Contents 1 Political Positions 1.1 Education 1.2 Energy 1.3 Environment 1.4 Climate Change 1.5 Health 1.6 Innovation 1.7 Research and Research Management 1.8 Technology 1.9 Endnotes

[edit] Education

• Educational Training
  • With a vote of 416-0 the House of Representative approved the Green Energy Education Act of 2007 (H.R. 1716) in June of 2007. The bill will allow the Secretary of Energy to contribute research and development funds to the National Science Foundation for the purpose of supporting graduate education that is related to energy technology. It also authorizes the Secretary to provide funds for the improvement of undergraduate and graduate engineering and architecture curriculum on the design and construction of "high performance buildings." Representative Waxman voted for this bill. H.R. 1716 was ultimately integrated into the America COMPETES Act (H.R. 2272) which is now law, but was not fully funded in the budget.
• Educational Funding
  • Representative Waxman voted for the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act (H.R. 362). The legislation will require the National Science Foundation to increase its funding of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship program with the goal of increasing the number of math and science teachers by up to 10,000 per year. The Noyce program provides scholarships to math, science, technology, and engineering students who commit to becoming teachers upon graduation. The legislation passed with a vote of 389-22.
• Teaching Evolution/Intelligent Design
  • Nothing posted to date

[edit] Energy

• Energy Policy
  • Introduced on 5/15/2009 by Rep. Waxman and cosponsored by Rep. Markey, the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R. 2454) aims to create jobs, protect the environment, and increase American energy independence through new regulation of utilities and industry, as well as investment in an array of new technologies. Key provisions of this bill include: mandating that, by 2020, utilities meet 20% of their electricity demand through increased efficiency and/or renewable sources, implement new energy efficiency regulations for buildings and appliances, reduce carbon emissions from large US by more than 80% by 2050, as well as investing in new clean energy technologies and improving the energy efficiency of existing technology.
    
    Representative Waxman voted for this bill.

For several months prior to the bill's vote in the House, Rep. Waxman negotiated with members of congress to ensure the passage of this legislation in time for the July 4th holiday break.

A major roadblock for ACES was the lack of support from Democrats in several farm-states, represented by House Agricultural Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-MN). Several negotiation sessions between Rep. Peterson and Rep. Waxman led to the Peterson Amendment, which transferred certain responsibilities from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Agriculture. ^[1]

• ACES in Committee

During his opening statement^[2] to the Energy and Commerce Committee on May 18, Rep. Waxman referred to a criticism of the bill which Republican congress members continuously repeated during the June 26 House vote. "My ranking member, Joe Barton, will.argue that this bill will undermine our economy. He and others will claim that there is a fundamental conflict between economic growth and clean energy." Rep. Waxman continued, citing the steady cost of the Clean Air Act.

• Steps toward climate legislation<p>

In April of 2009, Rep. Waxman insisted that upcoming climate legislation would maintain a 20 percent decrease in greenhouse gases over the next decade. <p>“I want to keep those caps in place. It’s what the scientists are telling us we must do to avoid a global catastrophe." he said.^[3] In March of 2009, Rep. Waxman promised to take action on legislation concerning energy and green house gases. He stated that “"We're more and more suffering the consequences of global warming and climate change, which scientists tell us could be irreversible if we don't take very serious action now."^[4] <p>His plan would involve a “ cap-and-trade” system, which he hopes to pass by memorial day. Major opposition to this plan argues that, in a time of recession across the world, the “cap-and-trade system would cause even more financial problems. Advocates counter with private sectors would prosper by this act, and would keep moving America forward with new technology. Motivation to pass the bill this summer is the international climate talks in Copenhagen next December. ^[5]

• Replacing Dingell as House Energy and Commerce Chair

Rep. Waxman challenged Rep. John Dingell's leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee. Dingell's critics claim he is too allied with the auto industry to promulgate effective legislation on clean-energy standards and the environment.

^[6]On November 20, 2008, Representative Waxman officially captures the chairmanship from Representative Dingell in a vote of 137-122.^[7]

• Fuel Economy Standards
  • See discussion of CLEAN Energy Act under Renewable Energy section.
• Nuclear Power
  • Nothing posted to date
• Renewable Energy
  • See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
  • In January of 2007, the House of Representatives passed the CLEAN Energy Act of 2007 (H.R. 6). This legislation is intended to address a royalties oversight that occurred when the Department of the Interior issued leases for off-shore drilling in the Gulf of Mexico from 1998 to 1999. The bill would also deny income tax deductions for oil and gas companies. Revenues generated from these provisions would be used for the development of alternative fuels and renewable energy sources. Opponents of the bill claimed that the legislation would raise costs for the domestic production of oil and could increase foreign oil imports. Representative Waxman voted for this legislation, which passed with a vote of 264-163.
    
    During consideration of H.R. 6 in June of 2007, the Senate changed the focus of the legislation into developing a more comprehensive energy bill that focused on the development of renewable fuels, energy conservation, and increased Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. In the face of a veto threat from President Bush, the House passed the Senate version of H.R. 6 with amendments by a vote of 235-181 on December 6, 2007. Representative Waxman voted for this bill. The final Senate rendering of the bill, which passed with a vote of 86-8, still included language raising CAFE standards to 35 mpg by 2020. The final version of the bill passed in the House with a vote of 314-100 and was signed into law by President Bush on December 19, 2007.
  • In August 2007, Representative Waxman voted for the final passage of the Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2007 (H.R. 3221). The legislation would provide tax incentives to promote the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency, including guaranteeing up to $1 billion in loans for the development of biorefineries and biofuel production facilities. The measure also would repeal tax deductions to income attributed to the domestic production of oil and natural gas. It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 241-172 and was sent to the Senate.
    
    A controversial amendment to the bill was H. Amdt. 748 sponsored by Representative Udall. This amendment would require retail electric suppliers to provide 15% of their electricity through a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS) by 2020. Representative Waxman voted for the amendment, which was adopted with a vote of 220 to 190.
• Off Shore Drilling
  • On September 16, 2008 the House passed H.R. 6899, the Comprehensive American Energy Security and Consumer Protection Act. This act allows oil and gas leasing in areas of the Outer Continental Shelf Planning Area that are more than 50 miles from the coastline and establishes a Strategic Energy Efficiency and Renewable Reserve. Representative Waxman voted for this legislation. This legislation was passed with a vote of 236 to 189.

[edit] Environment

• After the House failed to pass S. 22 under suspension of the rules (which requires 2/3 to vote for a provision, but does not allow any amendments), the Senate called an unrelated bill, (HR 146), to carry the omnibus land bill. The bill is a combination of over 150 public land bills and will designate over 2 million acres of land as wilderness, improve the management of currently protected land, establish new water projects, and more. Swapping the original legislation in HR 146 for the land bill was designed to make finalizing the bill in the House easy.
  
  When HR 146 was brought to the Senate, Sen. Coburn (R-OK) introduced several amendments, though only one passed:
  • Amendment 682: to make it less likely that casual stone collectors would run afoul of the criminal restrictions on taking paleontological fossils from federal land (passed)
  • Amendment 675: to stop federal officials from using the power of eminent domain to take land from citizens. Critics say this amendment was unnecessary as eminent domain would not be used in any lands included in the bill.
  • Amendment 677: to require an annual report on the total size and cost of federal property.
  • Amendment 679: to strike provisions that would block renewable-energy development on public land
  • Amendment 680: to bar new construction in national parks until the Interior secretary certifies that current sites are up to date, and
  • Amendment 683: to eliminate what Coburn considers to be "frivolous" projects

The bill passed the Senate on March 19, 2009. It passed the House by a vote of 285-140 on March 25, 2009. Representative Waxman voted for this bill. It was then signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2009.

• In a December 27, 2008, profile of Rep Waxman, CQ politics reports that "he once blocked an effort to weaken the Clean Air Act by filing 600 amendments that were wheeled in on shopping carts." CQ also notes that Waxman clashed with Rep. John Dingell on environmental issues including once in 2008 when Dingell revived a proposal to bar California to set tougher vehicle emissions standards than the federal government.

[edit] Climate Change

• The Wall Street Journal reports that Waxman says he intends to push climate change legislation out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by Memorial Day.
• Waxman, who was elected the new leader of the House Energy and Commerce Committee in November 2008, supports Barack Obama's call to cut emissions by 80% from 1990 levels by the year 2050. ^[8]

• Waxman has promised that a climate bill will be pushed through committee in 2009. He stated that it should receive bipartisan support and "everything, including a carbon tax, would be on the table." ^[9]

[edit] Health

• Introduced on March 3, 2009 by Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1256) aims to increase the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in regulating tobacco in America. The legislation would empower the FDA to require larger warning labels on cigarette packaging, control nicotine levels, and regulate the advertising and marketing of cigarettes. During the 110th Congress, an identical bill had passed in the House in July of 2008 but was never considered in the Senate. The current bill passed in the House on April 2, 2009 by a vote of 298-112. Representative Waxman voted for this bill. The Obama administration has released a statement in support of the bill and Senator Edward Kennedy stated that “the Senate will approve it expeditiously.”
• See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
• Rep. Henry Waxman created a bill that would allow generic drug manufacturers to make a copy of biologics. Rep. Waxman is only pushing for a five year exclusivity period, as opposed to the 14 years wanted by biologics companies. The bill would only require the generic drugs to prove their equivalence to the biologics, thus eliminating extensive clinical trials that the biologics must pass. The bill is expected to face much opposition. Sen. Joe Barton and Sen. Anna Eshoo pushed for a similar bill in 2007 that required a 14 year long exclusivity period. Biologic companies are not opposed to this act, as long as extensive clinical trials are also conducted on the generic drugs as well. ^[10]

• On January 29, 2009, Waxman weighed in on the timeline for healthcare reform. Unlike others, including House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) and Rep. Pete Stark, Waxman thinks the overhaul has to be done this year. "We need to get this job accomplished this year and get the bill to the president . . .,” Waxman said at a conference, "I'm committed to getting it done this year."^[11]
• Representative Waxman and Davis introduced the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Controll Act of 2007 (HR 1108). The bill would expand the FDA's ability to regulate the marketing of cigarettes. Senator Cornyn and Senator Kennedy introduced a companion bill in the Senate Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2007 (S. 625).
• Healthcare
  • After being vetoed twice by President Bush in 2007, the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) (H.R. 2) bill was reintroduced in the 111th Congress on January 13, 2009. SCHIP provides a subsidy for children’s insurance for families that cannot afford private insurance yet earn too much to qualify for Medicaid. The cost of the program is funded by an increase in cigarette taxes of 62 cents per pack. The House of Representatives voted 289-139 to pass the bill on January 14, 2009. Representative Waxman voted for this bill. The Senate also passed SCHIP, and it was signed into law by President Obama on February 4, 2009.
  • In April of 2007, the House of Representatives passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2007 (H.R. 493) with a vote of 420-3. Representative Waxman voted for this bill. If enacted, GINA will prevent health insurance companies from adjusting premiums on the basis of genetic information and forbid requiring individuals to undergo genetic tests. The bill will also prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of genetic information. This legislation was passed by the Senate in a vote of 95-0. The House passed the Senate amended version of the bill on May 1, 2008, by a vote of 415-1. Rep Ron Paul was the only representative to vote against the bill. President Bush signed GINA into law on May 21, 2008.
  • On July 15, 2008, both Houses of Congress voted to override President Bush’s veto of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (H.R. 6331), a bill to put off an almost 11% cut of payments to doctors who care for Medicare patients. The legislation offset putting off the payment cuts for doctors by reducing reimbursements to insurance companies that include Medicare patients in their managed-care programs.[1] The House voted 383 to 41 in favor of a veto override. Representative Waxman voted for this legislation.
  • Waxman introduced the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (H.R. 1108). The bill would give the Food and Drug Administration power to regulate cigarettes and other tobacco products. The House Committee on Energy Committee approved the bill April 2, 2008, and is scheduled to be considered by the full House later in the Spring.
• Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • In December 2005, Congress passed the Stem Cell Therapeutic and Research Act of 2005 (H.R. 2520), which President Bush signed on December 20, 2005. The law "creates a new Federal program to collect and store cord blood, and expands the current bone marrow registry program to also include cord blood." Representative Waxman voted for this bill. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 431-1 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
• Non-Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • In April of 2007, Congress passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S. 5), which would have overturned President Bush's ban on the use of federal funding for research on embryonic stem cell lines created after August 9, 2001. Representative Waxman voted for the legislation. The bill passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 247-176 and the Senate with a vote of 63-34. President Bush vetoed both this legislation and an identical bill that was passed by Congress in 2006.

[edit] Innovation

• Stimulus
  • On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (H.R. 1). This stimulus bill contains over $30 billion for energy initiatives including the Smart Grid Investment Program and advanced battery systems; $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy for both businesses and homes; over $8 billion for augmenting energy efficiency in federal buildings and housing programs; and $7 billion to extend broadband service to underserved communities. The Act also gives the National Science Foundation $3 billion for research; the National Institutes of Health over $10 billion for research and renovations; NASA $1 billion, a portion of which to employ more scientists; and the Department Of Energy’s Office of Science $1.6 billion for energy research. Finally, it provides $19 billion for a modernized Health Information Technology (HIT) system; $87 billion to help fund Medicaid programs; $1 billion for health prevention programs; subsidies for temporary insurance; and $19 billion for clean water and environmental restoration programs. For a more complete listing of the bill’s provisions, click here.
    
    It passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 246-183 on February 13th and passed the Senate on February 13th. Representative Waxman voted for this bill.
• COMPETES Act
  • On August 9, 2007, President Bush signed the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science (COMPETES) Act (H.R. 2272) into law. The law authorizes the increased funding of the National Science Foundation putting it on track to double funding over the next seven years, increased funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology and competitive grants for teachers and schools with the goal of strengthening the quality of education in science, math, and critical foreign languages. The bill was passed with unanimous consent in the Senate and was agreed to by a vote of 367-57 by the House after being reconciled in a conference committee. Representative Waxman voted for this legislation. The America COMPETES Act was not fully funded in 2008.

[edit] Research and Research Management

• Funding
  • See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
  • In May of 2007, Representative Waxman voted for the final passage of the National Science Foundation Funding Authorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1867), which authorizes appropriations for the National Science Foundation for the fiscal years 2008, 2009 and 2010. The final vote count was 399 to 17.
    
    During debate on this legislation, H. Amdt. 128 was offered by Rep. Honda that will allow the NSF to support the creation of K-12 curriculum focused on global warming, climate change, and actions people can take to lower greenhouse gas emissions. Rep. Sullivan of Oklahoma offered a secondary amendment, H. Amdt. 129, that would have required the education materials referenced in Rep. Honda’s amendment to "reflect the diversity of scientific opinion, including the diversity of opinion regarding the impact of human activities on climate change." Congressional Democrats criticized the Sullivan amendment as seeming "to suggest that there is an equal weight of evidence against that perspective [that humans are causing climate change] as there is in favor of it" (read the full debate). The Sullivan amendment failed by a vote of 166 to 250. The Honda Amendment passed by a vote of 252 to 165.
    
    Representative Waxman voted against the Sullivan amendment and voted for the Honda Amendment.

[edit] Technology

• On March 18, 2009, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN) introduced the Electronic Waste Research and Development Act (HR 1580) which works to reduce the waste caused by dumping unwanted electronics and to boost awareness of how to recycle such products. The bill would fund increased research on how to separate out hazardous material from waste as well as fund grants to universities to create curriculums to help in the reduction of this waste. HR 1580 passed in the House by voice vote on April 22, 2009.
• See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
• In the summer of 2008, the House met to consider the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 (H.R. 6304), which would give retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that wiretapped customers’ phones for the Bush administration shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The legislation also allows the warrantless wiretapping of American citizens for up to 7 days before obtaining court approval. The House passed the bill with a vote of 293 to 129, and the legislation was signed by President Bush on July 7, 2008. Representative Waxman voted against this legislation.

[edit] Endnotes

1. ↑ http://www.ntxe-news.com/artman/publish/article_55242.shtml
2. ↑ http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090518/haw_open.pdf
3. ↑ <http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aaE9Lr1448tM>
4. ↑ Skiba, Katherine, and Amanda Ruggeri. "On Climate Change, Henry Waxman Wants Congress to Act Now." U.S. News 11 Mar. 2009. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/03/11/on-climate-change-henry-waxman-wants-congress-to-act-now.html?PageNr=1>.
5. ↑ Skiba, Katherine, and Amanda Ruggeri. "On Climate Change, Henry Waxman Wants Congress to Act Now." U.S. News 11 Mar. 2009. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/energy/2009/03/11/on-climate-change-henry-waxman-wants-congress-to-act-now.html?PageNr=1>
6. ↑ Lee Davidson, Matheson Defending House Energy Chairman, Desert News, Nov. 18, 2008.
7. ↑ Janet Hook and Richard Simon, "Waxman expected to advance Obama's climate agenda as new energy committee chairman," LA Times. November 21, 2008, http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-waxman21-2008nov21,0,2676793.story?page=1
8. ↑ Eli Kintisch. "The Waxman Cometh." Science. November 20 2008. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2008/1120/1?etoc
9. ↑ Jean Chemnick. "US climate bill will move through House committee in 2009: Waxman." Platts. January 9, 2009. http://www.platts.com/Electric%20Power/News/8278280.xml?sub=Electric%20Power&p=Electric%20Power/News&?undefined&undefined
10. ↑ Mundy, Alicia. "Firms Prepare for a Fight Over Generic Drugs." The Wall Street Journal 12 Mar. 2009. 16 Mar. 2009 <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123682034697503187.html>.
11. ↑ Jeffrey Young, Waxman: ‘I’m committed’ to health reform in 2009, The Hill, January 29, 2009.