congressional_record: CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2237-5
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2010-12-22-pt1-PgE2237-5 | 2010-12-22 | 111 | 2 | AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010 | HOUSE | EXTENSIONS | ALLOTHER | E2237 | E2238 | [{"name": "Danny K. Davis", "role": "speaking"}] | [{"congress": "111", "type": "HR", "number": "5116"}] | 156 Cong. Rec. E2237 | Congressional Record, Volume 156 Issue 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010) [Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 173 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E2237-E2238] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010 ______ speech of HON. DANNY K. DAVIS of illinois in the house of representatives Tuesday, December 21, 2010 Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act. To maintain economic growth and a high standard of living, our nation must remain competitive in a global economy. To be competitive, U.S. companies must engage in trade, preserve market shares, and provide sustainable products, processes, and services. Scientific and technological advances serve as critical components of economic growth because they contribute to the creation of new goods, services, jobs, and increased productivity. Our country is in need of innovative concepts and ideas to strengthen our economy both domestically and internationally. The America COMPETES Act will increase the nation's investment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, STEM. Further, COMPETES provides critical federal investment in science through research and education. I am pleased that the 111th Congress will reauthorize this law, and I am pleased that it contains some important elements to broaden the participation of groups of Americans who are underrepresented in STEM fields, such as women and racial or ethnic minorities. According to the Census Bureau, 39 percent of the population under the age of 18 is a racial or ethnic minority. Yet, in 2003, only 4.4 percent of U.S. science and engineering jobs were held by African Americans and only 3.4 percent by Hispanics. In 2008, the American Community Survey reported that 10.3 percent of the total U.S. population were in the Professional, Scientific, Management and Administrative Services industry; however, only 7.7 percent of Cambodians, 6.8 percent of Hmongs, and 5.2 percent of Laotians actually held these types of jobs. Further, women represent only a little more than one quarter of our science and technology workforce. Many experts maintain that the ability of the U.S. to produce enough scientists will fall far short unless we take strong action to develop the potential of women and minorities. Thus, broadening participation efforts are critical to meeting the growing demand for U.S. workers with STEM skills and to improving American competitiveness globally. Although minorities have increased their share of degrees awarded in the sciences, poor preparation in science and mathematics is a major factor limiting the access of these citizens to careers in the STEM fields. H.R. 5116 helps improve secondary STEM education by requiring federal agencies to report how they are disseminating federally funded STEM education resources to practitioners, including to teachers and administrators at high-needs schools. Further, it requires the establishment of an inventory of federally sponsored STEM education programs that must include an assessment of the effectiveness of the programs and the rates of participation of underrepresented minorities in such programs. An increased investment in STEM-based programs will offer more high-level science and mathematics courses in high school, enhance undergraduate and graduate degrees in science and engineering, and solidify employment in science and engineering positions in this global economy. The National Science [[Page E2238]] Foundation will receive substantial funds to develop and implement a policy for the broader impacts review criterion that will result in improving the effectiveness and impact of activities to broaden participation within STEM. Such a policy is long overdue. We spend billions of federal dollars for science advancements but have limited requirements for the institutions receiving these dollars to give back to the nation in terms of helping institutions or students beyond their walls improve their access to quality science. I support the bill because it advances our nation in the STEM areas; however, I am disappointed that many of the provisions to broaden participation that were included in the House-passed version were absent from the final version. I promise to continue to work to ensure that all Americans have access to high quality STEM education and careers. I support H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act of 2010; this bill will enhance our present practices in science and our economic strength in the global marketplace. ____________________ |