Washington, D.C. – The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee today approved five bills with broad bipartisan support.
Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas): “These are all good bipartisan bills. H.R. 1119 directs the Administration to take steps to cut through administrative red tape to ensure our nation’s research investments are efficient and effective. H.R. 1156 will improve economic and national security and support U.S. foreign policy goals. H.R. 1162 promotes increased utilization of prize competitions within the federal government to create technological breakthroughs. H.R. 1158 shows this Committee stands together in wanting to further open up the capabilities and talents of the Department of Energy (DOE) to private sector innovators. And H.R. 874 calls on DOE to develop a pathway towards the next generation of supercomputing systems, also known as exascale systems.”
H.R. 1119, the Research and Development Efficiency Act, was introduced by Research and Technology Subcommittee Chair Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and co-sponsored by Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.). This is a bill to have Federal research regulations reviewed for unjustified burdens, unnecessary requirements, and duplication and to recommend cost saving reforms.
H.R. 1156, the International Science and Technology Cooperation Act of 2015, was introduced by Research and Technology Subcommittee Ranking Member Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and co-sponsored by Research and Technology Subcommittee Vice-Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Representatives Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.), Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.), and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.). This is a bill to authorize the establishment of a body under the National Science and Technology Council to identify and coordinate international science and technology cooperation opportunities.
H.R. 1162, the Science Prize Competitions Act, was introduced by Oversight Subcommittee Ranking Member Don Beyer (D-Va.) and co-sponsored by Oversight Subcommittee Vice-Chairman Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), and Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas). This is a bill to make changes to provisions authorizing prize competitions under the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980.
H.R. 1158, the Department of Energy Laboratory Modernization and Technology Transfer Act of 2015, was introduced by Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) and co-sponsored by Representative Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.) , Ranking Member Johnson (D-Texas), Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Energy Subcommittee Chairman Randy Weber (R-Texas), Energy Subcommittee Vice Chairman Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.), and Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas), and Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) amongst others. This legislation would improve management of the National Laboratories, enhance technology commercialization, and facilitate public-private partnerships.
H.R. 874, the American Super Computing Leadership Act, was introduced by Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-Ill.) and co-sponsored by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), and Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) amongst others. This legislation amends the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 to improve the high-end computing research and development program of the Department of Energy and establish an exascale computing program.
For more information on today’s markup, including all of the amendments offered and a link to the archived webcast, visit the Science, Space, and Technology Committee website.