{ "id": "R43880", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R43880", "active": false, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 443346, "date": "2015-07-27", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T22:44:29.454600", "title": "The America COMPETES Acts: An Overview", "summary": "Scientific and technological advancement played a central role in ensuring U.S. prosperity and power in the 20th century. From the first flight of the Wright brothers in 1903 to the creation of Google in the 1990s, U.S. scientific and technological innovations have reshaped the global economy and provided both economic mobility and national security for generations of Americans. \nWhether the United States will maintain its preeminence over the course of the 21st century is an open question. Some observers assert that U.S. leadership is at risk. They argue that the United States underinvests in physical sciences and engineering (PS&E) research and underperforms in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. (PS&E research and STEM education are believed to be central pillars in the foundation supporting U.S. scientific and technological achievement.) At the same time, other nations are increasing their commitments to research and education in the STEM fields and, as a result, can compete for a growing percentage of the world\u2019s high-value jobs and industries. \nConcern that the United States has fallen or could fall behind in the global race to innovate propelled passage of the 2007 America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) and its successor, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-358). The COMPETES Acts authorized increasing funding for targeted federal accounts that support PS&E research (commonly referred to as the \u201cdoubling path policy\u201d) and authorized (or reauthorized) certain federal STEM education programs. The acts also established the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), allowed federal agencies to use prize competitions to spur innovation, and directed the executive branch to coordinate policies providing access to federally funded research\u2014among many other provisions.\nNeither of the COMPETES Acts has been fully funded or implemented. Actual funding for the targeted PS&E research accounts did not reach authorized levels, and most of the STEM education programs established by the acts were not realized. On the other hand, existing STEM education programs that were reauthorized by the acts generally continued to operate. ARPA-E, which was established by the acts, was implemented and continues to operate. Federal agencies are also using the act\u2019s prize authority\u2014at least 100 competitions have been initiated under the authority of P.L. 111-358. \nMost of the funding authorizations in the COMPETES Acts have expired. Legislation to reauthorize all or portions of the acts was introduced, but not enacted, in the 113th Congress. Legislators have introduced bills to reauthorize all or portions of the acts in the 114th Congress. This report provides an overview of the acts for readers seeking background and legislative context. It serves both as a primer and a reference document, including a description and legislative history of the acts, a summary of the broad policy debate, and an examination of the implementation status of selected COMPETES-related programs and policies. This report also highlights major bills to reauthorize the acts from the 113th and 114th Congresses. \nFor authorized and appropriated funding for COMPETES-related accounts, see CRS Report R42779, America COMPETES Acts: FY2008 to FY2013 Funding Tables, by Heather B. Gonzalez.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43880", "sha1": "8c176f9600190c4fb6dabda671a9958ad40badcf", "filename": "files/20150727_R43880_8c176f9600190c4fb6dabda671a9958ad40badcf.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43880", "sha1": "933b63e2b44d18b4b2af98acdbef9fbc43822612", "filename": "files/20150727_R43880_933b63e2b44d18b4b2af98acdbef9fbc43822612.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc816039/", "id": "R43880_2015May12", "date": "2015-05-12", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "The America COMPETES Acts: An Overview", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150512_R43880_d21d6667a9eddc75a413e31efc56e0c986c5a1c1.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150512_R43880_d21d6667a9eddc75a413e31efc56e0c986c5a1c1.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc503696/", "id": "R43880_2015Jan27", "date": "2015-01-27", "retrieved": "2015-04-30T17:37:21", "title": "The America COMPETES Acts: An Overview", "summary": "This report provides an overview of the COMPETES Acts for readers seeking background and legislative context. It includes a description and legislative history of the acts, a summary of the broad policy debate, and an examination of the implementation status of selected COMPETES-related programs and policies. This report also highlights major bills to reauthorize the COMPETES Acts from the 113th Congress.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150127_R43880_305a7629117b0bd580e48a2b5c6f36a6c5442db8.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150127_R43880_305a7629117b0bd580e48a2b5c6f36a6c5442db8.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Educational policy", "name": "Educational policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Science", "name": "Science" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Technology policy", "name": "Technology policy" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "Energy Policy", "Science and Technology Policy" ] }