Bart Gordon

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, unfortunately, we were not given the courtesy of seeing this motion to recommit until a matter of seconds before it was introduced. But, with that said, we will accept this motion, and we will consider it in conference where it can be considered under the light of more scrutiny.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, let me say I can understand the concerns of the opponent of this amendment. There are programs that are similar in the Department of Education. Let me point out only 15 percent of the graduates in the United States receive a degree in engineering, where in China it's 50 percent; in Singapore it's 67 percent. It would seem there is still room to improve this statistic in the United States. I support the gentlelady's amendment.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I thank my friend for yielding, but more importantly, I thank her for bringing this amendment before us. It really is an example of why diversity of collaboration helps you make better decisions. This was a niche that we simply overlooked; and with her help, as well as our fellow member of the Science Committee, Mrs. Biggert, we have a better bill. We thank you for the amendment. We thank you for another example of, again, why diversity helps us make better decisions. This is a good amendment. I support it.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I thank Ms. Jackson-Lee for her addition to this informational session here; and once again, let me say that I think Mr. Hall has a good amendment, and I support that amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, this is a good amendment and a thoughtful amendment and I recommend its passage. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I just quickly yield myself the balance of my time to say this truly has been a collaborative, bipartisan effort. I thank Mr. Hall and his very able staff. We have worked together. We have a good bill, and we need to pass this bill.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee).

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I thank Dr. Ehlers for his support for this bill, and his help in bringing it to the floor today. Mr. Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Baird), the chairman of the Subcommittee on Research and Science.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I thank Mr. McCaul for his support for this good bipartisan bill, and I yield 3 minutes to another Texan (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson), who is an active member of the Science and Technology Committee.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, let me thank my friend, Dr. Gingrey, for his support for this good bipartisan bill, and I yield 2 minutes to another active member of our committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. McNerney).

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself 30 seconds to absolutely concur with Mr. Hall in that we will work as a partnership as this bill works its way through. He has been a constructive partner, and I want to continue that partnership. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Arizona (Ms. Giffords), a valued member of our committee.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, we spent quite a bit of time on the last bill talking about ``Rising above the Gathering Storm,'' the report. It charts a course for continuing American prosperity in the decades to come. I recommend that my colleagues heed the warning of this report and pursue policies to implement its four major policy recommendations. One of those recommendations is to ``sustain and strengthen the Nation's traditional commitment to long-term basic research that has the potential to be transformational, to maintain the flow of new ideas that fuel the economy and provide security and enhance the quality of life.'' The Gathering Storm report goes on to propose specific high- priority action items to realize this recommendation. In this bill, H.R. 363, we have identified several of these action items that have broad bipartisan support. We call the bill the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Act. I want to thank my colleague, Mr. Hall from Texas, ranking minority member of the Committee on Science and Technology, who helped craft the current version of this bill. Six weeks ago, the committee voted unanimously to favorably report this bill. We have heard from such groups as The Business Roundtable and the Council of Competitiveness expressing their support for the bill. These organizations represent a broad spectrum of business interests, understand that new technology ideas are necessary for the U.S. prosperity in a global 21st century economy. In fact, some economists have estimated that half of the economic growth in the United States since World War II can be attributed to technological innovation. H.R. 363 is needed to prevent the United States from falling behind other nations whose national commitments to research are increasing, just as ours have been decreasing. The fear is not just about falling behind scientifically, it's about falling behind economically. The first two provisions of H.R. 363 focus on support for early- career scientists and engineers through grant programs at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. These grants will identify and support our best and brightest young researchers who are engaged in high-risk, high-reward research that is transformational or highly innovative. By focusing on young researchers, we promote new ideas and research on the frontiers of knowledge. The bill also supports graduate student training grants for individuals interested in research areas relative to industry's technological needs, establishes a Presidential Award for Innovation, creates a planning mechanism for maintaining the Nation's major research facilities, authorizes the National Science Foundation to support research on innovation, directs reports on Federal efforts to recruit new scientists and engineers, identifies NASA as a key player in the national competitiveness policy. This bill doesn't merely seek to fund all of science, it focuses on fostering the most innovative elements of a scientific enterprise. It is through research such as these that we lay a foundation for future of global economic competitiveness. In the future, a healthy scientific and technological enterprise spawns innovation, creating jobs that pay good wages and produces products that make our lives better. We must pave the way to that future, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on the bill, H.R. 362, as amended.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 362, and yield myself such time as I may consume for an opening statement. In 2005, the National Academies assembled a blue-ribbon committee of national leaders in academia, business and government to address concerns about the national prosperity and the global economy in the 21st century. The Academies' report was entitled, ``Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future.'' That report catalogs a number of worrisome indicators and presents recommendations that the Nation must follow to maintain its competitiveness. What did this distinguished committee tell us is most important to the future of the economic health of our Nation? Here is the first recommendation from the report: Increase America's talent pool by vastly improving K-12 science and mathematics education. The Gathering Storm report goes on to tell us where the focus should be in efforts to improve K-12 science and mathematics education. In brief, it says, ``Focus on the teachers.'' H.R. 362 follows that blueprint. In January, I partnered with Mr. Hall, ranking minority member on the Committee on Science and Technology, to introduce H.R. 362, whose purpose is to implement all of the action items from the Gathering Storm report and address the report's first recommendation. I want to thank Mr. Hall for his assistance in developing this bill. With his support, it was favorably reported by the Science and Technology Committee by a unanimous vote. This bill is endorsed by a wide variety of educational organizations and business coalitions, including the Association of American Universities, the Business Roundtable, the Council of Competitiveness, the National Education Association, the National Science Teachers Association, and the STEM Education Coalition. These organizations are enthusiastic about H.R. 362 because it will dramatically improve the national corps of math and science teachers. We call the first title of the bill ``10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act.'' The bill will create thousands of new teachers with content and teaching skill expertise in their area of teaching. The vehicle for accomplishing this goal is the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program at the National Science Foundation. Noyce awards go to universities that build model programs for recruiting math and science students into teaching. These programs provide mentoring, early field experiences, and a streamlined path toward teaching certification. Students who enroll in this program will receive $10,000-per-year scholarships. In return, they will make commitments of several years to the teaching profession. H.R. 362 will also create summer institutes and graduate programs that provide sustained, content-oriented professional development to in-service teachers through the Math and Science Partnership Program at the National Science Foundation. We have a critical shortage of math and science teachers in the U.S., and many of our math and science teachers have no degree or certification in the field they teach. In fact, 87 percent of middle school and 58 percent of high school physical science teachers lack these qualifications. This bill tackles this problem from both ends. On the one end, we bring in a new cadre of math and science teachers who are well-educated and well-prepared. That is what the Noyce program does. On the other end, we improve the teachers that we have through innovative, effective programs led by disciplinary faculty from higher education. That is what the Math and Science Partnerships program does. Other provisions of H.R. 362 include an expansion of the STEM Talent Expansion Program at the National Science Foundation, a program to enhance the undergraduate education of the future science and engineering workforce, and a pilot program at the NSF to improve laboratory science in high-need secondary schools. To maintain our high national standard of living, we need a workforce that is prepared in a world-class math and science education system. But there is a dark cloud looming. American students have performed poorly in recent years on an assortment of international tests of math and science achievement. That does not bode well for the future. Our next generation of innovators, where will they come from? That is what the gathering storm on the horizon is all about. To rise above it, we need to reform the math and science teaching profession. That is what this legislation now before us will do. The stakes are high and the concern is urgent. I urge my colleagues to support the passage of H.R. 362. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield such time as he may consume to my friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes).

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, the gentleman is absolutely correct. The NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program, as amended by H.R. 362, is specifically designed to help place highly qualified STEM teachers in every classroom across the Nation. I further agree with the gentleman that it is particularly important to reduce the number of out-of-field teachers in the schools that have a high proportion of minority students, who are currently underrepresented in science and technology.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield further, let me first of all thank the gentleman for his recommendation and assure you that it is my intention when we go to conference on H.R. 362 to work to increase the size of the Noyce scholarship to $12,000 per year for students who agree to carry out their teaching commitment in high-need schools.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, if the gentleman will yield further, I certainly do; and I once again thank the gentleman for bringing this up. As the gentleman points out, H.R. 362 now requires the National Science Foundation track the proportion of Noyce graduates who elect to teach in high-need schools. I will seek to expand this provision in conference to require NSF to assess the effect of increasing the size of scholarships on attracting graduates of the program to teach in high-need schools.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, once again we are on the same page. I agree with the gentleman that an important goal of the Noyce program is to reduce disparities in the distribution of highly qualified STEM teachers among schools in different regions of the Nation. I support the gentleman's proposed modification to section 103 of the bill and will pursue this change in conference.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, let me again thank the gentleman for his constructive efforts in making a good bill even better. Mr. Chairman, I include for the Record an exchange of letters between the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Education and Labor. Committee on Education and Labor, Washington, DC, April 3, 2007. Hon. Bart Gordon, Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman Gordon: I am writing to confirm our mutual understanding regarding consideration of H.R. 362, the ``10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act,'' which was referred to the Committee on Science. As you know, the Committee on Education and Labor has a jurisdictional interest in H.R. 362, particularly as we move forward to reauthorize the Higher Education Act this term. Given the importance of moving this bill forward promptly, I do not intend to request the sequential referral of H.R. 362 to the Committee on Education and Labor. However, I do so only with the understanding that this procedural route should not be construed to prejudice this Committee's jurisdictional interests and prerogatives on this bill or any other similar legislation and will not be considered as precedent for consideration of matters of jurisdictional interest to the Committee on Education and Labor in the future. In addition, should this bill or similar legislation be considered in a conference with the Senate, I would expect members of the Committee on Education and Labor to be appointed to the conference committee on such measures. Finally, I ask that you include a copy of our exchange of letters in your committee's report on H.R. 362 and in the Congressional Record during the consideration of this bill. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please do not hesitate to call me. I thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, George Miller, Chairman.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say amen to most of Dr. Ehlers' eloquent statement. He is a very constructive and positive force on our committee. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Honda), a former science teacher.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Rohrabacher) for his support for this bill, and I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) who has spent so much time working on the bill.

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin). (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Chairman, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).