[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 9, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1003-E1004]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    THE INNOVATION AGENDA, H.R. 362, H.R. 363, H.R. 1867, H.R. 1868

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROL SHEA-PORTER

                            of new hampshire

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2007

  Ms. SHEA-PORTER. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to have voted in support 
of several important and necessary bills on science and technology that 
will safeguard our nation's prosperity and security in the 21st 
century. As global competition continues to grow, we must meet these 
competitiveness challenges by encouraging science and technology 
research and education, as well as investing in business and industry 
applications. We need to position ourselves to best meet the demands of 
the 21st-century world, which will be driven by a knowledge economy.
  Currently, less than one third of 4th and 8th Grade students perform 
at a ``proficient'' level in mathematics, and 12th Grade students 
perform below the international average of 21 other countries in math 
and science knowledge. Only 15 percent of our undergraduates major in 
science or engineering, while for China, our major economic competitor, 
that figure is 50 percent, an unhealthy balance with a potential major 
impact on outsourcing. That is no doubt why Intel Corporation predicted 
that it would shift another third of its business operations overseas 
(leaving only one third in the U.S.), as the company follows the most 
highly trained and educated work force. The decline in math and science 
performance has led Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corporation, to 
remark that he is ``terrified for our workforce of tomorrow.''
  The 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship 
Act (H.R. 362) implements the National Academies of Science report, 
Rising above the Gathering Storm, which recommended increasing 
``America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and 
mathematics education.'' The bill invests in 10,000 new math and 
science teachers by increasing scholarships available for them, and 
will strengthen the skills of current teachers by offering them more 
training and educational opportunities. This bill puts teachers and 
children at the center of our renewal strategy.
  It worries me that, since 1976, our investment in research has 
slipped by 45 percent (as a percentage of the gross domestic product). 
To counteract this decline, the National Academies of Science report 
recommended an increased and sustained commitment to long-term, basic 
research.
  This commitment is further implemented in the Sowing the Seeds 
through Science and Engineering Research Act (H.R. 363). This bill 
provides grants for research scientists early in their careers, when 
researchers do their most innovative and ground-breaking work, and 
funds a much-needed national coordination effort for research 
infrastructure needs. The National Science Foundation Authorization Act 
of 2007 (H.R. 1867) also addresses this problem by doubling National 
Science Foundation funding over the next ten years, increasing our 
commitment to math, engineering, and science research and education.
  These bills will put an end to our neglect of science and math 
research and education and enable us to keep our competitive and 
innovative edge, which has been eroding in recent

[[Page E1004]]

years. Our future prosperity depends on reversing this trend. Studies 
have shown that 85 percent of growth in U.S. income before 1950 was due 
to technological innovation and that in the last 60 years, 
technological innovation has been responsible for half of U.S. economic 
growth. But in the fall of 2005, scientists polled by Rep. Frank Wolf 
said that we were losing ground in science and innovation, with 60 
percent saying that we were ``in decline'' and 40 percent that we were 
``in a stall.'' Decline and stall will not ensure job growth and 
economic prosperity in the coming century.

  But we must also apply the results of these research and education 
initiatives to our business and manufacturing industry, and the 
Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act (H. R. 1868) 
begins this process. The bill reauthorizes the National Institutes of 
Standards and Technology (NIST), which is responsible for many 
breakthrough technologies of the last century, setting us on course to 
double its funding over 10 years. It also creates the Technology 
Innovation Program to allocate funds to small high-tech companies and 
enable them to continue their research and development until they can 
bring their products to the marketplace.
  Our investment in science and technology research and education can 
reverse the bleeding away of our manufacturing base, which creates 
national, security as well as economic risks. In recent years almost 
half of our new jobs have been created by lowwage employers, which 
lower our standard of living. If we haven't yet noticed, others have, 
and Canada and Australia won a Pew Research Center international poll 
in 2005 about the best country to go to lead a good life. Superiority 
in science and technology and a positive environment for new or renewed 
industries will result in good, high-paying jobs, and allow us to 
overcome the competitive advantage of countries, like China, with low-
wage structures.
  There is every reason to expect that we can, given sufficient 
investment, create new industries with good jobs to respond to our need 
for clean energy and energy independence, among many possibilities. I 
am proud to have voted to address this crisis and invest in our future 
prosperity, industrial strength, and national security.

                          ____________________