Subcommittee Democrats Stress the Need for Immediate Action on Climate Change
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing entitled “Policy-Relevant Climate Issues in Context.” Testifying before the Subcommittee were Dr. Judith Curry, Professor at the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Dr. William Chameides, Dean at the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University; and Dr. Bjorn Lomborg, President of the Copenhagen Consensus Center. … Continue Reading
April 24, 2013Subcommittees Discuss Opportunities and Challenges of Big Data
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittees on Research and Technology held a joint hearing entitled, “Next Generation Computing and Big Data Analytics.” Testifying before the Subcommittees were Dr. David McQueeney, Vice President of Technical Strategy and Worldwide Operations at IBM Research; Dr. Michael Rappa, Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced Analytics and Distinguished University Professor at North Carolina State … Continue Reading
April 24, 2013Space Subcommittee Reviews NASA’s FY 2014 Budget Request
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Space held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Testifying before the Subcommittee was the Honorable Charles F. Bolden, Jr., Administrator of NASA. The budget request includes funding for NASA’s science, aeronautics, space technology, and human spaceflight programs as well as construction, … Continue Reading
April 22, 2013Ranking Member Johnson Attends White House Science Fair
(Washington, DC) - Today, President Obama hosted the third annual White House Science Fair to celebrate the achievements of students in a broad range of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) endeavors. The White House Science Fair was created to recognize the inspiring work of aspiring young engineers, scientists and mathematicians - the next generation of inventors and innovators. Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) was in attendance and visited several exhibits during the … Continue Reading
April 21, 2013Science Democrats Congratulate Orbital Sciences Corporation on First Flight of Antares Rocket
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Orbital Sciences Corporation successfully launched its Antares rocket, a key step toward completing the development of its new launch vehicle and preparing for the demonstration of cargo transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Antares is being developed under a Space Act Agreement with NASA, which has helped fund the development of Antares and its cargo carrying spacecraft Cygnus. In … Continue Reading
April 18, 2013Subcommittee Reviews NIST’s FY 2014 Budget Request
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Testifying before the Subcommittee was the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and Director of NIST, Dr. Patrick Gallagher. Ranking Member of the Technology Subcommittee, Frederica Wilson (D-FL) said in her opening … Continue Reading
April 17, 2013Committee Reviews President’s FY2014 R&D Budget Request
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing to review President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 (FY 2014) budget request for research and development (R&D), demonstration, and commercial application programs. Testifying before the Committee was Dr. John P. Holdren, Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson said in her opening … Continue Reading
April 17, 2013Subcommittee Reviews NSF’s FY 2014 Budget Request
(Washington, DC) - Today the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Research held a hearing to review the Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Testifying before the Subcommittee were Dr. Cora Marrett, Acting Director of NSF, and Dr. Dan Arvizu, Chairman of the National Science Board. Ranking Member of the Research Subcommittee, Dan Lipinski (D-IL) said in his opening statement, “I understand that America … Continue Reading
April 16, 2013Subcommittee Democrats Reveal Republican Hypocrisy in Addressing Federal Wind Energy Initiatives
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittees on Oversight and Energy held a joint hearing to discuss wind energy initiatives such as tax credits and Department of Energy loan guarantees. A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on wind energy requested by the Majority was also discussed. Testifying before the Subcommittees were Mr. Frank Rusco, Director of Natural Resources and the Environment with the GAO, Dr. Robert Michaels, … Continue Reading
April 16, 2013House Passes Networking and Information Technology R&D and Cybersecurity R&D Legislation
(Washington, DC) - As part of “cyber week,” the House of Representatives today passed H.R. 967, the Advancing America’s Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act of 2013, and H.R. 756, the Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2013. H.R. 967 reauthorizes the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program. NITRD is a multi-agency research initiative designed to ensure continued U.S. leadership in computing systems, advanced networking, … Continue Reading
April 12, 2013Committee Marks Up Legislation to Undermine EPA
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a markup of H.R. 875, a bill to provide for a comprehensive assessment of the scientific and technical research on the implications of the use of mid-level ethanol blends, and H.R. 1422, the EPA Science Advisory Board Reform Act of 2013. Both bills passed out of Committee despite unanimous opposition from the Committee Democrats. At the markup, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) emphasized the … Continue Reading
April 12, 2013Donna Edwards Statement on the 32nd Anniversary of the First Space Shuttle Mission
“Thirty-two years ago today, on April 12, 1981, NASA astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen blasted into the record books on the world’s first Space Shuttle flight, returning this Nation to human space flight after a nearly six year hiatus following the last Apollo-era flight. NASA, Rockwell International (now Boeing), Martin Marietta (now Lockheed Martin), Thiokol (now ATK), and the entire government/industrial team responsible for the design, construction, and flight of the spacecraft, as … Continue Reading
April 10, 2013Ranking Member Johnson Statement on the President’s FY2014 Budget Request
(Washington, DC) - Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) offered the following statement after the release of the President’s Fiscal Year 2014 Budget: “There is a lot to digest in the budget request from the President, so I will simply give my initial reactions to the parts of the budget that fall under the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, namely, our federal investments in research and development and STEM education. “While there are specific elements of … Continue Reading
April 10, 2013Committee Democrats Discuss Need to Detect and Prepare for Near-Earth Objects Smaller Than Currently Mandated
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held the second of two hearings on Threats from Space. The first hearing focused on government efforts in detecting, tracking, and monitoring near-Earth objects (NEOs). Today’s hearing focused on private sector efforts. Testifying before the Committee were Dr. Ed Lu, Chairman and CEO of the B612 Foundation; Dr. Donald K. Yeomans, Manager of the Near-Earth Objects Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory … Continue Reading
April 10, 2013Ranking Member Johnson Reintroduces the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing Act
(Washington, DC) - Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) announced the introduction of H.R. 1421, the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2013, to accelerate research, development, and innovation in advanced manufacturing and improve the competitiveness of American manufacturers. The legislation is very similar to H.R. 6081, the Advancing Innovative Manufacturing (AIM) Act of 2012, introduced by Ms. Johnson in the 112th Congress. H.R. 6081 was not taken up by the … Continue Reading
March 27, 2013Ranking Member Johnson Hosts 10th Annual Math & Science Lecture Series
(Dallas, TX) - Today, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), hosted the 10th Annual Math and Science Lecture Series at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center located in Dallas, Texas. “The students are the future, and the Nation is depending on them,” said Ms. Johnson. “In order to remain globally competitive, we must have more students interested in the STEM fields.” The University of Texas at Dallas created the Eddie Bernice Johnson Math and Science Lecture Series in honor of … Continue Reading
March 22, 2013Ranking Member Johnson Introduces the STEM Opportunities Act
(Washington, DC) - Yesterday, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) introduced H.R. 1358, the STEM Opportunities Act of 2013. The legislation combines two bills that Ms. Johnson had introduced in past Congresses, the Broadening Participation in STEM Education Act and the Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act. Ms. Johnson said, “Many reports over the past decade have found that it is critical to our Nation’s economic leadership and global … Continue Reading
March 20, 2013Subcommittee Examines NIST Laboratories
(Washington, DC) - Today, the Subcommittee on Technology held a hearing to examine the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) laboratories in preparation for a reauthorization of NIST. Testifying before the Subcommittee were Dr. Willie E. May, the Associate Director for Laboratory Programs at NIST, and Dr. Ross B. Corotis, a professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Member of the Laboratory Assessments Board at the National Research Council of the National … Continue Reading
March 20, 2013Subcommittee Democrats Criticize Proposed Amendments to ERDDA
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing titled “Improving EPA’s Scientific Advisory Processes.” The hearing was held to examine the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) independent scientific advisory boards and panels. The Subcommittee discussed draft legislation that addressed the EPA’s process for receiving independent scientific advice, selecting expert advisors, limiting non-scientific policy advice, … Continue Reading
March 19, 2013Committee Reviews Federal Activities Regarding Near-Earth Objects
(Washington, DC) - Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing titled, “Threats from Space: A Review of U.S. Government Efforts to Track and Mitigate Asteroids and Meteors, Part 1,” to hear testimony on the roles and responsibilities of agencies in detecting, tracking, and monitoring near-Earth objects (NEOs), including those that are potentially hazardous; the resources, technologies and methods used; and coordination between government agencies or … Continue Reading