[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 27 (Tuesday, February 26, 2013)]
[House]
[Pages H643-H647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ACADEMIC COMPETITION RESOLUTION OF 2013
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 77) establishing an academic
competition in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics among students in Congressional districts.
The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
The text of the resolution is as follows:
H. Res. 77
Resolved,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This resolution may be cited as the ``Academic Competition
Resolution of 2013''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The House of Representatives finds as follows:
(1) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics) fields and knowledge have been integral to the
development of civilization over the centuries.
(2) STEM fields have been, and continue to be, vital to a
healthy and thriving United States.
(3) STEM fields are even more important in a world and
nation of continuous and rapid technological advancements and
needs.
(4) STEM fields are necessary to ensure a qualified
national workforce and growing American economy, and a recent
study predicted that one-half of all STEM jobs in 2020 will
be related to the field of computer science.
(5) A recent study found that less than one-third of eighth
graders in the United States showed proficiency in
mathematics and science.
(6) A recent study found that only 9 States allowed
computer science courses to count toward high school
students' core graduation requirements.
(7) A recent study found that only one-third of the
bachelor's degrees earned in the United States are in a STEM
field.
(8) A recent study found that more than one-half of the
science and engineering graduate students in institutions of
higher education in the United States are from outside the
United States.
(9) Efforts to encourage students to work in STEM fields
will enhance collaborative efforts between our secondary
education systems and STEM-related fields and industries.
(10) The global economy demands that the United States
continue to lead the world in innovation, creativity, and
STEM-related research.
(11) Bringing together Members of Congress and their
younger constituents to participate in activities that will
result in a deeper appreciation for STEM fields will foster
enthusiasm for education in the sciences.
(12) The support which students will gain through
Congressional recognition of their work on STEM-related
projects will encourage them to pursue career paths in STEM
studies and research.
(13) It is appropriate for the House of Representatives to
institute a new and worthwhile competition to encourage
students to participate in STEM studies and research.
(14) Rapid technological change means the competition will
evolve over time and will challenge students in specialized
areas of science, technology, engineering and math to ensure
maximum participation. Because of the importance of computer
science it would be appropriate to initially challenge
students to develop so-called ``apps'' for mobile, tablet,
and computer platforms.
SEC. 3. CONGRESSIONAL COMPETITION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS.
(a) Establishment of Competition.--There is hereby
established an academic competition in the fields of science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics which shall be held
each year among students in each Congressional district.
(b) Regulations.--The competition under this resolution
shall be carried out in accordance with such regulations as
may be prescribed by the Committee on House Administration,
except that the regulations shall permit the office of a
Member to seek guidance from outside experts in the fields of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics for the
purposes of establishing criteria for the selection of
competition judges and for the judgment of competition
submissions.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Michigan (Mrs. Miller) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Brady)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
on the House resolution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I rise today in very strong support of House Resolution 77 to
establish an academic competition that promotes innovation among
students from across the country in the science, technology,
engineering, and math--or the ``STEM'' fields, as they are called.
This program will be modeled after the Congressional Art Competition.
This Congressional Academic Competition will be a nationwide STEM
innovation competition for participating students in every
congressional district. Each year, students will submit STEM projects
or programs to their Representatives for consideration.
Representatives, Members of Congress, will then select the winning
submissions that will be recognized in Washington, D.C., each year. The
initial focus of this competition will be software applications.
Submissions will likely include smart phone apps, management software
programs, and social media technologies.
STEM positions are among the fastest growing occupations.
Unfortunately, organizations are having a difficult time filling these
positions with qualified and diverse candidates. At least half the
growth in the U.S. gross domestic product over the last 50 years has
been due to science and engineering. Yet the United States,
unfortunately, is losing its competitive edge in those fields.
According to a 2010 National Academies report, the United States ranked
27th among developed countries in the proportion of college students
earning bachelor's degrees in science or engineering.
As I mentioned, it is our intent to model this program after the
Artistic Discovery Competition. I would say, Mr. Speaker, since my
arrival here in Congress, I've just marveled at the incredible
abilities, the talents, the creativity of young artists from my
district, and I have certainly been honored to display the winning
submission here in the Capitol building.
I truly believe that the Artistic Discovery has worked to inspire
those artists to hone their skills and advance their creativity. This
STEM competition, this program that we are talking about today, could
do so much more of the same and perhaps help us discover the next Steve
Jobs or Bill Gates. This would not only help our young people to
thrive, but it would also advance our entire economy.
A study by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology found that, over the next decade, ``economic forecasts point
to a need for producing approximately 1 million more college graduates
in STEM fields than expected.''
We are nowhere near meeting that goal, and this competition would be
a
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no-cost way to further interest in the field. Additionally, fewer than
one-third of the eighth graders in the United States show proficiency
in science and mathematics. Actually, only nine States allow computer
science courses to count toward high school graduation requirements. I
know we can do better than that.
We can help America's schools to do more to prepare our children in
the STEM fields. We can help to stimulate the workforce by helping
America's young people to not only be prepared but to ably fill the
STEM jobs in our economy as they are created. It is vital to our
economy and to our future that America remain competitive in this
growing field. We can encourage and embrace STEM innovation through
this bipartisan academic competition.
In an ever-competitive global economy, I know that America's young
people can be the world's greatest source of innovation and creativity.
We can improve our Nation's economy and help provide countless of our
children great opportunities in the future by encouraging their
imaginations and by honoring their hard work. If there are STEM jobs
available, we must make every effort to ensure that American young
people fill these positions.
This competition will help students see the value of STEM fields and
engage them with the topics throughout their lives. We also need to
help students who are interested in science and engineering maintain
that interest so that they can become scientists and engineers.
Encouraging greater innovation and participation in STEM fields will
help our students and, again, help our Nation to succeed in the future.
We know all too well how difficult our economy has been in recent
years, but even in this tough economy a lot of these tech industries
have flourished. It's important to empower our young people with the
necessary tools to succeed when it comes time for them to enter the
labor force.
The action that we take today could help empower the next generation
because this competition will offer the opportunity for students to
expand their horizons and to potentially find interest or maintain
their interest in one of our economy's fastest growing occupations. We
can improve our students' academic achievements in education in hopes
of preparing them for these opportunities in their futures.
As former U.S. Secretary of Education Bill Bennett has said:
As a Nation, we simply must get this message to schools,
businesses, corporations, State departments of education,
Governors, and beyond. STEM education is an urgent need for
our Nation. We cannot continue to graduate students ill-
prepared for our Nation's economic necessities--or their own.
Mr. Speaker, we believe that this proposed academic competition will
inspire and encourage young innovators and better equip our youth to
compete in today's global economy.
Far too often, I would note, this House seems to be unable to come to
agreement on ways to solve America's challenges, and I know on this
issue we all agree. It's a bipartisan effort. We all love our children.
We all want them to succeed. We want them to reach their full
potential, and we certainly want to honor their hard work as they reach
toward a brighter future. So I would urge all of my colleagues, Mr.
Speaker, to join me in supporting this small step toward that brighter
future.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I would like to thank Chairman Miller and her staff for working in a
bipartisan fashion on this legislation.
As the chairman mentioned, we created this competition so Members can
help promote STEM education in a way that has a direct impact on their
constituents. It is this very type of learning that will be essential
to continue revitalizing our Nation's economy. The time and energy we
invest now in advancing STEM education will only strengthen our
Nation's economic posture in the future. This competition is one small
way to do that.
I look forward to continuing to work with the chairman as we develop
regulations for this program and implement this competition.
With that, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 1 minute to
the distinguished majority leader, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Cantor), who has been a principal force and advocate for this
particular piece of legislation in the STEM.
Mr. CANTOR. I thank the gentlelady from Michigan.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the House's efforts to
promote entrepreneurship and innovation through a new nationwide
Congressional Academic Competition focused on science, technology,
engineering, and math. From Robert Noyce to Sergey Brin, America has
long been at the forefront of the digital revolution. Yet the United
States faces an increasing challenge in terms of competitiveness and
the opportunities available to future generations.
This competition will provide a unique opportunity for America's high
school and college students in each congressional district to showcase
their capabilities and creativity and build a framework for American
success. Each year, this competition will bring communities together
with their Members of Congress to recognize the importance of
innovation and motivate students to pursue their ideas, take risks and
put forward innovative solutions.
By challenging students to explore the importance of computer science
in their everyday lives, we hope that this competition will help
empower them to use their creativity to code for a more prosperous and
innovative community. This competition will initially focus on
developing applications for mobile, tablet, and computer platforms,
reviewed by community leaders and entrepreneurs in these fields.
However, given that technology rapidly changes over time, the
competition has been designed with the ability to evolve for the
future.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Brady,
and their staffs for their hard work in making this program possible.
It will be exciting to see the kinds of advancements and breakthroughs
students will come up with across the country.
I look forward to the success of the Congressional Academic
Competition for years to come, and I encourage my colleagues to support
this effort to inspire the next generation of American innovators.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to yield 2
minutes to the gentlelady from California, Anna Eshoo.
Ms. ESHOO. I thank the ranking member for recognizing me.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Academic Competition
Resolution of 2013, which is really the first step toward establishing
a mobile apps contest for students across America, which I find very,
very exciting.
{time} 1240
Building on the success of the Congressional Arts Competition, which
for more than 30 years has recognized and encouraged artistic talent
among our Nation's youth, an apps competition will foster interest in
STEM education--science, technology, engineering, and math--which is
just what our country needs to prepare for our future.
According to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology, in the next decade there will be approximately 8.5 million
STEM job opportunities; but during the same time, it is projected we'll
face a shortage of 1 million STEM graduates. We need to address this
mismatch by encouraging our children's innate curiosity and creativity.
And what better way to do so than through a mobile apps competition?
From mobile medical apps that can revolutionize the way we seek and
receive health care to apps that enable video conferencing and the
streaming of online video, our lives have been changed forever by the
mobility and the economic impact that these apps have provided.
Studies show the app economy has already created approximately
150,000 jobs in my State of California alone, and over half a million
jobs nationwide, so there is a huge economic benefit already, but we
need to leverage this.
So I thank Chairwoman Miller; I thank the ranking member of the
committee, and I want to acknowledge my wonderful colleague, Chairman
Goodlatte, who heads up the House Congressional Internet Caucus, and
I'm proud to be a cochair with him. We
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look forward to working with the committee to ensure that the success
of this competition and the continued growth of the app marketplace
takes place.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Hanna), who is also the distinguished
cochair of the STEM Education Caucus.
Mr. HANNA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution
and commend Chairwoman Miller and Ranking Member Brady for offering
this thoughtful legislation.
As cochair of the STEM Education Caucus, I'm grateful the House has
brought forth this issue which is critical to American economic
competitiveness. In order to rebuild our middle class, increase our
standard of living, and ensure that the 21st century is another
prosperous American century, one of the most important things that
Congress can do is prioritize science, technology, engineering, and
math.
I'm a member of the Joint Economic Committee, which reported last
year that STEM fields spur economic growth through innovation and
value-added tradable goods. We also know that STEM unemployment rates
are half of the normal unemployment rate. STEM salaries are double what
other salaries are for non-STEM work. Putting people solidly in the
middle class creates taxpayers, which grows our economy and helps
control our debt, ensuring that the increasingly elusive American Dream
is still attainable.
Mr. Speaker, this resolution to establish academic STEM competitions
in each of our districts is a great way to highlight the importance of
educating our youth in fields which are so necessary to the future
competitiveness of our Nation.
I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation, and I
look forward to this House continuing to find bipartisan ways to
prioritize science, technology, engineering, and math education.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Andrews).
(Mr. ANDREWS asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. ANDREWS. I congratulate the chairwoman and my friend, Mr. Brady,
for bringing to the floor very good legislation that recognizes the
value of the best and brightest young Americans competing in the fields
of math, science, and innovation.
But America is not going to compete very well if we don't solve the
budget sequester that surrounds us here today. We're in a global
economic competition where we will fall behind if we do not act by this
Friday. Beginning this Friday, according to economists, a conservative
estimate of the number of jobs lost in our country will be 750,000.
There are those who believe that the job loss may exceed 2 million
jobs.
Now, ladies and gentlemen of the House, there is a proposal in the
well before the House that would postpone this job loss. Mr. Van Hollen
has offered a proposal that would postpone the sequester and save these
jobs and still reduce our deficit by cutting subsidies to huge oil
companies who do not need those subsidies, by cutting subsidies to huge
agribusinesses who do not need those subsidies, by saying that people
who make more than $2 million a year should pay a rate of taxation that
does not let them exploit loopholes and other deductions.
To date, with the sequester looming, the majority in this House has
done nothing to address this problem--not one bill, not one hour, not
one debate, not one vote. So we have an alternative, and with this
looming problem facing the people of the country, I believe that should
be the order of business of the House today.
Mr. Van Hollen's bill would end the sequester and reduce the deficit;
so I therefore ask unanimous consent that the House bring up H.R. 699
at this time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the guidelines consistently issued by
successive Speakers, as recorded on page 752 of the House Rules Manual,
the Chair is constrained not to entertain the gentleman's request
unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee
leaderships.
Mr. ANDREWS. Parliamentary inquiry, Mr. Speaker.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
Mr. ANDREWS. Is the result of the Chair's ruling that the House will
not be able to vote on a bill to end the sequester at this time?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair cannot entertain the gentleman's
unanimous-consent request at this time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte), the distinguished chairman of
the Committee on the Judiciary, as well as the Internet Caucus, and a
cosponsor of this resolution.
Mr. GOODLATTE. I thank Chairwoman Miller for bringing this
legislation forward and for the hard work of both herself and
Congressman Brady on this issue, and I rise in support of the Academic
Competition Resolution of 2013.
This resolution establishes an academic competition in the fields of
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM, which shall be
held each year among students in each congressional district, and
allows the Committee on House Administration to prescribe the
regulations that will govern this competition.
This resolution will allow the Congressional Internet Caucus the
ability to create the first Congressional App Challenge. Modeled after
the Congressional Art Competition, the Congressional App Challenge
promotes STEM learning and innovation by recognizing and incentivizing
America's young programming talent.
In the 17 years since the formation of the Congressional Internet
Caucus, technology policy issues ranging from cybersecurity and
intellectual property have gained more prominence with each passing
Congress. This challenge allows Members to experience the technology,
innovation, and entrepreneurship that take place on a daily basis in
their own districts. This firsthand knowledge will be able to serve as
a resource to Members as they consider legislation dealing with
technology issues.
This competition will motivate our young people to further pursue
programming and other technology-related educational opportunities. It
will also enable them to showcase their programming skills on a
national stage while at the same time promoting the value of STEM
education and careers.
I want to thank the chair of the Committee on House Administration,
Congresswoman Miller, and Ranking Member Brady for bringing this
resolution to the floor, and I look forward to working with them to
craft regulations that will make the congressional app contest a huge
success to both Members and our constituents. I also look forward to
working with my Congressional Internet Caucus cochair, the gentlewoman
from California (Ms. Eshoo), in bringing this competition to fruition.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller).
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. I thank the gentleman for yielding
me this time, and I rise in support of House Resolution 77. And I
commend the chair of the committee and the ranking member for bringing
this to the floor, and I hope that all of our colleagues will
participate in this competition for students in STEM subjects to create
these apps and to further, hopefully, their careers in STEM.
But I must tell you, Mr. Speaker, I am also deeply worried that our
hopes to increase the number of students who will participate in STEM
education and become part of the STEM careers that are available to
them that this Nation so desperately needs could all be for naught,
this resolution and all of our efforts, if on Friday we are not able to
set aside the sequester and make a balanced proposal to reduce the
deficit and to provide for the ongoing needs of this Nation.
{time} 1250
Right now, if we do nothing between now and Friday, there will be a
$740 million cut to title I, impacting over 1 million students, low-
income students, and 9,000 teachers and staff jobs. Those are the
people that we want to encourage to go into STEM. Those are the very
same students that have a 1 in 7 chance of having a qualified teacher
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teach them mathematics or science in their schools. So the very
population that you're trying to encourage will have less of a chance
because of sequestration.
Over $600 million cuts for students with disabilities, eliminating
some 7,800 teacher and staff jobs with respect to those students.
For those students who are trying to acquire the English language so
they can participate in STEM careers and STEM academics, nearly 210,000
children and 450 teachers would be eliminated by the sequestration. And
the same goes with community learning centers, where it's an
opportunity to expose these students, after school and in additional
time, to these careers, to these opportunities, to the applications and
to the Web sites that are available to them that they can't use during
class time.
But, finally, there is even a more direct harm that will be done by
sequestration, and that is that the National Science Foundation would
issue nearly 1,000 fewer research grants and awards, impacting an
estimated 12,000 scientists and students and curtailing critical
scientific research. That's the scientific research that builds this
Nation.
And for that reason, I ask unanimous consent that the House now take
up H.R. 699, a balanced approach introduced by Mr. Van Hollen, to
replace the sequestration and save jobs and avoid these cuts in
education that are so desperately needed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the guidelines consistently issued by
successive Speakers, as recorded on page 752 of the House Rules Manual,
the Chair is constrained not to entertain the gentleman's request
unless it has been cleared by the bipartisan floor and committee
leaderships.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, I have a parliamentary
inquiry.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman will state it.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, does that mean that we
will not be taking up sequestration between now and Friday so that we
can get rid of the sequestration with a balanced plan?
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has not stated a proper
parliamentary inquiry.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at
this time, but I would reserve the balance of my time if my ranking
member would like to close, to make his final statement.
Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Yes, I'd just like to also deviate, for a moment or two, on our issue
here. Tomorrow we will be honoring Rosa Parks with a statue. And as our
Chairman Miller can start to understand, being the chairman of the
committee, we won't get an opportunity to say anything, but it is our
committee that had this happen.
I would like to thank Mr. Lungren, the former chairman and ranking
member of our committee. Because of that we will be honoring Rosa Parks
in Statuary Hall tomorrow, which we would not, again, have a chance to
say that.
I would like to thank, also, Jesse Jackson. Without his efforts every
single day, every week, pushing to have that statue done, we would not
be in that Hall tomorrow honoring her. So I need to give credit where
credit belongs, and I appreciate the moment to be able to say that.
Again, I wish to thank the chair for her cooperation on this bill. I
look forward to working with her as we implement the program's
regulations.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
I, first of all, would like to associate myself with the remarks
about Rosa Parks that my ranking member just made. You think about one
person with that act of courage literally changing a Nation, and it's a
remarkable thing. And we were very proud in Michigan that she came to
be a resident of Michigan in her final years, where she served, as you
can imagine, so extraordinarily well and so inspiring to so many
people. It's certainly entirely appropriate that a statue to her takes
a place in Statuary Hall amongst Presidents and other national leaders.
And so we're all looking forward to it tomorrow, to that unveiling of
her statue.
But getting back to the House resolution that we have today, Mr.
Speaker, I would just say, in closing, that certainly if America wants
to remain competitive, we have to encourage and embrace innovation in
the STEM fields. And as all of the various speakers have mentioned
today, this program, I'm very excited about it. I have to tell you, in
full transparency, 5 years ago I didn't even know what an app was. Now
it's part of the nomenclature. You've got an app store and there's apps
for all kinds of things. And these kids, when you get a chance to go
into these high schools and talk to them, have ideas for apps doing all
kinds of things.
And so I think that we're going to try to design this program to be
technology neutral, whether it's a smartphone or a Web site or a laptop
or any kind of software, and then sort of leave it open, because the
technology is just changing so rapid fire as well.
We've thought about, for instance, in my district I've talked to my
staff about how we would have a panel of judges that are very savvy on
all of these things. You could use computer science teachers to be part
of the judging panel, people from industry, academics, what have you.
And then, I think, hopefully as some of the students come forward,
whether they win or not, that we would have some sort of a mentoring
program, as well, where folks from the industry, from the academics and
the sciences in the STEM programs in the fields could talk to these
students about opportunities, job possibilities, et cetera.
So I do think that this resolution that we're passing today, again,
in a bipartisan way, is very important and does have the ability to
really impact in a very positive way.
With that, I have no further requests for time, so I would urge my
colleagues to support the legislation. I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. FOSTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution
77, the Academic Competition Resolution of 2013.
As a businessman, manufacturer and physicist, I know how important it
is that we support STEM education. Throughout the twentieth century,
American-led advancements in the STEM fields have driven forward our
collective human understanding of the universe and strengthened the
American economy.
The future of the American economy will depend on our ability to
prepare graduates for work in STEM-related fields. Last year, the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology estimated
that for the U.S. to maintain its position at the forefront of STEM
fields, we will need to increase the number of American STEM graduates
by one million students over the next decade.
The economic crisis has further highlighted the importance of STEM
education, as the STEM fields weathered the downturn better than most.
As the Joint Economic Committee on STEM education points out, the
unemployment rate among STEM workers never surpassed 5.5% during the
crisis, while unemployment in non-STEM fields grew to almost 10% in
2010. STEM workers also enjoy higher average wages than their non-STEM
counterparts.
A congressionally-sponsored academic competition in the STEM fields
will generate enthusiasm in this burgeoning field and provide an
opportunity for students to work on meaningful, hands-on projects.
Congress must do more to support educational initiatives that will
prepare our students for participation in a dynamic, global economy,
and sponsoring a STEM competition is a small step in the right
direction.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in
support of H. Res. 77, the Academic Competition Resolution of 2013. For
years, the annual art competition sponsored by the U.S. House of
Representatives recognizes imaginative high school students from every
congressional district in the United States. Like the congressional art
competition, H. Res. 77 establishes an academic competition in the
fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) to be held
each year among students in each congressional district across the
country.
It is just and appropriate for the United States House of
Representatives to incentivize STEM education by highlighting
outstanding youth across our country who are excelling in these
disciplines. The highest growth sectors, such as information
technology, require a workforce proficient in STEM. Producing students
with the STEM skills needed to fill the jobs of the future is necessary
to maintaining
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our nation's innovation capacity and creating new high-skill, high-
paying jobs at home. As Ranking Member of the House Committee on
Science, Space and Technology, I know that to strengthen our nation's
technological workforce and infrastructure we must encourage and
incentivize STEM education.
Mr. Speaker, as we rise in support of H. Res. 77 to encourage STEM
education and American innovation, with the fiscal cliff looming I
would be remiss if I did not warn against cutting our critical federal
R&D investments. As we struggle with our own deficits, we too can make
the strategic choice to continue to invest in our future--both in our
human capital and physical infrastructure--or we can make the strategic
choice to permanently cede our leadership, to fail our current
generation of young people, and to put our economy in a state of
stagnation for years to come. It is when our economy is hurting the
most that we should be redoubling our efforts to innovate our way into
a brighter future of new jobs, new technologies, and untold societal
benefits.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller) that the House suspend the
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 77.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mrs. MILLER of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________