Joint Committee Hearing Examines Changes Needed at DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology and the House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies held a hearing to review the strategy, mission, programs, projects, and other activities of the Science and Technology Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS S&T) and to examine other research and development (R&D) activities at … Continue Reading
September 08, 2014House Passes Tsunami Warning and Super Computing Bills
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5309 and H.R. 2495. H.R. 5309 - The Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2014 - reauthorizes and strengthens the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Ranking Member of the Environment Subcommittee, Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), author of H.R. 5309, said of her legislation, “So much of our ability to prepare, respond, and … Continue Reading
August 26, 2014Bipartisan Letter to Commerce IG Todd Zinser Warns Him Not to Target Whistleblowers
(Washington, DC) - Today, Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, along with Chairman Paul Broun (R-GA) and Ranking Member Dan Maffei (D-NY) of the Oversight Subcommittee, sent a letter to the Department of Commerce’s Inspector General (IG) Todd Zinser, after receiving multiple allegations about ongoing efforts within the Office of Inspector General (OIG) to identify and potentially retaliate against … Continue Reading
July 31, 2014Subcommittees Highlight the Need for Better Planning and Coordination of the Department of Homeland Security’s Research
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research & Technology and Subcommittee on Oversight held a hearing to examine expert recommendations on how the Department of Homeland Security can optimize its research and development efforts on border security technologies. The subcommittee Members focused on what the Department needs to do improve the transition of these technologies to the field. Testifying before the Committee were David … Continue Reading
July 31, 2014Science Committee Members Introduce Bipartisan Tsunami Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Today, Ranking Member of the Environment Subcommittee, Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) introduced H.R. 5309, the Tsunami Warning, Education, and Research Act of 2014. Full Committee Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) and are original cosponsors of the legislation. A tsunami is a series of ocean waves generated by sudden shifts in the sea floor, landslides, or volcanic activity. These waves can grow to be … Continue Reading
July 30, 2014Committee Holds Hearing on EPA’s Proposed Clean Power Plan
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held the first in what the Committee Majority says will be a series of hearings on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed rule to cut carbon emissions from existing power plants known as the “Clean Power Plan”. In September 2013, EPA proposed a rule to establish carbon pollution standards for new power plants, a prerequisite for the current proposal, the Clean Power Plan, which establishes … Continue Reading
July 29, 2014Subcommittee Reviews Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing to review the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NERHP). Testifying before the Committee were two panels of witnesses. The first panel consisted of representative from the four relevant agencies. The second panel consisted of outside stakeholders. More information on the witnesses can be found here. Congress originally created NERHP in 1977, … Continue Reading
July 25, 2014Bipartisan Effort Passes Manufacturing Bill out of Science Committee
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a markup of H.R. 2996, the Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation (RAMI) Act. H.R. 2996 would direct the Secretary of Commerce to support the establishment of institutes across the country dedicated to improving U.S. competitiveness in manufacturing, increasing domestic production and accelerating the development of an advanced manufacturing workforce. Each institute will be a public-private … Continue Reading
July 24, 2014Ranking Member Johnson Statement on Deputy Director Dr. Cora Marrett’s Announcement of her Retirement from the National Science Foundation
(Washington, DC) - Deputy Director Dr. Cora Marrett recently announced that she will be retiring from the National Science Foundation. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) released the following statement: “Dr. Marrett’s contributions to NSF are innumerable. Throughout her many years of service to the Agency, she helped advance the scientific interests of our country. As Acting Director, she helped lead NSF through an especially trying time, from the government shutdown to the … Continue Reading
July 24, 2014Ranking Member Johnson and Rep. Ralph Hall Introduce Bipartisan Energy-Water Nexus Legislation
(Washington, DC) - Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Rep. Ralph Hall (R-TX), Chairman Emeritus of the Committee, introduced H.R. 5189, the Energy and Water Research Integration Act. Ms. Johnson said in her floor statement, “I want to thank my friend and fellow Texan, Mr. Hall, for joining me in introducing this legislation, which calls attention to the critical link between energy and water and instructs the Department of Energy to ensure due consideration of water issues … Continue Reading
July 24, 2014Committee Holds Live Downlink Event to Hear from Astronauts on the International Space Station
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology hosted a live communications “downlink” with the two U.S. astronauts currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), current ISS Commander Dr. Steve Swanson and Commander (USN) Reid Wiseman. Watch the archived webcast of the event here. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said in her opening statement, “This past weekend marked the 45th anniversary of the first humans landing on the Moon. It was a … Continue Reading
July 23, 2014Bipartisan Critical Materials Bill Fails Due to Unfounded Ideological Attacks
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, H.R. 1022, the Securing Energy Critical Elements and American Jobs Act of 2014 failed by a recorded vote under suspension of the rules. The purpose of the bill was to reinvigorate research and development on critical elements in order to use these elements more effectively and seek methods to substitute and recycle critical materials by promoting collaboration and research opportunities in the field of energy critical elements for researchers and students from DOE … Continue Reading
July 22, 2014House Passes NIST Reauthorization and DOE Labs Tech Transfer Bill
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5035 and H.R. 5120. H.R. 5035 - The National Institute of Standards and Technology Authorization Act of 2014 -reauthorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology. (Passed by voice vote under suspension of the rules) Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said of H.R. 5035, “NIST, one of our nation’s oldest science agencies, plays a very important role in U.S. innovation and competitiveness through advancing … Continue Reading
July 20, 2014Ranking Members Johnson and Edwards Comment on the 45th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing
(Washington, DC) - Today, July 20th marks forty-five years since the Apollo lunar module, “Eagle” landed in the Sea of Tranquility on the Moon. About six hours after landing, Commander Neil A. Armstrong stepped off the lunar module, “Eagle,” and set foot on the lunar surface, making the first human foot print on another world, and uttering the immortal words, “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” He was later joined by Lunar Module Pilot, “Buzz” Aldrin, while Command … Continue Reading
July 17, 2014Subcommittee Democrats Discuss Engineering Biology
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing to examine public and private biomedical research and development as well as discuss engineering biology. Testifying before the Subcommittee were Dr. Harold Varmus, Director of the National Cancer Institute and Former Director of the National Institutes of Health; Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, President of The Rockefeller University; Dr. Jay Keasling, Director of … Continue Reading
July 17, 2014Bipartisan Investigation of Commerce IG Raises Troubling Questions About His Current and Past Actions Against Whistleblowers
(Washington, DC) - All Members of the Oversight Subcommittee, including the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space & Technology, sent a bipartisan letter yesterday to the Commerce Inspector General (IG) Todd Zinser. The letter details Mr. Zinser’s failure to act against his closest aides, Mr. Rick Beitel formerly head of “Whistleblower Protection” and his chief legal counsel, Mr. Wade Green, for their retaliation against whistleblowers in his own office, as detailed by … Continue Reading
July 16, 2014Ranking Member Johnson Comments on the Passing of Former Committee Chairman Robert Roe
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) released the following statement after hearing of the passing of Rep. Robert Roe (D-NJ), former Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee. “I was sorry to hear of the passing of Chairman Roe. Though I did not have the pleasure of serving with him, I am grateful for his role in advancing our nation’s science enterprise and for the hard work he did in the aftermath of the Challenger tragedy. My thoughts and … Continue Reading
July 16, 2014Democrats Urge EPA to Accelerate Pace of IRIS Assessments
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Subcommittee on Environment held a joint subcommittee hearing to review the findings of a National Academies’ May 2014 report on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS). The IRIS program develops assessments for potential human health effects that may result from chemical exposures. The report praised the “substantial improvements” made … Continue Reading
July 14, 2014House Passes Several Science Committee Bills
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5031, H.R. 1786, H.R. 5056, and H.R. 5029. The bills had strong bipartisan support from members of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) said of the legislation, “It has been a tough Congress when it comes to working across the aisle and I am so pleased that we were able to work in a bipartisan manner to pass these bills. H.R. 1786, the NWIRP reauthorization, was developed … Continue Reading
July 11, 2014Subcommittee Discusses International Fusion Energy Project
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing to discuss the progress and future of the ITER international fusion project. The U.S. joined the European Union (EU), India, Japan, China, Korea, and Russia to form the ITER Organization (IO), with each country providing resources, personnel, and expertise to move the project forward. Ranking Member Eric Swalwell (D-CA) of the Energy Subcommittee said in his opening … Continue Reading