America’s future can be brighter than ever if Congress and the administration take steps to promote K-12 education reform and support science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education, according to Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue.

“There are many different voices, viewpoints, and plans, but almost everyone agrees on one thing: The fate of our economy, the hopes of our children, and the viability of the American Dream begin and end with education,” reads Donohue’s prepared testimony to be presented before the House Committee on Science and Technology on January 20.

Donohue will call on the committee to support reauthorization of the America COMPETES Act. The bill, originally passed in 2007, authorizes more than $40 billion for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics research and education. It creates scholarships aimed at recruiting new STEM teachers and improves the content knowledge of current STEM teachers. “The COMPETES Act puts the focus right where it should be—on increasing the number of American students proficient in STEM and ensuring that we have sufficient R&D funding to drive innovation and propel technological progress,” Donohue’s testimony states.

Donohue’s appearance before Congress comes a day after  President Obama announced that he would seek an additional $1.35 billion for his Race to the Top Fund, which offers grants to states and school districts that change their policies to emphasize performance. The Chamber welcomed the initiative when it was announced in July, noting that it would set a new and much higher bar for the return on federal investment.