WASHINGTON (WHTC-AM/FM) – A bipartisan Congressional team that helped bring forth the 21st Century Cures Act is trying again to support the American research community.
House Representatives Fred Upton and Diana DeGette reintroduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act last week. The St. Joseph Republican and Denver Democrat are looking for about $26 billion in “emergency relief” for federal science agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Agriculture, Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Science Foundation. Money would also be awarded to research universities, independent institutions and national laboratories so work on federally-funded research projects to continue.
“In the past year we have seen how valuable science, research, and innovation are to our nation’s public health, national security, economic growth and international competitiveness,” Upton said in a statement. “The RISE Act is critical legislation that will support our researchers at Western Michigan University and universities across the country. Preserving our innovation pipeline will help ensure America remains a global leader in research and development.”
The RISE Act was initially introduced last summer but didn’t clear Capitol Hill before the last session of Congress recessed at year’s end.
Upton and DeGette were the primary authors of the 21st Century Cures Act that helped reform medical research development, among other things, when it was signed into law by President Barack Obama shortly before his term of office ended in late 2016.
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