December 5, 2008
National Journal MagazineNational Journal MagazineThe HotlineCongress DailyTechnology Daily
National Journal's Technology Daily
Search Technology Daily
  
Advanced Search
Go Wireless
TechnologyDaily Mobile

Recent Editions
Features
Issue of the Week
People Column
International Roundup
State Roundup
Executive Summary

Briefing Room
Background Papers
Bill Status
Capital Contacts
Glossaries
Password Save
Reprints
E-mail Alert
Wireless Edition
Contacts
About TD
Privacy Policy

House

H.R. 41
Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn.
Introduced: Jan. 3, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 41 would amend the tax code to permanently extend the research and development tax credit. It also would increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit from 2.65 percent to 3 percent, from 3.2 percent to 4 percent and from 3.75 percent to 5 percent. The alternative incremental credit gives businesses an option of how to account for and apply the R&D credit. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, introduced a companion measure, S. 41.
H.R. 895, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif.
Introduced: March 6, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 895 would abolish the Advanced Technology Program. President Bush's fiscal 2002 budget also calls for eliminating the program, which makes grants to companies that are developing commercial technologies.
H.R. 1137, Private Sector Research and Development Investment Act
Sponsor: Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M.
Introduced: March 20, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1137 would make the research and development tax credit permanent, a proposal that President Bush endorsed in his tax-cut package. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M, introduced a Senate companion measure, S. 515. Both H.R. 1137 and S. 515 seek to improve the formula for determining who qualifies for the R&D tax credit rather than merely making it permanent, as would related bills such as H.R. 41 and S. 41.
H.R. 1329, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.
Introduced: March 30, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1329 would amend the tax code to make the research and development tax credit permanent, a proposal that President Bush endorsed in his tax-cut package. Related bills include H.R. 41, S. 41, H.R. 1137 and S. 515.
H.R. 1417, Technology Extension Act
Sponsor: Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y.
Introduced: April 4, 2001
Committee: House Financial Services
Description: H.R. 1417 would expand the current manufacturing extension program to provide small and medium-sized businesses with access to the latest technology to improve productivity and promote economic growth. The bill was one of five introduced the same day by a bloc of New York House members who hope the measures will spur job growth in upstate New York. The other measures were H.R. 1415, H.R. 1416, H.R. 1418 and H.R. 1419. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., introduced a companion package of bills: S. 426, S. 428, S. 429, S. 430, S. 431 and S. 432.
H.R. 1472, National Science Foundation Authorization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas
Introduced: April 4, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 1472 would authorize a 15 percent annual increase in the National Science Foundation's budget from fiscal 2002 through fiscal 2005 in an effort to fund new and ongoing initiatives in information technology, math sciences and other areas. Days after the bill was introduced, Democrats on the House Science Committee issued an analysis of President Bush's proposed science budget for fiscal 2002. The study found Bush's request lacking.
H.R. 1836, Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act
Sponsor: Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Calif.
Introduced: May 15, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1836 is the budget-reconciliation bill that encompasses much of President Bush's tax-cut plan. Lobbyists for the technology industry and business community failed in their efforts to use the bill as a vehicle for making the research and development tax credit permanent -- House and Senate negotiators removed such language in conference -- but the final version of the measure Bush signed into law June 7, 2001, does include some tech-related provisions, such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children. A related Senate bill, S. 896, was introduced but never considered.
H.R. 1848, Semiconductor Equipment Investment Act
Sponsor: Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn.
Introduced: May 15, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 1848 would amend the tax code to shorten the depreciation period for semiconductor manufacturing equipment from five years to three. "A three-year tax life is closer to the true economic life of semiconductor manufacturing equipment than the current five-year life," bill sponsor Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., said in a letter to her colleagues, noting that a new generation of semiconductor chips is introduced about every 18 months.
H.R. 1860, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich.
Introduced: May 16, 2001
Committees: House Small Business, Science
Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-50)
Description: H.R. 1860 would reauthorize a federal program that funds technology research and development for small businesses. Created in 1992, the Small Business Technology Transfer program fosters the commercial use of technology research. The program is set to expire Sept. 30. The bill would reauthorize money for the program through fiscal 2010. A Senate companion measure, S. 856, was introduced.
H.R. 2049, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: June 5, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 2049 would authorize funding for various programs at the National Science Foundation. The programs seek to bridge the gap between science research and curriculum development by providing grants to teachers to work on research and authorizing research centers at colleges to bring researchers and teachers together. A similar bill, H.R. 2050, was introduced.
H.R. 2050, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: June 5, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 2050 would authorize funding for various programs at the National Science Foundation. The programs seek to bridge the gap between science research and curriculum development by providing grants to teachers to work on research and authorizing research centers at colleges to bring researchers and teachers together. A similar bill, H.R. 2049, was introduced.
H.R. 2148
Sponsor: Rep. Rush Holt, D-N.J.
Introduced: June 13, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 2148 would revive the congressional Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), an office that lawmakers eliminated in 1995 after Republicans gained control of Congress. Created in 1972, OTA analyzed scientific and technological questions for lawmakers on an array of issues, including telecommunications, defense, space travel and transportation. The bill would restore funding for the agency at $20 million a year for five years.
H.R. 2153, American Breakthrough Research Act
Sponsor: Rep. Philip Crane, R-Ill.
Introduced: June 13, 2001
Committee: House Ways and Means
Description: H.R. 2153 would create a refundable tax credit for research and development. The bill aims to address what sponsor Philip Crane, R-Ill., calls a "fundamental problem" in existing R&D tax law: that it is of little or no benefit to small and startup businesses that operate at a loss. Under the measure, companies could claim a refundable credit that would be based either on the value of past research credits or of their net operating losses and the corporate tax rate. A similar Senate bill, S. 1049, was introduced.
H.R. 3344, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: Nov. 19, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 3344 would require the National Science Foundation (NSF) to identify new technologies for preventing and responding to terrorist attacks. The bill would require NSF to collaborate with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which spurred the creation of the Internet, and other federal agencies. It also would require NSF to identify new terrorist-related research activities, and the agency would have to report its findings to Congress within 90 days.
H.R. 3400, Networking and Information Technology Research Advancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: Dec. 4, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 3400 would authorize nearly $7 billion over five years to increase information technology research at six federal agencies. The legislation seeks to improve IT research coordination between those agencies - the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Energy Department, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. One goal is improve the effectiveness of a wide range of federal information systems, including air-traffic control, emergency medical response and water production.
H.R. 4664, National Science Foundation Authorization Act
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: May 7, 2002
Committee: House Science
Final Action: Signed into law (PL 107-)
Description: H.R. 4664 would reauthorize the National Science Foundation (NSF) from fiscal 2003 through fiscal 2005. The legislation, which would up the agency's budget by 15 percent annually, would set NSF on track to a doubling of its funding over the next five years. In fiscal 2003, the bill would authorize $5.5 billion for NSF, of which $700 million would go toward networking and information technology research. The House passed the bill on a 397-25 vote on June 5, 2002.
H.R. 4680, Science Undergraduate Community College Education Enhancement Development Act
Sponsor: Rep. Brian Baird, D-Wash.
Introduced: May 8, 2002
Committee: House Science, Education and the Workforce
Description: H.R. 4680 aims to increase training for science, math and technology at community colleges by strengthening a National Science Foundation program. The program currently is funded at $40 million; the bill would authorize $50 million in fiscal 2003, with $5 million increases over the following two years. The legislation also would extend the grant program, which currently focuses on specialized education, to include basic science and math programs to facilitate student transfers to four-year colleges. And it would authorize more money to purchase tech equipment, and for students at two-year colleges who enter research partnerships at four-year colleges.
H.R. 5074, Technology Administration and National Institute of Standards and Technology Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jim Barcia, D-Mich.
Introduced: July 9, 2002
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 5074 would authorize $395 million in fiscal 2003 for research activities of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and $64 million for lab construction and repairs. The authorization would decrease slightly in fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2005. The bill also would direct NIST to support efforts to electronically link manufacturers, suppliers and customers.
H.R. 5270, Energy and Science Research Investment Act
Sponsor: Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Ill.
Introduced: July 26, 2002
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 5270 would create the post of undersecretary of energy research and science at the Energy Department. The person would oversee the offices of Science, Fossil Energy, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Nuclear Energy, Science and Technology. The undersecretary also would serve as the science and technology adviser to the Energy secretary. And the bill would establish a Science Advisory Board.
H.R. 5669, Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Advisory Board Act
Sponsor: Rep. Michael Honda, D-Calif.
Introduced: Oct. 16, 2002
Committee: House Science
Description: H.R. 5669 would establish a Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Advisory Board that would operate in coordination with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. The board would give advice on nanotech research investments, strategy, program goals and management processes. Nanotechnology is the study of structures that are one or more nanometers, or one-millionth of a millimeter, in length.
H. Con. Res. 27
Sponsor: Rep. Constance Morella, R-Md.
Introduced: Feb. 13, 2001
Committee: House Science
Final Action: Passed by both chambers
Description: H. Con. Res. 27 would honor the National Institute of Standards and Technology and its employees for 100 years of service to the country.
H. Con. Res. 108, Honoring the National Science Foundation
Sponsor: Rep. Nick Smith, R-Mich.
Introduced: April 25, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H. Con. Res. 108 would honor the National Science Foundation (NSF) for 50 years of service to the nation. Congress created the NSF, an independent government agency, in 1950. A Senate companion resolution, S. Con. Res. 36 was introduced.
H. Con. Res. 111, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Sherwood Boehlert, R-N.Y.
Introduced: April 26, 2001
Committee: House Science
Description: H. Con. Res. 111 would commend the president for designating May 6-12, 2001, as Global Science and Technology Week.
H. Con. Res. 471, Untitled
Sponsor: Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-Calif.
Introduced: Sept. 18, 2002
Committee: House Armed Services, Science
Description: H. Con. Res. 471 would congratulate the staff and former employees of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the lab's 50th anniversary. A House companion resolution, S. Con. Res. 141, also was introduced.

Senate

S. 41
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: Jan. 22, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 41 would amend the tax code to permanently extend the research and development tax credit. It also would increase the rates of the alternative incremental credit from 2.65 percent to 3 percent, from 3.2 percent to 4 percent and from 3.75 percent to 5 percent. The alternative incremental credit gives businesses an option of how to account for and apply the R&D credit. Rep. Nancy Johnson, R-Conn., introduced a companion measure, H.R. 41.
S. 193, Department of Energy Advanced Scientific Computing Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Introduced: Jan. 29, 2001
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Description: S. 193 would authorize funding for the Energy Department's Advanced Scientific Research Computing Programs from fiscal 2002 through fiscal 2006 in an effort to build high-performance research computers that would be 50,000 times faster than today's fastest Pentium III computer chip. The bill would authorize a total of $250 million in fiscal 2002, and the authorization would increase to $310 million by fiscal 2006.
S. 259, National Laboratories Partnership Improvement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Introduced: Feb. 6, 2001
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Description: S. 259 seeks to strengthen the Energy Department's role in technology transfers. In addition to authorizing funding for technology transfers over the next five years, the bill would create a position of technology transfer coordinator within the department. It also would create a Web-based system for giving the public access to Energy's research and development activities. Bill sponsor Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., introduced a slightly different bill, S. 517, that is designed to get the proposal through committee quickly, but he ultimately hopes to see the language of S. 259 enacted.
S. 429, Technology Extension Act
Sponsor: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.
Introduced: March 1, 2001
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 429 would expand the current manufacturing extension program to provide small and medium-sized businesses with access to the latest technology to improve productivity and promote economic growth. The bill is one of six high-tech-related measures that sponsor Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., introduced the same day in an effort to fulfill a 2000 campaign pledge to spur job growth in upstate New York. The other bills were S. 426, S. 428, S. 430, S. 431 and S. 432.
S. 517, National Laboratories Partnership Improvement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M.
Introduced: March 12, 2001
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Description: S. 517 seeks to make it easier for national laboratories to transfer their technology to the private sector and to create Silicon Valley-type "technology clusters." The bill, which would authorize $5 million for the Energy Department's technology transfer program, is targeted specifically at two laboratories in New Mexico, the home state bill sponsor Jeff Bingaman, D. It would dramatically reduce the amount of paperwork necessary for collaborations between Energy Department research labs and the private sector. Bingaman earlier introduced a slightly different bill, S. 259, which is the version he ultimately hopes to see enacted.
S. 705, Health Information Technology and Quality Improvement Act
Sponsor: Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.
Introduced: April 5, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 705 would establish a health-information technology grant program for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies. The bill would require the Health and Human Services secretary to establish and implement a methodology under Medicare for reimbursing hospitals for the costs of information technology systems.
S. 856, Small Business Technology Transfer Program Reauthorization Act
Sponsor: Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.
Introduced: May 9, 2001
Committee: Senate Small Business
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. 856 would reauthorize a federal program that funds technology research and development for small businesses. Created in 1992, the Small Business Technology Transfer program fosters the commercial use of technology research. The program is set to expire Sept. 30. The bill would reauthorize money for the program through fiscal 2010. A House companion measure, H.R. 1860, was introduced.
S. 896, Restoring Earnings To Lift Individuals and Empower Families (RELIEF) Act
Sponsor: Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa
Introduced: May 16, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 896 was the Senate's version of the budget-reconciliation bill that encompassed parts of President Bush's tax-cut plan. The Senate never acted on the measure, instead using the House's budget-reconciliation bill, H.R. 1836, as the vehicle for a tax cut. Lobbyists for the technology industry and business community failed in their efforts to use the legislation as a vehicle for making the research and development tax credit permanent -- House and Senate negotiators removed such language in conference -- but the final version of the measure Bush signed into law June 7, 2001, does include some tech-related provisions, such as a tax break for parents who buy computers or Internet access for their children.
S. 1049, American Breakthrough Research Act
Sponsor: Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J.
Introduced: June 14, 2001
Committee: Senate Finance
Description: S. 1049 would create a refundable tax credit for research and development. The bill aims to address a gap in existing R&D tax law: that it is of little or no benefit to small and startup businesses that operate at a loss. Under the measure, companies could claim a refundable credit that would be based either on the value of past research credits or of their net operating losses and the corporate tax rate. A similar House bill, H.R. 2153, was introduced.
S. 1564, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Introduced: Oct. 18, 2001
Committee: Not referred to committee
Description: S. 1564 would convey land to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas Research Foundation for a research park and technology center.
S. 2333
Sponsor: Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev.
Introduced: April 25, 2002
Committee: Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Description: S. 2333 would convey 115 acres of land to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for the creation of a research park and technology center. The land is currently owned by the Clark County Department of Aviation.
S. 2817, National Science Foundation Doubling Act
Sponsor: Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
Introduced: Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S.2817 would double the authorized funding of the National Science Foundation (NSF) over the next five years. The bill also identifies four core initiatives aimed at: more thoroughly preparing students for college-level or technical work in math or science; fostering partnerships between colleges and local schools to improve the technical knowledge and teaching techniques of teachers; supporting institutions that increase their numbers of math and science students, particularly women and minorities; and reforming NSF's major equipment.
S. 2945, 21st Century Nanotechnology Research and Development Act
Sponsor: Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore.
Introduced: Sept. 17, 2002
Committee: Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation
Description: S. 2945 would authorize $446 million to create a federal structure for research, development and education in nanotechnology, which involves manipulating matter at the atomic level. The bill says the investment could lead to advances such the storing of "the entire collection of the Library of Congress ... on devices the size of a sugar cube." Among other things, the money authorized in the measure would go toward 10 new nanotechnology centers funded at $3 million to $5 million a year for five years. The president also would have to establish an advisory panel and a coordination office on nanotechnology. The Senate Commerce Committee approved the bill by voice vote Sept. 19, 2002.
S. Res. 330, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah
Introduced: Sept. 20, 2002
Committee: No referral
Final Action:Passed by the Senate
Description: S. Res. 330 designates October 2002 as "Family History Month," noting, among other things, that 54 million people belong to a family where some relative has used the Internet to research the family history. The Senate adopted the resolution by voice vote Sept. 20, 2002.
S. Con. Res. 36, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
Introduced: May 3, 2001
Committee: Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Description: S. Con. Res. 36 would honor the National Science Foundation (NSF) for 50 years of service to the nation. Congress created the NSF, an independent government agency, in 1950. A House companion resolution, H. Con. Res. 108, was introduced.
S. Con. Res. 141, Untitled
Sponsor: Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Introduced: Sept. 18, 2002
Committee: Senate Judiciary
Description: S. Con. Res. 141 would congratulate the staff and former employees of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on the lab's 50th anniversary. A House companion resolution, H. Con. Res. 471, also was introduced.

 NEW FEATURE
-Advertisement-

-Advertisement-