Hickenlooper Appointed to Negotiate Bipartisan Innovation and Competition Bill

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper was appointed as a conferee to the conference committee for the historic Bipartisan Innovation and Competition Bill. The Senate voted today to advance the legislation toward a formal conference negotiation. Now the conferees will work out differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill before it comes up for a final vote.

"This bill will fight inflation and boost manufacturing right here in America," said Hickenlooper. "We're ready to roll up our sleeves and make sure the final innovation bill reflects Colorado priorities and its spirit for innovation."

The Senate version of the bill includes a 40 percent increase in funding for the National Science Foundation and a boost for the Department of Energy's national laboratories, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden. Hickenlooper is Chair of the Senate Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Space and Science.

Specifically, the Innovation and Competition Bill would:

Increase our investments in federal research and development
Grow domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity and take action to protect other critical U.S. supply chains
Enhance technology transfer and commercialization efforts, increasing the return on our R&D investment and focusing technology research in areas of critical national importance
Create a diverse and geographically-distributed STEM, research, innovation, and manufacturing workforce

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