and 
     skills needed to succeed in academic credit-bearing 
     coursework in institutions of higher education, in the 21st 
     century workforce and in the Armed Forces. The title would 
     also authorize competitive grants to support the 
     establishment or improvement of statewide P-16 education 
     longitudinal data systems to assist States in improving the 
     rigor and quality of content knowledge requirements and 
     assessments, ensure that students are prepared to succeed in 
     postsecondary endeavors, and enable States to have valid and 
     reliable information to inform education policy and practice. 
     The section would authorize to be appropriated $100,000,000 
     for Fiscal Year 2008, and such sums as may be necessary for 
     Fiscal Year 2009.

                DIVISION D--NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

     Section 4001. Authorization of Appropriations
       Subsection (a) would authorize appropriations for the 
     National Science Foundation (NSF) at the following levels for 
     4 ears.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
NSF.........................     $6.808     $7.433     $8.446    $11.200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ billion.

       Subsection (b) would require the Director of NSF to create 
     a plan for spending this increased funding within 180 days of 
     enactment, taking into account the priorities established by 
     the Science Summit authorized under Section 101(c) of this 
     Act.
     Section 4002. Strengthening of Education and Human Resources 
         Directorate through Equitable Distribution of New Funds
       Section 4002 would provide for annual funding increases for 
     the education and human resources programs of the National 
     Science Foundation to ensure the continued involvement of 
     experts at the National Science Foundation in improving 
     science, technology, engineering and mathematics education at 
     the elementary, secondary and postsecondary level. As 
     appropriations for the National Science Foundation increase, 
     funds for the education and human resources programs would 
     increase by a proportional amount.
     Section 4003. Graduate Fellowships and Graduate Traineeships
       Section 4003 would require the Director of NSF to expand 
     both the Graduate Research Fellowship Program and the 
     Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship 
     Program for an additional 1,250 students each over the next 5 
     years. Within the amounts authorized under Section 4001,

[[Page S4802]]

     this section would authorize appropriations at the following 
     levels in Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011 to support the 
     expansion of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRF) 
     and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research 
     Traineeship Program (IGERT).

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
GRF.........................        $24        $36        $48        $60
IGERT.......................        $22        $33        $44       $55
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

     Section 4004. Professional Science Master's Degree Programs
       Section 4004 would require the Director of NSF to establish 
     an NSF clearinghouse to share program elements used in 
     professional science master's degree (PSMD) programs and 
     other advanced degree programs related to science, 
     mathematics, technology, and engineering, to help 
     institutions of higher education establish professional 
     science master's programs. The clearinghouse would be 
     established in conjunction with 4-year institutions of higher 
     education, graduate schools, industry, and federal agencies.
       Subsection (b) would require the Director to award grants 
     to 4-year institutions of higher education to facilitate the 
     institutions' creation or improvement of professional science 
     master's degrees programs. The program would make awards to a 
     maximum of 200 4-year institutions of higher institutions for 
     a 3 year period. Any grant renewals would be for a maximum of 
     2 additional years. The Director would be required to give 
     preference in making awards to 4-year institutions of higher 
     education seeking federal funding to support pilot 
     professional science master's degree programs to applicants 
     that secure more than \2/3\ of their funding for such 
     professional science masters degree programs from sources 
     other than the Federal Government.
       Within the amounts authorized under Section 4001, 
     Subsection (d) would authorize appropriations at the 
     following levels in Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011 to carry 
     out this section.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
PSMD........................        $15        $18        $20       $20
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

     Section 4005. Increased Support for Science Education through 
         the National Science Foundation
       Within the amounts authorized under Section 4001, Section 
     4005 would authorize appropriations for the science, 
     mathematics, engineering, and technology talent program 
     established in section 8(7) of the National Science 
     Foundation Act of 2002 (P.L. 107-368) at the following levels 
     in Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010      2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tech Talent.................        $40        $45        $50       $55
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

     Section 4006. Meeting Critical National Science Needs
       Section 4006, subsection (a) would require the Director of 
     NSF to include consideration of the degree to which NSF 
     awards and research activities assist in meeting critical 
     national needs in innovation, competitiveness, the physical 
     and natural sciences, technology, engineering, and 
     mathematics.
       Subsection (b) would require the Director of NSF to give 
     priority in the selection of awards and the allocation of NSF 
     resources under the Research and Related Activities budgetary 
     account to those projects that can be expected to make 
     contributions in physical and natural sciences, technology, 
     engineering, and mathematics, or which can be expected to 
     enhance competitiveness or innovation in the United States.
       Subsection (c) would clarify that the priority 
     consideration required by Section 4006 does not restrict or 
     bias the grant selection process against other areas of 
     research consistent with the mandate of the Foundation.
     Section 4007. Reaffirmation of the Merit-Review Process of 
         the National Science Foundation
       Section 4007 would clarify that nothing in this Act shall 
     be interpreted to require or recommend that NSF change its 
     (1) merit-review system or (2) peer review process. These 
     processes should continue to be used in determining what 
     grants NSF will fund.
     Section 4008. Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive 
         Research
       Section 4008 would authorize the NSF's Experimental Program 
     to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) at $125 million 
     for Fiscal Year 2008, of the funds authorized in Section 
     4001, increasing each year from Fiscal Year 2009 to Fiscal 
     Year 2011 by the same percentage by which NSF's overall 
     funding increases.
     Section 4009. Encouraging Participation
       Subsection (a) would require the Director of NSF to 
     establish a program to provide mentors for women who are 
     interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, 
     and mathematics by paring such women with mentors who are 
     working in industry.
       Subsection (b) would require the Director of NSF to 
     establish a program to provide grants to community colleges 
     to provide apprenticeships and other appropriate training to 
     allow women to enter higher-paying technical jobs in fields 
     related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics.
       Subsections (c) and (d) establish the requirements for 
     application and the evaluation criteria of this program.
     Section 4010. Cyberinfrastructure
       Section 4010 would require the Director of NSF to develop 
     and publish a plan that describes the current status of 
     broadband access for scientific research purposes in EPSCoR-
     eligible jurisdictions and outlines actions that could be 
     taken to ensure that broadband connections are available to 
     enable participation in NSF programs that rely heavily on 
     highspeed networking and collaborations across institutions 
     and regions.
     Section 4011. Federal Information and Communications 
         Technology Research
       Section 4011 would require the Director of NSF to establish 
     a grant program for basic research in advanced information 
     and communications technologies focused on enhancing or 
     facilitating the availability and affordability of advanced 
     communications services to all Americans. In developing this 
     program, the Director shall consult with a Federal Advanced 
     Information and Communications Technology Research Board 
     composed of individuals with expertise in information and 
     communications technologies, including representatives from 
     the National Telecommunications and Information 
     Administration, the Federal Communications Commission, the 
     NIST, the Department of Defense, and representatives from 
     industry and educational institutions. Within the amounts 
     authorized by Section 4001, Section 4011 would authorize 
     appropriations to carry out this section at the following 
     levels in Fiscal Years 2008 through 2011

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telecommunications Basic            $45        $50        $55        $60
 Research...................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

     Section 4012. Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program
       Section 4012 would increase support for the Robert Noyce 
     Scholarship Program to recruit and train individuals to 
     become math and science teachers in high need local 
     educational agencies. It would increase the undergraduate 
     scholarship amount from $7,500 to $10,000 per year for a 
     maximum of two years (in exchange for teaching service) and 
     add a summer internship component for freshmen and sophomores 
     interested in the program. Provisions that require repayment 
     of scholarship or stipend by recipients who do not complete 
     their service requirement would be amended to require 
     repayment through a federal student loan with terms 
     consistent with provisions in parts B and D of title IV of 
     the Higher Education Act. Within the amounts authorized by 
     Section 4001, Section 4012 would authorize appropriations to 
     carry out this section at the following levels in Fiscal 
     Years 2008 through 2011

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noyce Program...............       $117       $130       $148      $200
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

     Section 4013. Sense of the Senate Regarding the Mathematics 
         and Science Partnership Programs of the Department of 
         Education and The National Science Foundation
       Section 4013 would provide a sense of the Senate that 
     mathematics and science partnership programs operated by the 
     Department of Education and the National Science Foundation 
     are complementary not duplicative, and the two agencies 
     should have ongoing collaboration to ensure the two 
     components continue to work in concert.
     Section 4014. National Science Foundation Teacher Institutes 
         for the 21st Century
       Section 4014 would specifically authorize and increase 
     support for the Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century 
     summer institute program at the National Science Foundation 
     to provide cutting-edge professional development for 
     elementary and secondary school math and science teachers who 
     teach in high need schools. It would provide for follow-up 
     training and support during the academic year for 
     participating teachers. Within the amounts authorized by 
     Section 4001, Section 4014 would authorize appropriations to 
     carry out this section at the following levels in Fiscal 
     Years 2008 through 2011.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                               FY 2008    FY 2009    FY 2010    FY 2011
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Teacher Institutes..........        $84        $94       $106      $140
------------------------------------------------------------------------
All amounts are in $ million.

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I see no other Senator on the floor and 
suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The clerk will call the roll.
  The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The majority leader is recognized.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

                          ____________________