In order to stay in the high-tech game, Washington needs to invest in science, technology, and engineering.
One way to do this is with something called the “Endless Frontier Act.” It's a fancy new law that intends to invest billions of dollars.
Here are Five Fast Facts about how it should help develop advanced technology in Washington State:
- What's The Sitch? In a rare moment of unity, Republicans and Dems in the Senate passed a new law investing tens of billions of dollars in technology. That includes the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) in Richland.
- How Will It Work? Rather than just handing out the money, it will instead be based on competitive grants. Doesn't seem like a normal government thing to do, but we like it!
- How Much Are We Talking About? The PNNL is eligible to compete for $17 billion marked for R&D facilities, as well as $14.7 billion marked for national lab infrastructure. That should cover at least a few microscopes and white coats!
- Step One Of...More Than One - The EFA has passed the Senate, but the House is expected to be a tougher sell. The head of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology is opposed to the EFA because it dilutes the focus of the research mission. A purist makes the debate interesting, right?
- Not Dead, Just Harder - The House is chopping the EFA into pieces and addressing them one at a time. The Senate's version included a lot of garbage and extra spending that are making the piecemeal approach difficult. Yep, that sounds more like a normal government thing.
🔥Bottom line: We don't yet know how much money will actually land at the PNNL, but it will help with local Paychecks no matter what. And, given the high tech growth and development around the state over the last few years, it seems like a bigger benefit than the PNNL is on the way, too. We're all for it...assuming it is signed into law, that is.
What do you think of this potential new spending on tech?
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