America COMPETES Act
The America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act of 2007 or America COMPETES Act [1][2][3] was signed by President Bush and became law on 9 August 2007. This was an Act, "To invest in innovation through research and development, and to improve the competitiveness of the United States."[4] On 29 May 2010, the U.S. House passed a measure to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act.
America COMPETES Act of 2007
The provisions of The America COMPETES of 2007 act covered a wide range of activities of a great number of federal agencies and offices including the Office of Science and Technology Policy (Title I), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Title II), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Title III), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA, Title IV), the Department of Energy (Title V), and the National Science Foundation (Title VII). In many places, the Act mandates that each agency cooperate with its partner agencies and offices, and it calls attention to the importance of high-risk, high-reward research in areas of critical national need.
Provisions
The America COMPETES Act of 2007 has many provisions in its 146 pages.
It created the President's Council on Innovation and Competitiveness (Title I, Sec. 1006). This council appears never to have been formed. Instead, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology was formed in 2010 by President Obama to serve in its place.[5]
It called for a National Science and Technology Summit (Title I, Sec. 1001) and numerous reports on the state of innovation and competitiveness in the United States (e.g, Sec. 1002, 1005, 1006, 1007, 2006, 3004, 3005, 3011, 7010, 7014, 7016, 7032) and assessments of each unit's effective support of the Act's STEM education agenda (e.g., Sec. 2001.f, 3011)
In several places, it called for the enhancement of research capabilities and coordination (e.g., Sec. 2003, 5006, 5011) and emphasized the importance of undergraduate research experiences as tools that promote careers in STEM fields (e.g., Sec. 2005,
The Act also sets baselines for targeted funding appropriations (e.g., Sec 3001, 5004.f, 5005, 5007, 5008, 5009, 5012) which range from overall levels of funding for an agency or targeting funding for new programs to be delivered by a given agency. Of special note is the Act's goal of doubling the annual appropriations for the National Science Foundation by the year YYYY.
Education
The Act pays considerable attention to the efforts each agency makes in the area of educating future STEM professionals, sometimes through amendments made to other Acts (e.g., Sec 5003.a, 3015, 4002, 5004), a general technique which is used in several places in the Act.
... the creation of a Teacher Corps program (reference to legislation?), an increase in skilled workers visas and increased science funding (reference to legislation?).[6]
America COMPETES Act of 2010
The Act was reauthorized by the House on 28 May 2010 by a vote of 262-150[7][8].
See also
References
- ^ Legislative Highlights from the House Committee on Science and Technology, Rep. Bart Gordon, Chair.
- ^ History of the America COMPETES Act
- ^ Official Text and Related Information on the America COMPETES of 2007
- ^ H.R. 2272 as enacted into Public Law, 146 pages.
- ^ Executive Order -- President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology
- ^ Fact Sheet: America Competes Act of 2007 from the White House web site
- ^ Official Text and Related Information on the America COMPETES Reauthorization Bill of 2010
- ^ http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:HR5116:/
External links
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