Scientists & Engineers for America

Todd Tiahrt


Todd Tiahrt
R-4-KS


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202-225-6216
2441 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-1604

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2250 N. Rock Road
#118A
Wichita, KS 67226

Biography

TIAHRT, Todd, a Representative from Kansas; born in Vermillion, Clay County, S.Dak., June 15, 1951; attended South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, S.Dak.; B.A., Evangel College, Springfield, Mo., 1975; M.B.A., Southwest Missouri State, Springfield, Mo., 1989; teacher, Kansas Newman College and Evangel College, Wichita, Kans.; proposal manager, Boeing Company; unsuccessful candidate for election for the Kansas state house of representatives in 1990; member of the Kansas state senate, 1993-1995; elected as a Republican to the One Hundred Fourth and to the five succeeding Congresses (January 3, 1995-present).

Election Update

Rep. Tiahrt 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 Todd Tiahrt 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?
America has always been a land of innovative entrepreneurs, hard working laborers, dedicated professionals and the most productive industries. Today, our regulatory, judicial and tax environments are impeding business from prospering. Sending jobs overseas is not simply a result of low wages, and it is time we acknowledge that fact. Recognizing this reality, I have developed a comprehensive competitiveness initiative that focuses on 8 specific areas where the federal government could remove barriers to economic competitiveness for U.S. workers and our industries.

Innovation, development of new technology and start-up business plans have all suffered because of governmental barriers erected in the following areas: tax policy, health care, trade policy, energy policy, education, bureaucratic regulation, lawsuit abuse and research and development disincentives.

I founded and am Chairman of the House Economic Competitiveness Caucus. This Caucus seeks to help create a long term favorable environment where once again innovation and entrepreneurship can flourish by removing barriers in these areas.

I along with 57 other Members of the House have gone to work to find solutions to these problems and that work continues today.

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?
Unfortunately we do not know much about long-term climate change. Therefore, we must actively pursue an unbiased research effort funded by both the government and the private sector to answer essential questions about climate change. The U.S. has begun this process. Since 1990, the U.S. has spent $18 billion on climate research. The Fiscal Year 2008 Interior Appropriations Bill, which I supported, provides $266 million in core climate change research plus $50 million to establish a Commission on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation.

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?
Today, energy concerns are something that face Americans from the kitchen table to the corporate board room. Energy affects everything we do from buying groceries to shipping products to powering factories that produce the products that keep our economy running.

In many ways, the United States has come to an energy crossroad. We must begin to examine policies and initiatives to alleviate energy issues from all sides. I believe that we need to look at Conservation, Production and Innovation. We can become energy self-sufficient in the US but it is going to take an all-of-the-above approach - We can do it if we get to work now.

Part of the path to energy self-sufficiency includes conservation. This is something that we can all do whether it be adjusting our thermostats so our heating and air runs less, planning our driving more efficiently or remembering to turn off unused appliances and lights. Conservation must be a part of any comprehensive approach to energy.

Production is also a key to making any future policy work. We need work now to use the resources we have at our disposal while we seek new and innovative ways to provide for our energy needs in the future. We have to make a conscious decision to one day end our reliance on certain resources, but in the meantime we need to use those resources as we develop new sources of energy. Increasing exploration and refining capacity are parts of the production segment of our energy policy that have been ignored.

Finally, we need to begin to encourage innovation and exploration for renewable and environmentally conscious sources of energy. These are the energy sources we will pass on to our grandchildren. If we begin to invest and encourage innovation now, American innovation and ingenuity will provide better sources of energy very soon.

Conservation, Production and Innovation - Three important parts of a new approach to energy.

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?
Education is one of the main factors in securing our future economic security. American graduates and college students now compete on a global market where language and international boundaries are no longer the barriers they once were for high paying jobs and careers.

Today we need to find ways to emphasize the importance of getting a good education and how it relates to future success and prosperity - too many of our students fall through the cracks. Putting a priority on math and science in the classroom is paramount to moving our students in the direction of optimal achievement.

Because not everyone has a desire to go to college, we should have alternatives for those who choose that path so they too can achieve success and make the living they desire. Therefore, technical education also plays a major part in our education policy. We need to educate the best technical workers we can in order to keep good high-paying technical jobs here in the U.S.

We are living in a day when we look at many other countries and find them graduating as many or more English-speaking engineers than the U.S. does. We need to find ways to provide incentives for science and math education beginning in primary school and continue to provide those incentives through high school, college and post graduate study in order to get more and more intelligent young people into high paying successful careers.

If we fail to renew the focus on the sciences and math, we will see high paying innovative jobs move to other parts of the world.

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?
Water is a looming concern for many communities in the US. I have been attentive to the needs in different communities in Kansas facing water shortages and have helped address those needs.

I have supported increased funding for the United States Geological Survey and other agencies to ensure the best long-term strategies for sustainable water supplies into the future.

We are working on an innovative project in South Central KS by studying the prospect of recharging the underlying water aquifer. This project is underway and is working to ensure a well supplied aquifer well into the future.

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?
Research should continue to be a high priority in future budgets.

Our economy has led the world in research because our system rewards innovation. In fact, studies have shown that research and technological innovation provide 50% of the inputs into our national economic growth. For this reason we need to make sure we devote the appropriate resources to continue research and development across the public-private spectrum.

The federal government has been a notable source for numerous health, defense and widely applicable technical discoveries that have improved the quality of life for millions of Americans. Much of this research has come out of universities across the nation in conjunction with government agencies such as NASA, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy or the Federal Aviation Administration, among many others. In our colleges and universities, we have put some of the brightest minds together with the equipment and facilities that allow them to succeed and innovate beyond their wildest dreams.

The production of college graduates is proportional to the amount of federal research support provided nationally - we continue to reap the rewards of providing first class research environments in our universities well into those students' post-graduate years.

Finally, we can trace nearly 3/4 of all patented developments to one or another federally funded research programs.

Both federally-funded and private research are a boon to our economy - it is important that we support and enhance research programs and seek opportunities to encourage research.

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?
Without a doubt, millions of Americans have benefited from the advances and developments that have been achieved in the field of medicine through research and development.

Every aspect of medicine: treatment methods, pharmaceuticals, procedures and beyond have seen new technology and advances in success rates due to new discoveries through research. It is vital that we look to the National Institutes of Health and other health related agencies to promote both government research and to partner with private sector entities to continue developing lifesaving research.

It is through discovery and exploration that scientists are able to find promising treatments and new cures for all manner of ailments and diseases.

We know that preventive measures are a good way to ward off sickness and disease - research into preventive measures promises to help alleviate both physical and fiscal hardships later in life. Through research we can have success in keeping people healthy.

Research is a vital part of the health care industry in the United States and the results are improving the quality of life of people in our own nation and around the world.

TODD TIAHRT'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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against this bill. It was then signed into law by President Obama on March 30, 2009.

[edit] Climate Change

  • Nothing posted to date

[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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt voted against 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 Tiahrt 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 Tiahrt 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 Tiahrt 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 Tiahrt voted against this bill.
  • COMPETES Act

[edit] Research and Research Management

  • Funding
    • See stimulus discussion under Innovation section.
    • In May of 2007, Representative Tiahrt 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 Tiahrt voted for the Sullivan amendment and voted against 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 Tiahrt 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 Tiahrt did not vote on this legislation.
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