One group that is certain to vie for the spotlight is a new task force on technology policy that will encompass the effect of current practices on scientific R&D in the United States.
The group, expected to be chaired by Rep. Buddy MacKay (D-Fla.), will perform its work under the auspices of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. The new chairman of that committee, Rep. Robert Roe (DN.J.), considers the study a follow-up to a review of the nation's science policy conducted during the previous Congress by Donald Fuqua, a veteran Democrat who retired in December. Its report is expected sometime this spring.
MacKay, beginning his third term, is also co-chair in the House of the Congressional Caucus on Competitiveness. That group is one of many in Washington concerned about the nation's continued ability to compete with the rest of the industrial world.
"Many people see achieving a better ...
