House Leadership picks Science Committee leaders

In mid-December, the House Democratic and Republican leadership each approved their choices to lead the House Science Committee. Democrats picked Rep. Barton Gordon, D-Tenn., to chair the committee, and Republicans picked Ralph Hall, R-Texas, as the committee's ranking member.

Speaking recently to a coalition of science, engineering, and technology organizations, Gordon discussed his priorities for the 110th Congress. They include: job creation through competitiveness and innovation; energy independence; research and development (R&D); NASA's multimission focus; homeland and border security; personal safety and security; and climate change.

Gordon made it clear that the issue of innovation and competitiveness would remain at the top of the Science Committee's agenda. Earlier this year, Gordon, who has served as Ranking Member of the Committee since 2003, introduced three pieces of legislation (H.R. 4434, 4435, and 4596) to implement the recommendations of the highly touted National Academies' report, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future." These bills were not considered in the 109th Congress because of a lack of bipartisan support. More details on these priorities can be found at http://sciencedems.house.gov/default.aspx.

The new Democratic leadership in the Senate picked its committee chairs and most of the committee assignments for the 110th Congress (a list of them can be found at www.democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=266000&). The Republican Committee assignments have also been released, the press release is located at http://mcconnell.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=266928&start=1.

The incoming Democratic and Republican House leadership has picked the committee chairs and ranking members, but has not yet released all committee assignments. The list of committee chairs can be found at www.housedemocrats.gov, while the list of ranking members is at http://majorityleader.house.gov/News/DocumentSingle.aspx?DocumentID=54330. The list of full Committee assignments will be made available in ASME Capitol Update as they are completed.

 

President signs continuing resolution through Feb. 15

On Dec. 8, 2006, President Bush signed a two-month continuing resolution (CR) funding federal programs until Feb. 15, 2007. The CR covers all fiscal year 2007 spending measures except those for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security.

By not completing work on the remaining appropriations bills this year, members of the 109th Congress are placing the fiscal year 2007 spending bills in the hands of the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress. It remains to be seen if the initial focus on the spending bills makes it more difficult for Democrats to move what House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has termed their "First 100 Hours" agenda. That agenda is outlined at http://democraticleader.house.gov/press/articles.cfm?pressReleaseID=1953.

The incoming chairs of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., recently issued a joint statement saying they will likely elect to pass a full-year CR instead of finishing the FY 2007 spending bills. "After discussions with our colleagues, we have decided to dispose of the Republican budget leftovers by passing a year-long joint resolution... While the results will be far from ideal, this path provides the best way to dispose of the unfinished business quickly, and allow governors, state and local officials, and families to finally plan for the coming year with some knowledge of what the federal government is funding."

They also said there would be no congressional earmarks in the aforementioned joint funding resolution, and placed a moratorium on all earmarks until a reformed process could be put in place.

To read the entire joint statement, go to http://appropriations.senate.gov/demoinfo/record.cfm?id=266863.

By not finishing its FY 2007 appropriations bills, Congress was not able to pass significant increases in funding for basic research for science and engineering at key agencies, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science (SC), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

 

President joins Congress to create Aerospace Revitalization Task Force

On Dec. 20, 2006, the president signed H.R. 758, the Aerospace Revitalization Task Force Act, in the wake of its unanimous approval by the Senate, creating Public Law No. 109-420. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Vern Ehlers, R-Mich., would establish the Interagency Aerospace Revitalization Task Force to create a federal strategy for aerospace workforce development.

Specifically, Public Law No. 109-420 directs the Task Force to develop:

• Cooperation among federal agencies to provide a skilled workforce;

• Integrated federal policies to promote and monitor public and private sector education and training programs for science, engineering, technology, mathematics, and skilled trades;

• Partnerships with industry, organized labor, academia, and state and local governments for occupational information and for workforce education, training, and certification resources, which includes grants, loans, and scholarships.

To read the bill in its entirety, go to http://thomas.loc.gov and search by bill number.

 

Council on Competitiveness releases Competitiveness Index

The Council on Competitiveness has released a new benchmarking report entitled "Competitiveness Index: Where America Stands." The report compares two decades of U.S. economic data against emerging global economies, and confirms that the United States has among the highest levels of productivity and standard of living, and is the most globally competitive of the world's large economies.

While the Competitiveness Index makes no specific recommendations, it highlights several key issues critical to America's future competitiveness. The report notes that American economic prosperity depends on improved education as globalization alters the criteria for competitiveness. The report concludes: "Higher order thinking and knowledge will trump industrial-age efficiency as traditional skills are becoming less relevant."

More information about the report can be found on the Council of Competitiveness Web site at www.compete.org.

 

ASME Congressional Fellow applications being accepted

ASME currently has an opening for a Congressional Fellow to serve a one-year term in the office of a U.S. Representative or Senator or in the office of a Congressional Committee. Applications are due April 1, 2007.

ASME was the first engineering society to establish a Federal Government Fellows Program. Since its inception, other engineering and scientific societies have used ASME's program as a model in developing their own federal government fellow programs.

The program enables selected ASME members to devote a year working in government and providing engineering and technical advice to policy makers in Congress, federal agencies, and the White House. Federal Government Fellowships provide a valuable public service to the nation while at the same time giving engineers a unique opportunity to participate directly in the policy making process.

Previous fellows have described their year in Washington, D.C., as the most exciting, rewarding, and educational period of their professional careers. This enriching experience enables fellows to bring back to their employers an insider's perspective on government decision-making that can contribute significantly to the mission and vision of the organization.

A Fellowship applicant must be a U.S. citizen and an ASME member at the time of application. The following credentials are encouraged: at least five years of professional experience, an advanced engineering degree, professional engineer registration, and at least some public policy experience.

Additional information about the Congressional Fellowship is available at www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/Programs/
Congressional_Fellowships.cfm.

ASME is also seeking applications from candidates interested in serving at the Office of Science and Technology Policy of the Executive Office of the President and at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Additional information is available at www.asme.org/NewsPublicPolicy/GovRelations/Programs/
Federal_Government.cfm.

An online application is available at https://secure.asme.org/fedgovfellows/appform.cfm.

For additional information about the Federal Fellows program, contact Kathryn Holmes, director, ASME Government Relations, at (202) 785-7390 or e-mail holmesk@asme.org.

— Joshua Craft
ASME Government Relations

 

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