May 3, 1999
Please contact the Members of Congress who represent your state and urge them to support the proposed Information Technology for the 21st century Initiative (IT2).
The IT2 initiative is a six-agency program to expand the federal investment in fundamental, long-term computing and communications research, as recommended by the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC). The Administration has requested $366 million in its FY 2000 budget to support the program.
Congressional appropriators are starting to work on the FY 2000 budget bills that will determine the fate of funding for this initiative. As usual money is tight and new initiatives are met with skepticism. Moreover, political questions have been raised by some members of the key appropriations subcommittees.
A strong show of support from the computing research community is essential to the prospects for full funding of this initiative.
CRA urges you to contact your state's legislators and convey the importance and value of this initiative. Additional information to facilitate your efforts is provided below and useful documents can be found on CRA's IT2 webpage, including an electronic version of this memo. If you have any questions or would like additional information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Fax (and mail) letters on your institution's letterhead to the Washington offices of all members of your state's congressional delegation. Letters should be direct and concise, best if kept to one page, but do not assume the recipients are aware of the initiative (as the federal budget is about eight inches thick).
If the legislator is a member of the House or Senate Appropriations Committee, then urge him/her to work for full funding of the initiative. If not, then urge him/her to express support for the initiative to the chairs and ranking members of the relevant appropriations subcommittees.
CRA has produced some Fact Sheets and Policy Briefs that you can download/print and enclose with your letters, available on CRA's IT2 webpage.
A day or two after faxing your letters, follow up with phone calls to your legislators' Washington offices. Ask to speak to the legislative assistant for technology or research. Briefly summarize your request and arguments and offer to answer any questions or provide additional information.
I am writing in support of the proposed Information Technology for the 21st Century R&D Initiative, which would revitalize the federal investment in broad-based, precompetitive, long-term information technology research. Expanding this support is critical to the future of our economy, public infrastructure and services, scientific progress, and the quality of life for all Americans.
[For Members of the VA-HUD Appropriations subcommittees]
The National Science Foundation is requesting $146 million for participating in the IT initiative. As the NSF has an excellent history of promulgating important IT breakthroughs and is well positioned to build on this success, I urge you to fully fund its request in the FY 2000 VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies appropriations bill.[For Members of the Defense Appropriations subcommittees]
The Department of Defense is requesting $100 million for participating in the IT initiative, including $70 million for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. As DARPA has an excellent history of promulgating important IT breakthroughs and is well positioned to build on its success, I urge you to fully fund the DOD request in the FY 2000 Defense appropriations bill.[For other Members of the Appropriations Committees]
Six agencies are requesting FY 2000 funds to participate in this initiative-The National Science Foundation, the Departments of Defense and Energy, the National Institutes of Health, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I urge you to work for full funding of the IT initiative budget requests of each of these agencies.[For legislators who are NOT on the Appropriations Committees]
The National Science Foundation is requesting $146 million and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is requesting $70 million for participating in the IT initiative. These two agencies have an excellent history of promulgating important IT breakthroughs and are well positioned to build on their success. I urge you to convey your support for full funding of the NSF and DARPA components of the IT initiative to your colleagues on the VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies and the Defense appropriations subcommittees.The initiative would implement the recommendations of the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee, an independent, Congressionally chartered Committee which found that the federal investment in computing, information, and communications research has not kept pace with growing importance of information technology to our economy and our society.
The federal investment in IT research generates the innovations that fuel the information technology industry and the information technology revolution. U.S. industry enjoys a clear lead in the global IT marketplace, but it cannot be taken for granted - the rapid pace of progress in IT and the success of U.S. IT firms stem from a long history of careful investments and highly effective federal research efforts.
The initiative sets forth a compelling strategy for putting federal IT research on a sound footing well into the twenty-first century. It also ensures that proper attention is paid to improving the accessibility, reliability, and security of information infrastructure and making governmental information-based services more responsiveness to citizens' needs.
[Add information on how your department will benefit from and contribute to the initiative]
Thank you very much for your attention to my concerns about the federal investment in information technology research. If you would like any additional information, please feel free to contact me.
If you don't know who your legislators are, start here.
Letters to Members of Congress should be addressed:
The Honorable [name] The Honorable [name] U.S. House of Representatives United States Senate Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20510
You can get phone and fax information from the blue pages (government section) of your phone book; from the Capitol switchboard, 202-224-3121; or from Members' websites, which should also list the committees on which they sit. For a list of the full membership of either Appropriations Committee, see:
Senate | House
Links to your legislators' websites can be found at:
House | Senate (select your state and click Go)
The NSF's budget request for participating in the IT-squared initiative is particularly vulnerable due to the diverse jurisdiction of its appropriations subcommittees, the members of which are listed below. If you live in one of the states represented by these legislators, please make a special effort to contact them and urge full funding of the NSF budget request.
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies:
phone: fax: Alabama Richard C. Shelby 202-224-5744 202-224-3416 Arizona Jon Kyl 202-224-4521 202-224-2207 Idaho Larry Craig 202-224-2752 202-228-1067 Iowa Tom Harkin 202-224-3254 202-224-9369 Maryland Barbara Mikulski, Ranking Member 202-224-4654 202-224-8858 Missouri Christopher S. Bond, Chairman 202-224-5721 202-224-8149 Montana Conrad Burns 202-224-2644 202-224-8594 New Jersey Frank Lautenberg 202-224-4744 202-224-9707 Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922 202-224-0776 Vermont Patrick Leahy 202-224-4242 West Virginia < Robert Byrd 202-224-3954 202-228-0002
House Appropriations Subcommittee on VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies:
phone: fax: Alabama Robert E. Cramer, Jr. 202-225-4801 202-225-4392 Florida Carrie P. Meek 202-225-4506 202-226-0777 Kentucky Anne Northup 202-225-5401 202-225-5776 Michigan Joe Knollenberg 202-225-5802 202-226-2356 Mississippi Roger F. Wicker 202-225-4306 202-225-3549 New Hampshire John E. Sununu 202-225-5456 202-225-5822 New Jersey Rodney P. Frelinghuysen 202-225-5034 202-225-3186 New York James T. Walsh, Chairman 202-225-3701 202-225-4042 North Carolina David E. Price 202-225-1784 202-225-2014 Ohio David L. Hobson 202-225-4324 202-225-1984 Ohio Marcy Kaptur 202-225-4146 202-225-7711 Texas Tom DeLay 202-225-5951 202-225-5241 West Virginia Alan B. Mollohan, Ranking Member 202-225-4172 202-225-7564
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense:
phone: fax: Alabama Richard C. Shelby 202-224-5744 202-224-3416 Alaska Ted Stevens, Chairman 202-224-3004 202-224-2354 Hawaii Daniel K. Inouye, Ranking Member 202-224-3934 202-224-6747 Illinois Richard Durbin 202-224-2152 202-228-0400 Iowa Tom Harkin 202-224-3254 202-224-9369 Kentucky Mitch McConnell 202-224-2541 202-224-2499 Mississippi Thad Cochran 202-224-5054 202-224-9450 Missouri Christopher S. Bond 202-224-5721 202-224-8149 New Hampshire Judd Gregg 202-224-3324 202-224-4952 New Jersey Frank Lautenberg 202-224-4744 202-224-9707 New Mexico Pete V. Domenici 202-224-6621 202-224-7371 North Dakota Byron Dorgan 202-224-2551 202-224-1193 Pennsylvania Arlen Specter 202-224-4254 202-228-1229 South Carolina Ernest F. Hollings 202-224-6121 202-24-4293 Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison 202-224-5922 202-224-0776 Vermont Patrick Leahy 202-224-4242 West Virginia Robert Byrd 202-224-3954 202-228-0002
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense:
phone: fax: Arkansas Jay Dickey 202-225-3772 202-225-1314 California Randy Cunningham 202-225-5452 202-225-2558 California Julian C. Dixon 202-225-7084 202-225-4091 California Jerry Lewis, Chairman 202-225-5861 202-225-6498 Florida C.W. Bill Young 202-225-5961 202-225-9764 Indiana Peter J. Visclosky 202-225-2461 202-225-2493 Minnesota Martin Olav Sabo 202-225-4755 202-225-4886 New Jersey Rodney P. Frelinghuysen 202-225-5034 202-225-3186 New Mexico Joe Skeen 202-225-2365 202-225-9599 Ohio David Hobson 202-225-4324 202-225-1984 Oklahoma Ernest J. Istook, Jr. 202-225-2132 202-226-1463 Pennsylvania John P. Murtha, Ranking Member 202-225-2065 202-225-5709 Texas Henry Bonilla 202-225-4511 202-225-2237 Virginia James P. Moran 202-225-4376 202-225-0017 Washington Norman D. Dicks 202-225-5916 202-226-1176 Washington George R. Nethercutt, Jr. 202-225-2006 202-225-3392
Thank you for your interest and support!
Lisa Thompson
Director of Government Affairs
Computing Research Association
1100 17th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-234-2111
202-667-1066 fax
thompson@cra.org
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Document last modified on Wednesday, 04-Apr-2012 06:51:19 PDT.