House Budget Plan Calls For Tech Spending IncreasesHouse Budget Plan Calls For Tech Spending Increases

The U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on a budget resolution this week that would allocate new funds for research, science, education, and business.

The budget resolution would add $2 billion for general science, space, and technology spending in several areas, including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the U.S. Department of Energy's science office, for a total of $27.6 billion. It would add $300 million in funding to President George W. Bush's plan for additional DOE research, bringing that total to $3.2 billion.

Finally, the resolution offers $7.9 billion more than Bush proposed for education, training, and employment, for a total of $92.5 billion, the same amount Congress proposed in 2005. The education, training, and employment funds are dispersed throughout several departments, including the Department of Education, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The funds are awarded to programs, as well as state and local governments, that benefit educational and career goals of families and individuals of all ages.

The Electronic Industries Alliance, which represents 1,300 member companies and organizations in four business sectors, issued a statement praising the funding levels Congress has proposed for the 2008 federal budget. Charlie Robinson, EIA's interim president and CEO, stressed that the funding would help American workers and companies be more competitive, while promoting innovation.

"Time and again, leaders from every sector of our industry have highlighted the need to step up federal investments in research and technology," Robinson said in the statement. "Now it looks like we're making real progress toward that goal. House leaders see the value in these programs, even in a year of extraordinary budget pressures."