On Friday, December 17, the Senate passed an amended version of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116). The bill would authorize funding for research programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Energy Department and also would authorize funding “STEM” education programs in many of these agencies. The amended bill now goes to the House for a final vote. It is anticipated the House will take up this legislation Tuesday, December 21.
Rep. Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., outgoing chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee and author of the original Competes bill in the House, said “the compromise being sent over from the Senate is a fair and reasonable proposal that maintains the broader goals of the COMPETES Act – increasing our investment in research, improving STEM education, and harnessing the spirit of American innovation to ensure our economic competitiveness now and in the future.”
For those interested in contacting their House of Representative members in support of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act (HR 5116, you may use the following link to do so: http://x.jtrk88.net/y.z?l=https%3A%2F%2Fwriterep.house.gov%2Fwriterep%2Fwelcome.shtml&e=1113&j=256533424