The inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival received the official stamp of approval from both Houses of Congress recently when the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate each passed resolutions honoring and supporting the goals of the nationwide event.
In doing so, the House of Representatives approved H. Res 1660, and the Senate unanimously agreed to its version of this resolution by passing S. Res 656.
We are extremely happy about these developments since Congressional recognition of the importance of science and engineering to future American competitiveness can help us affect real change. The recent action by Congress reflects the efforts of a bi-partisan group of legislators who worked together in recent weeks to spotlight the Festival's goal of developing a new generation of American talent so that our nation does not outsource innovation.
The Festival wishes to sincerely thank members of Congress, including Congressman Brian Bilbray (R-CA), who graciously led the effort to pass H. Res 1660 after witnessing the success of last year's San Diego Science Festival -- the event which inspired the inaugural USA Science & Engineering Festival. Also instrumental in the passage of H. Res 1660 were House Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN), Representative Pete Olson (R-TX) and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). Other members of the over 100 member Honorary Congressional Host Committee can be found here.
Said Rep. Bilbray of the Festival: "This is a unique opportunity for thousands of Americans to learn more about science and engineering from exhibits, participation, demonstrations, performances and discussions."
In the Senate, the resolution backing the Festival received strong support from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) who co-sponsored S. Res 656. Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) and Senator Daniel Akaka (D-HI) were also avid supporters.
To hear more about H. Res 1660 as it was discussed in late September in the House of Representatives, check out this C-Span Video Below.
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