Security
Homeland Security Releases ID Card Rules For States
     The Homeland Security Department this week proposed long-overdue guidelines to fulfill a federal mandate for standard driver's licenses and identification cards. The proposal for the so-called REAL ID Act would give states a five-year phase-in period to comply with minimum standards for their ID systems. States seeking extensions need to apply by Feb. 1, 2008. Under REAL ID, compliant cards will be required to enter federal buildings, board commercial airplanes and access certain types of federal services, such as Social Security. The department also announced that up to 20 percent of state homeland security grants would be made available during the fiscal 2007 cycle to help cover the costs of REAL ID compliance. The agreement to let states seek extensions prompted senators who wanted a delay written into law to withdraw their proposal. They had planned to offer the language as an amendment to a broader security bill now before the Senate.

States
Senator, Governors Decry Budget Impact Of ID Mandate
     Unfunded federal mandates have forced states to slash their education budgets and have made their economies less globally competitive, a Senate Republican told governors. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee said at the winter meeting of the National Governors Association that states have been hamstrung financially by unfunded federal laws like the REAL ID Act. He said state education systems have suffered as a result. Alexander, a former governor, and fellow Tennessean Bart Gordon, chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee, said NGA is on the right track with an initiative to boost competitiveness by improving science, technology, engineering and mathematics education. But REAL ID and other unfunded federal mandates are hurting the ability of states to meet that goal, Alexander said.

Television
Digital TV Transition To Undergo Review In House
     House Democrats plan to closely scrutinize the government's blueprint for transitioning the nation from analog to digital television, Rep. Edward Markey told broadcasters. The Massachusetts Democrat, who runs the Energy and Commerce Telecommunications and the Internet Subcommittee, said he will review a plan to give citizens vouchers to help them purchase converter boxes for receiving digital signals on older TV sets in an analog format. The Feb. 17, 2009, switch to digital transmission will be "nearly impossible" to accomplish if consumers are not fully informed of the change, Markey said. He said the elderly, new immigrants, minorities and the working poor are particularly vulnerable to losing television stations. Full Energy and Commerce Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., said he is considering delaying the DTV transition. Also this week, broadcasters, cable companies and other groups launched a campaign to educate Americans about the transition.

Telecom
Sen. Inouye To Craft Bipartisan Universal Service Bill
     Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye will work with members of his panel from both parties to craft legislation aimed at overhauling the universal service fund, multiple congressional staffers confirmed. One source said the measure will focus only on revamping the fund, which subsidizes telecommunications service in rural and impoverished areas, and is not envisioned as broader telecom legislation. Noting that the committee's membership is heavily rural, Inouye, D-Hawaii, said during a USF hearing, "I can assure you that we will have some action here, including a measure on the floor." But to do so, he acknowledged that he must consider the concerns and interests of many parties. To assist with the process, Inouye plans an in-depth briefing on the potential -- and limitations -- of high-speed Internet and wireless services. Lawmakers and regulators agreed that the federal fund is bloated and outdated but disagreed on how to improve it.

Competitiveness
Science Panel Backs Bills Aimed At Competitiveness
     The House Science and Technology Committee approved four bills designed to boost competitiveness. Panel Chairman Bart Gordon, D-Tenn., said there was no need for hearings on the bills because they were "fully vetted in the last Congress and they're ready to go." One of the bills, H.R. 363, would direct the National Science Foundation and Energy Department to award grants to science and engineering researchers early in their careers, and require the National Institute of Standards and Technology to recruit and retain young scientists. Another measure, H.R. 1068, aims to give researchers better access to high-performance computing systems, improve software availability, and provide more training for undergraduate and graduate students in computer science. The other two pieces of legislation, H.R. 85 and H.R. 1126, focus on aluminum and steel energy conservation research, and transferring energy-saving research from federal laboratories to actual use.

Budget
Senators Decry Cuts To Commerce Tech Programs
     Senators expressed concern about proposed cuts to technology-related programs at the Commerce Department. At the first of a series of hearings on the Bush administration's $6.55 billion budget proposal for the department in fiscal 2008, members of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that oversees Commerce asked department Secretary Carlos Gutierrez how the cuts would affect U.S. competitiveness. The budget would cut back on several programs, including the Advanced Technology Program, which is marked for termination, and the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership, which would be cut in half. MEP provides resources for small manufacturing companies, while ATP invests in early-stage technologies to accelerate the transition from laboratory to marketplace. At the companion House subcommittee, meanwhile, lawmakers grilled National Science Foundation Director Arden Bement about his agency's spending priorities.

Environment
Bush Tech Adviser Discusses Path To Energy Savings
     The proposal by President Bush to reduce the country's gasoline dependency by 20 percent in 10 years by focusing on new technologies is "a stretch" but "attainable," the chairman of White House's science and technology advisory committee said. Floyd Kvamme, a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley, said his group endorses a "dramatic increase" in biofuels and a recommitment to nuclear energy. He spoke at the Tech Policy Summit in San Jose, Calif. Research dollars can help turn waste products and cornfields into energy, he said. Kvamme also called nuclear energy "an extremely clean source," and he urged researchers of renewable resources to join high-tech entrepreneurs in investing in wind, solar and geothermal advancements. Also at the summit, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Calif., discussed his push for patent reform, and Patent and Trademark Office chief Jon Dudas lamented how the patent debate has been framed.

E-Government
Congress Gets A 'Disappointing' Online Report Card
     The nonprofit Congressional Management Foundation issued a report card that evaluates 615 taxpayer-funded Internet sites from the 109th Congress, including those hosted by members, committees and leadership. The best of the lot were awarded Gold, Silver, and Bronze Mouse Awards, although CMF called the overall state of congressional Web sites "disappointing. About 39 percent received substandard or failing grades. Eighteen sites received gold awards, 27 received silver and 40 received bronze. Evaluations were based on audience, content, usability, interactivity and innovation. Republican Web sites scored higher than Democratic ones, with 69 percent of GOP sites earning at least a "C" grade compared to just 56 percent of their Democratic counterparts. CMF declined to release a list of the Web sites that received failing grades.