[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8093]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  INTRODUCTION OF THE EARLY CAREER RESEARCH ACT AND THE RESEARCH FOR 
                          COMPETITIVENESS ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL T. McCAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 11, 2006

  Mr. McCAUL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce today the 
Early Career Research Act and the Research for Competitiveness Act. 
These bills expand and strengthen science and engineering research 
programs at the National Science Foundation and the Department of 
Energy to encourage young scientists and engineers to pursue innovative 
research that could lead to the major scientific breakthroughs of 
tomorrow.
  President Bush, in his State of the Union Address, articulated the 
link between science and engineering research and national 
competitiveness. I agree with the President. Like him, I believe that 
science shapes the future. And, like him, I believe that for America to 
remain number one in the world, it must remain number one in science. I 
want to ensure that the highly-innovative, highly-productive industries 
of tomorrow are created here in America and stay in America to provide 
high-wage jobs for our children and grandchildren.
  Texas is one of the world's leading technology centers and I have the 
privilege of representing Texas' high-tech core. In Texas, we know that 
science and technology are the wellsprings of economic competitiveness 
and national strength.
  In December of last year, Mr. Richard Templeton, President and CEO of 
Texas Instruments, came to Washington to lead the National Summit on 
Competitiveness. The theme of that Summit was ``Investing in U.S. 
Innovation.'' Mr. Templeton and 60 business, academic, and government 
leaders, including four Cabinet Secretaries, came together to discuss 
the competitiveness challenge posed by globalization and the rise of 
new economic competitors, such as India and China. Mr. Templeton and 
his business and academic colleagues told the President and the 
Congress that our government must do more to foster America's capacity 
to innovate by focusing on the health of the American scientific 
enterprise.
  The President rose to the challenge and proposed The American 
Competitiveness Initiative, a bold plan to double Federal investments 
in fundamental physical science research over 10 years at three science 
agencies: the National Science Foundation, the Office of Science in the 
Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology.
  My bills build upon the President's initiative and focus on fostering 
innovation by providing grants to promising young researchers to pursue 
research that could lead to the technology breakthroughs of tomorrow. 
One of my bills provides for matching funds from industry to promote 
closer ties between academic and industrial researchers.
  Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that so many business, science, and 
educational organizations have endorsed my bill, including Texas 
Instruments, AeA (formerly the American Electronics Association), the 
Telecommunications Industry Association, the Electronics Industries 
Alliance, the Council on Competitiveness, the Battelle Memorial 
Institute, the American Chemical Society, the Association of American 
Universities, and a host of other organizations. I am grateful for 
their support. Together, we can ensure that America remains first in 
science and first in economic competitiveness--so that Americans can 
continue to enjoy the highest standard of living in the world.

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