Congress of the United States
Date of this Version
2006
Abstract
Science and technology have a pervasive influence over a wide range of issues confronting the nation. Decisions on how much federal funding to invest in research and development (R&D), and determining what programs have the highest priority, for example, may have implications for homeland security, new high technology industries, government/private sector cooperation in R&D, and myriad other areas.
This report indicates the sweep of science and technology in many public policy issues, although it cannot provide a comprehensive examination of every science or technology issue which may be of interest to Congress. In some areas, such as global climate change and stem cell research, the importance of science and technology is explicit and in the forefront of the policy debate. In others, such as patent protection and telecommunications reform, science and technology may not be as explicit, but are important drivers affecting how policy makers may make decisions. This report also addresses key issues that directly affect, or are affected by, science and technology. Other mechanisms which may indirectly impact science and technology — such as tax, antitrust, and trade policies — are outside the scope of this report.
The appropriate level of federal funding for research and development (R&D) is among the issues facing Congress. Federal R&D funding spurs technological advancement, which contributes to economic growth, and plays a role in the education of future scientists and engineers. Members of congressional committees that oversee R&D have expressed concern about the possible repercussions of restraining R&D funding.
Science and technology also are important components of homeland security issues. Not only is Congress debating funding levels for R&D for counterterrorism, but issues concerning public access to scientific information, and technological and privacy aspects of “data mining” (a potential means to identity terrorist activities and track individual terrorists themselves). Congress is addressing a wide range of other science and technology policy issues, from tsunami forecasting and warning, to “telecom reform” (revising the Telecommunications Act of 1996), to cloning and stem cell research, to ocean policy and global climate change. Several energy issues are being debated, including President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative, and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel. The “transformation” of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as it implements President Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration,” is receiving close attention as the agency announces related job cuts and program changes, including sharp cutbacks in aeronautics R&D.
This report identifies other CRS reports that treat most of those issues in more depth. It is updated occasionally. Many of the CRS reports cited herein are updated more often, and should be consulted for timely information.
Comments
Published by Congressional Research Service, www.crs.gov, RL32837