Chamber Praises Passage of America COMPETES Act

Bill Makes Greater Commitment to Math and Science Education

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce applauded House and Senate passage of H.R. 2272, the America COMPETES Act, calling the bipartisan vote a signal of their renewed federal commitment to keeping American students globally competitive.

"While other nations are raising their standards and numbers of science and math graduates, the United States is not keeping pace," said Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. "This bill will enhance the economic competitiveness of our nation by stopping the long-running decline in the number of U.S.-trained engineers and mathematicians."

The bill authorizes over $40 billion between fiscal years 2008 and 2010 for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research and education. It also authorizes two new competitive grant programs that enable public-private partnerships with colleges and universities to strengthen education in math, science, engineering, technology, and critical foreign languages. In addition, the bill will help prepare thousands of new teachers and provide current teachers with content and skills in their area of expertise through the National Science Foundation's Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program and Math and Science Partnerships Program. Finally, the bill provides competitive grants to increase the number of teachers serving high-need schools.

"If America is to remain competitive in the global, knowledge-based economy, it needs to better prepare its workforce and maintain excellence in education and science," added Donohue. "The America COMPETES Act will help our nation keep its critical edge in innovation and technological leadership."

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world's largest business federation, representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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