LegiStorm

Summary:

The federal government supports scientific and technological advancement directly by funding and performing research and development (R&D) and indirectly by creating and maintaining policies that encourage private sector efforts. Additionally, the federal government regulates many aspects of science and technology (S&T) activities. Federal S&T support has led to scientific breakthroughs and new technologies, ranging from jet aircraft and the internet to communications satellites and defenses against disease. Many S&T policy issues before the 118th Congress represent areas of continuing Member interest. Examples include crosscutting issues that affect scientific and technological progress, agricultural research, climate change, Department of Defense (DOD) research, earth science, space, and water. Other issues represent new or rapidly transforming areas such as biotechnology, energy, information technology and social media, financial technology, and telecommunications. Some of these S&T issue areas are described briefly below. Cross-Cutting Issues Issues that cut across multiple S&T disciplines include federal R&D funding, interagency S&T coordination, the role of patents and other intellectual property policies, and semiconductors. Agriculture The federal government funds billions of dollars of agricultural research annually. The 118th Congress may consider issues related to funding this research. Climate Change S&T considerations permeate deliberations on climate change topics: climate-change-related science and the ocean-climate nexus, decarbonizing the railroads, and carbon capture and sequestration. Biotechnology and Biomedical Research Recent advances in biotechnology and biomedical research hold the promise of longer and healthier lives and more productive industry while raising policy challenges. Some issues that the 118th Congress may face include those relating to the National Institutes of Health; the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology; oversight of engineering biology; regulation of laboratory-developed tests; monitoring of environmental DNA and RNA; and the convergence of biotechnology, digital data, robotics, and artificial intelligence. Defense Research and Development DOD relies on a robust R&D effort to develop new military systems and improve existing systems. Issues before the 118th Congress regarding DOD’s S&T activities include budgetary concerns and the effectiveness of programs to transition R&D results into fielded products and how DOD encourages innovation. Energy, Minerals, and Mining S&T issues related to energy, minerals, and mining that may come before the 118th Congress include biofuels, electricity transmission, offshore energy technologies, hydrogen, hydrogen pipelines, critical minerals and materials, and various types of mining technologies. Earth Sciences Earth-science-related issues before the 118th Congress include changes to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s S&T activities and improvements to weather observations, modeling, and forecasting. Financial Technology Financial technology, or fintech, refers to a broad set of technologies being deployed across a variety of financial industries and activities, including those related to cryptocurrency, investor applications, and consumer finance applications. Information Technology and Social Media Rapid advancements in information technologies present several issues for congressional policymakers, including those related to artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, Big Tech and online platforms, social media, consumer data privacy, children on the internet, quantum information S&T, law enforcement use of information technologies and social media, and biometric technologies. Space and Aviation Congress has a strong interest in space policy and aviation issues. Issues before the 118th Congress include the funding and oversight of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the commercialization of space, Earth-observing satellites, and law enforcement use of drones. Telecommunications Telecommunications technologies present several issues for policymakers, including those related to 5G technologies, broadband deployment and the digital divide, undersea cables, federal spectrum auctions and allocations, and Federal Communications Commission and National Telecommunications and Information Administration spectrum programs. Water, Accessibility, and Use Water research and technology topics include issues relating to water data and aquatic ecosystem information, water infrastructure and water use, and water quality