[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 3, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 INTRODUCTION OF THE NANOTECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT AND NEW OPPORTUNITIES 
                                  ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 3, 2009

  Mr. HONDA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss the introduction of 
the Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities (NANO) Act.
  The NANO Act is a comprehensive bill to promote the development and 
responsible stewardship of nanotechnology in the United States. The 
legislation draws upon the work 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 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 Sherry 
Boehlert on the Nanotechnology Research and Development Act of 2003 to 
foster research in this area.
  But one of the things I have heard from experts in the field 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. The NANO Act 
includes a number of these recommendations.
  In addition, the bill addresses concerns that have been raised 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.
  The NANO Act also 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 Science and Technology Committee 
Chairman Gordon to incorporate these provisions as his committee works 
to reauthorize the Nation's nanotechnology research and development 
program.

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