In Support of the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (May 19, 2010)

Mr. LIPINSKI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this bill. As chairman of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee, I want to thank Dr. Ehlers not only for his support of the COMPETES Act, but also all the work that he has done as the ranking Republican on the subcommittee and all the years he has put in on these issues in Congress. I firmly believe that this bill is critical to maintaining America's global competitiveness. I thank Chairman Gordon for all his hard work on this bill and also his work through the years on these issues.

Passage of this bill will help produce a brighter future for our Nation and our Nation's workers. Simply put, this bill creates jobs. As a former college professor and engineer and unceasing advocate for American manufacturing, I want to focus on the National Science Foundation title. This act keeps funding for the NSF on a doubling path, and it significantly increases support for basic research, graduate education, STEM education, and turning research into jobs. America is at risk of falling behind in all these areas. We cannot stand still while our competitors move forward. If we do, we will see the jobs created on their soil, not here in America.

This bill also contains a number of critical programs that support innovation and manufacturing. These provisions can help reverse the outsourcing of American jobs. In addition, the COMPETES Act also includes provisions that address serious deteriorations in the state of our research infrastructure which threatens America's competitiveness. Our competitors, especially China, are stealing scientists from our country, and I hear this all the time because they are offering better opportunities, better research infrastructure for their scientists. This means they will create the innovations, they will create the jobs over in their countries.

The COMPETES Reauthorization Act takes a proactive bipartisan approach to securing America's position in the 21st century global economy and putting Americans to work.

With no investment, we have no gains. It's as simple as that. We cannot lose the race of competition to other nations. America's future depends on that. We must have the jobs. People are asking every day where are the jobs going to come from. They are going to come from the innovations that come from Americans, and this bill will help create the environment that will allow that to be done and provide a better future for our Nation.

(May 19, 2010)

via lipinski.house.gov

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