Roll Call
CQ Roll Call May 23, 2013

Technology & Science Archive

Stevenson: Overseeing the New Ways of War

There’s a lot of confusion and disagreement over how the government should manage two increasingly important techniques of waging war: drones and cyber-activities.

Obama Nominates Energy, EPA Heads

President Barack Obama on Monday nominated Gina McCarthy to lead the Environmental Protection Agency and MIT professor Ernest J. Moniz to serve as Energy secretary during his second term.

Rubin and Houghton: When Natural Security Means National Security

Each year, two of America’s noblest raptors share the sky over a patch of Nevada desert: In springtime, the golden eagle arrives to nest at the Desert National Wildlife Refuge 20 miles north of the Las Vegas strip, while at other times of the year another aerial predator, the F-22 Raptor, launched from adjacent Nellis Air Force Base, takes to these same skies to train American fighter pilots.

Smith: Coordinate R&D to Prevent Cyberattacks

Perhaps the most important role of federal government, highlighted in the preamble of the Constitution, is to “provide for the common defense.” This role is generally thought of as military defense against missiles and bombs. But in the digital age, Americans are more frequently becoming the targets of high-tech cyberattacks.

Firm Proposes 'Backbone' to Bring Offshore Wind Power to Market

Among the many roadblocks that have prevented offshore wind farms from proliferating off the Atlantic coast is how to get the electricity generated from the Outer Continental Shelf to the mainland.

Thompson: The Wrong Way to Do Sequester

An increasingly likely outcome of the looming budget sequester is the prospect of all Pentagon programs being cut equally — about 10 percent — regardless of performance, potential or priority. The administration and Congress may actually allow this to happen, damaging successful and well-performing programs in the developmental pipeline while preserving failing or antiquated programs. Doing so would be a major mistake.

House Weighs Annual Contest for Science Students

Each year, young people send drawings and paintings to their representatives in Congress in the hope of having their work selected for display on the walls of the Cannon Tunnel.

Petricone: Expo Provides Lawmakers With a Valuable Look at New Technology

Unfortunately, your recent article (“Aides Take Advantage of Rules to Extend Trips,” Feb. 5) on congressional staff travel to the International Consumer Electronics Show omits the very reasons that policymakers come to CES in the first place.

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Congress: Is Computer Law Too Tough on Hackers?

The mood was understandably somber when friends and well-wishers gathered last week to pay tribute to the late Internet activist Aaron Swartz. A host of speakers, including members of Congress from both parties, lamented the wasted talent of the 26-year-old prodigy who dedicated his life to the liberation of information.

Friend's Death Becomes Call to Action

Demand Progress Executive Director David Segal didn’t set out to build a grass-roots movement of Internet activists, but after the death of his close friend Aaron Swartz, he may not have a choice.

Toohey: Securing Helium Supply Is No Heavy Lift

Congress can strengthen advanced manufacturing, facilitate scientific research and increase revenues to the federal government, all with little controversy and debate. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, a simple fix to the operating guidelines of the Federal Helium Reserve will secure the supply of helium for advanced manufacturers and add millions to the federal Treasury this year.

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Personal Electronics Move Closer to Taking Flight

Those cloying reminders to shut off personal electronic devices at the start and end of an airline flight may soon be relics of the past if some members of Congress have their way.

Airline Passengers Prefer to Put In-Flight Cellphone Calls on Hold

While federal aviation regulators face mounting pressure to relax the ban on electronics use on commercial flights, passengers should not expect to use their cellphones anytime soon.

Boucher: The More Things Change, the More Regulations Cannot Stay the Same

Thirty years ago, Americans had plain old telephone service (POTS). In each community, one local telephone company offered a voice connection, referred to as “dial tone.” These rotary dials were considered a great improvement over the live operator who controlled a switchboard and personally connected each call. There was no Internet; there were no cellphones; and TV came from an antenna on the roof or rabbit ears on top of the set. That was the communications landscape of the time, and, my, what changes the last three decades have brought!

Smith: Ensuring Science Investments Provide Strong Return

Inscribed on the wall of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee hearing room is the quote “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This simple line from the Book of Proverbs is an appropriate message as we begin a new Congress. We must learn from the past, understand the present and have a vision for the future.

Porter and Mfume: The Sequester Remains a Health Threat

The fiscal-cliff deal has provided a soft landing for many taxpayers, but it failed to take onerous spending cuts for federal agencies off the table permanently. Under the deal, discretionary spending will be cut by $4 billion this year, the sequester has been delayed by two months and annual spending caps for nondefense expenditures have been reduced.

Interests' Presence Felt In 2012, Filings Show

Updated: Jan. 23, 8:40 a.m. | It may have been a do-little Congress, but lobbyists of all stripes made their presence felt on Capitol Hill this past year.

Lubell: Lessons From the Cliffhanger

The debris the 112th Congress left behind when it finally closed its doors on Jan. 3 poses immense risks for the future American economy and the science on which it relies. The narrative is far from Byzantine, but, remarkably, it has received far too little attention.

Ryan: 113th Congress, Get to the Internet

The most common misconception around digital engagement is that the power of the Internet exists in the future. Just about everyone I talk to about digital strategy, from elected officials to interns who want to work in politics, tells me that they want to do more online because that’s where things are headed. But that perception is wrong. The Internet is the present. We no longer go online, but the online world is woven into the fabric of our daily lives.

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Cornyn Presses DOJ on Case of Reddit Co-Founder Swartz

Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn on Friday wrote to Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. about the possibility of prosecutorial misconduct in the Justice Department’s case against Reddit co-founder Aaron Swartz, who committed suicide last week.

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