Technology Policy/Competitiveness Legislation Moving

All indications point to quickening support for the passage of legislation expanding the federal government’s role in technology policy and economic competitiveness. A bill has been introduced in the Senate that is attracting considerable notice, and earlier this week, two House science subcommittees began hearings on the subject.

Senator Ernest Hollings (D-South Carolina) introduced S. 4, the National Competitiveness Act, on January 21. The chief beneficiary of this legislation is the Department of Commerce. Commerce’s technology program funding would be doubled by this legislation to $965 million for fiscal year 1994. New and/or expanded services of the National Institute of Standards and Technology would be the targets for much of this money, as well as funding for new venture capital loan programs and national information “highways.” A major goal of S. 4 is that within ten years the U.S. will be second to none in the development, deployment, and use of advanced manufacturing technology.

This legislation draws on two technology and manufacturing bills from the last Congress (S. 1330/H.R. 5231), as well as the Clinton-Gore campaign platform. It also includes provisions of an unpassed bill from last year which was follow-on legislation to the High-Performance Computing Act of 1991.

There is support for S. 4 on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. Low bill numbers are reserved for high-profile “leadership” legislation. Joining Hollings in cosponsoring the bill are Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell (D-Maine) and many of the Senate’s most prominent supporters of federal technology policy. Last year, Rep. George Brown (D-California) sponsored legislation which S. 4 is based on. During his confirmation hearing, OSTP Director John Gibbons expressed the Clinton Administration’s strong interest in S. 4. It contains provisions that were included in legislation sponsored last year by then Senator Albert Gore. At a briefing this week, House science committee staff noted that the Clinton Administration would like to see this legislation move by late March or early April.

Two subcommittees of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held hearings on this subject earlier this week. Chairman Rick Boucher’s (D-Virginia) Subcommittee on Science held a well-attended hearing on high performance computing and communications. The subcommittee is reviewing existing systems such as NREN and NSFNET, and studying the possibility of drafting legislation to expand such systems into education, manufacturing, medical, and library uses. Witnesses discussed issues such as universal access, differing user requirements, and the role of the federal and private sectors in a network(s).

The Subcommittee on Technology, Environment and Aviation, chaired by Rep. Tim Valentine (D-North Carolina) held a hearing on February 3 on technology policy and competitiveness legislation. This was the first of a number of hearings to be held on this subject, with the objective being passage of legislation similar to S. 4.