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Lofgren Lauds House Passage of the America COMPETES Act

February 4, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren – a senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and Chair of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship – issued the below statement on the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of H.R. 4521, the America COMPETES Act, which will advance our country's scientific and technological leadership.

Lofgren worked closely with several committees on key parts of this legislation, which includes provisions to attract the next generation of immigrant entrepreneurs and STEM doctoral recipients, and the reauthorization of the National Science Foundation to stimulate American investments in cutting-edge research.

"The passage of the America COMPETES Act represents renewed enthusiasm in Congress for federal scientific investment, which will set our country up for success. By increasing the speed and scale of scientific R&D building on successful prior efforts, America can reaffirm its global leadership in innovation and technology.

"The legislation includes vital provisions to diversify our workforce, strengthen American manufacturing, energize research in critical areas such as fusion energy and quantum information sciences, and strengthen leadership in semiconductor research and fabrication. In short, this bill provides a chance for American workers and businesses to compete and win on the world stage.

"The America COMPETES Act also helps build our domestic STEM workforce and encourages start-up companies to establish roots here. Individuals who earn STEM doctoral degrees from top research universities in the U.S. will be able to quickly obtain permanent residence and founders of start-up companies will have a chance to grow their companies here. These measures will help ensure that America is once again the number one destination for the best and brightest innovators and the next generation of entrepreneurs worldwide.

"As the legislation moves to conference, it is my hope that some improvements will be made, including in the way the bill combats the online sale of counterfeit goods. Yet, overall, this bill is a game-changer for our economy because it substantially boosts funding to improve America's portfolio of scientific research opportunities and helps build the workforce necessary for our country to be and remain competitive."

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Lofgren-Authored Amendments

Four Lofgren-authored amendments were adopted as part of ‘en bloc one' to H.R. 4521. The amendments:

  1. Establish the Supercomputing for Safer Chemicals (SUPERSAFE) Consortium to use supercomputing and artificial intelligence to improve our understanding of the adverse human and environmental effects associated with industrial chemical use and to shift towards the safer and sustainable use of chemicals in manufacturing and consumer products;
  2. Add to the quadrennial science and technology review: identification, assessment, and recommendations on science and technology gaps that would not be met without federal investment and identification and recommendations on policies to ensure a level playing field for small- and medium-sized businesses;
  3. Increase the authorization of appropriations for Bioenergy Research Centers (BRCs) from $20 million to $30 million per BRC; and
  4. Add to the Sense of Congress in Division D that the United States must maintain key environmental, labor, and social responsibility standards across the technology supply chain that align with the values and interests of the nation and our allies.

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