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Washington, D.C. -- Testifying before the House Science Committee today, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) told the committee that Congress can no longer ignore its need for a dedicated source of nonpartisan advice on the many scientific and technological issues confronting American society today.
“None of us in Congress have time to analyze scientific and technological advances and make reasoned, logical determinations of their direction and impact on industry, nations, and education,” said Holt, “but we vote on decisions about topics on a regular basis that include technical or scientific components. The connections to science and technology are not always obvious, especially to Members who avoid science and technology, which are most Members. We cannot do this alone.”
The hearing, entitled “Scientific and Technical Advice for the U.S. Congress,” explored how Congress receives advice about science, and whether and how the mechanisms for providing that advice need to be improved. Holt, one of only two physicists in Congress and the former deputy director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, testified along with Dr. Peter Blair, Executive Director of the Division on Engineering and Physical Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences and former Assistant Director of the Office of Technology Assessment; Dr. Catherine Hunt, President-elect of the American Chemical Society and the Leader for Technology Partnerships (Emerging Technologies) at the Rohm and Haas Company; Dr. Jon Peha professor in the Departments of Engineering and Public Policy and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University; and Dr. Al Teich, Director of Science and Policy Programs at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
Holt noted that in 1995, Congress defunded the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA), whose mission was to provide Congress with independent, nonpartisan advice on scientific issues. To date, no group or combination of groups has been able to assume OTA’s place as the provider of scientific and technical assessment and advice to Congress, a gap Holt said must be filled if Congress is to make truly informed decisions about how to address the technologies that will shape America’s future.
“The issues we face are too complex and the stakes too high for us to try to ‘wing it’ on things like stem cell research, biofuels, technology transfer, health care, broadband communications, or any of the myriad issues that will define how we live and work in the coming century,” said Holt. “If we are honest with ourselves, we don’t need scholars to tell us we need help. We know it. We need a dedicated, in-house, permanently staffed organization to give us objective, nonpartisan advice on science and technology issues.”
A complete copy of Holt’s prepared testimony can be viewed at:
http://holt.house.gov/pdf/RH_testimony_SciCommittee_72506_FINAL.pdf
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