Federal Update
March 4, 2022
The Federal Relations team continues to track the pending competitiveness legislation in the House and Senate. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act passed the Senate in June and the America COMPETES Act (America Creating Opportunities for Manufacturing, Pre-Eminence in Technology, and Economic Strength Act of 2022) passed the House in February, setting the stage for a conference committee to resolve differences between the two pieces of legislation.
President Biden expressed the urgency to pass the legislation in his March 1 State of the Union Address. “…we also need to level the playing field with China and other competitors. That’s why it’s so important to pass the bipartisan Innovation Act sitting in Congress that will make record investments in emerging technologies and American manufacturing.”
The Federal Relations team will monitor the progress of this legislation as the conferencing process between the House and Senate plays out.Additional priorities outlined by the President in his State of the Union include:
- Increasing the federal Pell Grant maximum
- Funding the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H)
- Heightened investment in mental health services and treatment
For more information on the America COMPETES Act, visit H.R. 4521
For more information on the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, visit S. 1260