[House Report 107-511]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
107th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 107-511
======================================================================
NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ADVANCEMENT ACT
_______
June 18, 2001.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Boehlert, from the Committee on Science, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3400]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, to whom was referred the bill (H.R.
3400) to amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 to
authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2003 through 2007 for
the coordinated Federal program on networking and information
technology research and development, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an
amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
I. Amendment.......................................................2
II. Purpose of the Bill.............................................7
III. Background and Need for the Legislation.........................7
IV. Summary of Hearings.............................................9
V. Committee Action...............................................10
VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill........................10
VII. Section-by-Section Analysis (by Title and Section).............11
VIII. Committee Views................................................13
IX. Cost Estimate..................................................18
X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate......................19
XI. Compliance with Public Law 104-4 (Unfunded Mandates)...........20
XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations...............20
XIII. Constitutional Authority Statement.............................20
XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement...........................21
XV. Congressional Accountability Act...............................21
XVI. Statement on Preemption of State, Local or Tribal Law..........21
XVII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported..........21
XVIII.Committee Recommendations......................................32
XIX. Statement on General Performance Goals and Objectives..........32
XX. Proceedings of Full Committee Markup...........................32
I. Amendment
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Networking and Information Technology
Research Advancement Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Information technology is an enabling technology that
contributes to other scientific disciplines. Advances in
nanotechnology, bioinformatics, intelligent networks, wireless
networking, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other fields
depend on further advances in information technology research
and development. In turn, advances in networking and
information technology depend on research in a wide range of
fields, such as computer science and engineering, mathematics,
and many others, and in the development of electronic
components such as semiconductors and fiber optics that are
faster, denser, and cheaper. Research in fields such as
materials sciences, physics, chemistry, and photonics lays the
foundation for building these advanced components.
(2) Federal investment in information technology research and
development over the past 50 years has led to technological
innovations that have transformed our society and stimulated
economic growth.
(3) A 1999 report from the President's Information Technology
Advisory Committee entitled ``Information Technology Research:
Investing in Our Future'' states that--
(A) Federal support for research in information
technology is inadequate;
(B) Federal investment in information technology
research and development should give a higher priority
to long-term, basic research; and
(C) Federal information technology research
management should develop a long-term and coherent
strategy for sustained attention to national goals.
(4) Long-term, basic research is necessary to create
technological breakthroughs in information technology. The
Federal Government is uniquely positioned to support long-term
fundamental research.
(5) Advances in networking and information technology have
permeated and dramatically improved product design and
development processes, production efficiency, and distribution
systems of a wide range of manufacturing and other industries.
From the aeronautical and automotive industries to farming,
advances in networking and information technology have allowed
United States industry to compete more effectively and better
utilize limited resources through improved quality control and
other means. Therefore, research in networking and information
technology that advances the field also advances productivity
and economic growth for the United States economy.
(6) Information technology encompasses ways to develop, store
and retrieve, organize and use, make sense of, compute, and
communicate information to further a number of societal goals,
including increasing economic growth through product
development and increased efficiency of services and
manufacturing, advancing scientific research, and education.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
Section 4 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C.
5503) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (3)--
(A) by striking ``high-performance computing'' and
inserting ``networking and information technology'';
and
(B) by striking ``(including vector supercomputers
and large scale parallel systems)'';
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking ``packet switched'';
(3) by striking paragraphs (5) and (6); and
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
``(5) `Program' means the Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program described in
section 101; and
``(6) `Program Component Areas' means the major subject areas
under which are grouped related individual projects and
activities carried out under the Program and which are
developed according to section 101(a)(3)(B) and identified in
the annual report required under section 101(a)(3)(A).''.
SEC. 4. NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM.
(a) Amendments.--Section 101 of the High-Performance Computing Act of
1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``NATIONAL HIGH-
PERFORMANCE COMPUTING'' and inserting ``NETWORKING AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT'';
(2) by striking ``high-performance computing'' each place it
appears other than in subsection (a)(2)(F) and inserting
``networking and information technology'';
(3) in the subsection heading of subsection (a), by striking
``National High-Performance Computing'' and inserting
``Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development'';
(4) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking ``National High-Performance
Computing'' and inserting ``Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development'';
(B) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking ``and'' at the end of
subparagraph (A);
(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as
subparagraph (C); and
(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the
following new subparagraph:
``(B) establish Program Component Areas that implement the
goals established under subparagraph (A); and'';
(C) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph
(2)(H);
(D) by striking subparagraph (I) of paragraph (2) and
inserting the following:
``(I) provide for improving the security of networked
information systems, including research required to establish
security standards and practices for computing systems and
networks; and
``(J) provide for long-term basic research on networking and
information technology, with priority given to research that
helps address issues related to--
``(i) high end computing and software;
``(ii) network stability, fragility, reliability,
security (including privacy), and scalability; and
``(iii) the social and economic consequences of
information technology.'';
(E) in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3), by
inserting ``, including establishing the process by
which Program Component Areas are defined'' after ``of
the Program'';
(F) by amending subparagraph (A) of paragraph (4) to
read as follows:
``(A) provide a detailed description of the Program Component
Areas, including--
``(i) a description of any changes in the Program
Component Areas from the preceding report and the
reasons for such changes; and
``(ii) a description of activities within each
Program Component Area that contribute to the
improvement of the security of networked information
systems;'';
(G) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ``specific
activities'' and all that follows through ``the
Network'' and inserting ``each Program Component
Area'';
(H) in paragraph (4)(D), by inserting ``for each
Program Component Area and for all activities that
contribute to the improvement of the security of
networked information systems'' after ``budget
submission applies''; and
(I) in paragraph (4)(F), by inserting ``, and the
extent to which the Program incorporates the
recommendations of the Advisory Committee established
under subsection (b)'' after ``for the Program'';
(5) in subsection (b)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (5) as
subparagraphs (A) through (E), respectively;
(B) by inserting ``(1)'' after ``Advisory
Committee.--'';
(C) in paragraph (1)(C), as so redesignated by this
paragraph, by inserting ``, including funding levels
for the Program Component Areas'' after ``of the
Program'';
(D) in paragraph (1)(D), as so redesignated by this
paragraph, by striking ``computing'' and inserting
``networking and information''; and
(E) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the
advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the funding,
management, coordination, implementation, and activities of the
Program, and shall report not less frequently than once every two
fiscal years to the Committee on Science of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation of the Senate on its findings and recommendations. The
first report shall be due within one year after the date of the
enactment of this paragraph.''; and
(6) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking ``Program or'' and
inserting ``Program Component Areas or''.
(b) Repeals.--Sections 102 and 103 of the High-Performance Computing
Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5512 and 5513) are repealed.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--The heading of title I of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 is amended to read as follows:
``TITLE I--NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM''.
SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
(a) National Science Foundation Activities.--Section 201 of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5521) is amended to read
as follows:
``SEC. 201. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES.
``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described in
title I, the National Science Foundation shall--
``(1) generate fundamental scientific and technical knowledge
with the potential of advancing networking and information
technology and its applications; and
``(2) provide computing and networking infrastructure support
for all science and engineering disciplines, and support basic
research and human resource development in all aspects of
networking and information technology and advanced high speed
computer networking.
``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated
to the National Science Foundation for the purposes of the Program
$704,000,000 for fiscal year 2003; $774,000,000 for fiscal year 2004,
$851,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $937,000,000 for fiscal year 2006,
and $1,030,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.''.
(b) National Aeronautics and Space Administration Activities.--
Section 202 of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C.
5522) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 202. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITIES.
``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described in
title I, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall
conduct basic and applied research in networking and information
technology, with emphasis on--
``(1) computational fluid, thermal, and aerodynamics;
``(2) scientific data dissemination and tools to enable data
to be fully analyzed and combined from multiple sources and
sensors;
``(3) remote exploration and experimentation; and
``(4) tools for collaboration in systems design, analysis,
and testing.
``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated
to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for the purposes
of the Program $199,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, $219,000,000 for
fiscal year 2004, $240,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $265,000,000 for
fiscal year 2006, and $292,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.''.
(c) Department of Energy Activities.--Section 203 of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5523) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by striking all after ``the Secretary
of Energy shall'' and inserting ``conduct basic and applied
research in networking and information technology, with
emphasis on--
``(1) supporting fundamental research in the physical
sciences and engineering, and energy applications;
``(2) providing supercomputer access and advanced
communication capabilities to scientific researchers; and
``(3) developing tools for distributed scientific
collaboration.''; and
(2) in subsection (e)--
(A) by striking ``(1)'';
(B) by striking ``$93,000,000'' and all that follows
through ``fiscal year 1996'' and inserting
``$193,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, $212,000,000 for
fiscal year 2004, $234,000,000 for fiscal year 2005,
$258,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $283,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007''; and
(C) by striking paragraph (2).
(d) Department of Commerce Activities.--Section 204 of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5524) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a) and
inserting the following:
``(1) the National Institute of Standards and Technology
shall--
``(A) conduct basic and applied measurement research
needed to support various computing systems and
networks;
``(B) develop and propose voluntary standards and
guidelines, and develop measurement techniques and test
methods, for the interoperability of computing systems
in networks and for common user interfaces to systems;
``(C) be responsible for developing benchmark tests
and standards for computing systems and software; and
``(D) encourage the development, deployment, and
implementation of voluntary guidelines and standards
for--
``(i) robust security technology; and
``(ii) best practices and interoperability
relating to the security of commercial and
government computer networks; and
``(2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
shall conduct basic and applied research in networking and
information technology, with emphasis on--
``(A) improving weather forecasting and climate
prediction;
``(B) collection and dissemination of environmental
information; and
``(C) development of more accurate models of the
atmosphere-ocean system.''; and
(2) by striking subsections (c) and (d) and inserting the
following:
``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated--
``(1) to the National Institute of Standards and Technology
for the purposes of the Program $24,000,000 for fiscal year
2003, $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $29,000,000 for fiscal
year 2005, $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $35,000,000
for fiscal year 2007; and
``(2) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
for the purposes of the Program $22,000,000 for fiscal year
2003, $24,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $26,000,000 for fiscal
year 2005, $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $32,000,000
for fiscal year 2007.''.
(e) Environmental Protection Agency Activities--Section 205 of the
High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5525) is amended to
read as follows:
``SEC. 205. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
``(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program described in
title I, the Environmental Protection Agency shall conduct basic and
applied research directed toward the advancement and dissemination of
computational techniques and software tools with an emphasis on
modeling of--
``(1) ecosystems;
``(2) human effects
``(3) atmospheric dynamics and chemistry; and
``(4) pollutant transport.
``(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated
to the Environmental Protection Agency for the purposes of the Program
$4,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, $4,400,000 for fiscal year 2004,
$4,800,000 for fiscal year 2005, $5,300,000 for fiscal year 2006, and
$5,800,000 for fiscal year 2007.''.
SEC. 6. REPORTS.
(a) International Benchmarking Studies.--
(1) Study.--Not later than 3 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall enter into an arrangement with the National
Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to conduct
an assessment of the state of research on networking and
information technology in the United States. The study shall
use the methodology and approach developed by the Committee on
Science, Engineering, and Public Policy of the National
Academies and documented in its 2000 report entitled
``Experiments in International Benchmarking of U.S. Research
Fields''.
(2) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall transmit to the Committee on Science of the
House of Representatives, the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate, the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy, and the advisory committee
established under section 101(b) of the High-Performance
Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(b)) (in this section
referred to as the ``advisory committee'') a report setting
forth the findings of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
(3) Advisory committee recommendations.--Not later than 3
months after receipt of the report transmitted under paragraph
(2), the advisory committee shall provide recommendations to
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy on
appropriate changes to the Program established by section
101(a) of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C.
5511(a)) to address issues raised by the study conducted under
paragraph (1).
(4) Annual report.--The first annual report required by
section 101(a)(3)(A) of the High-Performance Computing Act of
1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)(3)(A)) that is due after the expiration
of 9 months after receipt by the Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy of the report transmitted under
paragraph (2) shall include a description of activities under
the Program established by section 101(a) of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511(a)) that
address issues raised by the study conducted under paragraph
(1), including strategies for--
(A) raising or maintaining the position of the United
States relative to other nations in the research
priority areas addressed by the report transmitted
under paragraph (2); and
(B) promoting international research cooperation to
leverage international niches of excellence identified
by the report transmitted under paragraph (2).
(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the National Science Foundation for carrying
out the study under this subsection $850,000.
(b) Information Technology Workforce Study.--
(1) Data collection.--The Director of the National Science
Foundation shall on a continuing basis collect data on the
information technology workforce, including information on--
(A) the size and nature of the information technology
workforce by occupation category, level of education
and training, personnel demographics, and industry
characteristics;
(B) the long-term employability of information
technology professionals;
(C) various forms of employee compensation, including
salaries, bonuses, and stock options;
(D) the role of foreign workers in the information
technology workforce;
(E) the previous and subsequent immigration and
employment status of workers who are aliens having the
status of a nonimmigrant described in section
101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b) of the Immigration and Nationality
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b)); and
(F) other relevant issues.
(2) Analysis.--Not later than 3 months after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Science
Foundation shall enter into an arrangement with the National
Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences to analyze
the data collected under paragraph (1) and publish a biennial
update to the ``Building a Workforce in the Information
Economy'' report, issued in October of 2000.
(3) Transmittal to congress.--Biennial updates required under
paragraph (2) shall be transmitted to the Committee on Science
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and to the National
Coordination Office for Information Technology Research and
Development, not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter.
SEC. 7. RESEARCH CENTER.
(a) In General.--(1) As part of the Program described in section 101
of the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5511), the
National Science Foundation, in consultation with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other
Federal agencies as appropriate, shall establish a center for research
on information technology questions related to crisis management.
(2) The award to support the establishment and operation of the
center established under paragraph (1) shall be made to an eligible
nonprofit organization or consortium thereof through a merit-reviewed,
competitive process in accordance with requirements specified by the
National Science Foundation.
(b) Use of Funds.--The center established under subsection (a) shall
carry out research to advance the role of information technology in
crisis management. Such activities may include--
(1) research on--
(A) human-computer interface technologies suitable
for meeting user needs and limitations;
(B) network-based collaboration tools, including
virtual situation rooms;
(C) the interconnection, interoperation, and
reliability of networks involving diverse information
resources;
(D) rapidly deployable, self-configuring wireless
networks;
(E) software to assist crisis managers in making
decisions in the absence of complete information;
(F) means for improving the performance of
distributed systems; and
(G) simulation of natural phenomena, such as severe
storms or forest fires, that could provide guidance to
crisis managers;
(2) establishment and use of experimental testbeds for crisis
management-related research and development to allow for
testing and validating technologies under realistic conditions;
and
(3) analyses of the design and operation of existing
national-scale infrastructures to identify features that enable
such systems to be scalable and functionally flexible.
(c) Selection Criteria.--In evaluating applications submitted under
this section, the Director of the National Science Foundation shall
consider, at a minimum, the extent to which the applicant will work
with individuals and organizations that would be users of the results
of the research conducted by the center in establishing a research
agenda and conducting activities under subsection (b)(2).
(d) Definition.--In this section, the term ``eligible nonprofit
organization'' means an institution of higher education as defined by
section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), or a
nonprofit research institute or nonprofit association with experience
related to applications of information technology in crisis management
as determined by the National Science Foundation.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the purposes of
this section $10,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2003, 2004, 2005,
2006, and 2007.
II. Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of H.R. 3400 is to authorize appropriations for
networking and information technology research and development.
III. Background and Need for Legislation
Information technology (IT) provides tools, systems, and
capabilities that have changed our daily lives and have
reshaped the way business is conducted. Its influence on
economic growth and competitiveness has been enormous--the IT
economy now generates more than $300 billion in revenue each
year. The impact of information technology on education,
environmental management, health care, law enforcement,
productivity, scientific research, and transportation safety,
has been equally dramatic. In fact many of our Nation's
critical defense and civilian infrastructures are now reliant
upon information technology. None of these advances would have
been possible without a long-term, sustained focus on
fundamental research--most of which has been supported by the
Federal Government.
Innovations resulting from past investment in federally-
sponsored research include:
The Internet, which grew out of ARPANET, the
network developed in the 1960s by researchers funded by
the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA);
The first graphical web ``browser,''
developed by university-based researchers with National
Science Foundation (NSF) support;
Relational databases--the sophisticated
software systems needed to store and manage large
quantities of information, such as financial records,
census data, and business inventories--pioneered by
university researchers funded by NSF in the 1970s; and
The first high-performance computers, placed
in government installations, primarily for national
defense purposes.
The Federal Government's role in funding IT research and
development dates back at least as far as World War II, when
the first digital electronic computer was developed and the
Federal Government's overall investment in computing was less
than $20 million ($185.2 million in FY 1999 dollars) per year.
Until the mid-1970s, computers were tools available only to
large corporations, research institutions, and the Federal
Government, and the field of computer science was just emerging
as a distinct academic discipline. However, the Federal
Government's investment during this time in computing and such
underlying disciplines as mathematics, engineering, and
physics, was laying the groundwork for subsequent breakthroughs
in software and technology.
Government support for high-performance computing expanded
in the 1970s, and by the early 1980s many agencies had
developed independent programs. In the late 1980s, ten of the
programs were linked in the High-Performance Computing and
Communications initiative. The High-Performance Computing Act
of 1991 (HPC Act), P.L. 102-194, formalized the initiative and
established a process by which the Federal Government could
establish government-wide research priorities and ensure the
coordination of individual agency contributions. This Act
established a multi-agency program of research and authorized
appropriations for fiscal years 1992 through 1996 at seven
agencies: NSF, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA), the Department of Energy (DOE), the
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of
Education.
The multi-agency program established by the HPC Act still
exists today, and its activities are coordinated through the
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
(NITRD) program. Within this program, an Interagency Working
Group--made up of representatives from every agency involved in
the NITRD program (see below) as well as the Office of
Management and Budget, the Office of Science and Technology
Policy (OSTP), the National Economic Council, and the National
Coordination Office for IT Research and Development--
coordinates the planning, budgeting, and assessment activities
of the Federal IT research and development enterprise. The
NITRD Interagency Working Group also serves as the internal
deliberative organization for Federal IT research and
development policy, program, and budget guidance within the
Executive Branch.
The NITRD agencies include: Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality, DARPA, DOE National Nuclear Security
Administration, DOE Office of Science, EPA, NASA, National
Institutes of Health, NIST, NOAA, National Security Agency,
NSF, and Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for
Science and Technology.
The major research emphases of the NITRD effort are
reflected in Program Component Areas (PCAs). PCAs are groupings
of related IT activities that are defined by the Interagency
Working Group through authority delegated by the President, and
led by program managers from the NITRD participating agencies.
These program managers confer regularly to coordinate the
objectives and activities of the multi-agency projects in their
specialized research areas. The current PCAs are:
High End Computing, which includes both
research and development and Infrastructure &
Applications;
Human Computer Interaction & Information
Management;
Large Scale Networking;
Software Design and Productivity;
High Confidence Software and Systems; and
Social, Economic, and Workplace Implications
of IT and IT Workforce Development.
The President's Information Technology Advisory Committee
(PITAC), which was established pursuant to the HPC Act,
recently looked at a number of issues related to high-
performance computing and communications research. In its 1999
report, ``Information Technology Research: Investing in Our
Future,'' PITAC concluded that while U.S. leadership in
information technology provides an essential foundation for
promoting economic growth, education and research,
environmental stewardship, public health, and national
security, there has been an erosion of support for long-term
fundamental research in information technology. Describing the
current Federal funding levels as being ``seriously
inadequate,'' the Committee also concluded that current
research is too focused on near-term problems linked to agency
missions. PITAC recommended that the Federal Government create
a strategic initiative for long-term research and development,
fund projects for longer time periods, establish an effective
structure for managing and coordinating research and
development, and increase spending significantly.
In addition, a National Research Council (NRC) panel
concluded in its 1999 report, ``Funding a Revolution,'' that
the Federal Government's focus on funding long-range,
fundamental research--something that industry has little
incentive to pursue--was a primary stimulus for the current
information technology boom. The panel also cited the diversity
of Federal IT research programs--a natural by-product of the
multi-agency effort--as an additional factor in this success.
The recommendations of the PITAC report and the NRC panel
are reflected in H.R. 3400, the Networking and Information
Technology Research Advancement Act (NITRAA). The Act, which
extends and updates the HPC Act, authorizes a Federal
investment in future IT research and development that is aimed
at ensuring the continued success of the United States IT
enterprise.
IV. Summary of Hearings
On Tuesday, June 26, 2001, the House Science Committee's
Research Subcommittee held a hearing to set the stage, and
provide recommendations for the development of broad
authorization legislation for the Federal information
technology research program. The witnesses addressed the need
for Federal investments in fundamental IT research and
development, the role that those investments play in innovation
and economic productivity, and the coordination of the
activities of the agencies involved in the overall Federal IT
R&D program. The witnesses all recommended increased Federal
funding for basic research in IT and stressed the benefits of
IT research and development to the public, economy, and
national security.
On Tuesday, July 31, 2001, the House Science Committee's
Research Subcommittee held a hearing on NSF's participation in
the NITRD program and on the positive impact NSF-supported IT
advances have had on science, education, manufacturing, and
human services. Witnesses highlighted the importance of
solutions-focused interdisciplinary IT research efforts that
focus on applications that serve the end user. The witnesses
agreed that future spending should concentrate on IT
infrastructure, networks and high end computing.
V. Committee Actions
On December 4, 2001, Research Subcommittee Chairman Nick
Smith, Research Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member Eddie
Bernice Johnson, Science Committee Chairman Sherwood L.
Boehlert, and Ranking Minority Member Ralph M. Hall introduced
H.R. 3400, the Networking and Information Technology Research
Advancement Act, a bill to authorize appropriations for
networking and information technology research and development
for fiscal years 2003 through 2007.
The House Committee on Science met on December 6, 2001, to
consider the bill. Mr. Matheson (UT) offered an amendment to
authorize $10 million per year for fiscal years 2003 through
2007 to establish a center for research on IT questions related
to crisis management. The amendment was adopted by voice vote.
With a quorum present, Mr. Hall moved that the Committee
favorably report the bill, as amended, to the House with the
recommendation that it pass, and that the staff be instructed
to make technical and conforming changes to the bill and
prepare the legislative report, and that the Chairman take all
necessary steps to bring the bill before the House for
consideration. The motion was agreed to by a voice vote.
VI. Summary of Major Provisions of the Bill
Increases funding for, and improves coordination
of, information technology research and development at NSF,
NASA, DOE, NIST, NOAA, and EPA.
Authorizes a total of $7.045 billion over five
years for research and development programs (from amounts
already authorized for research and development) as follows:
$4.346 billion for NSF;
$1.18 billion for DOE's Office of Science;
$1.215 billion for NASA;
$147 million for NIST;
$133 million for NOAA; and
$24.3 million for EPA.
Authorizes the agencies' ongoing participation in
the NITRD program, which is led by OSTP. This inter-agency
research effort focuses the Federal Government's spending in
the area of networking and information technology among a
number of research areas including:
High-End Computing Infrastructure and
Applications;
High-End Computing Research and Development;
Human/Computer Interaction and Information
Management;
Large Scale Networking;
Software Design and Productivity;
High Confidence Software and Systems; and
Social, Economic and Workforce.
Updates terminology and certain provisions in the
HPC Act.
Adds research on the security of networked
information systems to the list of required functions for the
NITRD program.
Directs PITAC to carry out periodic evaluations of
the funding, management, coordination, and implementation of
the NITRD program and to report its findings to Congress
biennially.
Authorizes $50 million over five years for the
establishment of a center for research on IT questions related
to crisis management.
Directs the National Research Council to perform
two studies aimed at strengthening networking and information
technology research and development. The first of these studies
will compare the state of research in computer and information
science and engineering in the United States with that of other
countries. The second will analyze data on the IT workforce.
VII. Section-by-Section Analysis
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE
``Networking and Information Technology Research
Advancement Act.''
SEC. 2. FINDINGS
Discusses the key roles information technology research and
development play in enabling scientific research in a diverse
array of scientific and engineering disciplines and, in turn,
highlights the dependence of information technology research
and development on other scientific fields and technologies;
the critical role Federal support of long-term, basic IT
research has played in stimulating the economy and transforming
society, and the importance of maintaining that role; the
current inadequacies in Federal support for research and the
unique role the Federal Government has in supporting long-term
basic research; the overall importance of information
technology research and development to specific industries; and
the variety of uses of IT.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS
Amends section 4 of the HPC Act by replacing the term
``high-performance computing'' with ``networking and
information technology,'' and redefines the Federal interagency
program focused on information technology research and
development as the ``Networking and Information Technology
Research and Development Program.'' Adds a definition for
``Program Component Areas,'' which are the major subject areas
under which projects and activities carried out by the
interagency research program are grouped.
SEC. 4. NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM
Amends section 101 of the HPC Act, which describes the
organization and responsibilities of the interagency research
program originally referred to as the National High-Performance
Computing Program (and re-named the Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program in this Act), to
include among the Program's research priorities the security of
networked information systems, research on high-end computers
(so-called ``supercomputers''), software, networks, and the
social and economic impacts of IT. Also amends the HPC Act to
include the requirement that the Program establish Program
Component Areas in line with the overall goals of the program.
Leaves substantively unchanged provisions of the HPC Act
requiring: (1) OSTP to provide an annual report to Congress,
along with the annual budget request, describing the
implementation of the program; (2) the OSTP Director to consult
with academic, state, industry, and other appropriate groups;
(3) Federal agencies to report on their information technology
research and development activities as part of the yearly
budget submission; and (4) the establishment of a presidential
advisory committee for information technology.
Requires OSTP to include, in its report to Congress,
detailed information about Program Component Areas and requires
the presidential advisory committee (currently named PITAC) to
report to Congress not less than every two years on its
findings and recommendations relating to the Program.
Repeals section 102 of the HPC Act, the ``National Research
and Education Network,'' which called for the development of a
network to link research and educational institutions,
government, and industry (this network has since been
supplanted by the Internet). Also repeals section 103 of the
HPC Act, ``Next Generation Internet,'' as this program is no
longer in existence.
Replaces the term ``high-performance computing'' with
``networking and information technology'' throughout the
section. Renames title I of the HPC Act ``Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development Program.''
SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES
Amends the HPC Act to authorize funds for, and define the
specific activities of, certain agencies within the Program.
All authorizations are from sums otherwise authorized to be
appropriated.
NSF--a total of $4.346 billion over fiscal
years 2003 through 2007;
DOE's Office of Science--a total of $1.18
billion over fiscal years 2003 through 2007;
NASA--a total of $1.215 billion over fiscal
years 2003 through 2007;
NIST--a total of $147 million over fiscal
years 2003 through 2007;
NOAA--a total of $133 million over fiscal
years 2003 through 2007; and
EPA--$24.3 million over fiscal years 2003
through 2007.
SEC. 6. REPORTS
Directs NSF to enter into an arrangement with the National
Research Council to conduct an assessment of the state of
research in computer and information science and engineering in
the United States, and to report to Congress and OSTP on the
assessment's findings. In addition, the legislation tasks the
presidential advisory committee for information technology with
reviewing the NRC's findings and making recommendations to the
OSTP Director regarding their implementation. Finally, the bill
requires the Director of OSTP, in his annual report to Congress
on the state of the program, to describe how the program is
working to address the concerns and recommendations outlined in
the NRC study.
The bill also directs the NSF to collect data on the
information technology workforce and tasks the NRC with
analyzing this data and publishing a biennial update to the
NRC's ``Building a Workforce in the Information Economy''
report.
SEC. 7. RESEARCH CENTER
Authorizes NSF, in consultation with NASA, EPA and NOAA, to
establish a center for research on IT questions related to
crisis management.
Authorizes $10 million to the NSF for each of the fiscal
years 2003 through 2007.
VIII. Committee Views
The Federal Government has a critical role to play in
supporting the long-term, fundamental research that underlies
private sector development in IT and fuels our National
economy. The Committee takes seriously the warning issued by
PITAC in its 1999 report, ``Information Technology Research:
Investing in Our Future,'' that the emphasis of Federal IT
research programs in recent years has shifted from long-term,
high-risk research to short-term, mission-orientated research.
In addition, the overall level of Federal support for
fundamental research in IT is, as PITAC concluded, inadequate
to maintain the Nation's global leadership in this area. The
Committee believes that maintaining the Nation's global
leadership in information technology will require a sustained
Federal commitment to fundamental research in the scientific
and engineering disciplines that underlie IT.
The Committee believes that the lack of sufficient Federal
support for long-term IT research has also had a negative
impact on the development of a highly skilled, technically
trained U.S. workforce. While industry is projecting
significant increases in the demand for computer scientists,
engineers and other technically-trained workers, U.S. colleges
and universities are having a great deal of difficulty
attracting and retaining students--especially U.S. citizens,
nationals, and permanent resident aliens--to undergraduate and
graduate programs in mathematics, engineering, computer science
and the physical sciences. Increased funding of basic IT
research will have an indirect, but beneficial impact on
academic programs that will train the next generation of
technical workers, researchers, and industry leaders.
NITRAA, by amending the HPC Act, provides long-term funding
in support of a comprehensive research agenda for six of the
agencies participating in the multi-agency NITRD program.
Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program
The Committee believes that the coordination and management
framework for the NITRD program has been effective. The
Interagency Working Group that comprises the principal
mechanism for coordination and collaboration among the NITRD
agencies has been successful is guiding the Federal IT research
and development effort. The Committee wishes to stress that
interagency coordination is vital to the success of any Federal
IT research program. In particular, the Committee believes that
agencies must coordinate to reduce areas of unnecessary overlap
and develop complementary approaches to solving difficult
research questions.
In recognizing that the national IT research and
development priorities will continue to evolve over time, the
Committee worked to ensure that this Act provides flexibility
in defining the research and development priorities--defined as
Program Component Areas--of the Interagency Working Group and
its member agencies. In this way, the Act continues to support
the original intent of the HPC Act while allowing for the
Federal effort to reflect the current state of the IT field.
The Committee expects that the annual reports for the NITRD
program will document how the contents of the PCAs change over
time and the rationale for the changes.
While the Act leaves intact the central thrust of the HPC
Act, it updates some of the terminology and definitions used in
the earlier Act. In particular, the current Act refers to
``networking and information technology'', rather than ``high
performance computing''. The Committee notes that the nature of
the term ``high performance computing'' has changed since the
passage of the HPC Act in 1991. While the term was defined
quite broadly in HPC Act, today it is normally used to describe
sophisticated computational work, such as complex modeling,
that requires extremely fast and powerful computers--so called
high performance or ``high end'' computers--capable of
performing immense numbers of mathematical calculations. As the
Federal investment in IT research and development has broadened
significantly to include research into other areas, such as
software engineering and component technologies, networking,
and applied technologies such as bioinformatics, and
socioeconomic issues, the Committee believes the term
``networking and information technology'' better describes the
range of activities covered by the current Federal program. The
Committee wishes to stress that the definition of ``high
performance computing'' has been changed in name only (with the
exception to references to vector supercomputers and large
scale parallel systems that were removed from the definition).
Thus, the definition of ``networking and information
technology'' still refers to advanced computing, communications
and information technologies, including scientific
workstations, supercomputer systems, high-capacity and high-
speed networks, special purpose and experimental systems, and
applications and systems software.
NITRAA enlarges the role of PITAC in oversight of the NITRD
program by directing PITAC to periodically evaluate and report
to Congress on the funding, management, coordination,
implementation, and contents of the program.
NITRAA repeals provisions of the HPC Act related to the
National Research and Education Network and the Next Generation
Internet, as those programs were never fully implemented or
have expired.
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States raised
many concerns about the security and preparedness of the United
States, not least of which is the security of the Nation's
computer network infrastructure and all the critical
information and control systems connected to it. The Committee
believes that research on ways to improve the security of
networked information systems is critical. The Act revises the
original HPC Act to clearly place this area of research under
the NITRD program. The Committee strongly encourages the
program to make security research a high priority within the
Federal IT research and development portfolio.
The Committee believes that, with these and other updates,
the HPC Act can continue to guide the Federal information
technology research effort into the future.
Agency activities
The Committee expects that each agency, through its
independent contributions to each interagency focus area, will
support the overall goals of the NITRD program while still
advancing its unique mission. Because of NSF's statutory role
in supporting basic research, the Committee believes that NSF
should play a major role in the Interagency NITRD effort and,
therefore, authorizes significant funding increases for
research programs at NSF. In addition, the Committee expects
all NITRD agencies to maximize cooperation to ensure that
available resources and experience are used as efficiently as
possible.
The Committee recognizes that many academic disciplines
both benefit from, and contribute to, IT research and
development. In addition to the discipline of computer science
itself, many other fields, including mathematics, engineering,
physics, computational science and engineering, materials
science, physics, chemistry, the social and behavioral sciences
and many others, have made and will continue to make
contributions to IT research and development that are critical
to the field's continued advancement.
The Committee believes that certain IT applications warrant
additional attention through Federal investment and interagency
coordination. For example, bioinformatics, which is aimed at
harnessing the computational power of IT to solve difficult
problems related to biology and medicine, is a rapidly growing
field that is helping to manage the huge explosion of
information about DNA and protein sequences, molecular
structures, and complex inter- and intra-cellular relationships
and activities. Bioinformatics has become an essential tool to
the biomedical research community in that it provides new
opportunities to collect, store, distribute and analyze data,
to model biological processes, and even to identify potent new
pharmaceutical products. Another example, medical informatics,
utilizes computer modeling and simulation to analyze large
clinical databases, enhance diagnostics, facilitate computer-
assisted surgical procedures, and better understand disease
prevention and treatment. Because bioinformatics and medical
informatics require special expertise on the part of
researchers and users, both of these critical technologies are
deserving of additional funding for research and development.
In addition, full attention must be given to the education of
future informatics researchers and professionals.
The Committee is aware that advances in high-speed,
scalable, adaptive networking depend on high performance
testbed networks to enable the research, development, and
demonstration of advanced networking technologies and
applications. The NITRD program, as outlined in the original
HPC Act and left unchanged by this Act, is responsible for
providing high performance testbed networks. The Committee
encourages the program to consider investment in new testbeds
that take advantage of advances in areas such as optical
networking.
Impediments to research
The Committee understands that the delicate balance between
intellectual property protections and the need to further IT
research has become increasingly problematic. On October 10,
2001, Dr. Gene Spafford, Director of Purdue University's Center
for Education and Research in Information Assurance and
Security, testified before the Committee on Science that:
Unfortunately, the evolution of law has led to
unintended consequences for those of us working in
security. I have had several reported instances where
research into new and novel forms of information
security have had to be curtailed or stopped because
the researchers had been threatened by the patent
holders. University researchers do not have the
resources to fight such threats whether they are
justified or not. Therefore, those avenues of research
have been abandoned.
A growing number of researchers have become hesitant to
study encryption and other copyright protection technologies
because of legal concerns and vague understandings of the type
of research that is allowable under the law. The Committee
encourages PITAC to review these concerns, identify impediments
to critical research, and make recommendations to OSTP on ways
to better educate the IT research community regarding the
limits on research resulting from intellectual property law.
International benchmarking survey
Section 6(a) directs NSF to enter into an arrangement with
the National Research Council to conduct an international
benchmarking survey on networking and information technology
research. The Committee believes a review of how U.S. efforts
in networking and information technology research compare with
similar programs in key competitor countries can inform
continued and future research efforts in the U.S. For that
reason, the Act requires PITAC to make recommendations as to
whether changes to the NITRD program are warranted, and, if so,
the nature of those changes, on the basis of the NRC report's
findings.
The Committee understands that the length of time within
which PITAC is to perform this analysis and make
recommendations is relatively short (three months). The
Committee believes that this expedited schedule is necessary if
the findings of the NRC report are to inform the needs of the
NITRD program in a timely way.
Information technology workforce study
The Committee recognizes the important contribution made by
the National Research Council in its study report, ``Building a
Workforce for the Information Economy,'' which clearly
characterizes the IT workforce--including size, capacity,
education, training, and demographics of the current IT
workforce--and describes long-term strategies for expanding the
highly-trained employee pool. However, the workforce needs of
the IT field evolve as rapidly as the technologies and
applications on which the industry is based. These changing
needs must be evaluated and reported on an on-going basis so
that educational institutions, and the Federal agencies that
support them, can respond quickly to these changing needs
through expeditious programmatic shifts. The Committee,
therefore, finds it imperative that the NSF continue to collect
data on the IT workforce--including the size and nature of the
workforce, long-term employability, employee compensation, and
the role of foreign workers in the IT industry--which can be
analyzed by the National Research Council and published as a
biennial update to the original ``Building a Workforce for the
Information Economy Study.'' This biennial update shall be
transmitted to Congress no later than one year after the data
of the enactment of this Act and biennially thereafter.
Crisis Management Research Center
Section 7 of the Act authorizes NSF, in consultation with
other appropriate agencies, to establish a research center
focused on issues associated with the use of IT to support the
needs and requirements of crisis management. The National
Science and Technology Council's report, ``Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development: Supplement to
the President's Budget for FY 2002,'' points out that, in a
major natural or human-caused disaster, there is a great need
for an instantaneous common communication system and a common
capability for real-time distribution of information, disaster
guidance and directives, situational updates and analyses, and
instructions for disaster workers. The report goes on to point
out the lack of such a capability today and the opportunity
that exists from advances in information technology to provide
tools that could address this need. Likewise, the 1996 report
of the NRC, ``Computing and Communications in the Extreme:
Research for Crisis Management and Other Applications,''
describes IT research areas that would lead to benefits for
crisis management.
The research center authorized by the bill is modeled on
the Enabling Technology Centers (ETCs) described in the
February 1999 PITAC report, ``Information Technology Research:
Investing in Our Future.'' The report describes the ETCs as
long-term centers of excellence in computer science and
engineering research that would involve academia, industry and
government and that would explore particular applications of
information and communications technology of national
importance. Crisis management is cited in the report as a
national problem area in which an ETC could make an important
contribution.
The Committee expects that the research center authorized
by section 7 of the bill will function in a manner similar to
that recommended by PITAC for ETCs. In particular, the center
should carry out research on information technology targeted
toward the demands of crisis management; support experimental
test beds for testing and validating relevant technologies
under realistic conditions; and identify barriers to more
widespread adoption of information technology in crisis
management. In addition, the Committee expects the center to
help forge linkages among researchers, companies, and users of
the technologies that will result from the research undertaken
by the center.
IX. Cost Estimate
Rule XIII, clause 3(d)(2) of the House of Representatives
requires each committee report accompanying each bill or joint
resolution of a public character to contain: (1) an estimate,
made by such committee, of the costs which would be incurred in
carrying out such bill or joint resolution in the fiscal year
in which it is reported, and in each of the five fiscal years
following such fiscal year (or for the authorized duration of
any program authorized by such bill or joint resolution, if
less than five years); (2) a comparison of the estimate of
costs described in subparagraph (1) of this paragraph made by
such committee with an estimate of such costs made by any
Government agency and submitted to such committee; and (3) when
practicable, a comparison of the total estimated funding level
for the relevant program (or programs) with the appropriate
levels under current law. However, House Rule XIII, clause
3(d)(3)(B) provides that this requirement does not apply when a
cost estimate and comparison prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office under section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974 has been timely submitted
prior to the filing of the report and included in the report
pursuant to House Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(3). A cost estimate
and comparison prepared by the Director of the Congressional
Budget Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act
of 1974 has been timely submitted to the Committee on Science
prior to the filing of this report and is included in Section
IX of this report pursuant to House Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(3).
Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(2) of the House of Representatives
requires each committee report that accompanies a measure
providing new budget authority (other than continuing
appropriations), new spending authority, or new credit
authority, or charges in revenues or tax expenditures to
contain a cost estimate, as required by section 308(a)(1) of
the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and, when practicable with
respect to estimates of new budget authority, a comparison of
the total estimated funding level for the relevant program (or
programs) to the appropriate levels under current law. H.R.
3394 does not contain any new budget authority, credit
authority, or changes in revenues or tax expenditures. Assuming
that the sums authorized under the bill are appropriated, H.R.
3394 does authorize additional discretionary spending, as
described in the Congressional Budget Office report on the
bill, which is contained in Section IX of this report.
X. Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, January 24, 2002.
Hon. Sherwood L. Boehlert,
Chairman, Committee on Science,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3400, the
Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Kathleen
Gramp.
Sincerely,
Barry B. Anderson
(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).
Enclosure.
H.R. 3400--Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement
Act
Summary: H.R. 3400 would authorize the appropriation of
about $7 billion over the 2003-2007 period for civilian
research and development (R&D) on computer networking and
information technology (IT) at five agencies. The bill would
authorize funding for both new and ongoing activities of the
National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of
Commerce, and Environmental Protection Agency. In addition, the
bill would direct NSF to examine trends in the IT workforce and
fund a study by the National Academy of Sciences on the
nation's IT research capabilities in relation to other
countries.
Assuming appropriation of the specified amounts, CBO
estimates that implementing this bill would cost $5.4 billion
over the 2003-2007 period. The bill would not affect direct
spending or receipts; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would
not apply.
H.R. 3400 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)
and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments.
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary impact of H.R. 3400 is shown in the following table.
The costs of this legislation fall within budget functions 250
(general science, space, and technology), 300 (natural
resources and the environment), and 376 (commerce and housing
credit). For this estimate, CBO assumes that funds will be
appropriated near the beginning of each fiscal year and that
outlays will occur at rates similar to those for other research
programs at these agencies. We also assume that the amounts
authorized for NSF include funding for the study on the IT
workforce.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
-----------------------------------------------------------------
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
R&D spending for IT under current law:
Budget authority \1\...................... 1,068 0 0 0 0 0
Estimated outlays......................... 958 634 150 42 14 0
Proposed changes:
Authorization level....................... 0 1,157 1,270 1,395 1,536 1,688
Estimated outlays......................... 0 401 985 1,203 1,354 1,504
R&D spending for IT under H.R. 3400:
Authorization level....................... 1,068 1,157 1,270 1,395 1,536 1,688
Estimated outlays......................... 958 1,035 1,135 1,245 1,368 1,504
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The amount appropriated for these activities in 2002 is based on information from the Office of Management
and Budget.
Pay-as-you-go considerations: None.
Estimated impact on state, local, and tribal governments:
H.R. 3400 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in
UMRA and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal
governments. The bill would benefit state governments by
authorizing $50 million, from 2003 through 2007, to eligible
nonprofit organizations (including public universities) to
carry out research to advance the role of information
technology in crisis management. Based on historical spending
patterns of the agencies identified in H.R. 3400, CBO estimates
the public universities also would receive, in the form of
grants, a significant portion of the approximately $7 billion
authorized in the bill.
Estimated impact on the private sector: This bill contains
no new private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Kathleen Gramp, Ken
Johnson, and Susanne Mehlman; impact on state, local, and
tribal governments: Elyse Goldman; impact on the private
sector: Jean Talarico.
Estimate approved by: Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.
XI. Compliance With Public Law 104-4 (Unfunded Mandates)
H.R. 3400 contains no unfunded mandates.
XII. Committee Oversight Findings and Recommendations
Rule XIII, clause 3(c)(1) of the House of Representatives
requires each committee report to include oversight findings
and recommendations required pursuant to clause 2(b)(1) of Rule
X. The Committee on Science's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the body of this report.
XIII. Constitutional Authority Statement
Rule XIII, clause 3(d)(1) of the House of Representatives
requires each report of a committee on a bill or joint
resolution of a public character to include a statement citing
the specific powers granted to the Congress in the Constitution
to enact the law proposed by the bill or joint resolution.
Article I, section 8 of the Constitution of the United States
grants Congress the authority to enact H.R. 3400.
XIV. Federal Advisory Committee Statement
H.R. 3400 does not establish nor authorize the
establishment of any advisory committee.
XV. Congressional Accountability Act
The Committee finds that H.R. 3400 does not relate to the
terms and conditions of employment or access to public services
or accommodations within the meaning of section 102(b)(3) of
the Congressional Accountability Act (Public Law 104-1).
XVI. Statement on Preemption of State, Local, or Tribal Law
This bill is not intended to preempt any state, local, or
tribal law.
XVII. Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italics, existing law in which no change
is proposed is shown in roman):
HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING ACT OF 1991
* * * * * * *
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act, the term--
(1) * * *
* * * * * * *
(3) ``[high-performance computing] networking and
information technology'' means advanced computing,
communications, and information technologies, including
scientific workstations, supercomputer systems
[(including vector supercomputers and large scale
parallel systems)], high-capacity and high-speed
networks, special purpose and experimental systems, and
applications and systems software;
(4) ``Internet'' means the international computer
network of both Federal and non-Federal interoperable
[packet switched] data networks;
[(5) ``Network'' means a computer network referred to
as the National Research and Education Network
established under section 102; and
[(6) ``Program'' means the National High-Performance
Computing Program described in section 101.]
(5) ``Program'' means the Networking and Information
Technology Research and Development Program described
in section 101; and
(6) ``Program Component Areas'' means the major
subject areas under which are grouped related
individual projects and activities carried out under
the Program and which are developed according to
section 101(a)(3)(B) and identified in the annual
report required under section 101(a)(3)(A).
[TITLE I--HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING AND THE NATIONAL RESEARCH AND
EDUCATION NETWORK]
TITLE I--NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM
SEC. 101. [NATIONAL HIGH-PERFORMANCE COMPUTING] NETWORKING AND
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM.
(a) [National High-Performance Computing] Networking and
Information Technology Research and Development Program.--(1)
The President shall implement a [National High-Performance
Computing] Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development Program, which shall--
(A) establish the goals and priorities for Federal
[high-performance computing] networking and information
technology research, development, networking, and other
activities; [and]
(B) establish Program Component Areas that implement
the goals established under subparagraph (A); and
[(B)] (C) provide for interagency coordination of
Federal [high-performance computing] networking and
information technology research, development,
networking, and other activities undertaken pursuant to
the Program.
(2) The Program shall--
(A) * * *
* * * * * * *
(F) provide for acceleration of the development of
high-performance computing systems, subsystems, and
associated software;
(G) provide for the technical support and research
and development of [high-performance computing]
networking and information technology software and
hardware needed to address Grand Challenges;
(H) provide for educating and training additional
undergraduate and graduate students in software
engineering, computer science, library and information
science, and computational science; [and]
[(I) provide--
[(i) for the security requirements, policies,
and standards necessary to protect Federal
research computer networks and information
resources accessible through Federal research
computer networks, including research required
to establish security standards for high-
performance computing systems and networks; and
[(ii) that agencies and departments
identified in the annual report submitted under
paragraph (3)(A) shall define and implement a
security plan consistent with the Program and
with applicable law.]
(I) provide for improving the security of networked
information systems, including research required to
establish security standards and practices for
computing systems and networks; and
(J) provide for long-term basic research on
networking and information technology, with priority
given to research that helps address issues related
to--
(i) high end computing and software;
(ii) network stability, fragility,
reliability, security (including privacy), and
scalability; and
(iii) the social and economic consequences of
information technology.
(3) The Director shall--
(A) * * *
(B) provide for interagency coordination of the
Program, including establishing the process by which
Program Component Areas are defined; and
(C) consult with academic, State, industry, and other
appropriate groups conducting research on and using
[high-performance computing] networking and information
technology.
(4) The annual report submitted under paragraph (3)(A)
shall--
[(A) include a detailed description of the goals and
priorities established by the President for the
Program;]
(A) provide a detailed description of the Program
Component Areas, including--
(i) a description of any changes in the
Program Component Areas from the preceding
report and the reasons for such changes; and
(ii) a description of activities within each
Program Component Area that contribute to the
improvement of the security of networked
information systems;
* * * * * * *
(C) describe the levels of Federal funding for the
fiscal year during which such report is submitted, and
the levels proposed for the fiscal year with respect to
which the budget submission applies, for [specific
activities, including education, research, hardware and
software development, and support for the establishment
of the Network] each Program Component Area;
(D) describe the levels of Federal funding for each
agency and department participating in the Program for
the fiscal year during which such report is submitted,
and the levels proposed for the fiscal year with
respect to which the budget submission applies for each
Program Component Area and for all activities that
contribute to the improvement of the security of
networked information systems;
(E) include the report of the Secretary of Energy
required by section 203(d); and
(F) include an analysis of the progress made toward
achieving the goals and priorities established for the
Program, and the extent to which the Program
incorporates the recommendations of the Advisory
Committee established under subsection (b).
(b) Advisory Committee.--(1) The President shall establish an
advisory committee on [high-performance computing] networking
and information technology consisting of non-Federal members,
including representatives of the research, education, and
library communities, network providers, and industry, who are
specially qualified to provide the Director with advice and
information on [high-performance computing] networking and
information technology. The recommendations of the advisory
committee shall be considered in reviewing and revising the
Program. The advisory committee shall provide the Director with
an independent assessment of--
[(1)] (A) progress made in implementing the Program;
[(2)] (B) the need to revise the Program;
[(3)] (C) the balance between the components of the
Program, including funding levels for the Program
Component Areas;
[(4)] (D) whether the research and development
undertaken pursuant to the Program is helping to
maintain United States leadership in [computing]
networking and information technology; and
[(5)] (E) other issues identified by the Director.
(2) In addition to the duties outlined in paragraph (1), the
advisory committee shall conduct periodic evaluations of the
funding, management, coordination, implementation, and
activities of the Program, and shall report not less frequently
than once every two fiscal years to the Committee on Science of
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its findings and
recommendations. The first report shall be due within one year
after the date of the enactment of this paragraph.
(c) Office of Management and Budget.--(1) Each Federal agency
and department participating in the Program shall, as part of
its annual request for appropriations to the Office of
Management and Budget, submit a report to the Office of
Management and Budget which--
(A) identifies each element of its [high-performance
computing] networking and information technology
activities which contributes directly to the [Program
or] Program Component Areas or benefits from the
Program; and
* * * * * * *
[SEC. 102. NATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK.
[(a) Establishment.--As part of the Program, the National
Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, the Department
of Energy, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration, and other agencies participating in
the Program shall support the establishment of the National
Research and Education Network, portions of which shall, to the
extent technically feasible, be capable of transmitting data at
one gigabit per second or greater by 1996. The Network shall
provide for the linkage of research institutions and
educational institutions, government, and industry in every
State.
[(b) Access.--Federal agencies and departments shall work
with private network service providers, State and local
agencies, libraries, educational institutions and
organizations, and others, as appropriate, in order to ensure
that the researchers, educators, and students have access, as
appropriate, to the Network. The Network is to provide users
with appropriate access to high-performance computing systems,
electronic information resources, other research facilities,
and libraries. The Network shall provide access, to the extent
practicable, to electronic information resources maintained by
libraries, research facilities, publishers, and affiliated
organizations.
[(c) Network Characteristics.--The Network shall--
[(1) be developed and deployed with the computer,
telecommunications, and information industries;
[(2) be designed, developed, and operated in
collaboration with potential users in government,
industry, and research institutions and educational
institutions;
[(3) be designed, developed, and operated in a manner
which fosters and maintains competition and private
sector investment in high-speed data networking within
the telecommunications industry;
[(4) be designed, developed, and operated in a manner
which promotes research and development leading to
development of commercial data communications and
telecommunications standards, whose development will
encourage the establishment of privately operated high-
speed commercial networks;
[(5) be designed and operated so as to ensure the
continued application of laws that provide network and
information resources security measures, including
those that protect copyright and other intellectual
property rights, and those that control access to data
bases and protect national security;
[(6) have accounting mechanisms which allow users or
groups of users to be charged for their usage of
copyrighted materials available over the Network and,
where appropriate and technically feasible, for their
usage of the Network;
[(7) ensure the interoperability of Federal and non-
Federal computer networks, to the extent appropriate,
in a way that allows autonomy for each component
network;
[(8) be developed by purchasing standard commercial
transmission and network services from vendors whenever
feasible, and by contracting for customized services
when not feasible, in order to minimize Federal
investment in network hardware;
[(9) support research and development of networking
software and hardware; and
[(10) serve as a test bed for further research and
development of high-capacity and high-speed computing
networks and demonstrate how advanced computers, high-
capacity and high-speed computing networks, and data
bases can improve the national information
infrastructure.
[(d) Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
Responsibility.--As part of the Program, the Department of
Defense, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency,
shall support research and development of advanced fiber optics
technology, switches, and protocols needed to develop the
Network.
[(e) Information Services.--The Director shall assist the
President in coordinating the activities of appropriate
agencies and departments to promote the development of
information services that could be provided over the Network.
These services may include the provision of directories of the
users and services on computer networks, data bases of
unclassified Federal scientific data, training of users of data
bases and computer networks, access to commercial information
services for users of the Network, and technology to support
computer-based collaboration that allows researchers and
educators around the Nation to share information and
instrumentation.
[(f) Use of Grant Funds.--All Federal agencies and
departments are authorized to allow recipients of Federal
research grants to use grant moneys to pay for computer
networking expenses.
[(g) Report to Congress.--Within one year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director shall report to the
Congress on--
[(1) effective mechanisms for providing operating
funds for the maintenance and use of the Network,
including user fees, industry support, and continued
Federal investment;
[(2) the future operation and evolution of the
Network;
[(3) how commercial information service providers
could be charged for access to the Network, and how
Network users could be charged for such commercial
information services;
[(4) the technological feasibility of allowing
commercial information service providers to use the
Network and other federally funded research networks;
[(5) how to protect the copyrights of material
distributed over the Network; and
[(6) appropriate policies to ensure the security of
resources available on the Network and to protect the
privacy of users of networks.
[SEC. 103. NEXT GENERATION INTERNET.
[(a) Establishment.--The National Science Foundation, the
Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National
Institute of Standards and Technology may support the Next
Generation Internet program. The objectives of the Next
Generation Internet program shall be to--
[(1) support research, development, and demonstration
of advanced networking technologies to increase the
capabilities and improve the performance of the
Internet;
[(2) develop an advanced testbed network connecting a
significant number of research sites, including
universities, Federal research institutions, and other
appropriate research partner institutions, to support
networking research and to demonstrate new networking
technologies; and
[(3) develop and demonstrate advanced Internet
applications that meet important national goals or
agency mission needs, and that are supported by the
activities described in paragraphs (1) and (2).
[(b) Duties of Advisory Committee.--The President's
Information Technology Advisory Committee (established pursuant
to section 101(b) by Executive Order No. 13035 of February 11,
1997 (62 F.R. 7131), as amended by Executive Order No. 13092 of
July 24, 1998), in addition to its functions under section
101(b), shall--
[(1) assess the extent to which the Next Generation
Internet program--
[(A) carries out the purposes of this Act;
and
[(B) addresses concerns relating to, among
other matters--
[(i) geographic penalties (as defined
in section 7(1) of the Next Generation
Internet Research Act of 1998);
[(ii) the adequacy of access to the
Internet by Historically Black Colleges
and Universities, Hispanic Serving
Institutions, and small colleges and
universities (whose enrollment is less
than 5,000) and the degree of
participation of those institutions in
activities described in subsection (a);
and
[(iii) technology transfer to and
from the private sector;
[(2) review the extent to which the role of each
Federal agency and department involved in implementing
the Next Generation Internet program is clear and
complementary to, and non-duplicative of, the roles of
other participating agencies and departments;
[(3) assess the extent to which Federal support of
fundamental research in computing is sufficient to
maintain the Nation's critical leadership in this
field; and
[(4) make recommendations relating to its findings
under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3).
[(c) Reports.--The Advisory Committee shall review
implementation of the Next Generation Internet program and
shall report, not less frequently than annually, to the
President, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, the Committee on Appropriations, and the
Committee on Armed Services of the Senate, and the Committee on
Science, the Committee on Appropriations, and the Committee on
Armed Services of the House of Representatives on its findings
and recommendations for the preceding fiscal year. The first
such report shall be submitted 6 months after the date of the
enactment of the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998
and the last report shall be submitted by September 30, 2000.
[(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated for the purposes of this section--
[(1) for the Department of Energy, $22,000,000 for
fiscal year 1999 and $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2000;
[(2) for the National Science Foundation, $25,000,000
for fiscal year 1999 and $25,000,000 for fiscal year
2000, as authorized in the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 1998;
[(3) for the National Institutes of Health,
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and $7,500,000 for
fiscal year 2000;
[(4) for the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, $10,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and
$10,000,000 for fiscal year 2000; and
[(5) for the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1999 and
$7,500,000 for fiscal year 2000.
Such funds may not be used for routine upgrades to existing
federally funded communication networks.]
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--AGENCY ACTIVITIES
[SEC. 201. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES.
[(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I--
[(1) the National Science Foundation shall provide
computing and networking infrastructure support for all
science and engineering disciplines, and support basic
research and human resource development in all aspects
of high-performance computing and advanced high-speed
computer networking;
[(2) to the extent that colleges, universities, and
libraries cannot connect to the Network with the
assistance of the private sector, the National Science
Foundation shall have primary responsibility for
assisting colleges, universities, and libraries to
connect to the Network;
[(3) the National Science Foundation shall serve as
the primary source of information on access to and use
of the Network; and
[(4) the National Science Foundation shall upgrade
the National Science Foundation funded network, assist
regional networks to upgrade their capabilities, and
provide other Federal departments and agencies the
opportunity to connect to the National Science
Foundation funded network.
[(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the
purposes of the Program $213,000,000 for fiscal year 1992;
$262,000,000 for fiscal year 1993; $305,000,000 for fiscal year
1994; $354,000,000 for fiscal year 1995; and $413,000,000 for
fiscal year 1996.
[SEC. 202. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITIES.
[(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration shall conduct basic and applied research in
high-performance computing, particularly in the field of
computational science, with emphasis on aerospace sciences,
earth and space sciences, and remote exploration and
experimentation.
[(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration for the purposes of the Program $72,000,000 for
fiscal year 1992; $107,000,000 for fiscal year 1993;
$134,000,000 for fiscal year 1994; $151,000,000 for fiscal year
1995; and $145,000,000 for fiscal year 1996.]
SEC. 201. NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES.
(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the National Science Foundation shall--
(1) generate fundamental scientific and technical
knowledge with the potential of advancing networking
and information technology and its applications; and
(2) provide computing and networking infrastructure
support for all science and engineering disciplines,
and support basic research and human resource
development in all aspects of networking and
information technology and advanced high speed computer
networking.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Science Foundation for the
purposes of the Program $704,000,000 for fiscal year 2003;
$774,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $851,000,000 for fiscal year
2005, $937,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $1,030,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007.
SEC. 202. NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION ACTIVITIES.
(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration shall conduct basic and applied research in
networking and information technology, with emphasis on--
(1) computational fluid, thermal, and aerodynamics;
(2) scientific data dissemination and tools to enable
data to be fully analyzed and combined from multiple
sources and sensors;
(3) remote exploration and experimentation; and
(4) tools for collaboration in systems design,
analysis, and testing.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration for the purposes of the Program $199,000,000 for
fiscal year 2003, $219,000,000 for fiscal year 2004,
$240,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $265,000,000 for fiscal year
2006, and $292,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
SEC. 203. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ACTIVITIES.
(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the Secretary of Energy shall[--
[(1) perform research and development on, and systems
evaluations of, high-performance computing and
communications systems;
[(2) conduct computational research with emphasis on
energy applications;
[(3) support basic research, education, and human
resources in computational science; and
[(4) provide for networking infrastructure support
for energy-related mission activities.]
conduct basic and applied research in networking and
information technology, with emphasis on--
(1) supporting fundamental research in the physical
sciences and engineering, and energy applications;
(2) providing supercomputer access and advanced
communication capabilities to scientific researchers;
and
(3) developing tools for distributed scientific
collaboration.
* * * * * * *
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--[(1)] There are
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy for
the purposes of the Program [$93,000,000 for fiscal year 1992;
$110,000,000 for fiscal year 1993; $138,000,000 for fiscal year
1994: $157,000,000 for fiscal year 1995; and $169,000,000 for
fiscal year 1996] $193,000,000 for fiscal year 2003,
$212,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, $234,000,000 for fiscal year
2005, $258,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $283,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007.
[(2) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary
of Energy for fiscal years 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1996,
such funds as may be necessary to carry out the activities that
are not part of the Program but are authorized by this
section.]
SEC. 204. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ACTIVITIES.
(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I--
[(1) the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall--
[(A) conduct basic and applied measurement
research needed to support various high-
performance computing systems and networks;
[(B) develop and propose standards and
guidelines, and develop measurement techniques
and test methods, for the interoperability of
high-performance computing systems in networks
and for common user interfaces to systems; and
[(C) be responsible for developing benchmark
tests and standards for high-performance
computing systems and software; and
[(2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall conduct basic and applied research
in weather prediction and ocean sciences, particularly
in development of new forecast models, in computational
fluid dynamics, and in the incorporation of evolving
computer architectures and networks into the systems
that carry out agency missions.]
(1) the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall--
(A) conduct basic and applied measurement
research needed to support various computing
systems and networks;
(B) develop and propose voluntary standards
and guidelines, and develop measurement
techniques and test methods, for the
interoperability of computing systems in
networks and for common user interfaces to
systems;
(C) be responsible for developing benchmark
tests and standards for computing systems and
software; and
(D) encourage the development, deployment,
and implementation of voluntary guidelines and
standards for--
(i) robust security technology; and
(ii) best practices and
interoperability relating to the
security of commercial and government
computer networks; and
(2) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration shall conduct basic and applied research
in networking and information technology, with emphasis
on--
(A) improving weather forecasting and climate
prediction;
(B) collection and dissemination of
environmental information; and
(C) development of more accurate models of
the atmosphere-ocean system.
* * * * * * *
[(c) Study of Impact of Federal Procurement Regulations.--(1)
The Secretary of Commerce shall conduct a study to--
[(A) evaluate the impact of Federal procurement
regulations that require that contractors providing
software to the Federal Government share the rights to
proprietary software development tools that the
contractors use to develop the software; and
[(B) determine whether such regulations discourage
development of improved software development tools and
techniques.
[(2) The Secretary of Commerce shall, within one year after
the date of enactment of this Act, report to the Congress
regarding the results of the study conducted under paragraph
(1).
[(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated--
[(1) to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology for the purposes of the Program $3,000,000
for fiscal year 1992; $4,000,000 for fiscal year 1993;
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1994; $6,000,000 for fiscal
year 1995; and $7,000,000 for fiscal year 1996; and
[(2) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration for the purposes of the Program
$2,500,000 for fiscal year 1992; $3,000,000 for fiscal
year 1993; $3,500,000 for fiscal year 1994; $4,000,000
for fiscal year 1995; and $4,500,000 for fiscal year
1996.]
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated--
(1) to the National Institute of Standards and
Technology for the purposes of the Program $24,000,000
for fiscal year 2003, $27,000,000 for fiscal year 2004,
$29,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, $32,000,000 for
fiscal year 2006, and $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
and
(2) to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration for the purposes of the Program
$22,000,000 for fiscal year 2003, $24,000,000 for
fiscal year 2004, $26,000,000 for fiscal year 2005,
$29,000,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $32,000,000 for
fiscal year 2007.
[SEC. 205. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
[(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the Environmental Protection Agency shall
conduct basic and applied research directed toward the
advancement and dissemination of computational techniques and
software tools which form the core of ecosystem, atmospheric
chemistry, and atmospheric dynamics models.
[(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency for the
purposes of the Program $5,000,000 for fiscal year 1992;
$5,500,000 for fiscal year 1993; $6,000,000 for fiscal year
1994; $6,500,000 for fiscal year 1995; and $7,000,000 for
fiscal year 1996.]
SEC. 205. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
(a) General Responsibilities.--As part of the Program
described in title I, the Environmental Protection Agency shall
conduct basic and applied research directed toward the
advancement and dissemination of computational techniques and
software tools with an emphasis on modeling of--
(1) ecosystems;
(2) human effects
(3) atmospheric dynamics and chemistry; and
(4) pollutant transport.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency for the
purposes of the Program $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2003,
$4,400,000 for fiscal year 2004, $4,800,000 for fiscal year
2005, $5,300,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $5,800,000 for
fiscal year 2007.
* * * * * * *
XVIII. Committee Recommendation
On December 6, 2001, a quorum being present, the Committee
on Science favorably reported the Networking and Information
Technology Research Advancement Act, as amended, by a voice
vote, and recommends its enactment.
XIX. Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
Pursuant to Clause (3)(c) of House Rule XIII, the goal of
H.R. 3400 is to maintain and improve federally funded
information technology research and development. The bill
authorizes funding for IT research and development at NSF, DOE,
NIST, NOAA, and EPA. It also amends the HPC Act in order to
maintain and improve the function of the NITRD program.
The objective of the Act is to increase the amount of high
quality IT research and development performed by the agencies
listed above. Each agency is expecged to focus its research
effort in areas that correspond to that agency's mission. NSF,
for example, is expected to fund external researchers who
receive research grants under a system of merit-based,
competitive peer review in order to generate fundamental
knowledge in information technology. Other agencies are
expected to conduct basic and applied information technology
research that focuses on the areas that will support the
mission of the agency and which are outlined specifically in
the Act.
XX. Proceedings of the Full Committee Markup on H.R. 3400, Networking
and Information Technology Research Advancement Act
The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 11:21 a.m., in Room
2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Sherwood L.
Boehlert (chairman of the committee) presiding.
Chairman Boehlert. We will now consider H.R. 3400, the
Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act.
And I will yield five minutes to the Chairman of the Research
Committee, Mr. Smith of Michigan.
Mr. Smith of Michigan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank
you for helping develop and move this bill. And I also would
recognize Ranking Member Hall, Ranking Member of our
Subcommittee, Eddie Bernice Johnson. H.R. 3400, the Networking
and Information Technology Research and Advancement Act, is the
result of a truly bipartisan effort by the Committee to update
and reauthorize federally funded basic research in information
technology.
Now, specifically, H.R. 3400 amends the High-Performance
Computing Act of 1991, and it coordinates the research efforts
of six agencies under the Science Committee jurisdiction that
are engaged in the networking and information technology. The
bill authorizes approximately $7 billion over five years
between those six agencies. And, at this time, I would request
that my full statement be entered into the record. And I will
skip some of it and conclude, if that is permissible, Mr.
Chairman.
Chairman Boehlert. Without objection, so ordered.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hall of Texas follows:]
Prepared Statement of the Honorable Ralph M. Hall
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to join you in supporting the
information technology research bills that are before the Committee
today.
I want to congratulate you and Subcommittee Chairman Smith, along
with Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Congressman Baird on this
side of the aisle, for all of your hard work in developing these
important bills. We have worked together in a remarkable spirit of
cooperation and bipartisanship, for which the Chairman has my thanks.
Over the past ten years the Science Committee has been active in
developing legislation and conducting oversight of information
technology research and development. In particular, the Committee has
supported the development and growth of a closely coordinated, multiple
agency research effort that has helped fuel enormous advances in
computing and networking performance.
H.R. 3400, the Networking and Information Technology Research
Advancement Act, will help ensure the continuation of the progress we
have seen in information technology, which is transforming the way
people live, learn, work, and play.
The new resources provided by H.R. 3400 will allow this ongoing
information technology initiative to focus greater attention on long-
term research. This long-term view is needed to generate the new ideas
that will underpin future technology products and services. These added
resources will also support the education and training of the new
scientists and engineers this field will require.
In short, the bill will re-energize a key program for supplying the
seed corn for sustaining the nation's leadership in information
technology.
I would like to yield now to the co-author of the bill,
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, the Ranking Democratic Member on
the Research Subcommittee, for her comments.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Smith of Michigan follows:]
Prepared Statement of Congressman Nick Smith
Description of Legislation
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for helping develop and move
this bill. I also want to recognize the work of Ranking Member Hall and
Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson for their work in crafting this
legislation.
H.R. 3400, the Networking and Information Technology Research and
Advancement Act (NITRA), is the result of a truly bipartisan effort by
the Committee to update and re-authorize federally funded basic
research in information technology.
Specifically, H.R. 3400 amends the High-Performance Computing Act
of 1991 to update and coordinate the research efforts of the six
agencies under the Science Committee jurisdiction that are engaged in
the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
(NITERD) Program. The bill authorizes $7 billion over 5 years for this
effort.
Specifically, the bill calls for:
$4.296 billion for the National Science Foundation
$1.215 billion for NASA
$1.18 billion for the Department of Energy Office of
Science
$147 million for the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST)
$133 million for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA)
$24.3 million for the Environmental Protection Agency
This represents approximately a 10 percent per year funding
increase for those agencies.
We're also authorizing two important studies by the National
Academy of Sciences: One that will help us get a clear understanding of
how Federal support for basic IT research stacks up against other
countries, and another study that will provide us with a detailed
assessment of the evolving IT workforce in the United States. We feel
that these studies will help to guide us as we eventually move beyond
this legislation and look to continue directing Federal IT research.
As we all know, the high-tech industry has seen unprecedented
growth and transformation in the last decade, and the degree to which
it is now part of our everyday lives, including business, would have
been unimaginable 10 years ago. As the presence and scope of the
technology industry has expanded, so has the need to coordinate
fundamental IT research.
This bill and the cyber security bill emerged from a series of
hearings that we held this summer on the Research Subcommittee, which I
chair with Congresswoman Johnson. In those hearings we heard from top
industry, government, and academic experts on the Federal Government's
role in promoting innovation and continued developments in information
technology. We learned of the need to continue building upon the
knowledge base that helped create the current boom in information
technology and our overall economy, and I am confident that the bill we
have before the Committee will allow us to meet the ongoing research
needs.
Some examples of what basic Federal R&D funding has given us today
are the Internet, the ethernet, web browsers, supercomputers, and high-
speed optical networks.
The potential for future advancements is unlimited. The R&D funding
of today will bring us advanced technologies such as nanotechnology;
carbon nanotubes on silicon for ``instant-on'' PCs; Extreme Ultraviolet
Lithography (EUV) to allow computer chips to operate 40 times faster
than today. We are looking at computers that will make up to a
quadrillion calculations per second, and Telemedicine that will help
get needed care to citizens immediately wherever they are located.
Other great technologies on the horizon include advanced and distance
learning systems, ubiquitous communications, cyber security, self-
managing computer systems, and high-tech combat simulation.
The world is getting much tougher in terms of our ability to
compete, to develop the kinds of products people want to buy and to
develop them at high quality and low cost. That's what happens with
research, particularly this networking and information technology
research.
Mr. Chairman, these Federal investments will foster innovation and
set the foundation to deal with two of our most important priorities:
security and the economy. The two bills we have before us today
compliment each other well in that respect. I thank you again for
bringing forth action on this bill and I encourage members on both
sides of the aisle to lend their support.
Mr. Smith of Michigan. This effort represents a 10 percent
per year increasing in funding for networking and information
technology. We are also authorizing two important studies by
the National Academy of Sciences; one that will help us get a
clear understanding how Federal support for basic IT research
stacks up against other countries. And we are in competition.
Make no doubt in terms of the contribution to the economy that
information technology's research contributes. We feel these
studies will help to guide us as we eventually move beyond this
legislation and look to continue directing Federal IT research.
As we all know, high-tech industry has seen unprecedented
growth and transformation in our lives in the last decade. And
the degree to which it is now part of our everyday lives,
including business, would have been unimaginable 10 or 15 years
ago. As the presence and scope of the technology industry has
expanded, so has the need to coordinate fundamental IT
research. That is what we do. We do coordination and we
increase the Federal effort in this basic research effort.
This bill has--and the Cyber Security bill--are merged from
a series of hearings that we held this summer on the Research
Subcommittee, which I chair and with Congresswoman Johnson. In
those hearings, we heard from top industry government and
academic experts on the Federal Government's role in promoting
innovation and continued developments in information
technology. We learned of the need to continue building on the
knowledge base that helped create the current boom in
information technology and our overall economy. I am confident
that the bill we have before the Committee will allow us to
meet the ongoing research needs.
And I just think it is good to mention a few of the results
of what we have done. The funding has given us the silicon chip
to start with. It has given us the Internet, the Ethernet, the
browsers, the supercomputers, the high-speed optical networks
that we now have. The evolution of basic research has taken
between 20 and 30 years to culminate into the kind of applied
research that has allowed this Nation to be ahead of every
other nation in--economically and our business because of its
contribution to new products, because of its contribution to
increased efficiency and production.
And where do we go from here? The potential for future
advancements is unlimited. The R&D funding of today will bring
us advanced technologies, such as greater use of the
nanotechnology, the carbon nanotubes on silicone for instant-on
PCs, for example; the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography to allow
computer chips to operate 40 times faster than today; the new
computers that will compute up to a quadrillion calculations
per second. This kind of technology, Mr. Chairman, Nembers, is
what is going to keep us ahead in terms of our competitive
position in the world.
And with that, Mr. Chairman, again, I thank all of the
agencies that have worked with us in the development of this
bill, and move that we adopt this bill and move it to the Floor
as quickly as possible.
Chairman Boehlert. Thank you very much. I really appreciate
the hard work and leadership you have provided in this area. I
think we can wrap this up in a timely manner. The Chair now
recognizes Ms. Johnson.
Ms. Johnson. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Let me
express my appreciation to you and Mr. Hall and especially Mr.
Smith. I ask unanimous consent to just file my statement and
simply say that----
Chairman Boehlert. Without objection.
Ms. Johnson [continuing]. I think that the implementation
of the President's Commission certainly has been followed in
this bill, because they indicated that the long-term research
was short at least by a billion dollars, and we go a long ways
in the right direction. And I appreciate the support of you and
your leadership, Mr. Hall, and, Mr. Smith. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Johnson follows:]
Prepared Statement of Eddie Bernice Johnson
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased. you have brought H.R. 3400 before the
Committee for its consideration. This is a bipartisan bill that was
developed in a spirit of cooperation in the best traditions of this
Committee. It authorizes a major new research investment in information
technology, which is directly tied to the nation's economic growth and
national security. This is a very important research initiative, and it
is appropriate that the Committee is moving expeditiously to authorize
it.
H.R. 3400 will reinvigorate the current multi-agency information
technology research program by putting in place the principal
recommendations of a recent report from the President's Information
Technology Advisory Committee. The report, entitled ``Information
Technology Research: Investing in Our Future,'' documents the results
of a comprehensive assessment of federally funded information
technology research conducted by the Advisory Committee.
The President's Advisory Committee found that Federal funding for
information technology research has tilted too much toward support for
near-term, mission-focused objectives. They discovered a growing gap
between the power of high-performance computers available to support
agency mission requirements versus support for the general academic
research community. They identified the need for socioeconomic research
on the impact on society of the rapid evolution of information
technology. And, they judged that the annual Federal research
investment is inadequate by more than $1 billion.
I am confident that H.R. 3400 will effectively implement the
Advisory Committee's recommendations. In addition to support for
research, the bill will also contribute to providing the highly trained
workers needed by the information industries in the future.
The Science Committee has a long history of support for information
technology research. We have seen ample evidence of the value of past
research programs. The example of the Internet alone makes the case for
the unexpected, and often spectacular, outcomes from Federal long-term
research investments in information technologies. H.R. 3400 will
provide for the basic research needed to underpin the technological
advances of the future.
Mr. Chairman, I want to thank you for your leadership on this bill,
and I look forward to assisting you in moving the bill forward.
[The prepared statement of J. Randy Forbes follows:]
Prepared Statement of Congressman J. Randy Forbes
Mr. Chairman, I would like to express my strong support both for
the Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act, as
well as the Cyber Security Research and Development Act. As a co-
sponsor of both pieces of legislation, I appreciate my colleagues'
efforts to coordinate our national response to the very serious threat
of cyber terrorism.
Though it won't bring the death and destruction of biological or
chemical weapons, cyber terrorism holds the power to disrupt our way of
life, harm people's personal interests, and cause tremendous losses for
businesses. Both bills before us are necessary for updating our
national ability to thwart terrorist plots to disrupt our economy and
do harm to our way of life using our own computer networks. As we heard
from various witnesses who have come before this Committee over the
past several months, cyber terrorism is a very real threat that we are
not currently prepared to fully meet. We have bright and innovative
minds in this nation, but they need direction and coordination to
maximize their efforts to find ways to prevent cyber terrorist attacks
and ameliorate their consequences.
The bills before us today will coordinate the various research and
development efforts that currently exist and increase the overall
federal contribution for them. In addition, they will revise the rules
under which federal dollars operate to give our science and technology
experts the ability to think outside the box. Our enemies use their
evil cunning as a weapon. We should not be restricted in our thinking
to defeat their efforts.
Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your bringing these bills to our
Committee so quickly. I am hopeful that they will get such prompt
treatment by the Congress as a whole so that we can begin to implement
this coordinated policy. Thank you.
Chairman Boehlert. Thank you very much. I ask unanimous
consent that the bill be considered as read and open to
amendment at any point. I ask the Members to proceed with the
amendments in the order on the roster. The first amendment on
the roster is the amendment offered by Mr. Matheson.
Mr. Matheson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I will try to be--I
will try to be brief in presenting the amendment.
Chairman Boehlert. I ask unanimous consent that we dispense
with the reading of the amendment, and, without objection, so
ordered. And I recognize you for five minutes, and I hope you
will contract into about two.
Mr. Matheson. I will contract and give you a written
statement for the record if that is okay, Mr. Chairman.
Chairman Boehlert. Thank you.
Mr. Matheson. I just want to thank you for this hearing. My
amendment is not designed to detract from the substance of this
important legislation. It just makes one addition, which I
think focuses on a particular subsection of issues, which is
crisis management. It establishes a research center to develop
and demonstrate applications of information technology for
crisis management.
And, as we have seen recently, unexpected crises can
immediately require the ability to quickly and accurately relay
large amounts of information to make crucial decisions. And
crisis response is characterized by the generation and
distribution of large quantities of unstructured data and
information that must be acquired, processed, integrated, and
disseminated in real time.
And I think that the potential for information technology
to assist in crisis management was recently identified in the
1996 reports from the National Academy of Sciences and the
President's Information Technology Advisory Committee's 1999
report, which was called Information Technology Research:
Investing in Our Future.
This amendment seeks to implement their recommendation to
establish centers of excellence in computer science and
engineering research applied to specific applications areas of
importance, including crisis management.
I hope that this Committee will accept this amendment as a
means to further research that can improve crisis management
and an appropriate addition to this legislation on networking
information technology. I yield back the balance of my time.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Matheson follows:]
Prepared Statement of the Honorable Jim Matheson
Mr. Chairman, Members of the Committee, I want to applaud your
efforts to bring two very crucial pieces of legislation before the
committee today. As our world becomes more digitally connected, it is
imperative that our security and research concerns take into
consideration the role of information technology and improved
networking.
H.R. 3400, which Mr. Smith and Ms. Johnson have introduced, goes a
long way to making this happen by furthering the participation of many
government agencies in the Networking and Information Technology
Research Program and by funding grants for basic and applied research
in the computer sciences. My amendment is not designed to detract from
the substance of this legislation. Instead, it makes one addition,
which helps focus on a particular sub-section of issues: crisis
management.
The amendment establishes a research center to develop and
demonstrate applications of information technology for crisis
management. The focus of the center will be to explore ways to marshal
the capabilities of high-performance networks and computing for
immediate response to, recovery from, and mitigation of the effects of
man-made and natural disasters.
As we have recently seen, unexpected crises can immediately require
the ability to quickly and accurately relay large amounts of
information and make crucial decisions. The generation and distribution
of large quantities of unstructured data and information that must be
acquired, processed, integrated and disseminated in real time crisis
characterize this response. Severe demands are placed on communications
systems needed to provide accurate situational updates and analyses for
crisis managers, instructions to emergency responders and relief
workers, and guidance and directives to the public. Advances in
information technologies can provide crisis coordination and management
systems with the needed characteristics.
The potential for information technology to assist in crisis
management was recently identified in a 1996 report from the National
Academy of Sciences and the President's Information Technology Advisory
Committee's 1999 report, ``Information Technology Research: Investing
in Our Future.'' This amendment seeks to implement their recommendation
to establish of centers of excellence in computer science and
engineering research applied to specific application areas of
importance, including crisis management.
It authorizes $10 million per year over 5 years for the National
Science Foundation to establish a crisis management research center.
This will be a multidisciplinary center and include participation by
organizations that have expertise and experience in applications of
information technology and ties to the emergency response community.
Research will include areas such as: self-configuring wireless networks
and computer-based tools to assist crisis managers in making decisions
in the absence of complete information, the creation of tested networks
for validating new technologies under realistic conditions,
computational simulation of natural and large-scale phenomenon that can
help predict the behavior of disasters which cannot be tested or
performed experimentally.
Finally, the center must develop its research plan through
consultation with representatives from the emergency services community
that would be the users of the technologies developed by the center. I
hope the Committee will accept this amendment as an means to further
research that can improve crisis management and an appropriate addition
to this legislation on networking and information technology.
[The Amendment to H.R. 3400 offered by Mr. Matheson
follows:]
Chairman Boehlert. Thank you very much. It is an excellent
amendment. I support it. Mr. Smith supports it. Ms. Johnson
supports it. Mr. Hall supports it. We love the amendment. Is
there any further discussion? If no, the vote occurs on the
amendment. All in favor, say aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have
it. The amendment is agreed to. Are there any other amendments?
Mr. Larson.
Mr. Larson. Yes. Mr. Chairman, I respectfully withdraw the
amendment that I have and look forward and commend both the
Ranking Members in respect of Chairs of the Committee and look
forward to working with the staff, thanking both the democratic
and republican staff for working with us on this important
issue.
Chairman Boehlert. Without objection, so ordered. And we
will continue to work together. Thank you so very much. Are
there any other amendments? Seeing no hands, hearing none, the
question is on the bill, H.R. 3400, the Networking and
Information Technology Research Advancement Act. All those in
favor say, aye. Opposed, no. It is the opinion of the Chair the
ayes have it. I will now recognize Mr. Hall for a motion.
Mr. Hall. Mr. Chairman, I move that the Committee favorably
report H.R. 3400, as amended, to the House, with the
recommendation that the bill, as amended, do pass. Furthermore,
I move that the staff be instructed to prepare the legislative
report and make the necessary and technical and conforming
changes, and that the Chairman take all necessary steps to
bring the bill before the House Committee for consideration.
Chairman Boehlert. The Chair notes the presence of a
reporting quorum. The question is on the motion to report the
bill favorably. Those in favor of the motion, signify by saying
aye. Opposed, no. The ayes have it. The bill is favorably
reported. Without objection, the motion to reconsider----
Mr. Baird. Mr. Chairman----
Chairman Boehlert [continuing]. Is laid upon the table.
Yes.
Mr. Baird. Mr. Chairman, that is the fastest Ralph Hall has
ever spoken in his life, I think.
Chairman Boehlert. I move that the Members have two
subsequent calendar days in which to submit supplemental,
minority, or additional views on the measure. Without
objection, so ordered. I move, pursuant to Clause 1 of Rule 22
of the Rules of the House of Representatives, that the
Committee authorize the Chairman to offer such motions as may
be necessary in the House to go to conference with the Senate
on H.R. 3400, or a similar Senate bill. Without objection, so
ordered.
[H.R. 3400 follows:]
[The information referred to follows:]
Section-by-Section Summary
THE NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH ADVANCEMENT ACT
Introduced by Mr. Smith (MI), Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX), Mr.
Boehlert, and Mr. Hall
SEC. 1. SHORT TITLE.
``Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act''
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Discusses the key role information technology research and
development play in enabling scientific research in a diverse array of
scientific and engineering disciplines and, in turn, the dependence of
information technology research and development on other fields and
technologies; the critical role Federal spending for long term, basic
research on information technology has played in stimulating the
economy and transforming society, and the importance of maintaining
that role; the current inadequacies in Federal support for such
research and the unique role the Federal Government has in supporting
long-term basic research; the overall importance of information
technology research and development to specific industries; and the
variety of uses of information technology.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
Replaces the term ``high-performance computing'' with ``networking
and information technology,'' and re-defines the federal interagency
program focused on information technology research and development as
the ``Networking and Information Technology Research and Development
Program'' (referred to herein as `the Program'). Adds a definition to
the HPC Act for ``Program Component Areas,'' which are the major
subject areas under which projects and activities carried out by the
interagency research program are grouped.
SEC. 4. NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAM.
Amends Section 101 of the HPC Act, which describes the organization
and responsibilities of the interagency research program originally
referred to as the National High-Performance Computing Program (and re-
named the Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development Program in this bill), to include among the Program's
research priorities the security of networked information systems,
research on high-end computers (so-called `supercomputers'), software,
networks, and the social and economic impacts of Information
Technology. Also amends the HPC Act to include the requirement that the
Program establish Program Component Areas in line with the overall
goals of the program.
Leaves substantively unchanged provisions of the HPC Act requiring
1) the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to provide an
annual report to Congress, along with the annual budget request,
describing the implementation of the program; 2) the OSTP Director to
consult with academic, state, industry, and other appropriate groups;
3) Federal agencies to report on their Information Technology research
and development activities as part of the yearly budget submission;
and, 4) the establishment of a presidential advisory committee for
information technology (commonly known as PITAC).
Requires OSTP to include in its report to Congress detailed
information about Program Component Areas and PITAC to report to
Congress not less than every two years on its findings and
recommendations relating to the Program.
Repeals Sec. 102 of the HPC Act, the ``National Research and
Education Network'', which described a network that was to provide for
the linkage of research institutions and educational institutions,
government, and industry--and which has since been supplanted by the
Internet. Also repeals Sec. 103 of the HPC Act, ``Next Generation
Internet,'' as this program is also no longer in existence.
Replaces the term ``high-performance computing'' with ``networking
and information technology'' throughout the section. Renames Title I of
the HPC Act ``Networking and Information Technology Research and
Development Program''.
SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES.
Amends the HPC Act of 1991 to authorize funds for, and define the
specific activities of, certain agencies within the Program. All
authorizations are from sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated.
The National Science Foundation (NSF)--a total of
$4.296 billion over fiscal years 2003-2007;
Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE)--a total
of $1.18 billion over fiscal years 2003-2007;
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)--a total of $1.215 billion over fiscal years 2003-2007;
National Institute for Standards and Technology
(NIST)--a total of $147 million over fiscal years 2003-2007;
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA)--a total of $133 million over fiscal years 2003-2007;
and
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)--$24.3 million
over fiscal years 2003-2007.
SEC. 6. REPORTS.
Directs the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academy
of Sciences to conduct an assessment of the state of research in
computer and information science and engineering in the United States,
and to report to Congress and the Office of Science and Technology
Policy on the assessment's findings. In addition, the bill tasks the
presidential advisory committee for information technology to review
the NRC's findings and make recommendations to the OSTP Director for
addressing them. Finally, the bill requires that, in the OSTP
Director's annual report to Congress on the state of the Program, the
Director describe how the Program is working to address the issues
raised by the NRC's initial study.
The bill also directs the NSF to collect data on the information
technology workforce and tasks the NRC with analyzing this data and
publishing an annual update to the NRC's ``Building a Workforce in the
Information Economy'' report.
[The information referred to follows:]
Chairman Boehlert. This Committee markup is concluded.
[Whereupon, at 11:29 a.m., the Committee was adjourned.]