When the House of Representatives prepares to vote on something, my goal is to make sure it is the best bill it can be for Maine. On May 28th, the House passed the America COMPETES Act. The bill will keep our nation on a path to double funding for basic scientific research, crucial to some of our most innovative breakthroughs. It will create jobs with innovative technology loan guarantees for small and mid-sized manufacturers and “regional innovation clusters” to expand scientific and economic collaboration. It will promote research to pioneer cutting edge discoveries. And it will create the next generation of entrepreneurs by improving science, technology, engineering, math (STEM), and education at all levels.This is exactly the type of bill that will help position U.S. students and workers for the jobs of the future. And this is the type of support that our domestic firms need in order to compete in the global marketplace.
And while I support the goals of the bill, I saw a number of areas where it could be improved for Maine.
For example, the bill supports the creation of regional innovation clusters to strengthen regional economies and advance the work done in a given field by leveraging collaboration and communication between businesses and other entities. The House voted to support two amendments that I offered to this section of the bill. One would ensure that agencies work together to prioritize the needs of small businesses when implementing regional innovation clusters, while the other would provide special consideration to communities negatively impacted by trade when agencies award regional innovation cluster grants.
Another section of the bill provides a boost to STEM education in order to make sure that the U.S. has a prepared workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. The House voted to support my amendment that would ensure the unique needs of rural Maine schools are considered when implementing the updated STEM education programs authorized in the bill. The House also voted to accept an amendment that I authored that would ensure that the Department of Energy takes the steps necessary to make sure that the latest advances in biomass technology systems occur in our classrooms and our laboratories by actively supporting the educations of individuals working in those fields.
Combined, I believe the changes I was able to make will maximize the impact of the bill’s goals on the State of Maine. The bill now recognizes the needs of our rural schools, the important role of small businesses, biomass energy’s potential and the needs of communities hit hard by our nation’s trade policies.
As a nation, we must increase our research and development efforts and improve math and science education. Doing so will lead to increased innovation, economic development and job creation. The United States can’t afford to fall behind the Asian economies that have increased their research and development efforts. We can’t let the jobs of the 21st Century be created elsewhere.
At the end of the day, the America COMPETES Act will help our country compete globally and position us to be world leaders in the industries and technologies of the future. And because the House voted to accept my amendments, it will work better for our state.
