Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. In this tough budget environment, I applaud Chairman Smith and the Science, Space, and Technology Committee for crafting a bill that provides for much-needed investments in scientific research in a fiscally responsible manner. By setting priorities and eliminating duplicative activities, we are actually able to increase funding for new and promising research while keeping overall spending constant.
This bill is designed to secure America's premier status in scientific and technological advancement in several ways. First, it improves our STEM education programs by adding computer sciences to the definition of STEM education, which will allow these programs to be used to train the next generation of high-tech workers and cybersecurity professionals. As our high-tech sector continues to expand in places like my hometown of Austin, it is important to make sure that we are producing enough qualified workers to fill these jobs.
Second, this bill also helps researchers at our national labs commercialize their discoveries by removing bureaucratic obstacles. This will bring innovative new products to market faster, encouraging job creation and private sector investment.
Most importantly, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act provides a substantial increase in funding for research activities at the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy. This will allow the scientists at our universities, such as the University of Texas, to advance our understanding of the physical world and provide the foundation for future innovations by business and new entrepreneurs.
I urge strong support of this bill.