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




              AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JERRY F. COSTELLO

                              of illinois

                    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:
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 5116, the 
Reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act of 2010.
  I commend Chairman Gordon for his leadership in developing this 
important legislation and bringing it to the floor.
  In the three years since the America COMPETES Act was signed into 
law, we have made great strides in innovation, education, and 
technology. H.R. 5116 makes strong investments in science and education 
to strengthen U.S. competitiveness, support businesses, and create 
jobs.
  H.R. 5116 builds upon the recommendations of the 2005 report, Rising 
Above the Gathering Storm, and prioritizes science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education at all levels.
  Since coming to Congress, I have been a strong supporter of STEM 
education at every age from pre-school through adult education. These 
investments ensure we prepare the next generation of scientists and 
engineers and maintain the most innovative, competitive workforce in 
the world.
  Specifically, investment in STEM education is especially important at 
the K-12 level, when students are first exposed to STEM curricula. It 
is vitally important to engage the interest of K-12 students in STEM 
and to attract and retain highly skilled teachers in the STEM field.
  It is my hope that teacher retraining and K-12 STEM education 
provisions included in the 2007 COMPETES bill will be reauthorized, and 
I look forward to working with my colleagues in the House Education and 
Labor Committee to achieve this goal.
  In addition, I am pleased the bill supports STEM education programs 
at community colleges and 2-year institutions and links community 
colleges with Manufacturing Extension Partnerships, other institutions 
of higher education, research institutions, and regional innovation 
hubs. This connection ensures that students will have the job training 
necessary to secure good-paying jobs in their communities and 
manufacturers have a workforce with the right skill set to promote 
innovation.
  I appreciate Chairman Gordon's willingness to work with me to include 
language in the bill that ensures that DOE's STEM education programs 
mirror the important research being conducted by the agency on carbon 
capture and sequestration (CCS) science. CCS represents a major 
advancement in the use of coal, the nation's most abundant and 
affordable energy source.
  The President's Fiscal Year 2011 budget invests over $400 million in 
CCS research at DOE, and universities such as the Southern Illinois 
University-Carbondale engage in cutting-edge clean coal research. 
Including CCS in DOE's STEM education programming will ensure we 
continue to expand research, development, and deployment of this 
important technology and train a new generation of CCS scientists.
  I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5116.

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