Advocates for improving America’s global economic competitiveness through science held a pep rally of sorts today on Capitol Hill. They held a news conference and released a letter, signed by 59 of America’s largest research universities, supporting legislation to increase spending on scientific research and to train more scientists and engineers.

Several bills have been introduced in Congress this year in response to a spate of reports arguing that America risks losing its global lead in developing lucrative, high-tech products. The bills are similar to ones that were introduced in Congress last year but were not brought up for votes. Lawmakers are expected to vote on the bills in the coming weeks because the new Democratic leadership has made economic competitiveness a priority, and the bills have sponsors in both parties.

A Senate bill introduced last week is broader in scope and cost than several versions pending in the House of Representatives. The Senate measure, S 761, co-sponsored by the majority leader, Harry Reid, and the minority leader, Mitch McConnell, would authorize a doubling of spending on physical-sciences research by 2011 and would improve science education in elementary and secondary schools as well. Two bills in the House, HR 362 and HR 363, focus largely on programs at the university level.

Lawmakers seem to be in a competitive race of their own to come up with the most complicated titles for the bills. The Senate version is called the America COMPETES Act, or the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science Act. HR 362 carries a more diminutive title, the Sowing the Seeds Through Science and Engineering Research Act.