[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 6] [House] [Pages 8101-8115] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]AMERICA COMPETES REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2010 The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Halvorson). Pursuant to House Resolution 1344 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 5116. {time} 1014 In the Committee of the Whole Accordingly, the House resolved itself into the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the further consideration of the bill (H.R. 5116) to invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes, with Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas (Acting Chair) in the chair. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The Acting CHAIR. When the Committee of the Whole rose on Wednesday, May 12, 2010, a request for a recorded vote on amendment No. 34 printed in part B of House Report 111-479 by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri) had been postponed. Amendment No. 36 Offered by Ms. Chu The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 36 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Ms. CHU. I have an amendment at the desk. [[Page 8102]] The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 36 offered by Ms. Chu: Page 103, line 22, insert ``, including from a 2-year to a 4-year institution'' after ``to another''. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California. {time} 1015 Ms. CHU. Today, a woman sits in a classroom at East Los Angeles College, taking notes diligently as her professor explains the different types of inorganic chemical reactions. Sylvia is the first in her family to attend college. She can barely afford the low tuition rate, even though she works full time to help pay for books and put food on the table. She is the embodiment of the American Dream-- studying, persevering, working, all with the hope of transferring to a 4-year college to earn her bachelor's degree in chemistry. But the road ahead is tough. She struggles to find rigorous courses that meet the demands of the 4-year institutions. She doesn't have access to a chemistry lab and her community college cannot provide the research opportunities available to her fellow students at larger universities. But she represents our path to economic recovery. Her success is imperative to ensuring a skilled and diverse workforce for our Nation's future. That's why I have introduced to the America COMPETES Act an amendment to include the community college and to help STEM students, particularly women and underrepresented minorities, transition from a 2-year to a 4-year institution. It will ensure that all students, regardless of ethnicity or socioeconomic status, are afforded every opportunity to enter STEM fields. Without my amendment, we risk leaving Sylvia behind. We risk leaving her without the skills to earn a high- paying job that will provide her with the means to support her family and the skills to power our economic growth. Forty-four percent of all STEM bachelor's degree holders attend community college at some point in their careers. Many of these students represent the neediest in our society. They are the ones who sacrifice so much just to better themselves and improve their chance of success. Nationally, community college students are older, more likely to receive financial aid, are more likely to be the first in their family to attend college, and are more likely to work while earning their degree. These students are the embodiment of the American Dream, and they must not be forgotten. As a former professor at East Los Angeles College, I'm all too familiar with the hurdles these students face in working toward any bachelor's degree, much less those in the natural sciences or engineering. We need these students to succeed. By 2050, racial and ethnic minorities will make up over half of the college-age population. If we don't help them enter the most technologically competitive fields, we face a future in which America is no longer at the forefront of innovation. I urge support of my amendment and the overall bill so that Sylvia and so many other students like her have the skills they need to be competitive and to ensure America will stay competitive tomorrow. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairwoman, I rise to claim time in opposition to this amendment, although I do not intend to oppose it. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. HALL of Texas. We have no objection to the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. CHU. Madam Chair, I yield the balance of my time to the distinguished chairperson of the committee, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Let me just add that this is an excellent amendment that makes a good bill better; a good, bipartisan bill even better. And I thank the gentlelady for the content of this amendment. Ms. CHU. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Chu). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 38 Offered by Mrs. Halvorson The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 38 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 38 offered by Mrs. Halvorson: Page 106, line 3, strike ``Considerations.--In'' and insert ``Considerations.-- (1) In general.--In''. Page 106, line 8, insert ``and veterans'' after ``1885b)''. Page 106, after line 8, insert the following new paragraph: (2) Definition.--For purposes of this subsection, the term ``veteran'' means a person who-- (A) served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces of the United States for a period of more than 180 consecutive days, and who was discharged or released therefrom under conditions other than dishonorable; or (B) served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the Armed Forces of the United States and was discharged or released from such service for a service- connected disability before serving 180 consecutive days. For purposes of subparagraph (B), the term ``service- connected'' has the meaning given such term under section 101 of title 38, United States Code. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois. Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would also like to thank the gentleman from Tennessee, Chairman Gordon, for his very hard work on this very important legislation that will spur innovation, modernize our manufacturing base, and prepare our workforce for the next generation of good-paying jobs. I rise today in support of my amendment to the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act. My amendment is very simple. It will help expand career opportunities in science and engineering for veterans of our armed services. As the only Member from my State that serves on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, I am proud to stand up for the brave men and women who have served our country and our military. It is important for us to stand up for them not only when they are on Active Duty, but also when they return home. Unfortunately, too many of our veterans have difficulty finding jobs when they transition back into civilian life. With the veterans' unemployment rate at about 13 percent, well above the national average, we need to do everything we can to provide veterans with career opportunities. The America COMPETES Reauthorization Act establishes a new postdoctoral research fellowship program at the National Science Foundation. This program will award competitive, merit-based research fellowships for up to 3 years to graduates who have recently completed a doctoral degree in a field supported by the foundation. My amendment will instruct the director of the foundation to give consideration to the goal of promoting participation by veterans when evaluating applications. Many of our Nation's veterans specialize in science and engineering fields during their service in the military, and some of them even had the opportunity to pursue advanced degrees in these fields during their service. Others choose to continue their education in science and engineering by pursuing doctorate degrees after they leave Active Duty. My amendment will help these uniquely qualified veterans build careers in science and engineering by [[Page 8103]] encouraging them to compete for the new National Science Foundation postdoctoral research fellowships established by this bill. When our veterans ask for the opportunity to continue serving their country in the next generation of jobs, we should give them that chance, which is what my amendment seeks to do. Once again, I thank Chairman Gordon and his staff for working with me on this amendment, and I ask for the support of my colleagues. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairwoman, I rise to claim time in opposition to this amendment, although I do not oppose it. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. HALL of Texas. In fact, I'm in strong support of the amendment, as it reemphasizes language that I had accepted at the full committee markup and is now included in title VII. In my opinion, we can't do enough to assist our veterans who are returning to school after putting their lives on the line so that all of us can enjoy the freedoms that we have in this country. Likewise, I remain committed to helping those institutions of higher education that are also going above and beyond the norm in helping our veterans receive their education. I reserve the balance of my time. Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Chair, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from Tennessee, Chairman Gordon. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I thank the gentlelady and I commend my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Hall, for his continued commitment to veterans from World War II, like himself, and beyond. I also want to thank the gentlelady from Illinois for her good work on the Veterans Affairs' Committee and for this amendment promoting the inclusion of veterans in our STEM workforce. Many of our veterans have technical backgrounds already. With some additional training, they are well positioned to continue serving their country through research discoveries that will benefit society and improve our economic competitiveness. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson). The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mrs. HALVORSON. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois will be postponed. Amendment No. 44 Offered by Mr. Kratovil The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that the amendments numbered 40 and 41 will not be offered at this time. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 44 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Mr. KRATOVIL. Madam Chair, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 44 offered by Mr. Kratovil: Page 149, after line 21, insert the following new section: SEC. 305. ENCOURAGING FEDERAL SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS TO PARTICIPATE IN STEM EDUCATION. Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in consultation with the Department of Education, shall develop a policy to-- (1) increase volunteerism in STEM education activities by encouraging scientists and engineers from Federal science agencies conducting nonmilitary scientific research and development, including scientists and engineers of the federally funded research and development centers supported by those agencies, to volunteer in STEM education activities, and by providing administrative support for such scientists and engineers to engage in such volunteerism; and (2) support increased communication and partnerships between scientists and engineers from Federal science agencies conducting nonmilitary scientific research and development, including scientists and engineers of the federally funded research and development centers supported by those agencies, and elementary and secondary schools and teachers through volunteerism in STEM education activities. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Kratovil) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Maryland. Mr. KRATOVIL. Madam Chair, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chair, I rise in support of the Kratovil-Connolly amendment to the America COMPETES Act, as well as in support of the underlying bill. I would first like to thank the chairman, Mr. Gordon, for allowing the amendment and also for the opportunity to speak on its behalf. And I also want to thank my colleague and friend, Mr. Connolly, for his leadership on this issue as well. Simply put, Madam Chair, our amendment seeks to inspire students to enter the exciting, fascinating, and often times lucrative fields of science and innovation, by presenting them with real life experiences of the men and women who are leaders in these fields. Our amendment would encourage Federal employees working in the fields of science and engineering to volunteer their time and expertise in STEM educational activity. By sharing their stories with students, we hope to encourage students to study and pursue similar careers while preparing them for the competitive 21st-century global economy and workforce. Expanding and strengthening science and technology curricula will provide students with the tools they need to enter the workforce. Our amendment builds on this foundation by encouraging Federal scientists and engineers already working in these fields to volunteer their time and expertise to teach today's students how careers in these fields not only support American competitiveness but can contribute to their own professional growth. The America COMPETES Act will strengthen America's role in an increasingly competitive world while our amendment will bolster this effort by encouraging scientists and engineers to share their real- world experiences with what we hope will be future scientists and engineers. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, as well as the underlying bill. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairwoman, I rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not intend to oppose it. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chair, I support this amendment and would hope if it is accepted, the chairman would continue to work with us to clarify the administrative language as we move to conference. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. KRATOVIL. Madam Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly). {time} 1030 Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Chair, I thank my friend Mr. Kratovil from Maryland for his leadership, and I thank the chairman and the ranking member of the committee for their leadership on this important topic of STEM education. My 14 years in local government, helping to manage the 12th-largest school district in the United States and home to the number one high school in the United States 3 years in a row, a STEM high school, Thomas Jefferson, has taught me how important mathematics, science, engineering, and technology are for the future of our country, for competitiveness, American [[Page 8104]] competitiveness. In a recent international assessment of 15-year-old students, the United States ranked 28th in math literacy and 24th in science literacy. We can and must do better, and this amendment, I think, will move us a long way toward that goal so that every community in America will have this opportunity, and our children will have a bright future in the sciences, in math, in technology, and in engineering. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. KRATOVIL. Madam Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee, Chairman Gordon. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Let me inquire, how much time is left? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Maryland has 2\1/4\ minutes. The gentleman from Texas has yielded back his time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. First let me say, Madam Chair, to my friend and ranking member, I am not sure what the technical corrections are that he is concerned about, but I assure you that we will certainly start working on that to clean up any language that needs to be cleaned up. Additionally, I rise to support this good amendment. Scientists and engineers at the Federal science agencies have the experience and expertise to contribute greatly to STEM education. Whether it is through helping a teacher with a hands-on activity in the classroom, assisting with a local robotics competition, or serving as a mentor to a student, there are a variety of ways in which Federal scientists and engineers can volunteer their time to help improve STEM education. This amendment would increase volunteerism by scientists and engineers working in Federal agencies and would encourage the agencies to provide administrative support for those scientists and engineers to volunteer their time. I urge my colleagues to support this good bipartisan amendment. Mr. KRATOVIL. I yield back the remainder of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Kratovil). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 50 Offered by Mr. Flake The Acting CHAIR. The Chair understands that amendment No. 45 will not be offered at this time. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 50 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Mr. FLAKE. Madam Chairman, I rise as the designee of the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Quigley). The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 50 offered by Mr. Flake: Page 127, after line 13, insert the following new section: SEC. 256. SENSE OF CONGRESS. It is the sense of Congress that retaining graduate-level talent trained at American universities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields is critical to enhancing the competitiveness of American businesses. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Arizona. Mr. FLAKE. I thank the Chair. I believe this amendment is noncontroversial in nature. It merely adds sense of Congress language to the bill expressing that, ``retaining graduate-level talent trained at American universities in STEM fields is critical to enhancing the competitiveness of American businesses.'' According to the National Science Foundation, foreign students receive about half of all doctorates in engineering, mathematics, computer sciences, physics, and economics that are awarded in the United States. Unfortunately, growing backlogs in processing applications hamper the flexibility of U.S. employers to hire foreign- born talent with advanced degrees from American universities. These hurdles affect even doctoral graduates in STEM fields trained at U.S. universities, who either return home or seek employment in a country with a more welcoming immigration system. The loss of Ph.D. talent, trained at U.S. institutions and due to immigration redtape, to our competitors makes little sense, and it harms our economy. Researchers at Duke University and the University of California- Berkeley found that from 1995 to 2005, more than a quarter of engineering and technology companies started in the U.S. had at least one foreign-born founder, and in 2006, these companies employed 450,000 workers and produced $52 billion in sales. This amendment is supported by COMPETE America, American Council on International Personnel, and TechAmerica. I urge its adoption. This is important. We need to ensure that our economy is competitive moving forward, and we need to ensure that we have graduates in these STEM fields who can be here and lead these research efforts. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I rise in strong support of this good bipartisan amendment by my friend from Arizona (Mr. Flake) and Mr. Quigley from Illinois. This amendment recognizes the importance of attracting and retaining the best and brightest young scientists from around the world here to the United States. The ability of our Nation to innovate and to compete in a global economy is built on a foundation of basic research. Our universities' postdoctoral fellows, master's and Ph.D. students serve as the engine that drives our research enterprise. It is essential that we retain these STEM workers in the U.S. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan amendment, which makes a bipartisan bill even better, and I think it's the reason, Madam Chair, that this bill has received so much support. Over 1,000 major organizations and companies have endorsed this bill. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Business Roundtable, the Council on Competitiveness, the National Venture Capital Association TechAmerica, TechNet, Technology CEO Council, Telecommunications Industry Association, Energy Sciences Coalition, the Biotechnology Industry Association, on and on and on. So this is a good amendment to a good bill, and I urge its adoption. Mr. FLAKE. I thank the gentleman, the chairman of the committee, for agreeing to accept his amendment and for his support of this initiative, and for the ability of our economy to keep those who will help lead them into the future and help ensure that jobs stay here as to the extent possible. I urge adoption of the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake). The question was taken; and the Acting Chair announced that the ayes appeared to have it. Mr. FLAKE. Madam Chair, I demand a recorded vote. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, further proceedings on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona will be postponed. Amendment No. 51 Offered by Mr. Salazar The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 51 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Chair, I rise today to offer an amendment to H.R. 5116. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 51 offered by Mr. Salazar: Page 138, line 5, strike ``and''. Page 138, line 9, strike the period and insert ``; and''. [[Page 8105]] Page 139, after line 9, insert the following new paragraph: ``(6) professional training for energy auditors, field technicians, and building contractors, in the areas of building energy retrofits and audits or related renewable energy technology installations.''. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Colorado. Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Chair, I would like to thank Chairman Gordon for this wonderful bill that will actually create jobs. My amendment adds training for energy auditors, field technicians, and building contractors to promote the use of energy retrofits and energy-efficient technology to the list of programs that may be included in the Department of Energy's STEM education activities. Madam Chair, I have long been an advocate for clean energy and a balanced approach to meeting our energy needs while preserving our natural resources. As we continue to expand our use of renewable sources of energy, it is important that we have a well trained and knowledgeable workforce in place to take advantage of every job opportunity that is created. Alternative energy is an economic boon for rural districts like the one I represent. The Third Congressional District of Colorado is leading the way with innovations in solar, wind, and woody biomass. In the San Luis Valley, where I live, there is currently an 8-megawatt solar farm with an additional 1,000 megawatts of solar in the works. However, it is critical to reduce the cost to America's families and our impact on the environment that the men and women who build, repair, and refurbish our homes and infrastructure incorporate green technology in their operations. In a recent study, scientists at the Department of Energy's Berkeley Laboratory examined the workforce needs of the energy-efficiency services sector. They found that the rate of employment growth will depend in part on how effectively the Nation deploys training and education programs for the energy-efficiency workforce. It is estimated that the size of the energy-efficiency sector workforce is currently at about 120,000 full-time workers. That number would go as high as 400,000 when including part-time workers. If we want to ensure the growth of job opportunities, we must secure the training programs that will allow Americans to take advantage and excel in these fields. By doing so, we will not only take important steps to reduce energy consumption, but we will enhance national security by reducing the country's dependence on foreign sources of energy. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to lend their support to my amendment and the underlying legislation. The America COMPETES reauthorization is an important job creation tool, and will put the necessary funding and focus where it's needed most. With that, Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairwoman, I rise to claim time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. HALL of Texas. In addition to being too narrowly focused, I do not believe this type of activity is in the spirit of what STEM programs really should do at the department. Therefore, I oppose the amendment. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Chair, this amendment is critical to creating the job force that would actually help increase the number of people that are trained for renewable and alternative energies. With that, Madam Chair, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Tennessee, Chairman Gordon. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, Mr. Salazar's amendment would provide DOE with the authority to conduct training for energy auditors, field technicians, and building contractors so they can understand and promote the use of renewable energy and energy-efficiency technology. Energy efficiency and conservation will have the greatest near-term impact of any approach to our energy security and global climate change concerns. Today's buildings consume 40 percent of our country's energy, more than any other sector of the U.S. economy. A new study by scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examined the workforce needs of the energy-efficiency service sector and found that there is a shortage of formal training programs in energy efficiency. This same study found that the building and construction trades and contractors have limited awareness of the energy-efficiency service sector. That is why this amendment adds technical training for energy professionals to the Department of Energy education programs authorized under this section, and it makes a good bipartisan bill even better. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. SALAZAR. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Salazar). The amendment was agreed to. Amendment No. 52 Offered by Mr. Schock The Acting CHAIR. It is now in order to consider amendment No. 52 printed in part B of House Report 111-479. Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendment. The text of the amendment is as follows: Amendment No. 52 offered by Mr. Schock: Page 191, after line 5, insert the following new paragraph (and redesignate subsequent paragraphs accordingly): ``(5) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall give special consideration to an eligible recipient who agrees to collaborate with local workforce investment area boards. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock) and a Member opposed each will control 5 minutes. The gentleman from Illinois is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Chairman, I rise to offer this amendment to the America COMPETES Act, which ensures the innovative and intellectual prowess and technical minds of the currently unemployed are taken into account during the formation of the underlying regional innovation clusters. While I have some reservations about the current overly broad language in this section of H.R. 5116, I nonetheless believe it is important to provide these regional innovation clusters with the best partnerships available. That is why I'm offering this amendment to instruct the Secretary of Commerce to give priority to those innovative clusters that work with local Workforce Investment Area, or commonly referred to WIA boards. The WIA boards serve the unemployed by providing them with specific resources that help them improve their abilities and skills to get hired. Local WIA boards are typically known for hosting career fairs, providing continuing education assistance, and working on resume and job improvement strategies. WIA boards offer One-Stop Career Service Centers and take the time to get to know the unemployed citizens in their neighborhood. WIA boards are often on the front lines of providing assistance to unemployed workers. They are in the best position to know the demographics of those who have been let go from jobs and understand the skills that these displaced workers have. {time} 1045 In addition to helping individuals, WIA boards also work with employers to help them fill the jobs they have vacant. In my hometown of Peoria, Illinois, the WIA board provided 19,094 individuals with career services last year, a 44 percent increase over the previous year. The WIA board has recently implemented a program called JobFit, which is a Web-based job matching and assessment tool that places individuals with companies that best suit their personality and skills. It is this type of [[Page 8106]] matching service that will be vital to regional innovation clusters. My amendment uses a similar concept by encouraging regional innovation clusters to partner with their local WIA board. WIA boards have been unsung heroes during these tough economic times, and I believe encouraging partnerships between the WIA boards and regional clusters will allow access to a well-trained workforce, which will have a positive impact on regional economic growth, and provide the expertise to bring many of these new manufacturing innovation and technology improvements into the marketplace. If the purpose of the regional innovation clusters is to spur technological innovation, then the Workforce Investment Area boards will be able to provide employees whose skills those innovations require. The technology that will come to the marketplace will need a skilled workforce to utilize this technology. As such, local WIA can help to match the new technology with skilled employees who are looking for work. At a time when the national unemployment rate is 9.9 percent, this commonsense amendment will utilize the skills of unemployed workers in order to keep America globally competitive. I urge adoption of this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I do not oppose the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. There was no objection. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I want to congratulate the gentleman from Illinois for his outstanding amendment. It would instruct the Secretary of Commerce to give special consideration to innovation clusters that partner with local workforce investment boards. It makes a good bipartisan bill better. I also want to congratulate the gentleman from Illinois for his recent win in the 3-mile Capitol Challenge. I think after 20 years it is a good thing we have a new winner, and I wish him good luck for the next 18 years. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SCHOCK. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schock). The amendment was agreed to. Amendments En Bloc No. 3 Offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I have amendments en bloc at the desk. The Acting CHAIR. The Clerk will designate the amendments en bloc. Amendments en bloc No. 3 offered by Mr. Gordon of Tennessee consisting of amendments numbered 2, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 37, 40, 41, 45, 53, and 54 printed in part B of House Report 111-479: Amendment No. 2 Offered by Mr. Cardoza of California The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 174, after line 13, insert the following: SEC. 412. GREEN MANUFACTURING AND CONSTRUCTION. The Director shall carry out a green manufacturing and construction initiative to-- (1) develop accurate sustainability metrics and practices for use in manufacturing; (2) advance the development of standards and the creation of an information infrastructure to communicate sustainability information about suppliers; and (3) improve energy performance, service life, and indoor air quality of new and retrofitted buildings through validated measurement data. Amendment No. 28 Offered by Mr. Marshall of Georgia The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 176, line 6, strike ``within'' insert the following: ``, including those focused on the needs of small businesses and rural communities, within''. Amendment No. 29 Offered by Mr. Michaud of Maine The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 194, strike lines 1 through 4 and insert the following: ``(2) Collaboration.-- ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall explore and pursue collaboration with other Federal agencies, including through multiagency funding opportunities, on regional innovation strategies. ``(B) Small businesses.--The Secretary shall ensure that such collaboration with Federal agencies prioritizes the needs and challenges of small businesses.''. Amendment No. 30 Offered by Mr. Michaud of Maine The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 191, after line 5, insert the following: ``(C) Special consideration.--The Secretary shall give special consideration to applications from regions that contain communities negatively impacted by trade. Amendment No. 31 Offered by Mr. Michaud of Maine The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 131, line 22, insert before the semicolon the following: ``, including the unique needs of schools in rural areas''. Amendment No. 32 Offered by Mr. Ruppersberger of Maryland The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 102, line 3, insert ``(a) Matching Requirement.--'' before ``Section 10A''. Page 102, after line 9, insert the following new subsection: (b) Retiring STEM Professionals.--Section 10A of the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (42 U.S.C. 1862n-1a) is amended in subsection (a)(2)(A) by inserting ``including retiring professionals in those fields,'' after ``mathematics professionals,''. Amendment No. 33 Offered by Mr. Ruppersberger of Maryland The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 127, after line 13, insert the following new section: SEC. 256. CYBER-ENABLED LEARNING FOR NATIONAL CHALLENGES. The Director shall, in consultation with appropriate Federal agencies, identify ways to use cyber-enabled learning to create an innovative STEM workforce and to help retrain and retain our existing STEM workforce to address national challenges, including national security and competitiveness. Amendment No. 37 Offered by Mr. Ellsworth of Indiana The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 246, after line 8, insert the following new section: SEC. 704. LIMITATION. No funds authorized to be appropriated by this Act or the amendments made by this Act may be used to purchase gift items, knickknacks, souvenirs, trinkets, or other items without direct educational value. Amendment No. 40 Offered by Mr. Heinrich of New Mexico The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 189, line 11, strike ``partnership'' and insert ``partnership, a science park, a Federal laboratory''. Amendment No. 41 Offered by Mr. Heinrich of New Mexico The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 245, after line 2, insert the following: Subtitle E--Technology Transfer Database SEC. 651. TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER DATABASE. To support the commercial application of new energy technologies development by the Department of Energy, the Secretary of Energy may establish an online database of technologies, capabilities, and resources available to the public at the National Laboratories. Amendment No. 45 Offered by Mr. McNerney of California The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 133, line 25, strike ``and''. Page 133, after line 25, insert the following new clause: ``(vi) marine and hydrokinetic technology systems; and Page 135, line 23, strike ``and''. Page 135, after line 23, insert the following new clause: ``(vi) marine and hydrokinetic technology systems; and Amendment No. 53 Offered by Mr. Space of Ohio The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 174, after line 13, insert the following: SEC. 412. MANUFACTURING RESEARCH. (a) In General.--The Director shall carry out a program to support transformational manufacturing research. (b) Activities.--As part of such program, the Director shall-- (1) develop and disseminate measurement tools and capabilities for new additive manufacturing and robotics technologies and methods; (2) establish new techniques and methods to efficiently generate and assemble products integrating nanoscale materials and devices; and (3) carry out other research with significant transformational potential for manufacturing. [[Page 8107]] Amendment No. 54 Offered by Ms. Titus of Nevada The text of the amendment is as follows: Page 121, beginning on line 7, strike ``STEM teacher professional development'' and insert ``pre-service and in- service STEM teacher training and professional development''. The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to House Resolution 1344, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, this is a very good en bloc set of amendments that again makes this bipartisan bill even better. I think one of the byproducts of having such a very good bill is we have so many organizations, over a thousand organizations and major companies that have endorsed the bill, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers, Information Technology Industry Council, Business Roundtable, Council on Competitiveness, National Venture Capital Association, TechAmerica, TechNet, Technology CEO Council, the Telecommunication Industry Association, the Biotechnology Industry Association, the Aerospace Industries Association, the Computing Technology Industry Association, the Fabricators & Manufacturers Association, the National Defense Industrial Association, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. I can go on and on. In the university area, the American Council on Education, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, Association of American Public Universities, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. This is a very important bill for our country and it is for our competitiveness and for our kids and grandkids, and it is going to create jobs in the short term, in the intermediate term, and in the long term. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Most of the 13 amendments rolled into this en bloc package are minor and noncontroversial, and we are generally supportive. I do, however, want to make comments regarding potential issues with two of these amendments: Cardoza amendment No. 2 and Heinrich amendment No. 59. I note some concern regarding the Heinrich amendment included in this en bloc, which makes Federal laboratories eligible grant recipients under the regional innovation cluster programs. While it would be appropriate for entities such as DOE national laboratories to compete for and receive the type of funding called for in the clusters program, the definition of ``Federal laboratories'' goes far beyond this. It could include almost any agency laboratory and essentially result in taxpayer funding from one Federal agency being redistributed to a different Federal agency. There are a host of problems with this, but first and foremost, it is clearly not an ideal way to fund innovation. I want to note these concerns regarding the amendment for the record, although I do not plan to oppose the entire en bloc that includes this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza). Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Chair, I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Chair, while unemployment is still at a record high in my district, the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act is an important opportunity for us to invest in creating a brighter, more resilient economic future. Manufacturing is leading the early stages of the recovery in California. In fact, I am told that next year could bring the first annual increase in California manufacturing employment in a decade. Madam Chair, now is the time for us to support the manufacturing sector in our country. Energy costs are rising and consumer demand is up for sustainable products. Sustainability will be a key element for keeping our manufacturing sector competitive. Even now, manufacturers are trying to find ways to incorporate emerging sustainable technologies into their businesses. My amendment will help manufacturers respond quickly and effectively to the demand for more sustainable practices by instructing the NIST Director to carry out a green manufacturing and construction initiative that gives manufacturers the information they need to make sound, science-based sustainable investments. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this commonsense amendment. I understand that my good friend, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hall) does have some concerns, and I anticipate that he might want to engage in a colloquy, and I stand ready to do that with the gentleman from Texas. Madam Chair, while unemployment is still at a record high in my district, the reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act is an important opportunity for us to invest in creating a brighter, more resilient economic future. The University of California, Merced campus in my district has received millions of Research and Development dollars that are being used to develop new technologies and to train a new generation of scientists, engineers, and teachers. As this new technology is developed, it is also in our nation's best interests to make sure that we find ways to make it profitable for our businesses to implement. Last month, the University of the Pacific published its California Business Forecast report. And, with the notable exception of Toyota's NUMMI plant closure, manufacturing is leading the early stages of the economic recovery in California. In fact, next year could bring the first annual increase in California manufacturing employment in a decade. Madam Chair, now is the time to support the manufacturing sector in our country. Energy costs are rising and consumer demand is up for sustainable products. Sustainability will be one important element for keeping our manufacturing sector competitive. Even now, manufacturers are trying to find ways to incorporate emerging sustainable technology into their business practices. The Sun Chips plant in my district in the City of Modesto is a leader in utilizing sustainable technology. It is cutting back on its environmental impact by using a solar collector field to produce thermal energy to make its snacks. My amendment will help other companies embrace similar sustainability goals and make a profit because of it. It will help other manufacturers respond quickly and effectively to the demand for more sustainable practices by instructing the National Institute of Standards and Technology Director to carry out a green manufacturing and construction initiative that gives manufacturers the information they need to make sound, science-based sustainable investments. There are more than 335,000 manufacturing plants in the United States, and my amendment will give them the information they need to adopt the best sustainable practices and to be technologically competitive in the twenty-first century. I ask my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this common sense amendment. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chair, the Cardoza amendment directs NIST to carry out a green manufacturing and construction initiative. While I understand NIST already funds some research in this area, I do have a concern about the intent of some of the language in the amendment. Accordingly, I have asked that the gentleman from California (Mr. Cardoza) engage in a colloquy to clarify this for the record. Paragraph 2 of this amendment directs NIST to advance the ``creation of an information infrastructure to communicate sustainability information about suppliers.'' It is accurate, I think, to say that this language does not mean that NIST should characterize specific suppliers' sustainability practices but, rather, will simply ``make information available to manufacturers so they can make informed and science-based decisions to assess their products and supply chain.'' I yield to the gentleman from California. Mr. CARDOZA. Madam Chair, yes, that interpretation is correct, and I thank the gentleman for his colloquy. Mr. HALL of Texas. I thank the gentleman. [[Page 8108]] The Cardoza amendment directs NIST to carry out a green manufacturing and construction initiative. While I understand NIST already funds some research in this area, I do not have a concern about the intent. I think the colloquy has been appropriate. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), a constructive player in this good bill. Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia. Madam Chair, I want to thank the distinguished chairman of the committee. This body is going to miss the distinguished chairman of the committee. He has always operated in a bipartisan fashion and has provided thoughtful and compelling leadership on issues of science and technology so badly needed in our country. This bill really is a very thoughtful bill that comes at a critical point. The United States has been seeing erosion in its preeminence in the field of innovation in science and technology. This bill is designed to sort of address that in a very creative way itself. It provides for more funding of basic research in the United States. We know that basic research leads to inventions, patents, improvements in manufacturing processes that can really make a difference in the quality of our lives. The technology we live with and take for granted today didn't exist 30 years ago, and it has transformed America and it has transformed the world, thanks in many, many ways to the basic research investments the United States Federal Government made some time ago. This bill allows us to tap into the research already underway in the NIST labs, for example, and that is a real challenge. I can tell you as somebody who spent 20 years in the private sector in the technology field, often people doing research aren't the ones who necessarily can always see the myriad application of that research in the marketplace. So the need to be able to recognize the application of research and to help in the commercialization of that research to improve lives and to improve America's competitiveness is really something we need more of. This bill helps do that. I had two amendments with my colleagues, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Reyes) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Kratovil), which address the underlying education piece of this bill which is so important. We are not producing sufficient numbers of engineers and scientists and technologists for the future in the United States. We need to tap into the talent that is there. I have spent a lot of time in my district helping to support robotics competition teams in high schools. The excitement of those young students in being able to get hands-on experience in research and development and in the application of that research and development in the form of a competition with robotics technology was a marvel to behold. Kingman Brewster, the late president of Yale University, once said: Without excitement, there is no learning. There was lots of excitement on the part of these high school students in the robotics research, and as a result there was a lot of learning, and a lot of future engineers and technologists and scientists as a result. This bill will help us tap into that talent. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chair, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chair, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus). Ms. TITUS. Madam Chair, I thank Chairman Gordon for his leadership on this important legislation that will strengthen American competitiveness. I rise today in support of my amendment, which is part of the en bloc amendment, which clarifies that both preservice and in-service teacher training and professional development shall be considered when identifying the grand challenges in pre-K through 12 STEM education. {time} 1100 For our country to be economically competitive in the 21st century, we must ensure that all of our students have a strong foundation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the STEM fields. The underlying bill before us recognizes this fact and instructs the director of the National Science Foundation and the Secretary of Education to work together to identify the grand challenges in STEM education and how to best address them. While the bill currently includes the effectiveness of STEM teacher professional development as a subject to be studied as a grand challenge, the bill does not mention the training that soon-to-be- teachers receive before they enter the classroom. My amendment highlights the fact that teacher pre-service and training preparation programs have an important part to play in ensuring that future teachers will be well-equipped to give our students a strong foundation in the STEM fields. Teacher preparations generally provide future teachers with the knowledge and skills they need to be effective classroom instructors, so we must be sure that that includes preparation they need to teach the STEM subjects. Future teachers must be educated in the latest technology, the newest theories, the cutting-edge developments in the STEM fields so they can give our students the tools they need to compete in the global economy. My amendment therefore directs that pre- service teacher training and professional development shall also be considered when addressing the grand challenges of K-12 STEM education. So I would urge my colleagues to support this important bill, to support this en bloc amendment, and to help prepare our teachers to prepare our children for the jobs of tomorrow. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I reserve my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlelady from Maryland (Ms. Edwards), a new member of our Science and Technology Committee, but one that has made a great contribution in a short time. Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. Madam Chairman, I would like to first say thank you very much to our Chairman Gordon, who's been a really tremendous leader, and especially as we move forward. What I think is-- I know it's the America COMPETES Act--but I think of it as the 21st- century America COMPETES Act. And it's also been quite a pleasure to work with Ranking Member Hall as well on getting this to the floor. I'm a strong supporter of America COMPETES, and it's pretty simple: either we're going to be in the 21st century competitive with nations around the world, or not. And I believe the America COMPETES Act, this en bloc amendment, and specifically several amendments, I think really strengthen what we've been able to achieve in our Science and Technology Committee. The COMPETES Act I think is one of the most important votes we're going to take in this Congress, and we're fortunate to be able to do work that really is about the future. Too often here in the Congress we have to do things that are just about the short term. And right here we have a vision that's really about the next decade and about whether we're going to be competitive, and whether all of our people, our young people, will be competitive, about whether we're going to create the Ph.D.s that are on the cutting edge of the next innovations for the 21st century, about whether we'll have businesses and our manufacturing sector that really is engaged in this century, not the old manufacturing of the 20th century, but the new manufacturing of the 21st century, around energy, around green technologies. And this is what America COMPETES is about. I want to tell you a little bit about an experience I had just 2 weeks ago. It was on a Saturday morning; and every Saturday morning, for the last several months, a group of elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students gathered at Bladensburg High School out in my congressional district, part of a CSTEM program, part of a challenge program, working with each other collaboratively, the young people learning from the older students, working on [[Page 8109]] projects that would enable them to really become critical thinkers in science, technology, engineering and math, working on robotics together, with a group of teachers who volunteer their time every Saturday morning to work with these young people. And you know how they did it? They did it because they're part of America COMPETES. And this is what I think needs to happen in every classroom across the country, from pre-kindergarten to high school and on to the upper grades. Now, this group of students was able to compete in the CSTEM challenge in Houston just a week ago, and they competed with young people all across this country in those early year, elementary years through high school years. And it was a rewarding experience for them. I think that America COMPETES is about that set of young people because we don't know, in that room, which of those young people who get the benefit of learning to experience science and technology and to grab it at an early age, we don't know which ones of those young people will be on the cutting edge of the next innovation that's going to propel us even into the next century. And so I'm excited about being here today to support the America COMPETES Act and support a number of amendments that I think really strengthen what we're doing, particularly the amendment offered by my colleague Dina Titus from Nevada that really is looking in a very systemic way at what happens between kindergarten and 12th grade. What we know is that when we invest in young people at the earliest age and get them the kind of teachers that they need in the classroom, it is not when they get into college that they decide they want to take on science and technology. They make those decisions and they get prepared from kindergarten to fourth grade, and so what we're doing here really strengthens our ability for competition. The Acting CHAIR. The time of the gentlewoman has expired. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I yield the gentlelady 30 seconds more. Ms. EDWARDS of Maryland. And, finally, looking at what we're doing in the manufacturing sector, we have amendments that strengthen the manufacturing extension partnerships that really allow the National Institutes of Standards and Technology in my congressional district to better reflect the needs and challenges facing manufacturers today. And so I urge my colleagues to support the underlying bill, to support the en bloc amendments, and to propel us into the 21st century to be competitive with nations around the world. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I continue to reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fattah), a cardinal on the very important Appropriations Committee. Mr. FATTAH. I want to congratulate the chairman of the committee and the sponsor of this important piece of legislation. Bart Gordon has done our country a great service through his work, both in the original authorization and now in this reauthorization, and his staff and members of the committee. I rise to support the America COMPETES Act. I think that the Energy Innovation Hubs, the focus on STEM education and innovation represent in important ways the very future of our economy. As we go forward, we will look back on this day as a very important day in terms of laying the foundation for protecting and enhancing the American standard of living. I'm reminded, hearing the gentlelady from Maryland speak, of a group of young people in my district who have won the Tour de Sol three times, who are now in the final grouping competing worldwide for the X prize, developing a car that can go 100 miles an hour. Now, these young people are the only high school team out of 100 teams that started this enterprise fighting, competing against colleges, universities, professional entities that own worldwide car companies, but they have been ranked by Popular Mechanics as one of the top 10 finalists that will probably win the X prize. But we've seen in robotics and engineering and science that our young people have the ability to compete. We need to foster their sense of innovation and not have them be risk averse. This bill and its work in this area of STEM education is so vitally important. I want to thank the gentlelady, Congresswoman Fudge from Ohio, for her work, and the chairman for making sure that STEM education got the kind of focus, laser-like focus, it needed in this legislation. The ranking member has done a great job. This is a great day, a bipartisan piece of legislation that invests in creating future jobs in our economy through the one thing that we know is indispensable to make this world a better place, and that's American ingenuity, innovation. This invests in it. And Bart Gordon, this great Congressman has done our country a great service, and I want to thank him for his leadership in this effort. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Chairman, we're coming to the end of the discussion on this bill, so let me just--again, I want to thank the staff, the minority and majority staff, the Members who have put so much time into this. This is not only a good substantive bill; it is a good bill by process. We had 46 hearings on this bill resulting in three different subcommittee bipartisan markups that went to a full committee bipartisan markup, which brought this bill to the floor today. This is a good bill. In 2007, the original authorization received 367 Members that voted for it. I hope that we will be able to see that same type of vote again. Then it went to the United States Senate because this is not only a bipartisan bill; it is a bicameral bill. In the United States Senate there were 69 cosponsors, and it received a unanimous vote on the Senate--on the other body's floor. Much of that credit goes to Lamar Alexander from Tennessee and Jeff Bingaman. And I told Lamar Alexander the other day that if he can get 69 cosponsors again and get a unanimous vote, that I will nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize and special envoy to the Mid East. He did yeoman's work, and I'm sure he will do it again. This is a good bipartisan bill and should get a good bipartisan vote. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. HALL of Texas. Madam Chairman, I would like simply to conclude by reiterating some key points about H.R. 5116, the America COMPETES Act of 2010. I've said on numerous occasions that we should support strengthening investments in basic research and science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. National investments in basic R&D and STEM education, together with sound economic policies form the policy basis of what's necessary for the country to truly remain competitive in the future. I can't support this bill, however, because it calls for excessive spending levels, numerous new and duplicative programs, ineffective oversight and positive shifts that could lead to the government picking ``winners and losers.'' It's for these reasons that the National Taxpayers Union and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste have come out against this bill. I would urge Members to vote ``no'' on H.R. 5116. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Madam Chairman, has my time expired? The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Tennessee has yielded back his time. Does the gentleman from Tennessee seek to reclaim his time? Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Yes, Madam Chairman. {time} 1115 The Acting CHAIR. Without objection, the gentleman is recognized. There was no objection. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I will just reclaim a small part of it. I just want [[Page 8110]] to thank my ranking member, Mr. Hall from Texas, for the gentlemanly way that he has conducted himself today and in all of our meetings. Maybe it is because I am from Tennessee and he is from Texas, but we share a lot of the same views. We have the same interest in seeing that our country move forward in this 21st century. I don't have grandkids yet, but I know that for his kids and grandkids he wants to see us move forward. For my 9-year-old daughter I want to see us move forward. As I say, we agree most of the time. Every now and then we don't. But no one could have a better partner, and I thank him for his cooperation on this bill. I yield back the balance of my time. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendments en bloc offered by the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon). The amendments en bloc were agreed to. ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE ACTING CHAIR The Acting CHAIR. Pursuant to clause 6 of rule XVIII, proceedings will now resume on those amendments printed in part B of the House Report 111-479 on which further proceedings were postponed, in the following order: Amendment No. 34 by Mr. Boccieri of Ohio; Amendment No. 38 by Mrs. Halvorson of Illinois; Amendment No. 50 by Mr. Flake of Arizona. The Chair will reduce to 5 minutes the time for any electronic vote after the first vote in this series. Amendment No. 34 Offered by Mr. Boccieri The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boccieri) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The Clerk will redesignate the amendment. The Clerk redesignated the amendment. Recorded Vote The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded. A recorded vote was ordered. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 248, noes 171, not voting 17, as follows: [Roll No. 267] AYES--248 Ackerman Altmire Andrews Arcuri Baca Baird Baldwin Barrow Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Boccieri Bordallo Boren Boswell Boucher Boyd Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Bright Brown, Corrine Butterfield Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carson (IN) Castor (FL) Chandler Childers Chu Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Connolly (VA) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Crowley Cuellar Cummings Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (IL) Davis (TN) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Deutch Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly (IN) Driehaus Edwards (MD) Edwards (TX) Ehlers Ellison Ellsworth Engel Eshoo Etheridge Faleomavaega Farr Fattah Filner Foster Frank (MA) Fudge Garamendi Giffords Gonzalez Gordon (TN) Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene Grijalva Gutierrez Hall (NY) Halvorson Hare Harman Hastings (FL) Heinrich Herseth Sandlin Hill Himes Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holden Holt Hoyer Inslee Israel Jackson (IL) Jackson Lee (TX) Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick (MI) Kilroy Kind Kissell Klein (FL) Kosmas Kratovil Kucinich Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (GA) Lipinski Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lujan Lynch Maffei Maloney Markey (CO) Markey (MA) Marshall Matheson Matsui McCarthy (NY) McCollum McDermott McGovern McIntyre McMahon McNerney Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Melancon Michaud Miller (NC) Miller, George Minnick Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy (NY) Murphy, Patrick Nadler (NY) Napolitano Neal (MA) Norton Nye Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Payne Perlmutter Perriello Peters Peterson Pierluisi Pingree (ME) Polis (CO) Pomeroy Price (NC) Quigley Rahall Rangel Reyes Richardson Rodriguez Ross Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Ruppersberger Ryan (OH) Sablan Salazar Sanchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Schakowsky Schauer Schiff Schmidt Schrader Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Sestak Shea-Porter Sherman Shuler Sires Skelton Smith (WA) Snyder Space Speier Spratt Stark Stupak Sutton Tanner Taylor Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Titus Tonko Towns Tsongas Van Hollen Velazquez Visclosky Walz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Wilson (OH) Woolsey Wu Yarmuth NOES--171 Aderholt Adler (NJ) Akin Alexander Austria Bachmann Bachus Bartlett Barton (TX) Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Blackburn Blunt Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Boustany Brady (TX) Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Carter Cassidy Castle Chaffetz Coble Coffman (CO) Conaway Crenshaw Culberson Davis (KY) Dent Diaz-Balart, M. Dreier Duncan Emerson Fallin Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Granger Graves Griffith Guthrie Hall (TX) Harper Hastings (WA) Heller Hensarling Herger Hunter Inglis Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kirkpatrick (AZ) Kline (MN) Lamborn Lance Latham LaTourette Latta Lewis (CA) Linder LoBiondo Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Mack Manzullo Marchant McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McKeon McMorris Rodgers Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Moran (KS) Murphy, Tim Myrick Neugebauer Nunes Olson Owens Paul Paulsen Pence Petri Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Posey Price (GA) Putnam Radanovich Rehberg Reichert Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Royce Ryan (WI) Scalise Schock Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shimkus Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Souder Stearns Sullivan Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Walden Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL) NOT VOTING--17 Barrett (SC) Bishop (UT) Carney Christensen Cole Davis (AL) Diaz-Balart, L. Doyle Higgins Hoekstra Honda Lee (NY) Rush Serrano Slaughter Teague Wamp {time} 1145 Messrs. DAVIS of Kentucky, SCALISE, LATHAM, CALVERT, and ADLER of New Jersey changed their vote from ``aye'' to ``no.'' Mr. BRIGHT changed his vote from ``no'' to ``aye.'' So the amendment was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. Amendment No. 38 Offered by Mrs. Halvorson The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentlewoman from Illinois (Mrs. Halvorson) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The Clerk will redesignate the amendment. The Clerk redesignated the amendment. Recorded Vote The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded. A recorded vote was ordered. The Acting CHAIR. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 419, noes 0, not voting 17, as follows: [Roll No. 268] AYES--419 Ackerman Aderholt Adler (NJ) Akin Alexander Altmire Andrews Arcuri Austria Baca Bachmann Bachus Baird Baldwin Barrow [[Page 8111]] Bartlett Barton (TX) Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blackburn Blumenauer Blunt Boccieri Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Bordallo Boren Boswell Boucher Boustany Boyd Brady (PA) Brady (TX) Braley (IA) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown, Corrine Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Butterfield Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carson (IN) Carter Cassidy Castle Castor (FL) Chaffetz Chandler Childers Chu Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Coble Coffman (CO) Cohen Conaway Connolly (VA) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Crenshaw Crowley Cuellar Culberson Cummings Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (IL) Davis (KY) Davis (TN) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dent Deutch Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly (IN) Dreier Driehaus Duncan Edwards (MD) Edwards (TX) Ehlers Ellison Ellsworth Emerson Engel Eshoo Etheridge Faleomavaega Fallin Farr Fattah Filner Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frank (MA) Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Fudge Gallegly Garamendi Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Giffords Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Gonzalez Goodlatte Gordon (TN) Granger Graves Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene Griffith Grijalva Guthrie Gutierrez Hall (NY) Hall (TX) Halvorson Hare Harman Harper Hastings (FL) Hastings (WA) Heinrich Heller Hensarling Herger Herseth Sandlin Hill Himes Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holden Holt Honda Hoyer Hunter Inglis Inslee Israel Issa Jackson (IL) Jackson Lee (TX) Jenkins Johnson (GA) Johnson (IL) Johnson, E. B. Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick (MI) Kilroy Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kirkpatrick (AZ) Kissell Klein (FL) Kline (MN) Kosmas Kratovil Kucinich Lamborn Lance Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latham LaTourette Latta Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (CA) Lewis (GA) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lucas Luetkemeyer Lujan Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Lynch Mack Maffei Maloney Manzullo Marchant Markey (CO) Markey (MA) Marshall Matheson Matsui McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) McCaul McClintock McCollum McCotter McDermott McGovern McHenry McIntyre McKeon McMahon McMorris Rodgers McNerney Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Melancon Mica Michaud Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller (NC) Miller, Gary Miller, George Minnick Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (KS) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy (NY) Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Tim Myrick Nadler (NY) Napolitano Neal (MA) Neugebauer Norton Nunes Nye Oberstar Obey Olson Olver Ortiz Owens Pallone Pascrell Pastor (AZ) Paul Paulsen Payne Perlmutter Perriello Peters Peterson Petri Pierluisi Pingree (ME) Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Polis (CO) Pomeroy Posey Price (GA) Price (NC) Putnam Quigley Radanovich Rahall Rehberg Reichert Reyes Richardson Rodriguez Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Royce Ruppersberger Ryan (OH) Ryan (WI) Sablan Salazar Sanchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Scalise Schakowsky Schauer Schiff Schmidt Schock Schrader Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Sensenbrenner Sessions Sestak Shadegg Shea-Porter Sherman Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Sires Skelton Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Snyder Souder Space Speier Spratt Stark Stearns Stupak Sullivan Sutton Tanner Taylor Terry Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Tierney Titus Tonko Towns Tsongas Turner Upton Van Hollen Velazquez Visclosky Walden Walz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (OH) Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Woolsey Wu Yarmuth Young (AK) Young (FL) NOT VOTING--17 Barrett (SC) Bishop (UT) Carney Christensen Cole Davis (AL) Doyle Higgins Hoekstra Lee (NY) Pence Rangel Rush Serrano Slaughter Teague Wamp Announcement by the Acting Chair The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There are 2 minutes remaining in the vote. {time} 1153 So the amendment was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. Amendment No. 50 Offered by Mr. Flake The Acting CHAIR. The unfinished business is the demand for a recorded vote on the amendment offered by the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake) on which further proceedings were postponed and on which the ayes prevailed by voice vote. The Clerk will redesignate the amendment. The Clerk redesignated the amendment. Recorded Vote The Acting CHAIR. A recorded vote has been demanded. A recorded vote was ordered. The Acting CHAIR. This is a 5-minute vote. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 419, noes 0, not voting 17, as follows: [Roll No. 269] AYES--419 Ackerman Aderholt Adler (NJ) Akin Alexander Altmire Andrews Arcuri Austria Baca Bachmann Bachus Baird Baldwin Barrow Bartlett Barton (TX) Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blumenauer Blunt Boccieri Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Bordallo Boren Boswell Boucher Boustany Boyd Brady (PA) Brady (TX) Braley (IA) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown, Corrine Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Butterfield Buyer Calvert Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carney Carson (IN) Carter Cassidy Castle Castor (FL) Chaffetz Chandler Childers Chu Clarke Clay Clyburn Coble Coffman (CO) Cohen Conaway Connolly (VA) Conyers Cooper Costa Costello Courtney Crenshaw Crowley Cuellar Culberson Cummings Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (IL) Davis (KY) Davis (TN) DeFazio DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dent Deutch Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dicks Dingell Doggett Donnelly (IN) Dreier Driehaus Duncan Edwards (MD) Edwards (TX) Ehlers Ellison Ellsworth Emerson Engel Eshoo Etheridge Faleomavaega Fallin Farr Fattah Filner Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Frank (MA) Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Fudge Gallegly Garamendi Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Giffords Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Gonzalez Goodlatte Gordon (TN) Granger Graves Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene Griffith Grijalva Guthrie Gutierrez Hall (NY) Hall (TX) Halvorson Hare Harman Harper Hastings (FL) Hastings (WA) Heinrich Heller Hensarling Herger Herseth Sandlin Hill Himes Hinchey Hinojosa Hirono Hodes Holden Holt Honda Hoyer Hunter Inglis Inslee Israel Issa Jackson (IL) Jackson Lee (TX) Jenkins Johnson (GA) Johnson (IL) Johnson, E. B. Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kennedy Kildee Kilpatrick (MI) Kilroy Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kirkpatrick (AZ) Kissell Klein (FL) Kline (MN) Kosmas Kratovil Kucinich Lamborn Lance Langevin Larsen (WA) Larson (CT) Latham LaTourette Latta Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (CA) Lewis (GA) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Loebsack Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lucas Luetkemeyer Lujan Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Lynch Mack Maffei Maloney Manzullo Marchant Markey (CO) Markey (MA) Marshall Matheson Matsui McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) McCaul McClintock McCollum McCotter McDermott McGovern McHenry McIntyre McKeon McMahon McMorris Rodgers McNerney Meek (FL) Meeks (NY) Melancon Mica Michaud Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller (NC) Miller, Gary Miller, George Minnick Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moore (WI) Moran (KS) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Murphy (NY) Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Tim Myrick Nadler (NY) Napolitano Neal (MA) Neugebauer Norton Nunes Nye Oberstar Obey Olson Olver Ortiz Owens Pallone Pascrell [[Page 8112]] Pastor (AZ) Paul Paulsen Payne Pence Perlmutter Perriello Peters Peterson Petri Pierluisi Pingree (ME) Platts Poe (TX) Polis (CO) Pomeroy Posey Price (GA) Price (NC) Putnam Quigley Rahall Rangel Rehberg Reichert Reyes Richardson Rodriguez Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Royce Ruppersberger Ryan (OH) Ryan (WI) Sablan Salazar Sanchez, Linda T. Sanchez, Loretta Sarbanes Scalise Schakowsky Schauer Schiff Schmidt Schock Schrader Schwartz Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Sensenbrenner Serrano Sessions Sestak Shadegg Shea-Porter Sherman Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Sires Skelton Smith (NE) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Snyder Souder Space Speier Spratt Stark Stearns Stupak Sullivan Sutton Tanner Taylor Terry Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Tierney Titus Tonko Towns Tsongas Turner Upton Van Hollen Velazquez Visclosky Walden Walz Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Weiner Welch Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (OH) Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Woolsey Wu Yarmuth Young (AK) Young (FL) NOT VOTING--17 Barrett (SC) Camp Christensen Cleaver Cole Davis (AL) Doyle Higgins Hoekstra Lee (NY) Pitts Radanovich Rush Slaughter Smith (NJ) Teague Wamp Announcement by the Acting Chair The Acting CHAIR (during the vote). There are 2 minutes remaining in this vote. {time} 1201 So the amendment was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was agreed to. The Acting CHAIR. Under the rule, the Committee rises. Accordingly, the Committee rose; and the Speaker pro tempore (Mr. Pastor of Arizona) having assumed the chair, Ms. Jackson Lee of Texas, Acting Chair of the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union, reported that that Committee, having had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5116) to invest in innovation through research and development, to improve the competitiveness of the United States, and for other purposes, pursuant to House Resolution 1344, she reported the bill back to the House with an amendment adopted in the Committee of the Whole. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the rule, the previous question is ordered. The question is on the committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended. The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute, as amended, was agreed to. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill. The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was read the third time. Motion to Recommit Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at the desk. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is the gentleman opposed to the bill? Mr. HALL of Texas. I am, in its current form. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to recommit. The Clerk read as follows: Mr. HALL of Texas. moves to recommit the bill H.R. 5116 to the Committee on Science and Technology with instructions to report the same back to the House forthwith with the following amendment: Strike page 91, line 9, through page 98, line 4. Strike page 163, line 3, through page 164, line 11. Strike page 176, line 15, through page 187, line 13. Strike page 187, line 14, through page 195, line 11. Strike page 235, line 15, through page 244, line 1. Page 245, lines 12 through 24, amend section 702 to read as follows: SEC. 702. PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. For the purposes of the activities and programs supported by this Act and the amendments made by this Act-- (1) institutions of higher education chartered to serve large numbers of students with disabilities, including Gallaudet University, Landmark College, and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and institutions of higher education offering science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research and education activities and programs available to veterans with disabilities, shall receive special consideration and have a designation consistent with the designation for other institutions that serve populations underrepresented in STEM to ensure that institutions of higher education chartered to serve or serving persons with disabilities benefit from such research and education activities and programs; and (2) agencies for which appropriations are authorized by this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall also conduct outreach to veterans with disabilities pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to ensure that such veterans are aware of and benefit from the research and education activities and programs authorized by this Act. At the end of the bill, insert the following new sections: SEC. 704. NO SALARIES FOR VIEWING PORNOGRAPHY. None of the funds authorized under this Act may be used to pay the salary of any individual who has been officially disciplined for violations of subpart G of the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Employees of the Executive Branch for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography, including child pornography, on a Federal Government computer or while performing official Federal Government duties. SEC. 705. INELIGIBILITY FOR AWARDS OR GRANTS. None of the funds authorized under this Act shall be available to make awards to or provide grants for an institution of higher education under this Act if that institution is prevented from receiving funds for contracts or grants for education under section 983 of title 10, United States Code. SEC. 706. ALTERNATIVE AUTHORIZATIONS. Notwithstanding sections 212, 402, 611, and 622, in any year following a year in which there is a Federal budget deficit the authorization levels in those sections and the amendments made by those sections shall be in the amount specified as follows: (1) Alternative authorizations for the national science foundation.-- (A) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Foundation $6,872,510,400 for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2013. (B) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized under subparagraph (A) for each fiscal year-- (i) $5,563,920,400 shall be made available for research and related activities; (ii) $872,760,000 shall be made available for education and human resources; (iii) $117,290,000 shall be made available for major research equipment and facilities construction; (iv) $300,000,000 shall be made available for agency operations and award management; (v) $4,540,000 shall be made available for the Office of the National Science Board; and (vi) $14,000,000 shall be made available for the Office of Inspector General. (2) Alternative authorizations for the national institute of standards and technology.-- (A) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce $839,300,000 for the National Institute of Standards and Technology for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2013. (B) Specific allocations.--Of the amount authorized under subparagraph (A) for each fiscal year-- (i) $515,000,000 shall be authorized for scientific and technical research and services laboratory activities; (ii) $120,000,000 shall be authorized for the construction and maintenance of facilities; and (iii) $204,300,000 shall be authorized for industrial technology services activities, of which-- (I) $70,000,000 shall be authorized for the Technology Innovation Program under section 28 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278n); (II) $124,700,000 shall be authorized for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program under sections 25 and 26 of such Act (15 U.S.C. 278k and 278l); and (III) $9,600,000 shall be authorized for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award program under section 17 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3711a). (3) Alternative authorizations for the office of science of the department of energy.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the activities of the Office of Science $4,904,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2011 through 2013, of which for each fiscal year-- (A) $1,637,000,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences activities under section 604; [[Page 8113]] (B) $604,000,000 shall be for Biological and Environmental Research activities under section 605; and (C) $394,000,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific Computing Research activities under section 606. (4) Alternative authorizations for arpa-e.--No funds are authorized to be appropriated to the Director of ARPA-E for deposit into the Fund for fiscal years 2011 through 2013. Mr. HALL of Texas (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to dispense with the reading of the motion to recommit. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I object. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Objection is heard. The Clerk will read. The Clerk continued to read. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I reserve a point of order. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The point of order is reserved. The gentleman from Texas is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I'd like to make a few points about the motion to recommit before I hand it over to the gentlewoman from Kansas. The motion to recommit addresses the biggest concern I, and many of the Members on this side of the aisle, have with the legislation, which is the excessive spending. It will address this issue by reducing the authorization to 3 years instead of 5, striking the new programs in the bill, and reducing the spending down to the fiscal year 2010 appropriated levels. It also would prohibit Federal funds from being used by Federal employees to view, download, or exchange pornography, including child pornography. Additionally, it will ensure that the institutions that we're giving Federal funding to through this act will repay the Federal Government by allowing the military onto their campuses for recruitment. Finally, the motion to recommit will invest in an issue that's very dear to our hearts, our Nation's disabled veterans. This motion would ensure that our colleges and universities that make STEM programs available to our disabled veterans and those schools chartered to serve disabled veterans receive the same special consideration afforded to other schools serving the underrepresented populations. A much broader version of this language was unanimously accepted at the committee level. A very watered down version that does not stand the chance of helping a single veteran is included in the manager's amendment. And this compromise language filed at Rules was not made in order for consideration. I cannot for the life of me understand why there's a resistance to assisting the Nation's disabled veterans. Of the 3.1 million disabled veterans in this country, over 50,000 are currently training to receive undergraduate degrees and an additional 2,800 participate in graduate school programs. The schools serving these men and women deserve the same consideration as those assisting other underrepresented populations. But there's not one school in the Nation that would meet the standards created by the language in the manager's amendment. {time} 1215 I don't buy the argument that this special consideration will open a floodgate of eligible schools, providing no guarantee that the disabled veterans will actually benefit from the funding. There are already several hundred well-known and -respected schools that qualify for special consideration under a variety of statutes for underrepresented populations with no guarantee that a particular grant would benefit a designated group. Why shouldn't those schools helping our disabled veterans have the same consideration? Frankly, it should not matter how many disabled veterans a school enrolls. These fine young men and women, who every one of us will see over Memorial Day, have made tremendous personal sacrifices for us. The Speaker rightfully has us bow our heads in silence once a month to honor them. We should also be lifting our chins and our praise and our gratitude to those who cross foreign borders to ensure that everyone within our own are free. This is but a small way we can show our appreciation not only to them, but to the schools that are reaching out to them. Now I yield to Ms. Jenkins. Ms. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, this motion to recommit is concerning to me, and I encourage a ``yes'' vote. I would just like to highlight one provision because there has been a great deal of press lately about the misuse of government computers and the waste of time and taxpayer dollars by Federal employees at the Securities and Exchange Commission who are spending as much as 8 hours a day viewing pornography on government computers. However, this problem is not limited just to the SEC. The Inspector General at the National Science Foundation, which is authorized by this Act, found similar problems there. So what happened to these employees? According to the Inspector General, and I quote, NSF issued a formal proposal followed by a decision suspending them for 10 calendar days without pay. Ten days' suspension, unacceptable. Taxpayers deserve better. This motion to recommit is simple. If you're a government employee, and you are disciplined for viewing, downloading, or e-mailing pornography, including child pornography, on government computers or during work hours, you will no longer be paid. You will be fired. If you think a couple of days of suspension, a reprimand, a transfer is the right response when someone uses government computers to spread pornography, then vote against this motion. But if you think spreading pornography with a government computer is an act that should lead to dismissal, then vote for this motion. I urge a vote for this motion. Mr. HALL of Texas. I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. I withdraw my point of order and rise in opposition to this motion. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes. Mr. GORDON of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, let me also take just a moment to thank the minority and majority members of the Science and Technology Committee for the many hours they've put in to making this bill a very good bipartisan bill. And also I want to thank the staff members who have put in even more hours to making this good bill. Now let me take just a moment to tell you why this is an important and a good bipartisan bill. There are 6.5 billion people in the world. Half of those that are working make less than $2 a day. Now, if we try to compete in a global economy on that type of labor, then you're going to see your kids and grandkids wind up with a national standard of living less than their parents. So we can't win in terms of wages. We have to win by having a higher technological base here. In the last few years, you've seen that the public sector dollars have been stagnant in terms of our investment in research and development. And on the private sector level, they've actually gone down. Why does this matter? Because the rest of the world is increasing their investments in research and development, and the importance to us here in this country is that 50 percent of the growth in the GDP in our Nation since World War II has been a result of research and development. But we have to have more than just R&D. We have to have a workforce that can work at that higher level, and that's what this bill does also. There's a great STEM educational piece that will help not just Ph.D.s, but it will help those high school graduates, junior college graduates, and college graduates to work that higher level. So what does all this mean? There's a cycle. The cycle is that you invest in R&D. R&D gives you innovation. Innovation gives you jobs, which creates the type of standard of living and revenue that allows us to reduce the deficit as well as to continue the R&D again. Another important part of this bill is the energy independence. Right now we have to reduce our dependence on our foreign oil for our economic as well as our national defense. And I don't want [[Page 8114]] to trade our dependency on foreign oil to foreign technology. Now let me get to some of the criticisms of this bill. We said, Well, it's a pretty good bill. As a matter of fact, it's a very good bill, except that it costs too much. Well, let me remind you that in 2007, 367 Members of this body voted for the original authorization. In the other body, there were 69 cosponsors of the original authorization, and it passed unanimously. But we recognize these are difficult economic times, and so we made some changes. This bill has been cut by 10.3 percent from the bill that you voted for in 2007. That is $9.6 billion. Now tell me, what authorization has been cut by over 10 percent? This is the only one. Mr. Hall has very good concerns about our veterans, and every day when we see him, we see him as an example of those World War II veterans. So language was put in the bill both for scholarships for individual veterans and also for those institutions. Let me read this to you, For the purposes of the activities and programs supported by this Act and the amendments made in this Act, institutions of higher education offering STEM research education activities and programs that serve veterans with disabilities shall receive special consideration and review. And on and on. So we have taken care of that. Now let's get down to the heart of it. And quite frankly, it saddens me to have to go into this. I mean, it saddens me that when we look at our kids--I have a 9-year-old daughter, and what about her future? What about your family's future? Oh, we're going to hide behind this little bit. We're going to gut this bill for this little bit. A few days ago there were some NSF employees who were patching pornography. Of course that was bad, and they were disciplined. Throughout the whole executive offices, there is filtering on that now. Nobody seriously thinks that we don't want to deal with pornography here. For God's sake. And when it gets to the conference, we'll take care of that even more. Everybody raise your hand that's for pornography. Come on, raise your hand. Nobody? Nobody is for pornography? Well, I'm shocked. So I guess we need this little bitty provision that means nothing; that's going to gut the entire bill. This is an embarrassment, and if you vote for this, you should be embarrassed. I yield back the balance of my time. Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair reminds all Members not to traffic the well while another Member is under recognition. All Members will address their remarks to the Chair. Without objection, the previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit. There was no objection. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion to recommit. The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that the noes appeared to have it. Recorded Vote Mr. HALL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I demand a recorded vote. A recorded vote was ordered. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 and clause 9 of rule XX, this 15-minute vote on the motion to recommit will be followed by a 5-minute vote on passage of H.R. 5116, if ordered, and motions to suspend the rules with regard to House Resolution 1338 and House Resolution 1337. The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--ayes 292, noes 126, not voting 12, as follows: [Roll No. 270] AYES--292 Aderholt Adler (NJ) Akin Alexander Altmire Arcuri Austria Baca Bachmann Bachus Barrow Bartlett Barton (TX) Bean Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boccieri Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Boren Boswell Boucher Boustany Boyd Brady (PA) Brady (TX) Braley (IA) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Brown-Waite, Ginny Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Carnahan Carney Carter Cassidy Castle Chaffetz Chandler Childers Coble Coffman (CO) Conaway Connolly (VA) Costa Costello Courtney Crenshaw Crowley Cuellar Culberson Dahlkemper Davis (CA) Davis (KY) Davis (TN) DeFazio Dent Deutch Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dicks Doggett Donnelly (IN) Dreier Driehaus Duncan Edwards (TX) Ellsworth Emerson Etheridge Fallin Fattah Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foster Foxx Franks (AZ) Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garamendi Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Giffords Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Granger Graves Griffith Guthrie Gutierrez Hall (TX) Halvorson Hare Harper Hastings (WA) Heinrich Heller Hensarling Herger Herseth Sandlin Hill Himes Hinojosa Hodes Holden Hunter Inglis Israel Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) Kagen Kanjorski Kaptur Kildee Kilroy Kind King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kirkpatrick (AZ) Kissell Klein (FL) Kline (MN) Kosmas Kratovil Lamborn Lance Langevin Larsen (WA) Latham LaTourette Latta Lewis (CA) Linder Lipinski LoBiondo Loebsack Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Lynch Mack Maffei Maloney Manzullo Marchant Markey (CO) Marshall Matheson McCarthy (CA) McCarthy (NY) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McIntyre McKeon McMahon McMorris Rodgers McNerney Meek (FL) Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Minnick Mitchell Mollohan Moore (KS) Moran (KS) Murphy (NY) Murphy, Patrick Murphy, Tim Myrick Neal (MA) Neugebauer Nunes Nye Olson Owens Pastor (AZ) Paul Paulsen Pence Perriello Peters Peterson Petri Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Pomeroy Posey Price (GA) Putnam Radanovich Rahall Rehberg Reichert Richardson Rodriguez Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Ross Royce Ruppersberger Ryan (WI) Salazar Sanchez, Loretta Scalise Schauer Schiff Schmidt Schock Schrader Schwartz Sensenbrenner Serrano Sessions Sestak Shadegg Shea-Porter Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Skelton Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Smith (WA) Souder Space Spratt Stearns Sullivan Sutton Tanner Taylor Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Titus Tonko Turner Upton Visclosky Walden Walz Weiner Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Wu Young (AK) Young (FL) NOES--126 Ackerman Andrews Baird Baldwin Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Blumenauer Brown, Corrine Butterfield Capps Capuano Cardoza Carson (IN) Castor (FL) Chu Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn Cohen Conyers Cooper Cummings Davis (IL) DeGette Delahunt DeLauro Dingell Edwards (MD) Ehlers Ellison Engel Eshoo Farr Filner Frank (MA) Fudge Gonzalez Gordon (TN) Grayson Green, Al Green, Gene Grijalva Hall (NY) Harman Hastings (FL) Hinchey Hirono Holt Honda Hoyer Inslee Jackson (IL) Jackson Lee (TX) Johnson (GA) Johnson, E. B. Kennedy Kilpatrick (MI) Kucinich Larson (CT) Lee (CA) Levin Lewis (GA) Lofgren, Zoe Lowey Lujan Markey (MA) Matsui McCollum McDermott McGovern Meeks (NY) Michaud Miller (NC) Miller, George Moore (WI) Moran (VA) Murphy (CT) Nadler (NY) Napolitano Oberstar Obey Olver Ortiz Pallone Pascrell Payne Perlmutter Pingree (ME) Polis (CO) Price (NC) Quigley Rangel Reyes Rothman (NJ) Roybal-Allard Ryan (OH) Sanchez, Linda T. Sarbanes Schakowsky Scott (GA) Scott (VA) Sherman Sires Snyder Speier Stark Stupak Thompson (CA) Thompson (MS) Tierney Towns Tsongas Van Hollen Velazquez Wasserman Schultz Waters Watson Watt Waxman Welch Wilson (OH) Woolsey Yarmuth NOT VOTING--12 Barrett (SC) Cole Davis (AL) Doyle Higgins Hoekstra Lee (NY) Melancon Rush Slaughter Teague Wamp {time} 1256 Messrs. LEVIN, COHEN, FARR, TOWNS, GEORGE MILLER of California and Ms. DeLAURO changed their vote from ``aye'' to ``no.'' Messrs. WEINER, BISHOP of New York, COSTA, SCHIFF, LARSEN of Washington, SMITH of Washington, [[Page 8115]] ISRAEL, SERRANO, SESTAK, TANNER, KANJORSKI, MEEK of Florida, FATTAH, GUTIERREZ, BRALEY of Iowa, PETERSON of Minnesota, HEINRICH, KAGEN, PASTOR of Arizona, BOYD, CUELLAR, WALZ, LYNCH, HILL, MATHESON, POMEROY, DeFAZIO, KILDEE, CHANDLER, NEAL, LIPINSKI, EDWARDS of Texas, HINOJOSA, COURTNEY, MURPHY of New York, ETHERIDGE, VISCLOSKY, KIND, COSTELLO, RODRIGUEZ, CONNOLLY of Virginia, RUPPERSBERGER, WU, ARCURI, DEUTCH, GARAMENDI, BRADY of Pennsylvania, SPRATT, CARNAHAN, CROWLEY, LANGEVIN, TONKO, MOORE of Kansas, DICKS, BACA, HARE, LOEBSACK, SALAZAR, BISHOP of Georgia, DOGGETT, Mrs. HALVORSON, Ms. MARKEY of Colorado, Mrs. EMERSON, Ms. SUTTON, Mrs. MALONEY, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Ms. KAPTUR, Mrs. DAHLKEMPER, Ms. BEAN, Ms. LORETTA SANCHEZ of California and Mrs. McCARTHY of New York changed their vote from ``no'' to ``aye.'' So the motion to recommit was agreed to. The result of the vote was announced as above recorded. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further proceedings on H.R. 5116 are postponed. ____________________