Washington, Dc - 21 December, 2005 -

Business Roundtable President John J. Castellani today issued the following statement supporting the introduction of the National Innovation Act of 2005: “On behalf of Business Roundtable, an association of 160 chief executive officers of America’s leading companies, I applaud Senator Ensign and Senator Lieberman for their leadership on this critical issue. Maintaining our competitive edge in today’s world economy is a top priority of the business community, and the National Innovation Act of 2005 is an important step in the right direction. “These issues are particularly important to Business Roundtable. This summer, along with 14 of the nation’s leading business and technology associations, we announced the goal of doubling the number of graduates with degrees in science, technology, engineering and math by 2015. Our report, titled ‘Tapping America’s Potential: The Education for Innovation Initiative,’ stressed the importance of a workforce well-educated in math and science, and identified a plan of action for maintaining our scientific, technological and innovative leadership in the world. This goal was echoed in last week’s statement from the National Summit on Competitiveness. “Other nations are not sitting idle. As our capacity for innovation begins to atrophy, aspiring scientists and engineers in other countries are gaining ground. Educating the innovators of tomorrow is paramount to the continued economic growth of our nation, and legislation such as the National Innovation Act of 2005 is vital to our momentum toward solutions for this urgent challenge. We commend the Senators for their efforts.”

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