[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 86 (Friday, May 23, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1101]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1101]]
 THE INTRODUCTION OF THE ``ENHANCING SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, 
           AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION ACT OF 2008,'' H.R. 6104

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 22, 2008

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, yesterday I introduced the ``Enhancing 
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education Act of 
2008,'' H.R. 6104. This legislation aims to enhance the coordination of 
the Nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
education initiatives. Thirty-nine members of the United States House 
of Representatives signed on as original cosponsors of H.R. 6104. We 
were joined by our distinguished colleague Senator Barack Obama who 
introduced a companion bill (S. 3047) along with three of his 
colleagues.
  The intent of this bill is to increase the coordination, 
collaboration, and coherence of Science, Technology, Engineering, and 
Mathematics, STEM, education initiatives for the students of today and 
the citizens and workers of tomorrow.
  As a former teacher, principal and school board member I am committed 
to improving the education we provide our young people. Developing 
citizens that are critical thinkers and scientifically literate will 
help drive a vibrant society and create a sound economy. Our economy 
depends on our country's education. Few policy decisions have more 
economic impact in the long-run than education policies.
  Today, more than ever, our economic resiliency depends on the 
competitiveness of our labor force. Unfortunately, the signs are not 
good. Over 25 years ago, ``A Nation at Risk'' identified America's need 
to improve STEM education to ensure that we remain competitive in an 
increasingly global economy. But more than two decades later, ``Rising 
Above the Gathering Storm'' presented clear trends in international 
tests and college enrollments that show that our children are losing 
their competitive advantage, and so is our Nation.
  In this country we have many successful STEM education programs. For 
example, nearby at the Indian Head Elementary School in Charles County, 
Maryland, scientists and engineers from the Department of Defense 
partner with students to develop cutting edge rocketry. Yesterday, two 
fifth grader students from this school, DeMisha White and Justin Dinch, 
together with their teacher Mr. Tim Emhoff, shared the incredible value 
of Federal programs in exciting our children about STEM.
  Sadly, this program and the myriad like it are not coordinated. Over 
a dozen agencies are engaged in STEM education and they are often not 
aware of the efforts of other agencies--they are working in isolation. 
According to the American Competitiveness Council, in 2006 the U.S. 
sponsored 105 STEM education programs at these agencies, at a cost of 
about $3.12 billion. The ACC found that ``coordination among agencies 
could be improved to avoid, for example, grants to numerous projects 
that support the same sorts of interventions . . . there appears to be 
a lack of communication among the agencies about the work they are 
funding and the results that are being generated . . . agencies are 
often uninformed by the results of earlier projects.'' Clearly, our 
Nation is not maximizing the impact of our STEM education initiatives.
  The ``Enhancing STEM Education Act of 2008,'' is a bi-partisan, bi-
cameral bill that will provide a framework for Federal agencies, the 
States and all stake-holders to work collaboratively. It will help them 
establish national STEM education goals and to coordinate STEM 
education initiatives.
  The bill has four major components:
  (1) Elevating the STEM Education Subcommittee at the President's 
Office of Science Technology Policy, OSTP, to the standing committee 
level. This change would give STEM education a higher profile within 
OSTP and establish the mechanism for the coordination of Federal STEM 
education initiatives.
  (2) Establishing an Assistant Secretary for STEM Education at the 
U.S. Department of Education. This Office would bring together the 
Department's STEM education efforts and manage programs such as Math 
and Science Partnerships and the Minority Science and Engineering 
Improvement Program.
  (3) Creating the State Consortium on STEM Education. This voluntary 
group, of at least five States from across the country, would help 
align State STEM education efforts. Their mission is to coordinate 
policies to address weaknesses in STEM education. For example, the 
Consortium will work with stakeholders to identify strategies to 
improve the representation of women and minorities in these fields.
  (4) And lastly, this bill establishing the National STEM Education 
Research Repository. This clearing house will be a portal to 
information about all federally funded STEM education programs, making 
the results of the more than $3 billion the Federal Government spends 
annually on STEM education available to local educators.
  We need to ensure that all our children are prepared for citizenship 
in a world that is increasingly dependent on STEM literacy. The recent 
bleak economic news we've been hearing should be a wake-up call that we 
cannot continue to move forward without a blueprint for our students 
and our future economic well-being. This is why I introduced the 
``Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Education 
Act of 2008.''
  I want to thank all my colleagues who joined with me to address the 
critical needs of our Nation. I especially want to thank Senator Barack 
Obama, Chairman George Miller, Representative Vernon Ehlers, and 
Representative Rush Holt for their leadership. I look forward to 
working with my colleagues to move this legislation through this 
Congress.

                          ____________________