House Democrats Innovation Agenda
House Democrats
are hawking their own innovation agenda: scholarships for
100,000 science, engineering, and math students; tuition
assistance for developing math and science teachers; college
tuition tax credit for studying math and science; skilled worker
visa program reform; doubling basic research; regional basic
research centers; a permanent R&E tax credit; doubled funding
for MEP, ATP, and broadband deployment; a DARPA-like agency
in the Energy Department; and more investment in synthetic
and biofuels.
TechVision21 Inside View: We have one thing to say about
all of this innovation agenda making: “Show me the money!”
(Many of these well-intended bills include large authorizations.
Authorizations establish, continue, or modify an agency or
program, and set forth duties, functions, and responsibilities of
agency or program officials. Authorizing legislation also provides
guidance about the appropriate amount of funds to carry out
authorized activities. But, the rubber meets the road in the
appropriations process. After authorization, an appropriations
bill is needed to provide budget authority for Federal agencies
to spend money. The authority to spend is granted and a budget
is allocated each year in appropriations acts. There is often
a significant gap between authorized funding and the funds
actually appropriated, due to tightness of the Federal budget and
competition for funding from other Federal priorities.) |
