Rosen-Backed Legislation to Launch National Quantum Initiative Program Passes House

Statement

Today, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (NV-03), a member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, voted for H.R. 6227, the National Quantum Initiative Act, which she helped introduce. This bipartisan legislation would create a 10-year National Quantum Initiative Program to advance quantum research and development in the U.S. Specifically, this bill would establish a National Quantum Coordination Office with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to serve as a central point of contact for stakeholders and agencies and to promote the commercialization of federal quantum research. Quantum information science refers to the storage, transmission, manipulation, or measurement of information that is encoded in systems described by the laws of quantum physics. H.R. 6227 also encourages U.S. tech companies investing in quantum research to contribute their knowledge and resources to a national effort on quantum technology.

"It is imperative that Congress take an active role in ensuring that the U.S. remains technologically competitive on the world stage - our national security depends on it," said Rosen. "This bill will direct the Administration to provide resources for tech companies investing in quantum research to shore up a national effort to bolster our quantum technology workforce. I will continue to advocate for legislation that advances our economy and promotes scientific innovation."

BACKGROUND: In February 2018, Rosen's two bipartisan STEM education bills passed the House unanimously as one combined bill. The Code Like a Girl Act, H.R. 3316, creates two National Science Foundation grants to research and fund computer science programs that encourage early childhood education in STEM for girls under the age of 11. The Building Blocks of STEM Act, H.R. 3397, directs the National Science Foundation to more equitably allocate funding for research in the Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program to studies with a focus on early childhood.

The Code Like a Girl Act is endorsed by the Girl Scouts, Common Sense Kids Action, American Association of University Women (AAUW), Save the Children Action Network, and by the Association for Computing Machinery's Council on Women in Computing (ACM-W), which supports and advocates for the full engagement of women in all aspects of computer science.

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