[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4193]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1445
                       OUR COMMITMENT TO SCIENCE

  (Mr. HOLT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. HOLT. Mr. Speaker, what pleases me most about the economic 
recovery bill that we just passed is the commitment in this legislation 
to science. I'm deeply gratified that the bill reflects a profound 
commitment to renewing our Nation's innovation infrastructure. Research 
is not merely a luxury to be undertaken only in times of prosperity. 
The truth is that scientific research is perhaps the most powerful 
economic engine, creating jobs in the short-term and building our 
economy for the long-term.
  Altogether, the recovery package includes nearly $23 billion to 
support scientific research and facilities, the National Science 
Foundation, the Department of Energy's Office of Science, the National 
Institutes of Health. There is no doubt that these funds will create 
jobs. Lab technicians will be hired to carry out projects previously 
that went unfunded. Electricians will be put to work wiring new 
laboratory experiments, and construction workers will begin 
refurbishing our neglected laboratories and building the facilities 
that will transform science for the 21st century.

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