Congress Gets Three-Part PACE Package to Address U.S. Competitiveness

Innovation and national competitiveness increasingly are capturing the attention of Congress as the 2006 legislative agenda takes shape. The latest addition is a bipartisan package of three bills introduced to address 20 recommendations outlined in Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future, a National Academies of Science report issued last October.

The three-part Protecting America's Competitive Edge Act (PACE Act), introduced by Senators Pete Domenici (R-NM), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Lamar Alexander (R-TN), and Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), would greatly increase federal investment in math and science education, basic science and energy research, and R&D tax incentives.

According to the Association of American Universities, the package "would authorize 10-percent annual funding increases in basic research at the Departments of Energy (DOE) and Defense, the National Science Foundation (NSF), and NASA, and create and expand a variety of science education programs at DOE and NSF. Other provisions include a proposal to create a new student visa for doctoral candidates in the physical sciences and engineering, and a Sense of the Senate statement supporting the National Academies’ recommendation to retain the basic research exemption in deemed export controls."

A press statement released by the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources identifies the following as key provisions of the bill:

Strengthen the nation’s traditional commitment to research

• More research opportunities for scientists and engineers
• Targeted research grants for early career scientists and engineers
• New federal funds to buy equipment and upgrade research laboratories
• A New Agency for Transformational Energy Research
• High-Risk, High-Payoff Research

Improve K-12 Science/Math Education

• Scholarships for Future Teachers of Math & Science
• Math & Science Teacher Training Programs
• Summer Academies for Teachers
• Advanced Placement Courses in Math & Science
• Specialty Math & Science High Schools
• Internships and Summer Programs for Middle and High School Students

Increase the Talent Pool by Improving Higher Education

• Scholarships and Fellowships for Future Scientists
• Attracting the Brightest Foreign Students to our Universities

Grow the U.S. Economy by Providing Incentives for Innovation

• Doubling the Research & Development Tax Credit to Encourage Innovation
• Creating a Tax Credit to Encourage Employers to Invest in Employees’ Education
• Development of Science Parks

The legislative actions of PACE are distributed across three separate bills: PACE-Energy Act (S.2197), PACE-Education Act (S. 2198) and PACE-Finance Act (S.2199). All three bills are available through Thomas Locator, the legislative website managed by the Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/