Bipartisan Bills Pass Out of Committee
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a markup of H.R. 1119, H.R. 1156, H.R. 1162, H.R. 1158, and H.R. 874. All of the bills passed out of Committee on bipartisan voice votes. Though the markup was bipartisan, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), expressed concern that the bills did not go through regular order on the Committee. She also said, “I am concerned that we are spending our time marking up a number of individual small bills that … Continue Reading
February 27, 2015Subcommittee Emphasizes Need for Safety and Transparency in Commercial Crew Program
(Washington, DC) - Today the Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Space held a hearing titled, “The Commercial Crew Program: Challenges and Opportunities,” to review the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) efforts to develop and acquire safe, reliable, and affordable crew transfer services to the International Space Station (ISS). Last September, NASA established contracts with Space Exploration Technologies and The Boeing Corporation to finalize designs, … Continue Reading
February 26, 2015Subcommittee Examines FY 2016 Budgets for NSF and NIST
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research & Technology held a hearing to examine the FY 2016 budget requests for the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Testifying before the Subcommittee were Dr. France Co?rdova, the Director of NSF, Dr. Daniel Arvizu, the Chairman of the National Science Board (NSB), and Dr. Willie E. May, the Acting Director of NIST. On the budget request … Continue Reading
February 26, 2015Republicans Hold Committee Markup to Pass Two Destructive EPA Bills
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a Full Committee markup of two bills aimed at preventing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from utilizing the best research to create effective regulations. The two bills before the Committee were H.R. 1030, the Secret Science Reform Act of 2015 and H.R. 1029, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2015. The markup was noticed only two days in advance while Members were still out of town. Minority … Continue Reading
February 25, 2015House Passes STEM Education Bill
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1020, the STEM Education Act of 2015. The bill incorporated provisions previously proposed by Rep. Elizabeth Esty (D-CT) and Rep. Daniel Lipinski (D-IL). The bill authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award grants and support activities, including teaching fellowships, to improve STEM learning outcomes. Rep. Esty said, “We must support educational and economic foundations that encourage the innovation and … Continue Reading
February 25, 2015Committee Discusses DOE Science and Technology Priorities with the Secretary of Energy
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to examine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) science and technology priorities and discuss the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2016 budget request for the Department of Energy’s research and development portfolio. Testifying before the Committee was the Honorable Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) stressed the importance of … Continue Reading
February 13, 2015Joint Subcommittee Hearing Examines Privacy of Healthcare.gov and Third-Party Data Sharing
(Washington, DC) - Today the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research & Technology and Subcommittee on Oversight held a joint hearing to discuss the potential privacy concerns of the third-party data sharing on the Federal healthcare website, Healthcare.gov. Testifying before the subcommittees were Ms. Michelle De Mooy, Deputy Director of Consumer Privacy at the Center for Democracy and Technology and Mr. Morgan Wright, Principal at Morgan Wright, LLC. Ranking … Continue Reading
February 12, 2015Subcommittees Review Weather Satellite Systems Progress
(Washington, DC) - Today the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittees on Environment and Oversight held a joint hearing to discuss problems and concerns associated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) weather satellite systems, the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) and the Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellite (GOES). JPSS and GOES acquisitions have been marked by schedule delays, significant cost growth, the repeated down-sizing of … Continue Reading
February 10, 2015Democrats Announce Subcommittee Assignments and Ranking Members
(Washington, DC) - The Democratic Caucus of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology elected Subcommittee Ranking Members and selected subcommittee assignments today. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “I am proud to be working with such a strong group of Ranking Members and caucus. There is much work to be done this Congress and I look forward to working with them and our colleagues across the aisle to advance our nation’s scientific research, innovation, and education … Continue Reading
February 10, 2015House Passes Bipartisan NASA Reauthorization Act
(Washington, DC) - The House of Representatives today passed H.R. 810, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2015 under suspension of the rules. H.R. 810 authorizes programs and projects at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration for one year and updates NASA funding to be consistent with FY 2015 enacted funding numbers. The bill is essentially identical to H.R. 4412 that passed the House overwhelmingly last year by a vote of 401-2 under suspension of … Continue Reading
February 06, 2015Committee Leaders Announce Bipartisan NASA Bill
(Washington, DC) - Members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee today announced details of the NASA Authorization Act of 2015, legislation intended to reaffirm Congress’s commitment to NASA as a multi mission agency with programs in science, aeronautics, exploration, and human spaceflight, and make clear that Mars should be NASA’s primary goal. The bill will be introduced in the House the week of February 9th. Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) was joined by Ranking … Continue Reading
February 02, 2015Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on the President’s FY2016 Budget
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) offered the following statement after the release of the President’s FY2016 Budget. “The President’s Budget would help ensure that the U.S. can compete in a 21st Century global economy and solidify America’s place as a scientific and technological leader. The commitment to STEM education, advanced manufacturing, and energy efficiency and the development of clean energy alternatives is encouraging. I am most pleased by the 6 percent … Continue Reading
January 29, 2015Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on the Passing of Charles Townes
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) released the following statement regarding the passing of heralded inventor and scientist, Dr. Charles Townes. In addition to a long list of accolades, Dr. Townes won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1964 for his fundamental work in the field of quantum electronics. “I join the entire scientific community in expressing my sadness on the passing of Dr. Charles Townes. As the inventor of the laser, his breakthrough work is utilized in … Continue Reading
January 29, 2015Ranking Member Johnson's Remarks on EPA Proposal to Update National Air Quality Standards
Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson's remarks on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Proposal to Update National Air Quality Standards for Ground-level Ozone are below: "We are here today to discuss the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal to lower the standard for ozone, the pollutant that causes smog, from the current standard of 75 parts per billion to a standard in the range of 65 to 70 parts per billion. "As someone who worked in the public health field before I entered … Continue Reading
January 29, 2015Ranking Member Johnson and Rep. Sensenbrenner Introduce Bipartisan Engineering Biology Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) introduced H.R. 591, the Engineering Biology Research and Development Act of 2015. The Engineering Biology Research and Development Act of 2015 would establish a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Program to support and coordinate Federal R&D in engineering biology. Engineering biology research is at the intersection of biological, physical, and information sciences and … Continue Reading
January 28, 2015Ranking Member Emphasizes Need for Robust R&D Funding at Subcommittee Hearing
(Washington, DC) - Today the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held an Energy Subcommittee hearing to discuss the benefits of and challenges to developing the next generation of supercomputers and, more broadly, the need for greater federal investments in research and development. The witness panel testifying before the subcommittee included longtime advisor to the Committee and friend of the Ranking Member, Mr. Norman Augustine. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Lockheed Martin, … Continue Reading
January 28, 2015Ranking Member Johnson’s Statement on NASA’s Day of Remembrance
(Washington, DC) - Today is NASA’s Day of Remembrance, a day designated to honor those NASA employees who lost their lives “while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.” Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said, “We remember the crews of Apollo 1 and space shuttles Challenger and Columbia with great sadness. I am humbled by their heroism, which truly did help further the cause of exploration and discovery. I am so grateful for the contributions of all of our astronauts and … Continue Reading
January 27, 2015Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Cyber Threats
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research & Technology held a hearing on the threat of cybercrime, the Federal government’s role in preventing cyber-attacks, and the research necessary to properly prepare businesses and governments alike. The witnesses testifying before the subcommittee were Ms. Cheri McGuire, Vice President of Global Government Affairs & Cybersecurity Policy at Symantec Corporation; Dr. James Kurose, Assistant … Continue Reading
January 27, 2015Committee Approves Rules Package that Undercuts Minority Rights
(Washington, DC) - Today the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held an organizational meeting to approve the Committee rules for the 114th Congress. Democratic Members of the Committee were strongly opposed to a number of changes to the rules that departed from longstanding Committee practice, and which would severely undermine the Minority rights. Democratic Members offered several amendments to improve the rules package. All of the amendments were defeated. The rules were approved … Continue Reading
January 22, 2015Ranking Member Johnson Introduces STEM Opportunities Act
(Washington, DC) - Today Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced H.R. 467, the STEM Opportunities Act of 2015. The legislation is similar to legislation she has introduced several Congresses in a row, including H.R. 1358 in the 113th Congress. Ms. Johnson said, “The evidence keeps mounting that it is critical to our Nation’s economic leadership and global competitiveness that we educate and train more scientists and engineers. A wave of retirements is about to hit many of our … Continue Reading