[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 125 (Wednesday, August 1, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1671]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 3235, THE NANOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT AND NEW 
                           OPPORTUNITIES ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 31, 2007

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today upon the introduction of H.R. 
3235, the Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities (NANO) Act.
  The NANO Act is comprehensive bill to promote the development and 
responsible stewardship of nanotechnology in the United States. The 
legislation draws upon the recommendations of the Blue Ribbon Task 
Force on Nanotechnology, a panel of California nanotechnology experts 
with backgrounds in established industry, startup companies, consulting 
groups, non-profits, academia, government, medical research, and 
venture capital that I convened with then-California State Controller 
Steve Westly during 2005.
  Nanotechnology has the potential to create entirely new industries 
and radically transform the basis of competition in other fields, and I 
am proud of my work with former Science Committee Chairman Sherwood 
Boehlert on the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 to 
foster research in this area.
  But one of the things policymakers have heard from experts is that 
while the United States is a leader in nanotechnology research, our 
foreign competitors are focusing more resources and effort on the 
commercialization of those research results than we are.
  In its report Thinking Big About Thinking Small, which can be found 
on my website, the Blue Ribbon Task Force on Nanotechnology made a 
series of recommendations for ways that the Nation can promote the 
development and commercialization of nanotechnology, a number of which 
are included in H.R. 3235.
  In addition, the bill addresses concerns that have been raised in 
recent months about whether the Federal Government is doing enough to 
address potential health and safety risks associated with 
nanotechnology. The NANO Act requires the development of a 
nanotechnology research strategy that establishes research priorities 
for the Federal Government and industry that will ensure the 
development and responsible stewardship of nanotechnology. This 
strategy will help to resolve the uncertainty that is one of the major 
obstacles to the commercialization of nanotechnology--uncertainty about 
what the risks might be and uncertainty about how the Federal 
Government might regulate nanotechnology in the future.
  H.R. 3235 includes a number of provisions to create partnerships, 
raise awareness, and implement strategic policies to resolve obstacles 
and promote nanotechnology. It will: create a public-private investment 
partnership to address the nanotechnology commercialization gap; 
establish a tax credit for investment in nanotechnology firms; 
authorize a grant program to support the establishment and development 
of nanotechnology incubators; establish a Nanoscale Science and 
Engineering Center for ``nano-CAD'' tools; establish grant programs for 
nanotechnology research to address specific challenges in the areas of 
energy, environment, homeland security, and health; establish a tax 
credit for nanotechnology education and training program expenses; 
establish a grant program to support the development of curriculum 
materials for interdisciplinary nanotechnology courses at higher 
education institutions; direct NSF to establish a program to encourage 
manufacturing companies to enter into partnerships with occupational 
training centers for the development of training to support 
nanotechnology manufacturing; and call for the development of a 
strategy for increasing interaction on nanotechnology interests between 
DOE national labs and the informal science education community.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Science and 
Technology Committee to incorporate these provisions as we work to 
reauthorize the Nation's nanotechnology research and development 
program.

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