Week in Review 4.8.22
Welcome to this week’s edition of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee newsletter! The SST Newsletter highlights the goings on of the Committee, the hard work of our Members, and a look ahead. Sign up to get it delivered straight to your inbox!
Seven Science Committee Members Named to the America COMPETES Conference Committee
On Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced names of the Democratic Members of the House who will go to conference with the Senate over the House’s America COMPETES Act of 2022.
The Democratic Conference Committee Members from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology include:
- Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas
- Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren of California
- Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon
- Congressman Ami Bera of California
- Congresswoman Haley Stevens of Michigan
- Congressman Jamaal Bowman of New York
- Congressman Bill Foster of Illinois
“Today we took the next critical step to advance our nation’s competitiveness with the naming of House Members of the Conference Committee. The COMPETES Act incorporates a series of important Science Committee provisions that, when enacted, will help strengthen the nation’s research and innovation enterprise and help us to both grow and utilize the rich diversity of STEM talent in America.”
- Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
PASSED: Five Bipartisan Bills
On Tuesday, the Science Committee held a Full Committee Markup of five bills.
Members passed all five bipartisan bills favorably out of Committee:
- H.R. 6845, the “Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act of 2022”
- H.R. 3952, the “NOAA Chief Scientist Act”
- H.R. 7077, the “Empowering the U.S. Fire Administration Act”
- H.R. 3588, the “Mathematical and Statistical Modeling Education Act”
- H.R. 6933, the “Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2022”
Chairwoman Johnson Announces Hearing in Response to IPCC Reports to Discuss Solutions for the Climate Crisis
On Monday, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its latest report titled, “Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change.” This report, assembled by IPCC’s Working Group III, focuses on climate change mitigation, assessing methods for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
“We are at a critical point of the climate crisis, and it is time to press forward with solutions. With the release of this report, I’m excited to announce that the Science Committee plans to hold a hearing on April 28th to discuss the findings of this IPCC report and the previous Working Group one and two reports. The hearing will be an opportunity to hear from experts familiar with the findings of these reports who can describe how scaled up investments in research and development efforts can bring about achievable, equitable, and transformational solutions to climate change.”
- Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX)
Committee Leaders Urge President Biden to Rescind NTSB Proposal
Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) sent a letter to President Biden expressing their concerns regarding the Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for commercial space accident investigation that was issued by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
“Responsibilities and authorities for space accident investigation are to be determined by congressional action, as reflected in Title 51 of the United States Code, not through proposed regulations that are outside of established authorities. The NTSB’s proposed rulemaking is inconsistent with statutory authorities, existing interagency agreements and regulations, and it is plainly unlawful.”
- Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK)
SBIR Turns 40: Evaluating Support for Small Business Innovation
On Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing to review the role of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Program in translating Federally funded research into commercial development, generating new economic growth, and in assisting federal science agencies in meeting their respective missions.
“We must use all of the tools we have to tackle the societal challenges of today and tomorrow, including the challenge of creating safe, sustainable technologies, of environmental remediation, of creating revolutionary new approaches to medicine, and much more. As an investment in a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in our country, the SBIR program is one such tool.”
- Chairwoman Haley Stevens (D-MI) of the Subcommittee on Research and Technology
Coming up in Committee
There is no committee activity scheduled for next week.
