U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren (R-IL) wants to maintain America’s internationally renowned leadership in scientific research and hopes to target federal funds toward that goal.
Specifically, Hultgren on Nov. 14 introduced the Accelerating American Leadership in Science Act, H.R. 4377, which would authorize funding for ongoing research and upgrades at several U.S. Department of Energy national laboratories, including two in his home state: the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Ill., and the Argonne National Laboratory in Argonne, Ill. The bill also would target funds to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Hultgren said that in addition to ensuring “the United States remains the destination for the best and brightest in the world to continue their work exploring the outer reaches of our scientific knowledge,” the bill also aims to create jobs.
“The research done at these facilities, and the technology they produce, reaffirms American leadership in fields that will improve lives and increase domestic jobs here in Illinois,” said the congressman.
For instance, H.R. 4377 would support upgrades to the Argonne lab’s Advance Photon Source, or APS, the Nobel prize-winning X-ray science center utilized by some 6,000 researchers each year, including more than 1,000 from Illinois.
The bill also would support nearly 2,000 Fermilab jobs at its Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility, which will host the international Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment project.
And at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Hultgren’s bill would fund upgrades to its Spallation Neutron Source, which is investigating certain material properties at the atomic level using the world’s most intense pulsed neutron beam.
Hultgren called the labs “the crown jewel in our nation’s research ecosystem,” where groundbreaking scientific research takes place as thousands of scientists work on vital experiments.
“Open to the entire research community and other federal agencies, these facilities are the envy of the world and other nations working to catch up and replicate our success,” he said.