Litigation Funding Transparency Act of 2021

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2225, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act.

This legislation is one of two Science Committee bills under consideration today to reinforce America's global scientific leadership and fend off competition from the Chinese Communist Party.

Together, the NSF for the Future Act and the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act represent a comprehensive and sustainable approach to building American competitiveness.

Before I discuss the specifics of the NSF for the Future Act, I want to emphasize why it is so critical we act now to counter the threat from the Communist leadership in China and reinvest in American science and technology.

Make no mistake, this is a threat. For years, China has been working to steal, both literally and figuratively, our playbook for innovation. That is because leading the world in science and technology gives you a significant advantage when it comes to national security, cybersecurity, and economic growth.

It is no wonder, then, that we have seen the Chinese Communist Party pursue a technological advantage over us through forced acquisitions, malign foreign talent programs, and intellectual property theft.

They are also outspending us, plain and simple. China's R&D spending increased more than 50 percent between 2011 and 2016. In that same period, our investment fell by 12 percent, in absolute terms.

There is no question, we must act now to redouble our commitment to American research and development if we are to remain the global leader in science and technology.

This issue is so important that even our colleagues in the Senate have decided to address it. And while some legislative observers have noted that their approach to this has been less organized and focused, I appreciate that they recognize the urgency of the problem we are facing.

While the Senate chose to tack on countless special interest provisions, the House Science Committee approached this in a deliberative manner, spending more than a year working with stakeholders in government, academia, and industry to identify the best way to invest in our research enterprise and support American competitiveness.

The result is two bipartisan bills that significantly increase research funding while adding strong protections to keep it safe from foreign theft.

The NSF for the Future Act doubles funding for basic research over 5 years, investing a total of $78 billion.

It also includes $13 billion in funding for a new Directorate for Science and Engineering Solutions, focused on translating the discoveries funded by the foundation into solutions that can be applied to national and societal challenges.

H.R. 2225 helps expand our STEM workforce so that, as we create the technological jobs of the future, we are also developing American workers to fill them. It invests in STEM education at every level, from pre-K to post-doc programs, ensuring all Americans have access to high- quality STEM resources.

Our bill also expands the geographic diversity of American R&D by building research capabilities at minority-serving institutions and universities outside of the top 100 research institutions.

Importantly, the NSF for the Future Act has a strong focus on protecting taxpayer-funded research from adversaries like China, Russia, and Iran. Among the protections included in the bill is a provision that prohibits any grant recipients from participating in malign talent recruitment programs, like the Thousand Talents program.

Protections like these are all the more important as we increase investments in our research enterprise.

H.R. 2225 is a strategic and sustainable approach to investing in America science and technology. I would like to thank my colleague, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson, for all of the work she has done with me to get this bill before the floor today.

At every step in this process, Science Committee Republicans and Democrats have worked together to identify the challenges we face and craft the strongest possible legislation to support American competitiveness. That is due in large part to the chairwoman's leadership and our shared commitment to making sure America has the best research and development enterprise in the world.

Mr. Speaker, with U.S. leadership in science and technology at risk, the U.S. must recommit to supporting basic research, cutting-edge facilities, and a thriving domestic STEM workforce.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to take action now by supporting the NSF for the Future Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Waltz), the ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Obernolte), the ranking member of the Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

My colleagues have done a great job today of explaining all the many reasons we need to pass the National Science Foundation for the Future Act to keep America globally competitive. I thank them for their support of this legislation.

I also want to thank my staff for all the hard work they have done on this bill. America's scientific and technological competitiveness has been my highest priority as ranking member of the Science Committee. My staff has worked long and hard to create a smart, strategic approach to doubling our investments in research and development, and I appreciate all they have done.

I also want to thank Chairwoman Johnson's staff for working so closely with us to ensure that we have a bipartisan plan to invest in America's science and technology leadership.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the NSF for the Future Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2225) to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 for the National Science Foundation, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 2025, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2225, the National Science Foundation for the Future Act.

The United States has long been a beacon of excellence in science and engineering. We are at a time of markedly increased global competition in research and development. However, while we should be cognizant of our increasing global competition, we must not be constrained by it. To continue to lead, we must chart our own course.

First and foremost, we must significantly boost funding for science. For years, we have allowed billions of dollars of excellent research to go unfunded.

Second, we must fully leverage our STEM talent. We need to empower more women, people of color, rural students, and other underrepresented groups to contribute.

Finally, we must ensure the benefits of science are widely shared. We are at a critical juncture in our Nation's history, and we need to be more focused on the role of science in our society.

Science and technology are powerful tools for helping solve society's most pressing challenges. But as this pandemic has demonstrated, some communities and their needs have long been overlooked. We must give voice to a wider range of stakeholders in guiding scientific research.

For more than seven decades, the National Science Foundation has played a critical role in supporting research. Many of the innovations that have fueled American prosperity and security would not have been possible without NSF-funded science.

As we look to the agency's future, we must seize this opportunity to build upon and leverage its strengths. I believe this legislation does just that.

After a decade of flat funding, H.R. 2225 provides a much-needed increase in funding. The bill sets NSF on a path for steady, sustainable growth. The bill addresses challenges at all levels of STEM education and training. It supports activities and partnerships to broaden participation in NSF-funded projects.

Finally, this bill establishes a new directorate to accelerate progress on emerging technologies and advanced research-driven solutions to societal challenges like climate change and inequality.

This bill is the result of over a year and a half of close, bipartisan collaboration. The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held multiple hearings and markups to inform its development. We incorporated feedback from dozens of stakeholder groups, policy experts, and thought leaders. And this is reflected in the fact that the bill has been endorsed by 50 scientific societies, universities, and industry associations.

I want to thank Ranking Member Lucas for his partnership in developing this legislation. I also want to thank his staff, in particular, Jennifer Wickre and Catherine Johnson, for their contributions.

And the Science Committee staff on the Democratic side, I would like to thank Dahlia Sokolov and Sara Barber for all of their hard work on this bill.

I also want to thank Speaker Pelosi's staff, Kenneth Russell DeGraff and Reva Price, for helping to get this bill to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens), the chair of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Foster).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Ross).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I simply urge all of my colleagues to support the National Science Foundation for the Future Act.

It is really time to acknowledge that we did have to do a lot of extra homework to come to the final portions of this bill, and we did it collaboratively. We involved the entire scientific community, and we believe we have done a great job.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

-Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in proud support of H.R. 2225, the ``National Science foundation for the Future Act,'' which authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for the next five fiscal years.

As a former member of the House Science committee, I believe science and engineering academic research is an essential investment due to the ongoing cybersecurity, national security, and public wellbeing threats attacking the Nation.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) supports basic research that is a primary driver of the U.S. economy, enhances the nation's security, and advances knowledge to sustain global leadership.

Specifically, the NSF is the only federal agency whose mission includes support for fundamental science and engineering fields.

NSF funds research and education in most fields of science and engineering, providing grants and cooperative agreements to more than 2,000 colleges, universities, K-12 school

systems, businesses, informal science organizations, and other research organizations throughout the U.S.

Pursuant to the National Science Foundation for the Future Act, NSF will contract with the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine to assess the status and opportunities for Pre-K through 12 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science, (STEM) education research.

The NSF contributions have specifically benefitted Texas institutions by previously investing $46,828,000 to STEM education and $356,731,000 in fundamental research.

The National Science Foundation for the Future Act will continue to impact Texas STEM education.

For example, money distributed through the National Science Foundation go to University of Houston STEM student researching at The University of Houston Division of Research Department.

In the past, the NSF funding helped researchers at Rice University develop a nanotechnology-based ``trap-and-zap'' approach to absorbing and deactivating antibiotic-resistant genes.

More importantly the money from the NSF is contributed to the Science and Technology Enhancement Program (STEP) at Texas Southern University to help increase the number of African-American and female graduates in all STEM fields.

H.R. 2225 carries out a national initiative to facilitate the development of networks and partnerships to broaden participation in STEM studies and careers of historically underrepresented groups like students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

The funds allocated to STEM programs like Texas Southern University contribute to President Biden's plan to help build up and financially support Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

Research has found that HBCUs are vital to helping underrepresented students move to the top of the income ladder.

HBCUs are only three percent of four-year universities, and their graduates make up approximately 80 percent of Black judges, half of Black lawyers and doctors, and 25 percent of Black undergraduates earning STEM degrees.

President Biden wants us to invest in HBCU's by creating or expanding educational programs in high-demand fields (e.g., STEM, computer sciences, nursing, and allied health), with an additional $2 billion directed towards building a pipeline of skilled health care workers with graduate degrees.

Through the American Jobs Plan, President Biden wants to eliminate racial and gender inequities in research and development and science, technology, engineering, and math.

President Biden wants to invest $40 billion in upgrading research infrastructure in laboratories across the country, including brick-and- mortar facilities and computing capabilities and networks. These funds would be allocated across the federal R&D agencies, including at the Department of Energy.

Half of those funds will be reserved for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions, including the creation of a new national lab focused on climate that will be affiliated with an HBCU.

H.R. 2225 awards the NSF billions of dollars in the next five years to address significant societal challenges and sustain United States leadership in innovation by increasing investments in research, specifically for underrepresented populations, like HBCU students, in

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the NSF for the Future Act, a bipartisan bill to revitalize one of the most important pillars of our Federal Government's investments in innovation, the National Science Foundation.

I certainly want to recognize the great work of Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership in developing this forward-looking legislation. I was so proud to help usher it through my Subcommittee on Research and Technology.

The commitment to bipartisan collaboration and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders has resulted in a carefully crafted bill that provides a much-needed infusion of funding and addresses needs across the agency's portfolio.

The NSF for the Future Act has been endorsed by nearly 50 organizations, including the AFL-CIO, American Society of Civil Engineers, the Semiconductor Industry Association, and higher education institutions across the country.

The bill puts forth a suite of sweeping proposals, from scaling up preK-12 STEM education research innovations and modernizing higher education student training to funding more research infrastructure and expanding opportunities to participate in NSF-funded projects.

The NSF for the Future Act also supports the evolution of the NSF by ramping up support for use-inspired and translational research through the creation of a partnership-driven, solutions-oriented directorate.

The National Science Foundation plays a pivotal role in our research ecosystem. As the only Federal agency charged with supporting fundamental research across all scientific disciplines, we cannot risk undermining or diminishing this function. Our capacity to innovate will be constrained if we choke off the flow of fundamental research dollars.

As members of the Science Committee, we know all too well what is at stake and what we are doing to conduct our due diligence here today. We have held hearing after hearing to explore the challenges and opportunities for advancing NSF's mission through a comprehensive reauthorization bill.

We heard from the NSF's director and chair of the National Science Board that the agency is poised to take on an infusion of funding and an expansion of its mission to deliver the benefits of research to the American people.

We heard from stakeholders all across the country in academia and from the private sector and innovation policy experts that the NSF is an essential asset that has been squeezed by flat budgets for too long.

Yes, here today is a bipartisan effort to commit to doubling scientific research funding in this country. We all remember the headline we got several years ago that diminished the funding for this agency, that gave us the projection of a lost generation in scientific research, yet here today we are committed to action because innovation is the great propellor of this Nation.

The challenges--the unique challenges that we have faced in the 21st century have been bested time and time again because of what we do as Americans: We innovate. And I know that all too well as a Member of Congress from Michigan dedicated to the production and the patents and the hard work to produce results.

Increasing the budget of the NSF is also not nearly enough. A new directorate charged with use-inspired research with a focus on expanding opportunities, forging new partnerships, and engagement with the public is needed to chart the course forward for this agency. It is time.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all of my colleagues to vote ``yes.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2225, the NSF for the Future Act, which I am proud to be an original cosponsor of, along with Chairwoman Johnson, Ranking Member Lucas, and Chairwoman Stevens.

As ranking member of the Research and Technology Subcommittee, I am proud of the process this bill went through to get here today, with well over a year's work, including meetings, roundtables, legislative hearings, and two committee markups.

The final bill includes over 13 Republican amendments and standalone pieces of legislation and 11 recommendations from the House GOP's China Task Force. It is projected that China surpassed the United States in 2019, in total research and development spending.

I would like to thank Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas for their leadership throughout this process, which set the tone for developing thoughtful legislation.

H.R. 2225 takes important steps in expanding the mission of the National Science Foundation to ensure we maintain our edge against rising global competition, while protecting the foundation's primary mission of supporting fundamental research.

It makes key investments in the STEM workforce to expand the American talent pipeline. It supports world-class research facilities, like Embry-Riddle, Bethune-Cookman, and Stetson Universities, all of which are in my district. It promotes the research needed to develop revolutionary technologies that are crucial to our national and economic security.

While making these investments, we also secure taxpayer-funded research and technologies from adversaries like the Chinese Communist Party.

The National Science Foundation Inspector General is seeing a 1,000 percent increase in FBI referrals for research theft inquiries. H.R. 2225 gives the NSF security office the resources, the authority, and the tools for the foundation, for the sponsoring institutions, and for the applicants to identify and address malign foreign influence and to address research theft.

The bill also instructs the NSF to develop mandatory security training to ensure that individual researchers, frankly, have no more excuses and that they understand the threat and the Federal policies and guidelines.

Lastly, Representative Randy Feenstra and I successfully added an amendment during the full committee markup that bans grant applicants from participating in malign foreign

talent programs, like the Chinese Communist Party's Thousand Talents program.

It is critical that we strike a balance between keeping our research enterprise open, but also protecting it from adversaries who seek to take advantage of our open system.

There is more work to be done, but I think these provisions take some big steps in striking that balance.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this bill.