Wednesday, December 22, 2010

“If We Make it in America, We Will Make It in America” Perlmutter Supports COMPETES Act to Promote Job and Manufacturing Growth

Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) voted to encourage and promote job growth, innovation and increased manufacturing here in the United States.

The House of Representatives accepted Senate amendments to the America COMPETES Act (HR 5116), which the House originally passed in May. The bill now goes to the President to be signed into law.

“If we make it in America, we will make it in America,” said Perlmutter. “This legislation will give small businesses and manufacturing companies the certainty they need to invest in modernizing manufacturing, spurring innovation through basic R&D and high risk/high reward clean energy research, and strengthens math and science education to prepare students for the good jobs of the 21st Century. This measure is crucial to keeping the United States number one in innovation technology.”

The recent Bowles-Simpson deficit commission singled out basic scientific research as a long-term gain for the budget, as it is vital to our nation’s scientific and economic leadership.

The COMPETES ACT:

Ø Keeps our nation on a path to double funding for basic scientific research, crucial to some of our most innovative breakthroughs;

Ø Creates jobs with innovative technology loan guarantees for small and mid-sized manufacturers and Regional Innovation Clusters to expand scientific and economic collaboration;

Ø Promotes high-risk high reward research to pioneer cutting edge discoveries through ARPA-E and promotes job creation in clean energy; and

Ø Creates the next generation of scientists and entrepreneurs by improving science, math, technology, and engineering education at all levels