[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 22635-22644]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AMERICA COMPETES ACT

  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, this evening the Senate unanimously 
passed a piece of legislation which we call the America COMPETES Act. 
Earlier today, the House of Representatives passed it by a vote of 367 
to 57. So anyone watching the work of the U.S. Congress must think: 
Well, that must either be not very important or not very hard to do.
  Nothing could be further from the truth. I would suggest that the 
America COMPETES Act will be as important as any piece of legislation 
the Congress passes in this session, and it has taken as much work as 
any piece of legislation that has been passed in this session.
  I would like to spend a few minutes acknowledging the work and 
describing the importance of the bill, but I think the first thing to 
do is to say actually what the bill does. The point of the America 
COMPETES Act is very simple. It helps America keep its brainpower 
advantage so we can keep our jobs from going overseas to China and 
India and other countries.
  The Presiding Officer is from a State that has benefitted greatly 
from America's brainpower advantage. There is a great deal of higher 
education and research in his State, and, as a result of that, a number 
of jobs. I have been in the Edison Museum in New Jersey, which is a 
good reminder of exactly what we are talking about.
  Thomas Edison used to say he failed 10,000 times until he succeeded 
once. That one success was the lightbulb, and then a number of other 
inventions, which created millions of jobs in the United States.
  The United States, this year, is producing about a third of all the 
money in the world. The International Monetary Fund says that almost 30 
percent of all the wealth in the world is produced in our country, 
measured in terms of gross domestic product, for just 5 percent of the 
world's population. That is how many Americans there are.
  So imagine if you are living in China or India or Ireland or any 
country in the world, and you are looking at the United States. It is 
not so hard to look at other countries today with the Internet and 
travel and television the way they are. Someone in one of those 
countries could say: How can those Americans be producing 30 percent of 
all the wealth for themselves when they are only 5 percent of the 
world's population? They have the same brains everybody else does. They 
cannot work any harder than anybody else does.
  What is it? There are a variety of advantages we have in this 
country. But most people who look at this country, since World War II, 
believe our standard of living, our family incomes, our great wealth 
comes primarily from our technological advances, from the fact that it 
has been in this country that the automobile, the electric lightbulb, 
the television set, the Internet, Google have been invented. Or the 
pharmaceutical drugs that help cure disease all over the world, they 
also have come mostly from this country.
  It is that innovation that has given us our standard of living and 
given the rest of the world a high standard of living. That brainpower 
advantage we have is located in some pretty obvious places. One place, 
of course, is our system of higher education, the great university 
system. We not only have many of the best universities in the world, we 
have almost all of them. Another place is in the great National 
Laboratories, from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to Los Alamos and 
across our country.
  Another is in the great corporations of America where research is 
done whether it is in pharmaceuticals or whether it is in agriculture. 
Those great engines of research and innovation and the entrepreneurial 
spirit and free market that we have have given us this great advantage.
  We, therefore, talk a lot about progrowth policies. What causes our 
economy to grow? We, on this side--we Republicans--talk a lot about low 
taxes. I believe that is important and vote that way. When I was 
Governor of Tennessee, we had the lowest tax rates in the country. But 
I found very quickly that low taxes by themselves do not create a high 
standard of living because we had the lowest taxes in our State but we 
also were the third poorest State. I also found that better schools and 
better research were the keys to better jobs. That is what this bill is 
about. So as a result of the America COMPETES Act, over the next few 
years, we will have done something pretty remarkable.
  We asked the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of 
Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, as well as other business 
leaders in our country, exactly what it would take to keep our 
brainpower advantage, and they have told us, and tonight we have done 
it. All that has to happen now is for the President of the United 
States to sign it, and I feel confident he will. I hope what he does is 
sign it and take credit for a lot of it, because in his State of the 
Union Address President Bush emphasized the importance of this and 
talked about his American Competitiveness Initiative 2 years ago.
  But this is what we have done. We have authorized the spending, over 
the next 3 years, of $43 billion to help keep

[[Page 22636]]

our brainpower advantage by investing in science and technology. Most 
of that--and this was a part of the President's recommendation--helps 
to grow research at our major scientific laboratories and Departments 
by doubling their research budgets over a 7-year term. That would be 
the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology, and the Department of Energy Office of Science, which 
among other things, supervises the great National Laboratories in our 
country.
  As I said, the act authorizes a total of $43.3 billion, over the next 
3 fiscal years, for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics 
research and education programs across the Federal Government. It will 
help to prepare thousands of new teachers and provide current teachers 
with content and teaching skills in their area of education. It will 
establish an advanced research projects agency for energy--a nimble and 
semi-autonomous research agency at the Department of Energy--to engage 
in high-risk, high-reward energy research. This is modeled after what 
we call DARPA at the Department of Defense which produced stealth 
technology and the Internet. Perhaps we can do the same as we look for 
new energy technologies.
  It expands programs at the National Science Foundation to enhance the 
undergraduate education of our future science and engineering 
workforce, including at our community colleges. There are many 
provisions in the bill to broaden participation in science and 
engineering fields at all levels.
  There are new competitive grant programs to enable partnerships to 
implement courses of study in math, science, engineering, technology, 
and critical foreign languages. There are competitive grants to 
increase the number of math and science teachers serving high-need 
schools. The bill expands access to advanced placement courses and 
international baccalaureate courses by increasing the number of 
qualified teachers in high-need schools. In other words, in plain 
English, it will help more children, including those who come from 
families with less money, have a chance to take the advanced placement 
courses that will give them a route into college, high achievement, and 
the ability to produce jobs not just for themselves but for the rest of 
us.
  It expands early-career research grant programs. It strengthens 
interagency planning for research infrastructure. It does all of this.
  Now, one might say: Where did all these ideas come from? Did the 
Senator from New Jersey just wander in one day and say, ``I have a 
great idea. Let's stick it in''? Or did the Senator from Arkansas say, 
``Well, we have a little program over at Little Rock that we all like, 
so let's have some money for it''? Or did the Senator from Tennessee 
say, ``I was down at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory yesterday, and 
someone gave me an idea, so let's have $10 million for that''?
  That is not the way we did it. What we did is, 2 years ago, Senator 
Bingaman and I, and Representatives Bart Gordon and Sherwood Boehlert 
of the House of Representatives--two Democrats and two Republicans--we 
literally went to the National Academy of Sciences and we asked this 
question: Tell us exactly what we need to do to keep our brainpower 
advantage, to keep our jobs from going to China and India? And they 
took us seriously.
  The National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of 
Engineering and the Institute of Medicine appointed a distinguished 
committee of 21 Americans chaired by Norm Augustine, the former 
Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin and a member of the National 
Academy of Engineering. On that committee were some of America's most 
distinguished business leaders, three Nobel laureates, the president 
emeritus of MIT, teachers, and others, who gave up their summer, 
reviewed hundreds of proposals, and, in priority order, told us the 20 
things we needed to do to keep our brainpower advantage.
  All of that was presented to us in a booklet called ``Rising Above 
the Gathering Storm,'' which is now well-known at universities, in 
schools, and in the business community as a wakeup call for the United 
States of America. It says we have been good--in fact, we have been way 
ahead of the rest of the line--but if we do not watch out, China, 
India, Ireland, England, and many of the other countries in the world, 
are going to catch up with us because there is no preordained right for 
Americans--no matter how bright we think we might be--to produce 30 
percent of the world's wealth for just 5 percent of the people. Other 
people can do the very same thing in their colleges and universities, 
if they wish.
  The members of this commission had countless stories to tell that 
every American who confronts these issues will find. Every Senator who 
travels to China sees they have recruited a distinguished professor of 
Chinese descent at an Ivy League university to come home and help 
improve a Chinese university. That is happening all over the world, and 
it is creating a much more competitive environment.
  Last summer, Senator Inouye and Senator Stevens led a delegation of 
Senators to China. We were very well received because Senator Stevens 
was the first to fly a cargo plane into Beijing in 1944 at the end of 
World War II. He was flying with the Flying Tigers. Senator Inouye, of 
course, was a Congressional Medal of Honor winner in World War II. The 
Chinese remember well their affection for Americans in that war. So we 
were treated well and got to see President Hu, and the No. 2 man, Mr. 
Wu, the Chairman of the National People's Congress, for an hour each. 
These were interviews that many American delegations had not had 
before.
  What was interesting to me was that in those sessions with the No. 1 
and No. 2 man in China, where our conversations ranged from Iraq to 
Iran to North Korea to Taiwan, all the issues one might expect, the 
issue that animated the leaders of China the most was their efforts 
over the next 15 years to create an innovation economy. They wanted to 
talk about how China caught up with America's brain power advantage 
because they know their skills, they know they are good, they know they 
can do it and they did it in their way.
  The month before, President Hu had walked over to the Great Hall of 
the People and assembled their National Academies of Science and 
Engineering and said: We are going on a 15-year innovation plan. We are 
going to invest 4 percent of our gross domestic product in research and 
technology. We are going to improve our colleges and our universities 
and our schools. We are going to create a brain power advantage for 
China that gives us a higher standard of living. They understand that.
  We did it a little different way. Two years ago, we walked down to 
our National Academy of Sciences. We invited them to give us this 
report, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm''. We took the 
recommendations of the Council on Competitiveness which was already 
working. The President of the United States gave his recommendations in 
his American Competitiveness Initiative. And then we went to work in 
the American way. We don't announce 15-year plans here; our way is a 
little messier. So we had to go through three committees here in the 
Senate and two in the House of Representatives.
  I have to thank the senior Members of this body for the attitude they 
took toward this. For example, Senators Stevens and Inouye, Senators 
Kennedy and Enzi, Senators Domenici and Bingaman, Democrats and 
Republicans who put aside 3,000 years of seniority and 200 
jurisdictional prerogatives and said: Let's just work together and see 
if we can get this done across party lines. That is not very 
interesting to people across the country, all this inside baseball 
about how the Senate works. But it has to work in order for something 
such as this to happen.
  It is not a simple thing to take the recommendations of the National 
Academy of Sciences and actually do them in both bodies, and yet that 
is what we have done. Not only did we start 2 years ago, when this was 
a Republican Congress, but we passed this legislation during a 
Democratic Congress almost without missing a step.

[[Page 22637]]

 What happened was a bill that was sponsored by the leaders--last time 
it was Frist and Reid; now it is Reid and McConnell. They just changed 
the names because we had worked so well together--not only with 
ourselves but also with the Bush administration--that it was hard to 
tell whose bill it was.
  At one time, this legislation that Senator Domenici and Senator 
Bingaman first introduced had 35 Republican cosponsors and 35 
Democratic cosponsors, and the Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, when 
she was the Democratic leader, was one of the first out to support it. 
It is especially gratifying to me that Tennesseans, if I may say so, 
have taken such a role in it in the House of Representatives. 
Representative Bart Gordon, who is now chairman of the Science 
Committee, was the lead conferee on this piece of legislation. 
Representative Zach Wamp, who represents the Oak Ridge National 
Laboratory, gave I thought the best speech on the House floor today on 
the Republican side. So again, it was bipartisan.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record 
at the end of my remarks an overview of the conference report we 
passed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
  Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. I mentioned a number of the Senators who had been so 
deeply involved in this. I mentioned the committee chairmen and the 
ranking members. But I would like to especially acknowledge the work of 
Senator John Ensign of Nevada, who was especially effective in 
reminding Republicans that investments in research and technology and 
science is as pro-growth as tax cuts. Senator Ensign was powerful on 
that subject. I believe it as strongly as he does. I believe he was 
more effective than I was. Senator Hutchison had been working with 
Senator Bingaman for years on advanced placement courses. Senator 
Mikulski was out front from the very beginning on this. There is an 
enormous list of Senators who made this happen.
  There is also a long list of Democratic and Republican staff members 
who deserve thanks. The list is too long for me to read all those names 
tonight, but I ask unanimous consent that this list of staff members be 
printed in the Record following my remarks, with the thanks of all of 
us for their work.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 2.)
  Mr. ALEXANDER. I would like to especially thank Matt Sonnesyn who is 
sitting here beside me. When I was permitted to be on the faculty of 
the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard at the time when the 
Senator from Arkansas's father was the Director of the Institute of 
Politics, Matt Sonnesyn was my course assistant. He came with me to my 
campaign, and then he came with me to the Senate. For the last 2 years, 
he has worked on this legislation with Senator Bingaman's staff and 
Senator Ensign's staff on this side--a tremendously effective staff 
group who has made this bill possible.
  I see the Senator from Arkansas here, and I know he is going to close 
out in a few minutes, and I think I am coming toward the end of my 
remarks.
  I would like to conclude by emphasizing two points--one about 
substance and one about process. I know the Senator from Arkansas and I 
have talked about this often. We are working together right now on a 
bipartisan project that has to do with the Iraq war. We believe there 
shouldn't be any partisan votes on the Iraq war. For example, we, 
Senator Salazar and I, are joined by 6 Republicans and 7 Democrats in 
cosponsoring legislation that would make the bipartisan Iraq Study 
Group the law of our country. If the Congress and the President would 
agree on this bill, we could send to our enemy and our troops and the 
world the message that as we go forward to wherever we go next in Iraq, 
we go together; we are united.
  Each Tuesday we have a breakfast that Senator Lieberman and I host--
no staff, no media, no policy positions adopted--so that in the midst 
of all our team meetings among Republicans and Democrats, when we talk 
about what to do to each other, we can have a session where we build 
relationships and talk about how we move the country ahead. We have had 
as many as 40 Senators at those breakfasts.
  It is important for the people of this country to know that we spend 
a lot of time working that way. We did tonight on the Children's Health 
Insurance bill with Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley working 
together in a bipartisan way. For 2 years, we have done that on 
legislation that goes straight to the heart of how we keep our jobs 
from going to China and India, which is what we passed tonight.
  So the word I wish to say about process is that when the Senate tries 
and when we focus on big issues, we are perfectly capable of acting the 
way the rest of the country would hope we would act. We compromise on 
our differences and come up with a result that benefits family after 
family.
  This legislation, the America COMPETES Act, will mean, for example, 
in my home State of Tennessee, opportunities for hundreds of math and 
science teachers and for thousands of students to go to summer 
academies and institutes of math and science. It will mean 
opportunities for thousands of students who now can't afford to take 
advanced placement courses in science and technology to be able to do 
so and for hundreds of teachers who aren't trained to teach those 
courses to have that training.
  It will mean distinguished scientists will hold joint appointments at 
the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for 
example. It will mean support for a residential high school for science 
and math, which we have wanted to do in our State ever since I was 
Governor 20 years ago but didn't feel like we had the money. Now other 
States have it, and this bill provides some support for such a school.
  It will mean a steady growth over 7 years in research funding, new 
support for early-career research grants in science and technology, and 
more support for all those kinds of studies that create the jobs that 
will keep our standard of living. That is what it means for my State. 
It means the same for New Jersey, and it means the same for Arkansas. 
So that bipartisan consensus we have seen here happens more often than 
most Americans know, but it doesn't happen as often as it should.
  So this has been a privilege for me to work, especially with Senator 
Bingaman and Senator Domenici on the committee that I was a part of, to 
help get this started with Bart Gordon, my colleague from the House, 
the Democratic Congressman who is chairman of the Science Committee, 
and with all the other Senators. This is the kind of thing I hoped to 
do when I came to the Senate. I think each of us hopes when we come 
here to get up every day and do a little something constructive and 
then go home at night and come back the next day and see if we can find 
something more to do along that way. If all of us participate in that 
way in other big issues, as we have in this, the America COMPETES bill, 
the Senate will be a stronger institution and the country will be a 
better country.
  So I thank my colleagues for their support and for the time tonight. 
I thank the Senator from Arkansas for staying late so I can make these 
remarks. This legislation, the America COMPETES Act which passed the 
House today overwhelmingly and passed the Senate unanimously, is at 
least as important as any piece of legislation that passes in these 2 
years because we have accepted the advice of the wisest men and women 
in our country about what we ought to do to keep our brain power 
advantage so we can keep our jobs.
  The President has done a big part of it. I am sure he will sign it. I 
hope he takes some credit because he deserves it. There is plenty of 
credit to go around. I think the country will be glad we acted.
  I yield the floor.

[[Page 22638]]



                               Exhibit 1

 Overview of the Conference Report on H.R. 2272, the America Creating 
    Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, 
                 Education, and Science Act (COMPETES)

       Earlier this year, both the U.S. House and Senate passed 
     comprehensive legislation (H.R. 2272, S. 761) to ensure our 
     nation's competitive position in the world through 
     improvements to math and science education and a strong 
     commitment to research.
       The Conference Agreement follows through on a commitment to 
     ensure U.S. students, teachers, businesses and workers are 
     prepared to continue leading the world in innovation, 
     research and technology--well into the future.
       In summary, the Conference Agreement:
       Keeps research programs at National Science Foundation 
     (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
     (NIST) and the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science 
     on a near-term doubling path;
       Authorizes a total of $43.3 billion over fiscal years 2008-
     2010 for science, technology, engineering and mathematics 
     (STEM) research and education programs across the federal 
     government;
       Helps to prepare thousands of new teachers and provide 
     current teachers with content and teaching skills in their 
     area of education through NSF's Noyce Teacher Scholarship 
     Program and Math and Science Partnerships Program;
       Creates the Technology Innovation Program (TIP) at NIST 
     (replacing the existing Advanced Technology Program or ATP) 
     to fund high-risk, high-reward, pre-competitive technology 
     development with high potential for public benefit;
       Establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy 
     (ARPA-E), a nimble and semiautonomous research agency at the 
     Department of Energy to engage in high-risk, high reward 
     energy research;
       Expands programs at NSF to enhance the undergraduate 
     education of the future science and engineering workforce, 
     including at 2-year colleges;
       Includes provisions throughout the bill to help broaden 
     participation in science and engineering fields at all 
     levels;
       Authorizes two new competitive grant programs that will 
     enable partnerships to implement courses of study in 
     mathematics, science, engineering, technology or critical 
     foreign languages in ways that lead to a baccalaureate degree 
     with concurrent teacher certification;
       Authorizes competitive grants to increase the number of 
     teachers serving high-need schools and expand access to AP 
     and IB classes and to increase the number of qualified AP and 
     IB teachers in high-need schools;
       Expands early career grant programs and provides additional 
     support for outstanding young investigators at both NSF and 
     DOE; and
       Strengthens interagency planning and coordination for 
     research infrastructure and information technology (i.e. 
     high-speed computing).
       Following are more detailed summaries of the conference 
     agreement's eight titles:


TITLE I--Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP)/Government Wide 
                                Science

       The conference agreement directs the President to convene a 
     National Science and Technology Summit to examine the health 
     and direction of the U.S. STEM enterprises; requires a 
     National Academy of Sciences study on barriers to innovation; 
     changes the National Technology Medal to the National 
     Technology and Innovation Medal; establishes a President's 
     Council on Innovation and Competitiveness (akin to the 
     President's Council on Science and Technology); requires 
     prioritization of planning for major research facilities and 
     instrumentation nationwide through the National Science and 
     Technology Council; and expresses a sense of Congress that 
     each federal research agency should support and promote 
     innovation through funding for high-risk, high-reward 
     research.


        TITLE II--National Aeronautics and Space Administration

       The conference agreement establishes the National 
     Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a full 
     participant in all interagency activities to promote 
     competitiveness and innovation and to enhance science, 
     technology, engineering and mathematics education. The 
     agreement also affirms the importance of NASA's aeronautics 
     program to innovation and to the competitiveness of the 
     United States. It urges NASA to implement a program to 
     address aging workforce issues at NASA and to utilize NASA's 
     existing Undergraduate Student Research program to support 
     basic research by undergraduates on subjects of relevance to 
     NASA. Finally, the conference agreement expresses the sense 
     of Congress that the International Space Station (ISS) 
     National Laboratory offers unique opportunities for 
     educational activities and provides a unique resource for 
     research and development in science, technology, and 
     engineering which can enhance the global competitiveness of 
     the U.S.


       TITLE III--National Institute of Standards and Technology

       The conference agreement authorizes a total of $2.652 
     billion over fiscal years 2008-2010 for NIST. This includes 
     funds for the NIST labs, for lab construction, the TIP 
     program, and the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) 
     Program: This funding level keeps the NIST labs on a path to 
     doubling in ten years.
       The conference agreement funds the NIST Labs at $502.1 
     million for FY08 and increases the funding by 8% per year 
     (10-year doubling), which result in $541.9 million in FY09 
     and $584.8 million in FY10. The conferenqe agreement provides 
     $150.9 million in FY08 for lab construction. This funding is 
     reduced in each of the next two fiscal years, with funding 
     provided at $86.4 million in FY09 and $49.7 million FY10. 
     These out-year funding levels will allow the completion of 
     construction projects at NIST's Boulder, CO and Gaithersburg, 
     MD facilities. The MEP program is funded at $110 million in 
     FY08, $122 million in FY09 and $131.8 million FY10.
       The conference agreement creates a new initiative, the 
     Technology Innovation Program (TIP) which is based on the 
     proven success of the Advanced Technology Program (ATP), but 
     better reflects global innovation competition by funding 
     high-risk, high-reward, pre-competitive technology 
     develoment, focusing on small- and medium-sized companies. 
     The TIP allows for greater industry input in the operation of 
     the program, allows university participation for the first 
     time, and firmly focuses the program on small- and medium-
     sized high-tech firms.
       TIP will replace ATP and bridge the funding gap between the 
     research lab and the marketplace. The conference agreement 
     provides an authorization of $100 million FY08, $131.5 
     million FY09 nd $140.5 million in FY10. These funding levels 
     will allow for a viable program, with approximately $40 
     million per year for new awards.
       The agreement includes language to clarify that the focus 
     of TIP is to support, promote and accelerate innovation in 
     the U.S. through high-risk, high-reward research in areas of 
     critical national need. It specifies that large companies may 
     not receive any TIP funding.
       Further, it provides a list of award criteria to ensure 
     that the proposed technology has a strong potential to 
     address critical national needs through transforming the 
     nation's capacity to deal with major societal challenges that 
     are not currently being addressed; that the applicant 
     provides evidence that the research will not be conducted 
     within a reasonable time period without TIP assistance; that 
     reasonable efforts were made by the applicant to secure 
     funding from alternative sources and that no other 
     alternative funding sources were reasonably available; and 
     that other entities have not already developed, 
     commercialized, marketed, distributed or sold similar 
     technologies. In addition, the NIST Director shall issue an 
     annual report on the program's activities. TIP may accept 
     funds from other federal agencies, and these funds will be 
     included as part of the federal cost share of any TIP 
     project.


       TITLE IV--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

       The conference agreement establishes a coordinated ocean, 
     Great Lakes, coastal and atmospheric research and development 
     program for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
     Administration NOAA) in consultation with NSF and NASA. In 
     addition, NOAA is required to build upon existing educational 
     programs and activities to enhance public awareness and 
     understanding of the ocean, Great Lakes, and atmospheric 
     science. As a result, a science education plan is to be 
     developed that would set forth the goals and strategies for 
     NOAA, and be reevaluated and updated every 5 years. NOAA 
     would also be recognized for their historic contributions to 
     the innovation and competitiveness of this country, as well 
     as be recognized as a full participant in interagency efforts 
     to promote innovation and competitiveness.


                     TITLE V--Department of Energy

       The conference agreement provides nearly $17 billion to 
     Department of Energy (DOE) programs over fiscal years 2008-
     2010, keeping Office of Science on a seven-year doubling path 
     and establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency for 
     Energy, or ARPA-E.
       ARPA-E will address long-term and high-risk technological 
     barriers in energy through collaborative research and 
     development that private industry or the DOE are not likely 
     to undertake alone. Because of its autonomy within DOE, and 
     the flexibility and resources afforded to its technical 
     personnel, ARPA-E is structured to respond very quickly to 
     energy research challenges, as well as terminate or 
     restructure programs just as quickly. A fund is established 
     in the U.S. Treasury separate and distinct from DOE 
     appropriations, as will be the budget request for ARPA-E. 
     With this separate fund, ARPA-E will be independent of the 
     DOE bureaucracy, and likewise should not operate at the 
     expense of other programs at DOE, particularly the Office of 
     Science. The conference agreement authorizes $300,000,000 in 
     FY 2008, and such sums as are necessary thereafter for fiscal 
     years 2009 and 2010.
       As the nation's largest supporter of the physical sciences, 
     the DOE Office of Science funds basic research and world-
     class facilities that play an integral role in the effort to 
     maintain the technological competitiveness

[[Page 22639]]

     of the U.S. The conference agreement contains an 
     authorization for the Office of Science which extends the 7 
     year doubling track prescribed in Energy Policy Act of 2005 
     by authorizing Fiscal Year 2010 at a funding level of $5.8 
     billion.
       The conference agreement provides $150 million for K-12 
     science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) 
     education programs that capitalize on the unique scientific 
     and engineering resources of the national laboratories. These 
     programs include a pilot program of grants to states to help 
     establish or expand statewide specialty high schools in STEM 
     education; a program to provide internship opportunities for 
     middle and high-school students at the national labs, with 
     priority given to students from high-needs schools; a program 
     at each national lab to help establish a Center of Excellence 
     in STEM education in at least one high-need public secondary 
     school in each lab region in order to develop and disseminate 
     best practices in STEM education; and a program to establish 
     or expand summer institutes at the national labs and partner 
     universities in order to improve the STEM content knowledge 
     of K-12 teachers throughout the country.
       All of these programs would be coordinated by a newly 
     appointed Director for STEM Education at the Department, who 
     would also serve as an interagency liaison for K-12 STEM 
     education. In keeping with ongoing efforts to improve 
     coordination and evaluation of K-12 STEM education programs 
     across the federal government, all of the programs authorized 
     in this conference agreement require evaluation and reporting 
     of program impact.
       In addition, the conference agreement highlights the 
     critical role of young investigators working in areas 
     relevant to the mission of DOE by establishing an early 
     career grant program for scientists at both universities and 
     the national labs; and a graduate research fellowship program 
     for outstanding graduate students in these fields. The 
     agreement also brings attention to research and education 
     needs in the nuclear sciences and hydrocarbon systems 
     sciences by establishing programs of grants to Universities 
     to establish or expand degree programs in these areas.
       Finally, the conference agreement helps DOE recruit 
     distinguished scientists to the national labs and foster 
     collaboration between universities and the labs by providing 
     competitive grants to support joint appointments between the 
     two.


                   TITLE VI--Department of Education

       To enhance teacher education in the STEM fields and 
     critical foreign languages, the conference agreement 
     authorizes two new competitive grant programs. The programs 
     will specifically enable partnerships to implement courses of 
     study in STEM fields and critical foreign language that lead 
     to a baccalaureate degree with concurrent teacher 
     certification and at the graduate level the conference 
     agreement implements 2- or 3-year part-time master's degree 
     programs in these areas for current teachers to improve their 
     content knowledge and pedagogical skills. The conference bill 
     authorizes $151,200,000 for the baccalaureate degree program 
     and $125,000,000 for the master's degree program for fiscal 
     year 2008 and the two succeeding fiscal years.
       The conference agreement authorizes competitive grants to 
     increase the number of highly qualified teachers serving 
     high-need schools and expand access to AP and IB classes; as 
     well as authorize the Secretary of Education to contract with 
     the National Academy of Sciences to convene a national panel 
     within a year after the enactment of this Act to identify 
     promising practices in the teaching of science, technology, 
     engineering and mathematics in elementary and secondary 
     schools. It also authorizes appropriations of $65,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2008 and such sums as may be necessary for each 
     of the two succeeding fiscal years.
       The conference agreement authorizes new grant programs to 
     enhance math education in elementary and middle school 
     mathematics and provides grants to support the following 
     activities to assist states to implement programs for 
     secondary schools and in addition to other best practices and 
     in-service training, the bill provides targeted help to low-
     income students who are struggling with mathematics. The 
     conference agreement also authorizes a competitive grant 
     program to increase the number of students studying critical 
     foreign languages, starting in elementary school and 
     continuing through postsecondary education programs.
       The Secretary of Education is authorized to award 
     competitive grants to states to promote better alignment of 
     elementary and secondary education with the knowledge and 
     skills needed to succeed in academic credit-bearing 
     coursework in institutions of higher education, in the 21st 
     century workforce and in the Armed Forces. The Secretary is 
     also authorized to award grants of $50,000 to three 
     elementary and three secondary schools, with a high 
     concentration of low-income students in each state, whose 
     students demonstrate the largest improvement in mathematics 
     and science.


                 TITLE VII--National Science Foundation

       The conference agreement provides $22 billion to the 
     National Science Foundation (NSF) over fiscal years 2008-
     2010, putting it on a path to double in approximately 7 
     years. Particularly strong increases are provided in fiscal 
     year 2008 for K-12 STEM education programs at NSF. These 
     programs, including the Noyce Teacher Scholarship program and 
     the Math and Science Partnerships program will help to 
     prepare thousands of new STEM teachers and provide current 
     teachers with content and pedagogical expertise in their area 
     of teaching.
       In addition to providing increased support for programs 
     that address the earliest stages of the STEM workforce 
     pipeline, the conference report will help create thousands of 
     new STEM college grduates, including 2-year college 
     graduates, through increased support for the STEM talent 
     expansion (STEP) program and the Advanced Technological 
     Education (ATE) program.
       For those STEM graduates who continue on the path toward 
     academic careers, the conferece agreement provides critical 
     support for young, innovative researchers by expanding the 
     graduate research fellowships (GRF) and integrative graduate 
     education and research traineeship (IGERT) programs, 
     strengthening the early career grants (CAREER) program, and 
     creating a new pilot program of seed grants for outstanding 
     new investigators. Such programs have an additional benefit 
     of helping to stimulate high-risk, high-reward research by 
     identifying and taking a chance on the best and brightest 
     young minds.
       Finally, the conference agreement includes provisions 
     throughout the bill to help broaden participation in STEM 
     fields at all levels, from kindergarten students through 
     academic researchers. These include several programs of 
     outreach and mentoring for women and minorities, a request 
     for a National Academy of Sciences report to identify 
     barriers to and opportunities for increasing the number of 
     underrepresented minorities in STEM fields, and an emphasis 
     on inclusion of students and teachers from high-needs 
     schools.
                                  ____



                     TITLE VIII--General Provisions

       The conference agreement includes several general 
     provisions related to the purposes of the legislation, but 
     unrelated to any of the agencies above.
       Specifically, the agreement requires the Secretary of 
     Commerce report to Congress on the feasibility, cost and 
     potential benefits of establishing a program to collect and 
     study data on export and import of services; expresses a 
     Sense of the Senate that the Securities and Exchange 
     Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board 
     should promulgate final regulations implementing the section 
     of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act that are designed to reduce burdens 
     on small businesses; directs the Government Accountability 
     Office, after three years, to assess a representative sample 
     of programs under this Act and make recommendations to ensure 
     their effectiveness; expresses a Sense of the Senate that 
     federal funds should not be provided to any organization or 
     entity that advocates against a U.S. tax policy that is 
     internationally competitive; directs a National Academy of 
     Sciences study on the mechanisms and supports needed for an 
     institution of higher education or non-profit organization to 
     develop and maintain a program to provide free access to on-
     line educational content as part of a degree program, 
     especially in science, technology, engineering, mathematics 
     and foreign languages, without using federal funds; expresses 
     a Sense of the Senate that deemed exports should safeguard 
     U.S. national security and basic research and that the 
     President and the Congress should consider the 
     recommendations of the Deemed Exports Advisory Committee; and 
     lastly, expresses a Sense of the Senate that U.S. decision-
     makers should take the necessary steps for the U.S. to 
     reclaim the preeminent position in the global financial 
     services marketplace.


                       Democratic Staff to Thank

       Jonathan Epstein (Bingaman).
       Sam Fowler (Energy Committee).
       Chan Lieu (Commerce).
       Carmel Martin (HELP Committee).
       Melanie Roberts (Bingaman).
       Craig Robinson (Lieberman).
       Roberto Rodriguez (HELP Committee).
       Missy Rohrbach (HELP Committee).
       Ilyse Schuman (HELP Committee).
       Colleen Shogan (Lieberman).
       Bob Simon (Energy).
       Rachel Sotsky (Lieberman).
       Jean Toal Eisen (Commerce).
       Jason Unger (Reid).
       Trudy Vincent (Bingaman).
       Michael Yudin (Bingaman).


                       republican staff to thank

       Jeff Bingham (Commerce).
       Adam Briddell (HELP Committee).
       Beth Buehlmann (HELP Committee).
       Kathryn Clay (Energy).
       David Cleary (HELP Committee).
       Ann Clough (HELP Committee).
       Hugh Derr (Commerce).
       Floyd DesChamps (Commerce).
       Lindsay Hunsicker (HELP Committee).
       Libby Jarvis (McConnell).
       Christine Kurth (Commerce).
       Jason Mulvihill (Commerce).
       Sharon Soderstrum (McConnell).
       Matt Sonnesyn (Alexander).

[[Page 22640]]

       Jack Wells (Alexander).

  Mr. KENNEDY. Mr. President, our increasingly global economy is 
creating numerous challenges for America's families nationwide. Across 
the country, hardworking citizens are being left behind. The value of 
their wages is declining, their cost of living is going up, and many of 
their jobs are being shipped overseas.
  As a result, the Nation is falling behind in the world economy. Study 
after study tells us the answer is to invest more in education, 
research and innovation, if we hope to keep up with other countries 
whose economies are soaring.
  We know that a sound education is more important than ever for 
today's youth to succeed. Yet studies show, for example, that 15-year-
old U.S. students score below average in math and science compared to 
the youth of other industrial nations. In one study, our 15-year-olds 
ranked only 24th in math. High school and college graduation rates are 
also falling behind. Our college graduation rate today has now dropped 
below the average graduation rate for OECD countries.
  We know that Federal investments in research lead to medical, 
scientific, and technology breakthroughs. But these investments have 
been shrinking as a share of the economy. In real terms, government 
spending for research has been flat. Since 1975, we have dropped from 
third to 15th in the production of scientists and engineers.
  It is a serious problem and we can't just tinker at the margins. We 
have a responsibility to our people, our economy, our security, and our 
Nation to make the investments to achieve the progress we need in the 
years ahead.
  The America COMPETES Act is a step in the right direction. It will 
help put America back on track.
  It invests in research by doubling the support for research at the 
Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation over the next 
7 years, and will increase funding for the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology as well.
  It invests in innovation by creating a President's Council on 
Innovation and Competitiveness to determine the most effective ways to 
create jobs and move our economy forward.
  Above all, it will invest in education, especially in math and 
science, engineering, and technology from the elementary school through 
high school and beyond, in order to attract more young people to pursue 
careers in these fields in the years ahead.
  The problem today is especially serious for our low-income and 
minority students. Teachers are the single most important factor in 
improving student achievement and narrowing the achievement gap. One 
study found that having a high quality teacher for 5 years in a row can 
close the average 7th grade achievement gap in math between lower 
income and higher income children. Yet too often, low-income and 
minority students are taught by the least prepared, least experienced, 
and least qualified teachers. Math and science classes in high-poverty 
schools are much more likely to be taught by teachers who do not have a 
degree in their field.
  We know what we need to do, and this bill will help us do it. We must 
make sure all students are getting the teachers they need and deserve 
in the subjects that matter most in the new economy.
  This bill addresses the teacher challenge head on by taking strong 
steps to ensure that all children have access to a high quality teacher 
with strong content knowledge in math, science, engineering and 
technology--particularly in high need schools, where such teachers are 
needed most.
  The bill expands the Robert Noyce Teacher Program of the National 
Science Foundation, NSF, by creating a new NSF teaching fellows program 
to prepare accomplished math, science, technology and engineering 
professionals to teach in high need schools. It also creates a master 
teaching fellows program to leverage the talents of the best teachers 
to improve instruction in high need schools. Teaching fellows in the 
program will receive annual salary supplements of $10,000 a year in 
exchange for a commitment to teach for at least 4 years in a high need 
school.
  The bill also expands the Teacher Institutes for the 21st Century 
Program at NSF, which provides cutting-edge professional development 
programs throughout the school year and during the summer for teachers 
in high-need schools.
  In addition, the bill supports impressive new programs in colleges 
and universities to prepare math, science, technology, engineering and 
foreign language teachers. These programs will combine bachelor's 
degrees with concurrent teacher certification in their subjects, and 
will create master's degree programs for teachers to improve their 
knowledge in these subjects and to encourage math and science 
professionals to go into teaching.
  Too often today, elementary and secondary school standards are not 
aligned with the expectations of colleges and employers. In many cases, 
high school graduates are struggling to keep up in college and the 
workplace. Remedial education and lost earning potential costs the 
Nation $3.7 billion a year, because so many students are not adequately 
prepared for college when they leave high school.
  Our bill will help States align their standards with the demands of 
the 21st century workplace. Grants to States to create P-16 Councils 
will bring the elementary and secondary schools, college, businesses, 
and the Armed Forces together to ensure that education standards are 
better aligned with the expectations of colleges, the workforce, and 
the military. This alignment is essential if we hope to remain 
internationally competitive. Support will also be available for new 
data systems in states to track students' achievement and help them 
graduate prepared to succeed.
  The bill will help give students in low-income districts the same 
opportunities as those in wealthier districts to enroll and succeed in 
college preparatory classes by expanding access to advanced placement 
and international baccalaureate classes.
  This bill invests as well in foreign language education, to ensure 
that students are exposed to foreign languages and cultures. More than 
80 Federal agencies now use tens of thousands of employees with skills 
in 100 foreign languages, and our businesses need the same.
  For students to become proficient in foreign languages, they need 
sustained study, beginning in the early grades. But only a third of 
students in grades 7 through 12 today and only 5 percent of elementary 
school students study a foreign language. The bill provides grants to 
colleges and local educational agencies to create partnerships for 
students from elementary school through college to study such 
languages.
  Finally, the bill will encourage new interest in nuclear science. 
Massachusetts has long been a leader in this research. Of three dozen 
licensed research reactors in the United States, three are located in 
Massachusetts universities The University of Massachusetts in Lowell, 
Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and MIT. These colleges will have an 
increasingly important role as nuclear science expands, and our bill 
will expand existing programs and establish new ones to meet the 
growing demand.
  All of these programs and investments are designed to help prepare us 
to compete in the 21st century, but there is more we must do if we 
intend to keep our nation and our workforce truly competitive. 
Significant new investments are needed to expand opportunities for 
higher education. College is more important than ever today, but it is 
also more expensive than ever. In the Senate 2 weeks ago, we passed the 
largest increase in student aid since the G.I. bill, and I look forward 
to delivering that aid for low-income students as quickly as possible.
  We must also address the increasingly demanding impact of the global 
economy on American workers and their families. Our hard-working men 
and women deserve greater job security today and greater job 
opportunities in the future.

[[Page 22641]]

  This bill puts first things first. Increased investments in 
education, research, and innovation are indispensable to our success as 
a nation. We have done it before and we must do it again. Let's begin 
with this bill.
  Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President. I want to add my thanks and 
congratulations to the conference leaders and the dedicated staff for 
completing the negotiations on the America Competes Act. This 
legislation is an important investment in our Nation's strategy to 
promote competitiveness. It is a bipartisan package with broad support, 
based on the National Academy of Sciences report known as The Gathering 
Storm. Many members deserve our thanks and praise, and the report is a 
strong example that Congress can come together to develop comprehensive 
public policy.
  America Competes is a comprehensive package that includes major 
sections covering math and science research and education initiatives. 
I am particularly pleased and proud that the legislation will 
reauthorize the National Science Foundation, NSF, at $22 billion from 
fiscal 2008 to fiscal 2010, to support several grant programs intended 
to encourage more students to teach math and science, as well as grants 
for college and graduate student science research. I have worked long 
and hard on programs within NSF. This bill supports the principle that 
the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoR, 
increases in proportion with the overall budget of NSF. Earlier this 
year, I introduced a bipartisan bill, S. 753, the EPSCoR Research and 
Competitiveness Act of 2007 which makes a similar recommendation. In my 
view, if our country seeks to broadly promote competitiveness, every 
state needs to be part of the effort. The EPSCoR program helps enhance 
the competitiveness of the 24 States, including West Virginia, that 
have historically not received as many NSF grants. The NSF continues 
its strong, peer-reviewed, merit-based competitive grants, but 
underserved States get support to achieve NSF's high standards.
  EPSCoR is an essential part of our national competitiveness strategy. 
Our country will not do as well if only half of our States are 
competitive. It is also important to recognize that the EPSCoR States 
are home to 20 percent of the population and 25 percent of doctoral and 
research universities. Our States host 18 percent of academic 
scientists and engineers, and their institutions train nearly 20 
percent of science and engineering graduate students. Even more 
interesting is the fact that 7 of the top 10 energy producing States 
are EPSCoR States. To be competitive, we must continue to invest in the 
EPSCoR program and our EPSCoR States for the long term. It is good for 
the States, but it is also a fundamental building block for our 
national policy. EPSCoR will enhance science and competitive which will 
help increase the number of scientists and engineers. It will encourage 
good science projects in States with unique aspects such as energy 
resources, proximity to our oceans, and other helpful scientific 
resources.
  Two other programs that received generous support in the final 
package are the NSF's Math and Science Partnerships and the Noyce 
Scholarships. Both initiatives were including in the 2001 
reauthorization of the National Science Foundation. Having sponsored 
legislation years ago to develop both programs, I am thrilled by 
current success of the programs in training teachers and recruiting top 
math and science majors into teaching. Expanding these programs will 
help improve math and science education which will be the cornerstone 
for our future competitiveness. This is a good investment for the 
future of West Virginia, and our entire country.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I rise today in support of the America 
COMPETES Act. I applaud the bipartisan group that put together the 
America COMPETES Act, an extraordinary bill that will provide 
invaluable resources to ensure that the United States does not lose 
step with our global competitors.
  We live in a global marketplace and if our students are to compete 
with students from around the world, they must have the benefit of a 
first rate math and science education taught by first rate math and 
science teachers. This new program will vastly improve the chance that 
our high school students are taught math and science by the best and 
the brightest.
  That is why I am particularly proud of one provision that I authored 
that has been included in this conference agreement. This provision 
will establish a new program called the National Science Foundation 
Teaching Fellowship within the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship 
Program. I wish to express my deep gratitude to Senators Kennedy, 
Bingaman, Alexander and Enzi for including this important provision in 
the bill. I would also like to thank my friend and colleague, Senator 
Clinton, for her valuable support.
  The provision creating the NSF Teaching Fellowship is modeled on a 
bill I introduced last Congress, the Math and Science Teaching Corps 
Act. The Math and Science Teaching Corps was in turn modeled after a 
highly successful New York City program called Math for America.
  Math for America's mission is to improve math education in our 
Nation's public schools by recruiting top math and science college 
graduates to become teachers and providing financial incentives to make 
these jobs competitive with the graduates' other opportunities.
  The program has made tremendous strides. Over 100 teachers teach in 
nearly 60 New York City public schools. By 2011 the program will 
support at least 440 teachers. I can only hope that the new NSF 
Teaching Fellowship will be so successful.
  The NSF Teaching Fellowship program is about paving the way for the 
future. It will ensure that leaders in math and science train the next 
generation of innovators--instead of leaving the classroom for research 
or other jobs. This model program is working in New York City, and now, 
with the America COMPETES legislation, it will be expanded to the rest 
of the country.
  We need this program to reverse a dismal trend. Our students are not 
currently prepared to compete in a technology-intense economy. In the 
2003 PISA math assessment that compared 15-year-old students across the 
world, American students ranked 24th out of the 29 participating 
countries--here in the U.S., in math, 24th out of 29. How can we 
compete when our students are falling behind?
  A 2005 mathematics assessment of twelfth graders by the National 
Assessment of Education Progress found that 61 percent of high school 
seniors performed at or above the basic level, and 23 percent performed 
at or above the proficient level. For science, 54 percent of twelfth 
graders scored at or above the basic level. Eighteen percent performed 
at or above the proficient level. This is unacceptable.
  Students currently studying math and science will be the fuel that 
powers our economy for the next century, and we must give them every 
chance to achieve, excel and thrive. The NSF Teaching Fellowship is a 
significant step.
  Inspirational and brilliant teachers will make an enormous 
difference. To attract these role models, we need to level the playing 
field, and ensure that these future teachers can afford to teach. Only 
one-third of math teachers and less than two-thirds of science teachers 
majored or minored in the subject they teach. It is not hard to 
understand why. Starting salaries for math and science majors can be as 
much as $20,000 higher in the private sector than they are for public 
school teachers.
  The NSF Teaching Fellowship will help reduce these barriers. The 
program's structure has a rigorous selection process and incentives 
built in to improve retention. NSF teaching fellows will have to take a 
test to prove their strengths in math or science. Then they enroll in a 
1-year master's degree program in teaching that will give them teaching 
certification, and it is all paid for. They will agree to teach for at 
least 4 years, and for those 4 years, they will receive bonuses on top 
of their salaries. These individuals will

[[Page 22642]]

infuse our schools with a deep passion for and an understanding of math 
and science and will share their knowledge with other teachers in their 
school.
  To retain our current teachers who are outstanding at what they do 
and can provide expertise in the classroom that our teaching fellows 
won't yet have, there is another category called NSF master teaching 
fellows. Master fellows are current teachers who already have a 
master's degree in math or science education. They will also take a 
test demonstrating they have a high level understanding of their 
subject area. For the next 5 years they will serve as leaders in their 
school, providing mentorship for other teachers in their department as 
well as assisting with curriculum development and professional 
development. For these 5 years they also will receive bonuses on top of 
their salaries.
  We all agree that every child deserves effective, high-quality 
professional teachers. And there are thousands of wonderful teachers in 
our country. But we need more. Without them, children will have 
difficulty reaching the high standards we want them to achieve. The 
federal government has long worked to ensure that all children have 
equal access to a quality education, no matter where they live. We must 
encourage and fund well-designed programs, such as the NSF Teaching 
Fellowship to incite rapid improvement in the quality of the Nation's 
future teaching workforce.
  I urge all my colleagues to support this monumental bill, the America 
COMPETES Act.
  Mr. ENZI. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the importance 
of supporting the conference report on the America COMPETES Act. This 
report represents a unique bipartisan, bicameral collaboration among 
three committees on the Senate side and our House counterparts to 
enhance American competitiveness in the 21st century global economy.
  This conference report demonstrates that when we set partisan 
politics aside and work together, we can do great things for the 
American people. The core of this conference agreement is the Senate's 
America COMPETES Act, which was the product of bipartisan negotiations 
and input from the Members of the Senate Commerce, Energy, and Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions Committees. Work on this legislation 
began last year in response to the National Academy of Sciences report 
``Rising Above the Gathering Storm,'' which was chaired by Norman 
Augustine, the ``Innovate America'' report, and the President's 
American Competitiveness Initiative. I want to thank all those who 
worked on this legislation for their hard work and dedication and 
commend them for the collegial manner in which this bill was crafted.
  The focus of the programs in this bill is where it should be: on the 
knowledge and skills the American people need to have to be successful 
in the 21st century global economy. I am pleased we were able to keep 
education as one of the key priorities in this legislation. However, I 
have said consistently from the beginning that I wanted to hold 
programs to reasonable funding levels and to avoid duplication of 
programs. I think we could have gone further toward reducing 
duplication and overlap of programs, but this bill represents a strong 
bipartisan, bicameral effort and moves us in the right direction.
  Why is this important? This year marks 50 years since Sputnik was 
launched. That launch sparked huge turmoil in this country and worry 
about the knowledge and skills necessary to keep our country safe and 
our economy growing and competitive. I was in junior high at the time. 
It was a shock to our Nation. Every one of us could recognize it--
teachers, parents, and, probably as important, students, recognized it. 
Russia was beating us. They had put a satellite into orbit. It was hard 
to accept that we were behind. But it also brought out that American 
competitive spirit. We said they were not going to beat us. It launched 
a change in education such as we had not seen in the United States in 
decades, maybe centuries.
  We were ultimately the winners of the space race, but it wasn't just 
a space race; it was an education race. It was the broad range of 
education that the United States delved into and the innovation that 
was brought about at the time that put us ahead of Russia.
  Sputnik had a dramatic effect on our education system and made us 
recognize that a high school diploma was no longer just a nice thing to 
have. We could no longer rest on our past successes as a nation. We met 
the challenge of Sputnik through the National Defense Education Act. We 
looked to education as a path to continued success, and we supported an 
increase in the number of people who would continue their education 
beyond high school, particularly in science, technology, engineering, 
and mathematics.
  Today, we are again being challenged. In the 1950s, skilled jobs 
comprised 20 percent of the U.S. job market. In 2000, 85 percent of all 
U.S. jobs were categorized as skilled. For millions of Americans, 
access to an affordable college education is the key to their success 
in the 21st century global economy. The United States has one of the 
highest college enrollment rates but college completion rate is average 
to below average among developed countries in the world. Four out of 
every five jobs will require postsecondary education or the equivalent, 
yet only 52 percent of Americans over the age of 25 have achieved this 
level of education.
  We have a huge challenge, not just in K-12 and higher education but 
in continuing education. It is estimated the average person leaving 
college will change careers 14 times. I didn't say ``change jobs'' 14 
times, I said ``change careers'' 14 times. Of those 14 career changes, 
10 of them don't even exist now. That is the pace at which things are 
accelerating.
  So we are educating people for a level of jobs that do not exist at 
the present time. That is quite a challenge. Technology is demanding 
that everybody continue to learn and gain skills to remain competitive 
in the workplace. Learning is never over; school is never out. Those 
who do not get the knowledge and the capability to make the transfer to 
new careers will be left behind. We do not want that to happen. 
Education at all levels, including lifelong learning opportunities, is 
vital to ensuring that America retains its competitive edge in the 
global economy. Every American can and should be part of our Nation's 
success.
  Because higher education is the on-ramp to success in the global 
economy, it is our responsibility to make sure everyone can access that 
on-ramp and reach their goals. This bill includes provisions that 
improve science, mathematics, and critical foreign language education 
in our Nation from elementary school through graduate school. It 
supports improvements to teacher preparation, establishes stronger 
links between graduate schools and employers, provides funding to 
support students trained at the doctoral level in science, technology, 
engineering, and mathematics, and enhances Federal programs that 
support students in graduate school.
  The American system of higher education is renowned throughout the 
world. I can attest to that after having gone to India. I saw how their 
educational system works and how it is becoming very competitive with 
the United States. In India, only 7 percent of their children go on to 
higher education. That creates a very high level of competition among 
students to get into higher education. Despite the rigorous emphasis on 
science, mathematics, engineering and technology, however, India 
continues to send its graduate students to the United States because it 
is here that they learn creativity and innovation.
  In most of the other countries around the world they learn the 
basics, can do excellent calculations and have a vast amount of rote 
knowledge. But what our colleges specialize in is teaching people to 
think, to come up with new ideas. To date, that is what has kept 
America ahead. However, the success story of American higher education 
is at risk of losing the qualities that made it great, which are 
competition, innovation, and access for all, if we do not invest in 
those core principles.

[[Page 22643]]

  It is important to ensure that more students enroll in college 
prepared to learn and that more students have the support they need to 
complete college with the knowledge and skills to be successful. 
Slightly less than one-third--31 percent--of all public high school 
students are prepared for postsecondary education, as demonstrated by 
the academic courses they pursue. Well-prepared and well-supported 
students are more likely to persist to a degree completion and obtain 
the knowledge and skills they need.
  If our students and workers are to have the best chance to succeed in 
life and employers to remain competitive, we must ensure that everyone 
has the opportunity to achieve academically and obtain the skills they 
need to succeed, regardless of their background. To accomplish this, we 
need to build, strengthen and maintain our educational pipeline, 
beginning in elementary school. We must also strengthen programs that 
encourage and enable citizens of all ages to enroll in postsecondary 
education institutions and obtain or improve their knowledge and 
skills. The decisions we make about education and workforce development 
will have a dramatic impact on the economy and our society for 
generations to come.
  The America COMPETES Act is a good starting point, but we need to do 
more. Maintaining America's competitiveness requires that all students 
have the opportunity to continue to build their knowledge and skills. 
We need to find ways to encourage high school students to stay in 
school and prepare for and enter high-skill fields such as math, 
science, engineering, health, technology and critical foreign 
languages. For many, including those at the cutting-edge of science, 
technology, engineering, and mathematics, acquiring a postsecondary 
education or training will be the key to their success.
  Our Nation needs to make sure that every person has the opportunity 
to access quality education and training throughout their lives, which 
is why the America COMPETES bill is only the beginning. I remain 
committed to reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, the Head Start 
Act, and the Workforce Investment Act. In addition, we need to focus 
our efforts on taking what we have learned from 5 years of experience 
to improve the No Child Left Behind Act. Together these laws form the 
path for success, so that every American can have the knowledge and 
skills necessary to be successful in the 21st century global economy, 
which is only going to become more competitive.
  The call for education and skills training is loud and clear. 
Ingenuity, knowledge, and skills are a beacon for jobs; therefore, we 
must keep the beacon of innovation shining brightly on our shores. I 
ask my colleagues to support passage of the conference report on the 
America COMPETES Act and to work with me to move the companion 
education and workforce bills through Congress this year.
  Mr. HUTCHISON. Mr. President, I rise to express my support for the 
conference report on the America COMPETES Act, and I congratulate 
Senators Bingaman, Alexander, Domenici, Ensign, Kennedy, Enzi, Inouye, 
Stevens, and Nelson and their staff for their tireless and dedicated 
work to bring this vital and important legislation to final passage.
  There is much in this legislation that will enable the United States 
to secure its leadership position in science, technology, engineering 
and mathematics education and enhancing our competitiveness and 
capacity for innovation.
  I am especially pleased that the conference report contains the 
language I included in the original Senate bill, reported last year by 
the Commerce Committee and eventually incorporated into S.761, as 
passed by the Senate.
  That provision directs that NASA be included in activities 
collectively referred to as the American Competitiveness Initiative, or 
ACI. This corrects what many of us believe was a serious oversight in 
the original announcement of the ACI, which failed to recognize the 
long-standing history of NASA's role in inspiring young people to 
pursue academic and professional careers in science and engineering.
  The report also contains new language recognizing the potential 
contribution to education and competitiveness that can be made by the 
International Space Station National Laboratory and directs NASA to 
develop specific plans to realize that potential.
  I look forward to working with Senator Bill Nelson, chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Space, Aeronautics and Related Sciences, in drafting 
reauthorization legislation for NASA next year, in which we can provide 
more specific authorization and guidance for NASA in fulfilling its 
important new role as part of the ACI.
  This report also provides vital new authority to the Department of 
Energy, the Department of Education, the National Institute for 
Standards and Technology, NOAA, and the National Science Foundation to 
enable them to address the pressing national needs in science, 
technology, engineering and mathematics education and enhancing the 
Nation's competitiveness and innovation capabilities.
  It is vital that the new provisions provided by this legislation are 
used as they are intended. This legislation includes generous new 
authority for appropriations for the Departments of Energy and 
Education and for NIST and the National Science Foundation. These 
additional spending limits are not provided to enable them to continue 
to do business as usual at an increased level of spending.
  My single concern about the conference report is the action taken by 
the conference to modify section 7018. That provision, which was an 
amendment I offered during the markup of S. 1280, the original Senate 
Commerce Committee portion of what became S. 761 and was preserved in 
the conference chairman's mark considered in the conference, provided 
that the National Science Foundation take into account the degree to 
which proposed research contributed to the needs of innovation, 
competitiveness, the physical and natural sciences, technology, 
engineering and mathematics. At the same time, that provision included 
language--consistent with the recommendations of the report ``Rising 
Above the Gathering Storm''--that such prioritization not be used to 
inhibit investments in other important areas of research or scientific 
endeavor.
  Despite that limitation, the conference adopted an amendment to that 
section which, essentially, includes virtually all research conducted 
by the NSF in the prioritization, including research that may or may 
not contribute to meeting the critical needs outlined in that report 
and which inspired the creation of this legislation. The awarding of 
such a ``blank check'' to NSF removes any assurance that the expanded 
authority and resources provided through this legislation will actually 
be used to carry out the purposes for which they have been granted.
  While I am disappointed with this change, I am very much in favor of 
adopting the report. But as a member of the Commerce Subcommittee on 
Science and Innovation, and the Appropriations Subcommittee on 
Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, I will closely follow 
how the National Science Foundation implements the authority granted by 
this legislation.
  By passing this report, Congress will have taken an extremely 
important and significant step toward meeting what are clearly and 
widely recognized as critical national needs. We cannot let that step 
be compromised by allowing a business-as-usual approach by the 
departments and agencies we are tasking to meet those needs.
  Mr. PRYOR. Mr. President, I would like to join my colleagues in 
congratulating Senator Alexander of Tennessee for his hard work and his 
great legislative success on this piece of legislation which passed the 
Senate tonight. I will just remark, if I may, that once again he has 
proven himself to be an effective leader and a thoughtful legislator. 
He is really the kind of Senators who is putting America first and 
trying to get great things done. And, obviously, you can tell by his 
speech that he is sharing credit with anybody and everybody.

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  We all know that it was Senator Lamar Alexander's hard work and 
dedication that made that legislation a reality.

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