S5734 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE July 31, 2012 

United States for the 2002 declaration 

of conduct of parties in the South 

China Sea among the member states of 

ASEAN and the People’s Republic of 

China, and for other purposes. 

AMENDMENT NO. 2574

At the request of Mrs. HUTCHISON, the 

name of the Senator from Missouri 

(Mrs. MCCASKILL) was added as a cosponsor of amendment No. 2574 intended to be proposed to S. 3414, a bill 

to enhance the security and resiliency 

of the cyber and communications infrastructure of the United States. 

AMENDMENT NO. 2617

At the request of Mr. COONS, the 

name of the Senator from Illinois (Mr. 

DURBIN) was added as a cosponsor of 

amendment No. 2617 intended to be proposed to S. 3414, a bill to enhance the 

security and resiliency of the cyber and 

communications infrastructure of the 

United States. 

AMENDMENT NO. 2618

At the request of Mr. AKAKA, the 

names of the Senator from New Hampshire (Mrs. SHAHEEN) and the Senator 

from Illinois (Mr. DURBIN) were added 

as cosponsors of amendment No. 2618 

intended to be proposed to S. 3414, a 

bill to enhance the security and resiliency of the cyber and communications 

infrastructure of the United States. 

AMENDMENT NO. 2636

At the request of Ms. SNOWE, the 

name of the Senator from Missouri 

(Mrs. MCCASKILL) was added as a cosponsor of amendment No. 2636 intended to be proposed to S. 3414, a bill 

to enhance the security and resiliency 

of the cyber and communications infrastructure of the United States. 

f 

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED 

BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS 

By Mr. BINGAMAN (for himself, 

Mr. ALEXANDER, and Mr. DURBIN): 

S. 3459. A bill to amend the Department of Energy High-End Computing 

Revitalization Act of 2004 to improve 

the high-end computing research and 

development program of the Department of Energy, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and 

Natural Resources. 

Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I am 

pleased to introduce the Department of 

Energy High-End Computing Improvement Act of 2012, along with my cosponsors, Senators ALEXANDER and 

DURBIN. This bipartisan bill addresses 

the need for ongoing high performance 

computing and the establishment of an 

exascale program within the Department of Energy, DOE. 

America’s leadership in high performance computing, HPC, is essential 

to a vast range of national priorities in 

science, energy, environment, health, 

and national security. For decades the 

U.S. was the leader in HPC through 

collaborative efforts led by the DOE 

between national laboratories, academia, and industry. Investments in 

HPC have facilitated extraordinary scientific and technological advances that 

have enabled a wide range of simulation and analysis saving time, money, 

energy and fuel, which has strengthened the U.S. economy and contributed 

to national security. 

U.S. leadership in HPC has recently 

been challenged through significant 

governmental investment in HPC programs in Japan, China, South Korea, 

Russia, and the European Union, and 

the race to exascale computing is on. 

Exascale computers will be able to perform 10 to the 18th power floating point 

operations per second making them 

1000 times more powerful than the 

most advanced computers today. These 

new computers will require the development of new software and computer 

architectures with improved power 

consumption, memory, and reliability. 

This bipartisan bill updates the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 to 

preserve DOE HPC and to distinguish 

the exascale initiative from other highend computing efforts. Based on input 

from the DOE, appropriate funding levels are established through this bill to 

support the exascale initiative through 

fiscal year 2015. This bill will ensure 

that the U.S. remains competitive in 

the race to exascale and as with previous generations of HPC systems, the 

resulting technological advances will 

further support Federal priorities like 

research and national security and will 

be integrated into electronics industries strengthening high-tech competitiveness and driving economic growth. 

I would like to conclude by taking a 

moment to acknowledge the exceptional efforts of a few staff members 

who have worked diligently to help 

craft this important piece of legislation. Jonathan Epstein, a former staff 

member on my Energy and Natural Resources Committee and current staff 

member on the Armed Services Committee and Jennifer Nekuda Malik, a 

AAAS Science Policy Fellow on my 

Energy and Natural Resources Committee worked with Neena Imam, a 

Legislative Fellow on Senator ALEXANDER’s staff and Tom Craig, a staff 

member on the Appropriations Committee, to update the DOE’s high-end 

computing program to account for 

changes since the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 and establish the 

exascale computing program. I appreciate the efforts of these staff members 

and I thank them for their work. 

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed 

in the RECORD. 

There being no objection, the text of 

the bill was ordered to be printed in 

the RECORD, as follows: 

S. 3459 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department 

of Energy High-End Computing Improvement 

Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. RENAMING OF ACT. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1 of the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 5501 note; 

Public Law 108–423) is amended by striking 

‘‘Department of Energy High-End Computing 

Revitalization Act of 2004’’ and inserting 

‘‘Department of Energy High-End Computing 

Act of 2012’’. 

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 

976(a)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 

U.S.C. 16316(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004’’ and inserting ‘‘Department of Energy High-End Computing 

Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

Section 2 of the Department of Energy 

High-End Computing Act of 2012 (15 U.S.C. 

5541) is amended— 

(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

(5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively; 

(2) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting 

the following: 

‘‘(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘Department’ 

means the Department of Energy. 

‘‘(2) EXASCALE COMPUTING.—The term 

‘exascale computing’ means computing 

through the use of a computing machine 

that performs near or above 10 to the 18th 

power floating point operations per second.’’; 

and 

(3) in paragraph (6) (as redesignated by 

paragraph (1)), by striking ‘‘, acting through 

the Director of the Office of Science of the 

Department of Energy’’. 

SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END 

COMPUTING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. 

Section 3 of the Department of Energy 

High-End Computing Act of 2012 (15 U.S.C. 

5542) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘program’’ and inserting ‘‘coordinated program 

across the Department’’; 

(2) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ‘‘, which 

may’’ and all that follows through ‘‘architectures’’; and 

(3) by striking subsection (d) and inserting 

the following: 

‘‘(d) EXASCALE COMPUTING PROGRAM.— 

‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a research program (referred to in this 

subsection as the ‘program’) to develop 1 or 

more exascale computing machines to promote the missions of the Department. 

‘‘(2) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the 

program, the Secretary shall coordinate the 

development of 1 or more exascale computing machines across all applicable agencies of the Department. 

‘‘(3) CODESIGN.—The Secretary shall carry 

out the program through an integration of 

application, computer science, and computer 

hardware architecture using public-private 

partnerships to ensure that, to the maximum 

extent practicable, 1 or more exascale computing machines are capable of solving Department target applications and scientific 

problems. 

‘‘(4) MERIT REVIEW.—The development of 1 

or more exascale computing machines shall 

be conducted through a merit review process. 

‘‘(5) ANNUAL REPORTS.—At the time of the 

budget submission of the Department for 

each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit 

to Congress a report that describes funding 

for the exascale computing program as a 

whole by functional element of the Department and critical milestones.’’. 

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

Section 4 of the Department of Energy 

High-End Computing Act of 2012 (15 U.S.C. 

5543) is amended— 

(1) by striking ‘‘this Act’’ and inserting 

‘‘section 3(d)’’; and 


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July 31, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S5735 

(2) by striking paragraphs (1) through (3) 

and inserting the following: 

‘‘(1) $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

‘‘(2) $220,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; and 

‘‘(3) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2015.’’. 

By Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. 

ENZI, Mr. SCHUMER, and Mr. 

RUBIO): 

S. 3460. A bill to amend the Internal 

Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for 

startup businesses to use a portion of 

the research and development credit to 

offset payroll taxes; to the Committee 

on Finance. 

Mr. COONS. Mr. President, to fuel 

American economic growth and job 

creation, we have to make sure our tax 

policy is as smart as the innovators 

who power our economy. 

American ingenuity has always been 

at the core of our economic success. 

Behind nearly every game-changing innovation, from the light bulb to the 

search engine, has been critical research and development that transforms an idea into a market-ready 

product. The challenges of the global 

economy may be new, but the solution 

is the same—supporting and sustaining 

American innovators. 

That is why I joined with my friend 

and colleague, the Senator from Wyoming, Senator ENZI, to draft legislation 

that gives innovative startup companies the opportunity to take advantage 

of the successful research and development tax credit, which would support 

their efforts to invest in innovation 

and create jobs. 

Senator ENZI and I are proud to be 

joined by Senator SCHUMER of New 

York and Senator RUBIO of Florida in 

introducing the Startup Innovation 

Credit Act of 2012, which allows qualifying companies to claim the R&D tax 

credit against their employment taxes 

instead of their income taxes, thereby 

opening the credit to new companies 

who don’t yet have an income tax liability. We are also grateful to our colleagues in the House, who are working 

to introduce a bipartisan companion 

bill this week. 

Over the past three decades, the research and development tax credit has 

helped tens of thousands of successful 

American companies create jobs by 

incentivizing investment in innovation. But with America’s global manufacturing competitiveness at stake, it 

is time Congress shows the same type 

of support for entrepreneurs and young 

companies. 

Small and startup businesses are 

driving our Nation’s economic recovery 

and creating jobs by taking risks to 

turn their ideas into marketable products. Over the past few decades, firms 

that were younger than 5 years old 

were responsible for the overwhelming 

majority of new jobs in this country. 

The tax code is a powerful tool in the 

government’s toolbox, but tax credits 

can’t help emerging companies that 

don’t yet have tax liabilities. That 

takes the R&D tax credit off the table 

for countless promising startups and 

small businesses. 

Over the last two years, I have talked 

with dozens of business leaders and experts in tax policy to refine an idea to 

create a new small business innovation 

credit that would help those young 

companies. My commitment to this 

concept has only strengthened since I 

introduced a version of it in my very 

first bill as a Senator, the Job Creation 

Through Innovation Act. This work 

continued, along with Senator RUBIO, 

in the subsequent AGREE Act and 

Startup Act 2.0. 

The reason I am so doggedly pursuing 

this idea is because it is critical for 

young, innovative companies in my 

home state of Delaware. Take, for example, DeNovix, a small company 

based in Wilmington. With just six employees, they design, manufacture and 

sell laboratory equipment that helps 

scientists innovate and achieve results. 

As a brand-new company, all of 

DeNovix’ products are in the research 

and development phase. So at this 

point, they can’t take advantage of the 

R&D tax credit. A new, innovative 

company, shut out of support they need 

at the time they need it most. That 

seems counterproductive for our economy. So let us fix it. Under the Startup 

Innovation Credit Act of 2012, DeNovix 

and companies like them across Delaware and across the country could 

grow and create jobs with the help of 

the R&D tax credit. 

We can’t let tough economic times 

slow down the power of American ingenuity, especially when history has 

taught us that now is exactly the time 

we need to be investing in our 

innovators. More than half of our Fortune 500 companies were launched during a recession or bear market, so a 

small business founded this year could 

become the next General Electric or 

DuPont if it gets the support it needs. 

America’s researchers, business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs are 

already working to help create jobs and 

ensure American competitiveness in 

the global economy. We just have to 

support and sustain their hard work, 

and we cannot take the rest of the year 

off just because there is an election 

coming up. Even in this difficult, partisan atmosphere, we have to find ways 

to work together and get things done. 

Innovation will drive American economic competitiveness for generations 

to come, and our job is to help our 

innovators and entrepreneurs do their 

jobs. I urge my colleagues to join Senators ENZI, SCHUMER, RUBIO and I in 

strong support of the Startup Innovation Credit Act of 2012. 

By Mr. BROWN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. WICKER, Mr. KERRY, 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. BEGICH): 

S. 3461. A bill to amend title IV of the 

Public Health Service Act to provide 

for a National Pediatric Research Network, including with respect to pediatric rare diseases or conditions; to the 

Committee on Health, Education, 

Labor, and Pensions. 

Mr. BROWN of Ohio. Mr. President, 

over the last few years, our country 

has grappled with rising health care 

costs. 

While we are making strides, there is 

one area of health care that is lagging 

behind: pediatric research. 

Children comprise 20 percept of the 

U.S. population, but only about 5 percent of the National Institutes of 

Health, NIH, extramural research is 

dedicated to pediatric research. 

If this rate of investment is not expanded, discoveries of new treatments 

and therapies for some of the most devastating childhood diseases and conditions will be hindered, and the next 

generation of researchers will be discouraged from entering into the field 

of pediatrics. 

That is why I have introduced the 

National Pediatric Research Network 

Act. This act seeks to reverse this 

trend by strengthening and expanding 

NIH’s investments into pediatric research. 

This expanded investment will help 

accelerate new discoveries and directly 

affect the health and well-being of children throughout our Nation. 

My home State of Ohio is home to 

world-class researchers at topnotch research hospitals and universities. 

We must give these institutions, including Cincinnati Children’s, Rainbow 

Babies, Children’s Hospital, and Nationwide Children’s Hospitals, the resources to partner with other leading 

researchers across the country. 

This legislation creates such an opportunity. 

The centerpiece of the legislation 

will be the authorization of up to 20 

National Pediatric Research Consortia. 

They are modeled after the exemplary National Cancer Institute, NCI, 

Centers to help finance efficient and effective, inter-institutional pediatric research. 

While NIH is working to advance 

translational research through Clinical 

& Translational Science Awards, those 

centers are far-reaching and focused 

primarily on adult diseases and clinical 

research. In contrast, these pediatric 

centers would be solely dedicated toward pediatric research. 

Unlike existing NIH initiatives in 

which only the largest research institutions receive funds, the legislation 

envisions that each center will operate 

in a ‘‘hub and spoke’’ framework with 

one central academic center coordinating research and/or clinical work at 

numerous auxiliary sites. Encouraging 

collaboration can help ensure efficiency. 

Furthermore, this legislation will encourage research in pediatric rare diseases. 

While each rare disease or disorder 

affects a small patient population, it is 

important to note that 7,000 rare diseases—such as epidermolysis bullosa, 

sickle cell anemia, spinal muscular atrophy, Down syndrome, Duchene’s 

muscular dystrophy, and many childhood cancers—affect a combined 30 

million Americans and their families. 


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