By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
In a Press Release, Congressman Mo Brooks (R) from Huntsville announced that the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology had passed a bipartisan bill that would “coordinate and prioritize federal research expenditures.”
Representative Brooks, who is the Chairman of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, said that the SST Committee approved H.R. 3834 which would “coordinate Federal Networking and Information Technology.”
Chairman Brooks said that the bill was also introduced and supported by SST Chairman Ralph Hall (R-TX), Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), and Ranking Member of the Research and Science Education Subcommittee Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), as well as Reps. Judy Biggert (R-IL) and Ben Ray Luján (D-NM).
Representative Brooks said that he supports federal legislation which would increase tech jobs and strengthen national security. The bill “reauthorizes the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) Act.” The NITRD program is 20 years old and is the program that manages the government’s research and development “portfolio for unclassified networking, computing, software, cyber security, and related information technologies.“
“I would like to point out that our efforts on this bill have been a true illustration of the bipartisan work for which this Committee and this Congress is capable,” said Chairman Hall.
Rep. Brooks’ press release said, “Networking and information technology includes an array of evolving technologies from smart phones to cloud computing. Among its many goals, NITRD works to minimize and prevent disruptions to critical infrastructures like power grids and emergency communication systems.”
Chairman Brooks said, “These investments are necessary not only to help maintain world leadership in science and engineering and strengthen U.S. competitiveness, but also to grow the economy through the creation of networking and information technology jobs and enhance national security.” “I applaud the Committee’s approval of this important bipartisan legislation.”
The NITRD Program was authorized by the High-Performance Computing (HPC) Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-194) and was amended by the Next Generation Internet Research Act of 1998 (Public Law 105-305).
The goal of the NITRD Program is to maintain American leadership in advanced information technologies like networking, computing, software, and related technologies while enhancing national defense.
Congressman Mo Brooks represents Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. Rep. Brooks is in his first term as a U.S. Congressman. His reelection is opposed in the Republican Primary by former Congressman Parker Griffith, whom Brooks defeated in the Republican Primary in 2010. The winner of the March 13th Republican Primary will face a Democratic Party opponent in the November 6th General Election.
To read the press release in its entirety:
