Congress gets a 'D' on tech legislation

It was a very tough year for IT legislation in Congress. Only a few bills were passed to help the technology industry, and plenty of others never made it off of wishlists and into the halls of Congress. "This Congress so far has a record of neglect on technology issues," said Rep. Bob Goodlatte, whose party lost its majority in the November 2006 elections. Even though Congress failed to act swiftly on technology issues, Kevin Richards, the federal government relations manager for Symantec, which makes IT security products, said it is too early to judge lawmakers from one short session. "I think we have a lot of interest [from lawmakers], and this has the potential to be a tech-friendly Congress," Richards said.

Despite the overall lack of legislation, here are two success stories. First, Congress passed the America Competes Act (short for the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act). It earmarked $43.3 billion for research and math and science education programs. Second, Congress approved a free-trade agreement with Peru before recessing in December, a piece of legislation that is "imperative" for tech vendors, said Sage Chandler, senior director of international trade for the Consumer Electronics Association. The motto from Capitol Hill: Stay tuned. More is yet to come.
 
For more on legislative issues:
- See this Computerworld Article