The Capital Hill newspaper POLITICO carries an article today discussing how technology related bills awaiting votes in the Senate, including the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, are stalled due to the Senate’s focusing on the financial reform bill, the upcoming confirmation vote on Elena Kagan to be the next Associate Justice on the US Supreme Court, the upcoming July 4 and August recesses, and the elections in November. The fear among researchers is that federal funding for various projects, including those in the nanotech field, may dry up. The potential for the November elections to energize work on these bills is also briefly discussed. What is not discussed in the article is the possibility of the tech bills to be voted on in a potential "Lame Duck" session of Congress, following the elections.
As always, we will continue to monitor the progress – or lack thereof – of nanotech related bills in Congress.
