Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 3093, Commerce, Justice, Science, And Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2008
Floor Speech
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 3093, COMMERCE, JUSTICE, SCIENCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008 -- (House of Representatives - July 25, 2007)
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. WELCH of Vermont. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from New York, my colleague from Washington, and colleagues on the Rules Committee.
Today, as you know, the House takes up the 10th of 12 appropriation measures, and this bill is all about continuing to make progress in America, in this Congress, in changing our domestic priorities. There are two points about this bill I want to address: first, law enforcement; second, science.
Law enforcement in our communities is the front line of protecting our communities. It is best done locally. This legislation, bipartisan, by the way, reverses 5 years of cuts to local law enforcement grants at a time when we need it. Violent crime, unfortunately, is on the rise. This funds our local law enforcement communities to do the job of building and maintaining safe communities. It does soundly reject the administration's proposed cuts to undo funding formulas that have been particularly helpful with the small State minimum.
The bill heavily invests in the safety and well-being of Americans, providing a total of $3.2 billion for State and local law enforcement efforts. $430 million will go to the Office on Violence Against Women. And, as you know, that strives to reduce the prevalence of violence committed against women. $100 million goes for the Cops on the Beat program, something that has been a major bipartisan success over the years.
The second issue is science. I want specifically to applaud the subcommittee for its support of the sciences and the emerging multidisciplinary field of service science. That combines disciplines like computer science, operations research, industrial engineering, business strategy, and management sciences to meet the 21st century needs of the workforce. The National Science Foundation should review what is currently being done in the area of service science and explore what more can be done.
The work of the NSF and the National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST, is critical to fostering greater U.S. innovation and competitiveness in science, technology, engineering, and math. The investment in these agencies is an investment in that education and the development of the crucial multidisciplinary skills that are required to maintain our workforce and compete in the world economy.
As much more of our economy is service-based, we must ensure that our science agencies are focused on both research and education that promote innovation in service sectors such as education, health care, energy, telecommunications, and finance. The growing service sector in my State of Vermont is probably typical. It provides some of our best-paying jobs, nearly 80 percent of our employment. Last year we exported more than a half billion dollars in services, and 8,000 Vermonters were employed because of foreign investment in that sector.
This bill's investment in service-related research and STEM education through the NSF and NIST will foster innovation.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source