NITRD

The chair recognizes the gentleman from Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all members will have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 5312, the bill now under consideration. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5312 – the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Modernization Act of 2016. First off, I would like to thank Chairman Smith for his hard work in bringing this bill through the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee and my colleague, Ranking Member Eddie Bernice Johnson, for her leadership in introducing this bipartisan legislation with me. The Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program – also known as the NITRD Program – is the primary Federal research and development investment portfolio in unclassified networking, computing, software, cybersecurity, and related information technologies. In my district, the NITRD program supports federal investment in research at universities like Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, and in the Blue Waters Supercomputer at the University of Illinois in Urbana, IL. NITRD also supports public private partnerships between performance supercomputing and private corporations, like Caterpillar based in Peoria, IL. Information technology is all around us in our day to day lives – on our smart phones, in our cars, and in our homes. It improves our way of life, even in ways that are not always visible or apparent. As technology rapidly advances, the need for research and development continues to evolve. The NITRD Program works to prevent duplicative and overlapping efforts in this space, thereby enabling more efficient use of government resources and taxpayer dollars, while also supporting new and innovative research and development efforts at our nation’s universities and through public-private partnerships. This bill implements several important policies to help lead the way for future technological innovations and modernize the NITRD Program. Specifically, the bill improves the program in the following ways: First, it establishes a strategic planning and review process for the NITRD investment portfolio with clear metrics and objectives. Second, it works to improve interagency as well as government and private sector coordination and communication. Third, it focuses the NITRD investment portfolio on areas of national interest and increasing importance like data analytics, privacy protection, and human-computer systems. These changes to current law will reduce bureaucracy and ensure that hardworking Americans’ taxpayer dollars are being used efficiently and effectively. Important to note, this legislation authorizes no new spending. Smart investments in information technology research and development are crucial for our nation. Work in related areas bolsters economic competitiveness and creates new industries and businesses; helps assure future national security, including cybersecurity; and creates the good-paying jobs we need for today and tomorrow. As such, I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation to modernize NITRD and streamline federal research and development investment.