[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 72 (Thursday, May 13, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E845-E846]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. ZOE LOFGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 12, 2010

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5116) to 
     invest in innovation through research and development, to 
     improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for 
     other purposes:

  Ms. ZOE LOFGREN of California. Madam Chair, today I rise in support 
of H.R. 5116, to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act. This bill 
continues the commitment we made to science and innovation from the 
first COMPETES Act, passed in 2007.
  As a Member representing Silicon Valley, I have seen firsthand what 
innovation and research can do to keep us competitive and economically 
strong. H.R. 5116 will foster research by reauthorizing the Department 
of Energy's Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology, and keep them on a path 
that will double their authorized funding over 10 years, based on 2007 
appropriated levels. This funding will support basic research in labs 
across the country. The Act also includes loan guarantee programs for 
small- and medium-sized manufacturers to bring their new and innovative 
products beyond the prototype stage and into production.
  Madam Chair, the bill fosters STEM education and will help ensure 
that today's children are prepared to be tomorrow's competitive 
workforce. H.R. 5116 provides greater coordination of STEM education 
programs across federal agencies and aligns the programs at all levels 
of education--from K-12 through doctoral degrees. Once students are 
interested in STEM fields, we need to foster their growth and ensure 
that they have the right tools and support to stay within the STEM 
pipeline.
  The COMPETES Reauthorization Act also encourages innovative thinking 
and solutions by reauthorizing the Advanced Research Projects Agency 
for Energy (ARPA-E) to perform high-risk, high-reward energy research 
that could lead to the game-changing technology we need to wean 
ourselves off of polluting fossil fuels.

[[Page E846]]

  I would like to note one concern I have with this legislation. 
Section 123 establishes a working group to coordinate the policies of 
various agencies regarding public access to the results of federally-
funded research. I agree that coordination could improve technical 
uniformity in the dissemination of data, boosting interoperability 
across agencies and disciplines. However, the working group should not 
extend its mandate to demand uniformity in all public access policies, 
such as those for scientific publications. In particular, it should not 
interfere with the policy of the National Institutes of Health, which 
requires free public access to the published results of research funded 
by NIH. This legislation should not be interpreted to restrict existing 
open access to scientific knowledge, or to prevent its expansion.
  This issue aside, I am pleased of the commitment we are making to 
science and innovation today, and I strongly urge my colleagues to 
support this bill.

                          ____________________