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CRA News Release on the NITR&D Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE	Contact: Lisa Thompson
February 15, 2000	202-234-2111
CRA HAILS HOUSE PASSAGE OF THE NETWORKING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT (H.R. 2086)
Washington, DC - The Chair of the Board of Directors of the Computing Research Association (CRA), Edward Lazowska, joined House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner, committee members, and other leaders in information technology at a news conference today to acclaim the passage of the Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Act (NITR&D; H.R. 2086) by the U.S. House of Representatives.         "In authorizing programs focused on long-term, broad-based information technology research, the NITR&D Act will strengthen the appropriate federal role in R&D and enable vigorous efforts to make revolutionary advances in computing, networking, and other information technologies," Lazowska said.         "The federal investment in fundamental IT research over the past decades provided the fuel that drives our thriving economy. The programs authorized by H.R. 2086 will ensure that the U.S. continues to be well supplied with new information technologies — and will help in building a capable IT workforce — to meet the challenges of the future," he continued.         In February 1999, the President's Information Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC) — an independent, Congressionally-chartered panel of experts in information technology research and the IT industry — issued the results of a study concluding that the federal investment in information technology R&D is inadequate and too focused on near-term problems. It recommended expanding support for long-term, broad-based, precompetitive IT research; emphasizing four priority areas: software, scalable information systems, high-end computing, and the socioeconomic impacts of IT; and balancing support among a range of project modes. The NITR&D Act addresses the concerns raised by the PITAC by implementing its key recommendations.         The CRA commends Mr. Sensenbrenner, the bill's cosponsors, and their colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives for the alacrity with which they responded to the PITAC report and for taking a sound and responsible approach to the Nation's research policy: The NITR&D Act has been one of CRA's top legislative priorities since the bill was introduced in June 1999.         Edward Lazowska, in addition to chairing the CRA Board, is the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Washington; a member of the National Science Foundation's Computer and Information Science and Engineering Advisory Committee; a member of the DARPA Information Science and Technology study group; a member of the National Research Council's Computer Science and Telecommunications Board; and a member of the Technical Advisory Board of Microsoft Research.         The Computing Research Association is an association of more than 180 North American academic departments of computer science and computer engineering; laboratories and centers in industry, government, and academia engaging in computing research; and affiliated professional societies. CRA's mission is to strengthen research and education in the computing fields, expand opportunities for women and minorities, and improve public and policymaker understanding of the importance of computing and computing research in our society. # # #