Senate Commerce Committee Approves Three Tech Bills

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation approved three pieces of legislation via voice vote during today’s executive session.

The Committee, led by Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., approved:

• 737, the Building Blocks of STEM Act, Sponsors: This legislation instructs the National Science Foundation, when awarding grants under the Discovery Research PreK-12 program, to consider age distribution in order to more equitably allocate funding for research studies with a focus on early childhood. The bill is sponsored by Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Deb Fischer, R-Neb.
• 1289, the Measuring the Economic Impact of Broadband Act: The bill will require the Secretary of Commerce to assess the impact of broadband deployment and adoption on the economy of the United States. The Act is sponsored by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., and Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska.
• 1294, Broadband Interagency Coordination Act: Under this legislation, the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture would enter into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate the distribution of Federal funds for broadband deployment. The bill is sponsored by Sens. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.

Since all three pieces of legislation were approved by the Committee, they now move to the Senate floor for further consideration.