Senate panel approves bill that would invest billions in tech

The Senate Commerce Committee voted Wednesday to approve legislation that would invest billions in science and emerging technologies in an effort to compete with China.

The bipartisan Endless Frontiers Act was approved by the committee by a vote of 24-4, with four Republican members voting against the bill.

The committee approved the legislation with significantly less funds included for the founding of a Technology and Innovation Directorate at the National Science Foundation, with much of the originally proposed $100 billion being funneled to other research efforts.

The bill overall is meant to give a boost to U.S. research and emerging technologies to compete on the global stage, such as in fields including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and semiconductors.

The bill was approved after several hours of debate that saw over 100 amendments proposed by senators, including one measure proposed by Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) the committee approved that would provide $2 billion to address the semiconductor shortage, according to the Detroit News.