Gordon Introduces Legislation To Keep America Competitive

January 10, 2007, WASHINGTON, D.C. – Citing his desire to keep America competitive in today’s global marketplace, U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon introduced legislation to improve math and science education and reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

“I don’t want today’s children to grow up and have a standard of living lower than their parents,” said Gordon, Chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology. “But unless we put a focus on improving math and science education, we’re not going to be able to compete with the rest of the world.

“Other countries will always have lower wages. Americans have to compete by having a highly skilled and highly efficient workforce.”

Today (Jan. 10), Gordon re-introduced several pieces of legislation he authored in the 109th Congress and vowed to make these bills among the first the committee considers in the 110th Congress.

“Innovation and competitiveness are just buzzwords until Congress takes action to make them a reality,” said Gordon. “These bills are familiar and their provisions are widely acknowledged. They serve to enact measures to strengthen the U.S. standing in the global economy, make sure our kids are prepared for the careers of the future, and usher in bold changes to this country’s approach to energy research.”

The first of Gordon’s bills, the “10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds” Science and Math Scholarship Act, will increase the number of U.S. math and science teachers by 10,000 annually by providing scholarships to science, math and engineering students who commit to becoming science or math teachers at elementary and secondary schools upon completion of their degrees.

The second bill, the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act, authorizes a 10 percent funding increase per year for basic research in the physical sciences at key federal agencies, administers awards to outstanding early-career researchers in academia and in nonprofit research organizations, provides graduate research assistantships in areas of national need, and establishes a national coordination office to prioritize university and national research infrastructure needs.

Versions of both bills were approved by the Science Committee last year.

Gordon’s third bill in the innovation package is the Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E) Act. Charged with the mission of decreasing U.S. dependence on oil through clean energy technologies, ARPA-E will provide aggressive funding for innovative, out-of-the-box research projects carried out by industry, universities and consortia of groups, including federal laboratories. This program will give the best and brightest science and technology experts unprecedented flexibility and resources to develop new technologies through high-risk, high-return research addressing the nation's most pressing energy problems.

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