Omnibus Legislation Strengthens U.S. Economic Competitiveness
(Washington, DC) – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1105, the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009.
Science and Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) gave the following statement:
“Along with the Recovery package, this legislation brings funding for the programs in COMPETES to or above the FY09 authorized levels.
These are tough budgetary times, but we need to address one of the root causes of our economic troubles—our slipping competitiveness. If we do not, we could create jobs today, only to lose them to foreign competition in the future.
The Omnibus includes funding for programs authorized in the America COMPETES Act at the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy (DOE).
The Omnibus includes funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) and Technology Innovation Program (TIP). MEP is the only program of its kind to provide resources to keep small American manufacturers on the cutting edge by enhancing growth, improving productivity, and expanding capacity. TIP provides assistance to small high-tech entrepreneurs to bring new technologies to the market, especially in areas of critical needs that aren't being addressed through other programs.
The Omnibus includes funding for Department of Energy Office of Science, where scientists and engineers will work advancing our energy independence and protecting our environment by researching materials science, climate science, carbon sequestration, biofuels, advanced computing, fusion energy, high-energy physics, and nuclear physics.
These programs are vital to the health of our manufacturers, our workforce, our economy, and our national competitiveness.”
For more information, please see the Committee’s website.
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