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Mr. ROCKEFELLER. Mr. President, I am delighted that Congress passed the National Science Foundation Doubling Act last week. I have been working for quite some time to increase basic research funding at the National Science Foundation. Passing this bill at such a critical time for our economy is extremely important, since investing in science and technology is one of the best ways to ensure long-term growth.
I am particularly pleased at the inclusion of two programs I authored, the Math and Science Partnership Program and the Robert Noyce Scholarship Program, that I separately proposed in freestanding legislation. Each program is an investment designed to strengthen and improve math and science education at elementary and secondary schools.
The Math and Science Partnership Program has strong bipartisan support, and President Bush requested and received funding in last year's appropriation bill to jump start this important program. The Math and Science Partnership program's inclusion in the reauthorization bill is important to provide both policy guidance and a long-term commitment to the program. This legislation provides increasing funding for math and science partnerships for five years, with a specific recommendation of $900 million for the first 3 years.
These grants will be awarded to universities, businesses, and State agencies to coordinate activities in math and science education for elementary and secondary school students. For example, funding could be given to a university which is working with a local business to offer workshops to kindergarten through 12th grade teachers, giving them new ideas for teaching science and math classes. Since introducing this initiative, I have visited many West Virginia classrooms, and teachers are excited about the potential for this program. Teachers are eager to partner with engineers and scientists from business and academia to engage students in high quality science and math programs.
The Robert Noyce Scholarship Program will similarly take a big step toward improving math and science education in schools. By awarding college scholarships in exchange for a promise from leading college students to teach in disadvantaged elementary and secondary schools, this program is intended to attract the most motivated students into the teaching profession. This NSF bill provides funding for the Noyce program for 5 years, with a recommendation of $60 million for the first 3 years.
Together, the Math and Science Partnership Program and the Noyce Scholarship Program will help the country in many ways. Promoting math and science education for our children is the most important investment we can make for the future of science and technology in the United States. I truly appreciate the bipartisan support for these incentives. I particularly want to acknowledge the extraordinary leadership of House Science Committee Chairman SHERWOOD BOEHLERT, who introduced the companion bill in the House and has been an ally for many years on science and education issues.
In addition to bolstering elementary and secondary math and science education, this bill also strives to stimulate scientific research throughout the country with the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, EPSCoR. This program targets States, like West Virginia, that have historically had low amounts of science and technology research, and uses a State's own science and technology resources to promote economic development.
Under EPSCoR, disadvantaged states still must develop competitive proposals that pass peer review standards at NSF, but states do get assistance to become competitive and develop their research capacity. It is essential to encourage many states to invest in research. For many years, I have worked closely with the West Virginia EPSCoR program, and I am proud of its work. I know that this program has helped to leverage research and investment in our State. It has also helped to promote partnerships within our state universities and colleges, which is vital.
With this NSF bill, EPSCoR is a declared priority for NSF. Helping West Virginia and other states become competitive in first class research helps the individual States and our country as a whole.
Overall, the most important part of this legislation is the plan to double the NSF budget over the next 5 years, with the increases in the fourth and fifth year contingent on NSF meeting performance measures. This increase in funding will increase the length and amount of all research grants funded through NSF, giving researchers a better opportunity to conduct more in-depth studies and concentrate on discovery rather than grant proposals.
These types of grants are essential to technological and scientific advancements, which are the engines for long-term economic prosperity. Indeed, realizing the vital role that NSF plays in the economy's long-term health, some have called for a tripling of the NSF budget. Many of the discoveries currently occurring in other fields, including health care, are linked to the basic research in math, computing, and science that is supported by the NSF. By seeking to increase the agency's budget, the Congress has helped to ensure that the United States remains the world's leader in science and technology research and development.
Once again, I am proud that Congress has passed this valuable, bipartisan legislation, and I look forward to its approval by President Bush.
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