Scientists & Engineers for America

Michael Honda


Michael Honda
D-15-CA


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Biography

HONDA, Mike, a Representative from California; born in Walnut Grove, Solano County, Calif., June 27, 1941; graduated from San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif., 1968; M.A., San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif., 1974; United States Peace Corps, 1965-1967; member of the San Jose Unified School Board, San Jose, Calif., 1981; member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Santa Clara, Calif., 1990; member of the California state assembly, 1996-2001; elected as a Democrat to the One Hundred Seventh and to the two succeeding Congresses (January 3, 2001-present).

Election Update

Rep. Honda was re-elected in 2008 and will continue to serve in the 111th Congress.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY QUESTIONNAIRE

SEA and eighteen other science organizations came together to ask the 2008 congressional candidates and winners seven questions on science and technology policy. See what Michael Honda said:

Innovation

Science and technology have been responsible for half of the growth of the American economy since World War II. But several recent reports question America’s continued leadership in these vital areas. What policies would you support to ensure that America remains the world leader in innovation?
I was proud to be a member of the task force that developed the Democrats Innovation Agenda – A Commitment to Competitiveness to Keep America #1. Our agenda, much of which became law in the America COMPETES Act, includes a commitment to creating an educated, skilled workforce in science, math, engineering, and technology and sustained federal investment in research and development. As a member of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, I am committed to delivering on that promise by providing increased funding for the agencies within our jurisdiction (the National Science Foundation, the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration). As a representative of Silicon Valley, I regularly visit some of our nation’s most innovative and inventive companies. During these visits, I have learned that one of the most important things we can do to remain competitive is to truly understand what makes America the world’s leader in innovation and to teach our students the skills used by the most creative and innovative among us. To achieve this, I introduced H.R. 1492, the Innovations for our Nation’s Vital Educational Needs for Technology (INVENT) Act. The INVENT Act would establish a competitive program within NSF with the goal of developing K-12 and undergraduate level curriculum tools to help foster inventiveness and innovation. The bill also directs NSF to implement a public awareness and outreach campaign relating to invention and innovation as well as establishing awards and prizes to stimulate invention and innovation in areas of greatest need and raise the stature of inventors and innovators in the eyes of young people. The bill also establishes research programs on the process of invention and the teaching of inventiveness which are aimed at gaining a deeper understanding of the creative mind and creative environment.

Climate Change

The Earth’s climate is changing and there is concern about the potentially adverse effects of these changes on life on the planet. What is your position on the following measures that have been proposed to address global climate change—a cap-and-trade system, a carbon tax, increased fuel-economy standards, and research? Are there other policies you would support?
I believe that global warming is the most significant threat to our environment, and that the overwhelming scientific evidence makes clear that it is a real phenomenon and that human activities play a significant role. Now is the time to act on global warming. Dramatic changes will be needed in transportation, energy production, and public policy, and human behavior and education will be essential to allowing these changes to happen. I have cosponsored legislation to implement a range of measures to help address the problem, including increased fuel economy standards and research into energy efficiency and carbon reduction techniques. I have also cosponsored legislation (H.R. 6316) that would institute a cap and trade system to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. I would be open to supporting a carbon tax if it was determined that that approach would be more effective than a cap and trade system for reducing carbon emissions. In order to get the public to embrace these approaches, I feel it is essential that we provide clear information about global warming in a variety of forms to remove the fear and sense of helplessness that many feel and encourage individuals to take action. To enhance Americans’ understanding of human induced global warming, I introduced H.R. 1728, the Global Warming Education Act to establish a global warming education program at the National Science Foundation. I also believe that combating global warming will require leadership at the highest levels of our federal government, and so I am currently developing legislation to establish a global warming “czar.” Climate change is a global problem, not just a domestic one, and so I am also focused on seeking global solutions. I convened a forum on Climate Change, Energy, and the Americas in Washington to open a dialogue between representatives from North, South, and Central America on critical environmental and energy policy issues relevant to our entire hemisphere.

Energy

Many scientists and policymakers say energy security and sustainability are major problems facing the United States this century. What policies would you support to meet the demand for energy while ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable future?
I believe that we need comprehensive approach that increases the efficiency with which we use energy and unlocks the potential of renewable energy sources. I support investment in research and development for new, more efficient technologies and for novel methods to generate energy renewably. I support tax credits and other incentives to promote the adoption of technologies such as plug-in hybrid vehicles, fuel cell powered vehicles, and other alternative fuel vehicles. I also support to proposals that would provide more funding for conservation R&D and tax credits to businesses and households that install energy saving devices and renewable energy generation, such as small scale solar, wind, or geothermal. I support the establishment of a national renewable portfolio standard to require the adoption of renewable energy generation by large scale utilities, and I support the establishment of a feed in tariff allow individuals to generate electricity on their own and deliver their excess capacity back into the grid. I also believe that we must fundamentally re-think the way we design our communities to encourage the use of public transportation and non-energy intensive transportation modes.

Education

A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 17th, while average U.S. math scores ranked 24th. What role do you think the federal government should play in preparing K-12 students for the science and technology driven 21st Century?
I think the federal government should play a significant role in this area. In 2006, the federal government sponsored 105 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education programs at a dozen different Federal Agencies, at a cost of approximately $3.12 billion. Many of these Agencies do not share information or work collaboratively on similar programs. I believe we must bring coordination, collaboration, and coherence to these programs, and to do so I introduced H.R. 6104, the Enhancing STEM Education Act. The bill provides a framework for how the federal government should be involved in preparing K-12 students for the science and technology driven 21st Century. It would improve the coherence of Federal STEM education programs through a centralized STEM Education Committee within the President’s Office of Science and Technology Policy. It would also establish an Office of STEM Education at the Department of Education to raise the prominence and place a greater emphasis on STEM education within the Department. The bill also has the federal government encourage states to work together when developing strategies for improving STEM education and conducting workforce needs assessment by establishing an Interstate Council on STEM Education, and it would create a National STEM Education Research Repository to be a central point of access for federally funded STM education research and promising practices and exemplary programs.

Water

Thirty-nine states expect some level of water shortage over the next decade, and scientific studies suggest that a majority of our water resources are at risk. What policies would you support to meet demand for water resources?
As a representative from an arid state, I know well the challenges we face in meeting future demands for water. I support the expansion of water recycling and reuse programs that can reclaim wastewater for applications such as irrigation. I also believe we must do all that we can to reduce the amount of water that we currently use to minimize the increased demand we will see as our population grows. I believe that new technologies can help to make approaches such as desalination more feasible and less energy intensive – for example, the development of advanced filtration materials using nanotechnology can enable the treatment of water we thought was previously unusable.

Research

For many years, Congress has recognized the importance of science and engineering research to realizing our national goals. Given that the next Congress will likely face spending constraints, what priority would you give to investment in basic research in upcoming budgets?
I believe that investment in basic research should be one of the highest priorities in upcoming budgets. I have sponsored bills to double the authorization level for the National Science Foundation several times since I came to Congress, although unfortunately we haven’t been able to get appropriations to match those authorized levels. I believe we must now make this a top priority, because we are facing an ever greater threat from other nations as they increase their investments in science and technology. The decline of federal R&D spending as a percentage of federal expenditures over the past few years is threatening long term research, the historical province of the federal government, and it is resulting in an inadequate supply of individuals with the advanced scientific and technological education to meet future workforce needs. Federal funding agencies are unable to fund many proposals they receive that reviewers say have high scientific merit because their budgets have not increased at the rate of demand. As a member of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee, I have tried to address this problem the past two appropriations cycles, but we have encountered some obstacles once our bills moved beyond our subcommittee. I am committed to continuing the effort to increase funding for these vital agencies.

Health

Americans are increasingly concerned with the cost, quality, and availability of health care. How do you see science, research, and technology contributing to improved health and quality of life?
As a representative of Silicon Valley, I see on a daily basis the many ways that science and technology have improved our lives, from increased productivity to reduced mortality rates from diseases that were previously considered a death sentence. I believe that we must continue to invest in basic scientific research in order to lay the foundation for future advances and to promote the workforce that will be needed to fill the jobs in this sector. One area in particular that I think holds particular promise is nanotechnology, which is estimated to be a multi-trillion dollar industry worldwide. By controlling materials at the atomic level, we can change the way many items are designed and made in areas such as electronics, medicine, energy, biotechnology, and information technology. Improved cancer treatments can be designed that will target only cancer cells and not healthy cells. Ever smaller logic components can make computer chips smaller, faster, and more energy efficient, leading to more efficient use of information technology in health care. To promote this field, I was the primary Democratic sponsor of the 21st Century Nanotechnology R&D Act, which became law in 2003. Now that the law needs to be reauthorized, I have sponsored H.R. 3235, the Nanotechnology Advancement and New Opportunities (NANO) Act, which would focus America’s nanotechnology R&D program on areas of national need such as energy, health care, and the environment, and have provisions to help assist in the commercialization of nanotechnology. It would also require the development of a nanotechnology health and safety research plan that will help ensure the responsible development and stewardship of nanotechnology.

MICHAEL HONDA'S RECORD ON SCIENCE

Contents

[edit] Education

[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 Honda voted for this bill.
  • Fuel Economy Standards
    • See discussion of CLEAN Energy Act under Renewable Energy section.
  • Nuclear Power
  • 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 Honda 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 Honda 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 Honda 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 Honda voted for the amendment, which was adopted with a vote of 220 to 190.
  • Off Shore Drilling

[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 Honda voted for this bill. It was then signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2009.

[edit] Climate Change

  • Nothing posted to date
  • Congressman Honda introduced the Global Warming Education Act (H. R. 1728) which would create an program to educate people on the possible long and short term consequences, and potential solutions to global warming through the National Science Foundation. Provisions of H.R. 1728 were added to the National Science Foundation Reauthorization Act as H. Amdt. 128.

[edit] Health

  • Template:Vote-HHRAndEducationAndAppropriations2010
  • 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 Honda 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.
  • 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 Honda voted for this bill. The Senate also passed SCHIP, and it was signed into law by President Obama on February 4, 2009.
    • On January 23, 2008, the House once again failed with a vote of 260-152 to pass H.R. 3963 to override President Bush’s veto of SCHIP. Representative Honda voted for this legislation.
    • On October 3, 2007, President Bush vetoed H.R. 976, citing that the bill moved too many children towards federally funded healthcare. The House attempted to override the President’s veto, but the measure failed to pass with a vote count of 273-156. Representative Honda voted for the veto override. On December 29, 2007, President Bush signed the Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP Extension Act of 2007 (S. 2499) which extends funding for SCHIP through March of 2009, but does not significantly increase the program.
    • On September 25, 2007, the House passed the final version of the “Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act” (H.R. 976) with a vote of 265-169. This bill would have increased funding for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by $50 billion dollars over five years. Opponents saw the bill as too costly and were critical of the funding methods for the program, including a cigarette tax increase (read the floor debate). Representative Honda voted for this legislation.
    • 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 Honda 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 Honda voted for this legislation.
  • Embryonic Stem Cell Research
  • Non-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 Honda voted for this bill. The legislation passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 431-1 and passed the Senate by unanimous consent.
  • Food

[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 Honda voted for this bill.
  • COMPETES Act

[edit] Research and Research Management

  • Funding
    • See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
    • In May of 2007, Representative Honda 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 Honda 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. Representative Honda voted for this legislation.
  • 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 Honda voted against this legislation.
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