Congressman Paul Tonko voted today to support investments in science, innovation and education that will ensure America’s economic and technological leadership and provide greater opportunities for generations to come. The House today passed the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 by a vote of 262-150 with wide bipartisan support.  The bill is designed to strengthen U.S. economic competitiveness and prepare Americans for the jobs of the 21st Century. Congressman Tonko is a co-sponsor, and helped shape the legislation through his work in the House Education and Labor and Science and Technology Committees.
 
“Our future success as an economic power is dependent on our ability to lead the global race to discover the technological innovations that will lead to breakthroughs in clean energy development,” said Congressman Tonko. “To do this we need to invest now in research and education that will help foster that innovation and power our economy through the 21st Century. The COMPETES Act continues the work we started with the Recovery Act to support research and also strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math education.”
 
The COMPETES Act will increase investments in the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Labs, all of which are critical to supporting basic scientific research. It will also make permanent the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Department of Commerce, which works with businesses to help commercialize the results of new research.
 
The bill also includes authorization of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) and Energy Innovation Hubs to help advance our country’s transition to a clean energy economy and to support the growth of new sectors and the jobs that come with them. It also supports business by providing innovative technology loan guarantees for small and medium-sized manufacturers, assisting manufacturers in reducing their energy use and environmental waste, and coordinating manufacturing research and development carried out across the federal government.
 
The legislation will also expand, strengthen and align science, technology, engineering and math education programs at all levels of our educational system.
 
“With the passage of this legislation, we reassert our commitment to being a world leader in clean energy and new technology development,” added Congressman Tonko. “Taking these ideas from development to market means jobs, opportunity and economic security for future generations of Americans. 
 
The America COMPETES Act was first passed into law with bipartisan support in 2007. The legislation incorporated recommendations from a 2005 report from the National Academies titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm. The report found that “…the scientific and technological building blocks critical to our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength.”
 
The bill has received the endorsement of more than 750  business, research and academic organizations including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and the American Council on Education.

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