David Wu

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the trailblazing accomplishments of the Mercury 13 women, whose efforts in the early 1960s demonstrated the capabilities of American women to undertake the human exploration of space. The Mercury 13 women were Myrtle Cagle, Geraldyn ``Jerri'' Cobb, Jan Dietrich, Marion Dietrich, Mary Wallace ``Wally'' Funk, Jane Briggs Hart, Jean Hixson, Gene Nora Stumbough Jessen, Irene Leverton, Sarah Lee Gorelick Ratley, Bernice ``Bea'' Trimble Steadman, Geraldine ``Jerri'' Sloan Truhill, and Rhea Hurrle Allison Woltman. All of these Mercury 13 women were accomplished pilots with commercial ratings or better and at least 2,000 hours of flying time, and they passed the same rigorous physical and psychological tests that the original Mercury 7 astronauts underwent. The Mercury 13 women were prepared to continue their service to America's space program, until they were informed that their testing program was cancelled. While the former Soviet Union flew the first woman in space in 1963, it was another 20 years before the United States flew Dr. Sally Ride as the first American woman in space in 1983. Mr. Speaker, I seek support for H. Res. 421 to honor the Mercury 13 women pioneers and to encourage young women to follow in the footsteps of the Mercury 13 women in pursuing careers of excellence in aviation and astronautics as well as in engineering and science. Times do change. I spent a chunk of my time last week at home during recess handing out space camp scholarships. At every stop, it wasn't clear whether the winner was going to be a boy or a girl; and the enthusiasm for space seemed to be relatively equal between the boys and the girls in the classes where we made such awards. In an aside, I would like to welcome China as a new nation among space-faring nations. There is an old Chinese saying, as there always is, that women hold up half the sky, and this recognition that American women have been participating in space long before 1983 is very, very appropriate at this point in time. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin, Dr. Kagen, and thank him for his leadership in bringing this legislation to the floor.

Mr. WU. There are no further speakers on this side, either, if the gentleman would care to close.

Mr. WU. I thank the gentleman from Florida. Mr. Speaker, again, I would like to recognize the good work of my colleague from Wisconsin, Dr. Kagen, for bringing this legislation to the floor. It is timely and it is timely recognition of a space program that includes everyone from America and now, because of the international space station and international space efforts, includes many people from around the world.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 446) honoring the life and accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra and expressing condolences on his passing.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H. Res. 446, the resolution now under consideration.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and accomplishments of one of our heroes of the American space program, astronaut Walter Schirra, known as Wally Schirra. In his 84 years, spanning 1923 to 2007, Captain Schirra took great risks on behalf of his country, including while serving in the Pacific during World War II. During the Korean War, Captain Schirra served our country as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron and flew 90 combat missions and downed at least one MIG fighter. In April of 1959, Wally Schirra was selected by NASA as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. On October 3, 1962, he became the third American to orbit the Earth when he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft on a six-orbit mission that lasted 9 hours 13 minutes and 11 seconds. As a brand new American who had just been in this country for a year and about 8 years old, I remember that, and I just remember that as one of the signal moments that I indeed had come to a country where anything and everything was possible, and Wally Schirra and others of the Mercury 7 group demonstrated that to America and to the world. Wally Schirra went on to pilot the Gemini 6A mission in 1965, which involved the first attempted rendezvous by two manned spacecraft in Earth orbit, and he made his third and final mission in October, 1968, as commander of the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7. During his career as an astronaut, Wally Schirra was the only astronaut to fly aboard all three generations of our late sixties-early seventies spacecraft, the Mercury, the Gemini and Apollo spacecraft. His outstanding service to the U.S. space program is marked by several awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Wally Schirra was a tireless advocate for discovery and spent his later years helping to connect children with the amazing possibilities that a career in space exploration can offer. Mr. Speaker, today, I seek the support of this Chamber to honor the life and accomplishments of astronaut Wally Schirra, to express condolences on his passing, and to recognize the profound importance of astronaut Schirra's record as a space pioneer and a long-time contributor to NASA's mission of space exploration, scientific advancement and education in the United States. Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that this Chamber honor Wally Schirra's achievements, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and accomplishments of Astronaut Walter Marty Schirra, one of our heroes of the American space program. In his 84 years of life spanning from 1923-2007, Captain Schirra took great risks on behalf of his country. During the Korean War, Captain Schirra served the country as an exchange pilot with the 154th Fighter Bomber Squadron and flew 90 combat missions and downed at least one MIG fighter. In April of 1959, ``Wally'' Schirra was selected by NASA as one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts. On October 3, 1962, he became the third American to orbit the Earth when he piloted his Sigma 7 spacecraft on a six-orbit mission that lasted 9 hours, 13 minutes, and 11 seconds. He went on to pilot the Gemini 6A mission in 1965, which involved the first attempted rendezvous by two manned spacecraft in Earth orbit, and he made his third and final mission in October 1968 as commander of the first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 7. During his career as an astronaut, Wally Schirra was the only astronaut to fly aboard the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecrafts, and his outstanding service to the U.S. space program is marked by several awards, including Distinguished Flying Crosses, Air Medals, NASA Distinguished Service Medals, and induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame. Wally Schirra was a tireless advocate for discovery and spent the later years of his life helping to connect children with the amazing possibilities that a career in space exploration can offer. Mr. Speaker, today I seek support to: honor the life and accomplishments of astronaut Walter ``Wally'' Schirra; to express condolences on his passing; and to recognize the profound importance of Astronaut Schirra's record as a space pioneer and a long-time contributor to NASA's mission as a catalyst to space exploration and scientific advancement in the United States. Mr. Speaker, it is only fitting that this House honor Wally Schirra's achievements, and I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of the resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1467) to authorize the National Science Foundation to award grants to institutions of higher education to develop and offer education and training programs.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 1467, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I and other Members of the Science and Technology Committee have been working on the issue of health care IT for several years. The genesis of this legislation, H.R. 1467, was a roundtable I held in Oregon in August 2005. This roundtable was followed by an Environment, Standards and Technology Subcommittee field hearing on health care information technology in February of 2006. Representative Reichert of Washington chaired the hearing, and our current ranking member, Mr. Hall, also had staff in attendance. One of the common issues raised at both of these events was the lack of trained people who are experts in both health care and in information technology. Despite the Federal focus on developing a national electronic health care record system, there is no systematic plan for the training of current and prospective professionals in both health care and IT. Without this specialized training, the technology can sit on health care provider's desks as a box, cold and unused rather than as an integrated system of health care doing what it should do. The need for individuals to manage health care IT is expected to grow 49 percent between 2000 and 2010, and nearly 75 percent of health care organizations indicate there are not enough qualified applicants for these positions. I would like to point out that the Science and Technology Committee has a history of developing specific and specialized training and research programs for IT professionals. During the 107th Congress, the committee became concerned that the lack of specialized computerized training for IT students and professionals was a contributing factor in the lack of decent computer security practices and software. As a result, the committee developed and moved H.R. 3394, the CyberSecurity Research and Development Act which subsequently became Public Law 107-305. The bill under consideration today, H.R. 1467, consists of four components. It authorizes the National Science Foundation, NSF, to award research grants for innovative approaches enhancing health care informatics. I want to make clear that this provision builds upon existing NSF activities. It authorizes NSF to support multidisciplinary health and medical informatics research centers to perform research and to train qualified health care informatics personnel and professionals. Next, it authorizes NSF to establish a grant program to improve undergraduate, master's and certificate programs in health care informatics. The goal is to increase the number of students and the quality of training in their field. This program allows both 4-year and 2-year institutions to participate as well as allowing for the development of continuing education curricula. Finally, it authorizes NSF's Advanced Technology Education Program which focuses solely on 2-year colleges to support improved education and technical training for health care informatics. H.R. 1467 is a bipartisan product of the Science and Technology Committee. Ranking Member Hall and I introduced this bill in the last Congress. In this Congress, we introduced this legislation, along with Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Gingrey of the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee. I have spoken to Dr. Gingrey about health care IT, and he knows from his firsthand experience the challenges involved in integrating IT into health care settings. We all recognize the benefits that an integrated health IT network could provide in terms of improved patient care, safety, privacy and potentially cost savings. However, investment in physical infrastructure and technology alone is not enough. We need research and training programs for health care and IT professionals in order to use and design the system well. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Texas for working with me, and his staff for working with our staff over a period of 3 years on this legislation. I inquire of the gentleman whether he has any additional speakers.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I thank the staff on both sides of the aisle on the Science Committee for working hard through two Congresses to bring this legislation to the floor, and I encourage all of my colleagues to vote for adoption of this legislation.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that Executive Communication 1370, the Department of Transportation's final rule, Human Space Flight Requirements for Crew and Space Flight Participants, be rereferred to the Committee on Science and Technology.

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and passing of a great man and a gentleman, Harold ``Hal'' Hart. He was a teacher, a father figure, a mentor and friend to thousands across Oregon and thousands scattered indeed around the world whose lives go on as a testament to the goodness that Hal instilled in others. A resident of Portland, Oregon, for most of his life, Mr. Hart lived a life that others could only dream of. Married to his high school sweetheart, Sally, and blessed with five daughters and eleven grandchildren, he never missed an opportunity to see the good in others. Nor did he miss an opportunity to bring out the best in others. An attorney with an unabashed respect for the law, Mr. Hart worked tirelessly to mend the shattered lives of young people. He was seen by judges as the ``go to'' lawyer when a child was in need of help, working pro bono to aid countless adoptions, custody cases and child support cases. When asked why he cared so much and gave so much in this cause, he would say that everyone has the right to a happy childhood. Outside of his professional life, Mr. Hart continued to give of himself. The founder and coach of Lincoln High School's Constitution program that won 13 consecutive Oregon State championships, including three national championships, and eight top 10 national finishes, he not only pioneered law-related education programs in the Portland metropolitan area, indeed, in that endeavor he was the Johnny Wooden of his field. One of his proudest moments, it was said, was when his students were given the opportunity to present their winning remarks to the U.S. Supreme Court, Members of the Senate, and to then Vice President Al Gore. Hundreds of his students have moved into the legal, teaching, government and service professions. A noted softball coach who established girls' softball at Ainsworth Grade School and Lincoln High School, Hal Hart was coaching a women's team up to the last week of his life. He was also a lifelong musician who supported himself through high school, college and law school playing clarinet and saxophone. As an adult, he played countless fundraisers with his jazz combo and the Providence Hospital Stage Band. While Mr. Hart quietly went about helping others, never asking for anything in return except that those that he helped be good people, he was recognized by countless organizations for the works that he did. The effect of Hal Hart on his community and on the lives of those who knew him cannot be overstated. He was loved by his teams and beneficiaries, respected by his adversaries, and he will be universally missed. While we have lost this great Oregonian, we find solace that so many others have been spurred on by his example. Throughout his years of teaching, he kept framed on his desk a few lines from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and they sum up his philosophy as follows: To laugh often and love much; to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children; to earn the approbation of honest citizens and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to give of oneself; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social position; to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exaltation; to know that one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded. Mr. Speaker, Hal Hart was a success by any measure and in so many different ways.

Mr. WU

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2272) to invest in innovation through research and development, and to improve the competitiveness of the United States.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2272, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2272 is the culmination of a year-and-a-half-long bipartisan effort by members of the Science and Technology Committee to pass a package of competitiveness bills in response to recommendations in the 2005 National Academy of Sciences report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm. H.R. 2272, the 21st Century Competitiveness Act of 2007, is simply a package of five bills, each of which already has passed the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority over the last 2 months. We created a single bill as a basis for initiating discussions with the other Chamber on a comprehensive competitiveness bill that we could send to the President for his signature this year. The five bills rolled into H.R. 2272 are H.R. 362, the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act; H.R. 363, the Sowing the Seeds through Science and Engineering Research Act; H.R. 1867, the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2007; H.R. 1868, the Technology Innovation and Manufacturing Stimulation Act of 2007; and H.R. 1068, to amend the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991. I want to thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall of the Science and Technology Committee for their bipartisan leadership on this bill and, in particular, on the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act. I also want to thank the ranking member of the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, Mr. Gingrey, and the Chair and ranking member of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee, Mr. Baird and Mr. Ehlers, for all of their hard work on the NIST and NSF bills. I also want to thank all of the members of the Science and Technology Committee on both sides of the aisle for their contributions to these bills and for helping to move every one of them expeditiously and unanimously through the committee. I especially want to thank the staff of the Science and Technology Committee on the majority side, Jim Wilson, Dahlia Sokolov, Colin McCormick, Mike Quear and our chief of staff, Chuck Atkins; on the minority side, Amy Carroll and Mele Williams. And my friend from the other side may have additional names to add to that list. Let me spend just a moment reminding my colleagues why we introduced this bill and why we urge support today. In 2005, the National Academies assembled a blue-ribbon committee of national leaders in academia, business and government to address concerns about national prosperity in the global economy of the 21st century. The Academies' report was titled Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future. That report cataloged a number of worrisome indicators about the U.S. position in an increasingly competitive world and provided recommendations to enable the Nation to maintain its competitiveness. The core recom- mendations are as follows: Recruit and train highly qualified science and math teachers; sustain and strengthen the Nation's traditional commitment to long-term, basic research; make the United States the most attractive setting in which to study and perform research so that we can develop, recruit and retain the best and brightest minds; ensure that the U.S. is the premier place in the world in which to innovate. The bill before us today goes a long way in addressing all of those recommendations. H.R. 2272 puts and keeps the National Science Foundation and the NIST research labs on a 10-year path to doubling their projects. The bill helps to train thousands of new teachers and provide current teachers with content and pedagogical expertise in their area of teaching. The bill expands programs to enhance the undergraduate education of our future science and engineering workforce. The bill expands early career grant programs for outstanding young investigators at both the NSF and the Department of Energy. The bill strengthens interagency planning and coordination for research infrastructure and information technology. Mr. Speaker, in this increasingly competitive world, where jobs are rapidly being outsourced and we are importing more high-tech products than we are exporting, now is the time to act. Now is the time to strengthen our support for the creativity, innovation and talented workforce that makes the United States unique and gives us our edge. The day our universities are no longer the most sought after in the world, the day we see a brain drain because our best and brightest young scientists and entrepreneurs can't get the funding to do their research and technology development here at home, the day that our innovation is outsourced, that is the day that truly concerns me. H.R. 2272 is a key piece of the innovation agenda to make sure that that day never comes. It has the support of many businesses, professional associations and higher education groups and has already been passed in its five pieces by an overwhelming majority of Members of the House on both sides of the aisle. Mr. Speaker, I once again want to thank Chairman Gordon and Ranking Member Hall and all the members of the Science and Technology Committee for their hard work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2272. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. WU. I would also like to thank my colleague, Mr. Mario Diaz- Balart, for his leadership on the committee and for his good works on these bills. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate to my colleagues that these are five pieces of legislation which have already passed the House of Representatives by massive margins. I urge all of my colleagues to support this unified version of the bill.