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Skriven 2007-08-09 23:30:50 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0708096) for Thu, 2007 Aug 9
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Fact Sheet: America Competes Act of 2007
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary August 9, 2007

Fact Sheet: America Competes Act of 2007 President Bush Signs Legislation
Sharing Goals Of His American Competitiveness Initiative

˙˙White House News


Today, President Bush Signed Into Law The America Creating Opportunities To
Meaningfully Promote Excellence In Technology, Education, And Science Act
(America COMPETES).˙This bill shares the goals of the President's American
Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), a comprehensive strategy to keep America
the most innovative nation in the world by strengthening our scientific
education and research, improving our technological enterprise, attracting
the world's best and brightest workers, and providing 21st century job
training.˙
  ū The President Appreciates Congress' Bipartisan Response To The
    Competitiveness Challenge Since He Announced ACI In January 2006.˙ He
    appreciates House and Senate appropriators' support for funding for ACI
    basic research programs starting in FY 2007 and commends them thus far
    in the appropriations process for fully funding his corresponding FY
    2008 budget request for the National Science Foundation, the Energy
    Department's Office of Science, and the Commerce Department's National
    Institute of Standards and Technology.

The Legislation The President Signed Today Continues A Bipartisan Spirit Of
Cooperation In Meeting The Goals Of ACI

As The President Proposed, The Act Supports Doubling Funding For Basic
Research Programs In Physical Sciences.˙This increased funding will
encourage scientists to explore promising and critical areas such as
nanotechnology, supercomputing, and alternative energy sources.

The Act Authorizes The President's Math Now Proposal To Improve Instruction
In Mathematics.˙The programs will give teachers research-based tools and
professional development to improve elementary, and middle school students'
achievement in math.

The Act Authorizes The President's ProposedAdvanced Placement/International
Baccalaureate (AP/IB) Program.˙This program would expand low-income
students' access to AP/IB coursework by training more high school teachers
to lead AP/IB courses in math, science, and critical foreign languages in
high-need schools.

Congress Has More Work To Do To Assist Our Nation's Competitiveness

In Addition To Giving Priority To Full ACI Funding In This Year's
Appropriations Bills, The President Calls On Congress To Complete Work On
The Remaining Components Of ACI, Including:
  ū Modernizing And Making Permanent The Research And Development Tax
    Credit.˙The R&D tax credit allows businesses to deduct part of their
    R&D investments from their taxes, but this tax credit has been allowed
    to expire in the past. ˙To help our businesses invest and stay ahead of
    the competition, we need more certainty in our tax code.˙ The President
    is also committed to working with Congress to modernize the credit to
    make it even more effective and efficient at encouraging private sector
    innovation.
  ū Authorizing The Adjunct Teacher Corps Program.˙This initiative would
    bring 30,000 math and science professionals to teach in our Nation's
    classrooms over the next eight years.˙
  ū Increasing Our Ability To Attract And Retain The Best And Brightest
    High-Skilled Workers From Around The World.˙The President supports
    attracting and retaining the best and the brightest high-skilled
    workers from around the world by reforming the nation's immigration
    system, while maintaining national security priorities.

The President Is Concerned That The Legislation Includes Excessive
Authorizations And New Duplicative Programs.˙The bill creates over 30 new
programs that are mostly duplicative or counterproductive  including a new
Department of Energy agency to fund late-stage technology development more
appropriately left to the private sector  and also provides excessive
authorization for existing programs.˙ Accordingly, the President will
request funding in his 2009 budget for those authorizations that support
the focused priorities of the ACI, but will not propose excessive or
duplicative funding based on authorizations in the bill.

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