What's New for Jul 07, 1995 (selected)

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

WHAT'S NEW by Robert L. Park   Friday, 7 July 95   Washington, DC


1. "DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE DISMANTLING ACT" WOULD NOT SPARE NIST!
Sen. Spencer Abraham (R-MI) has introduced a bill to abolish the
Department of Commerce, as called for in the Domenici budget plan
(WN 12 May 95).  The Senate bill (S.929) calls for the transfer
of NIST to NSF.  But there won't be much left to transfer -- the
bill specifically requires NIST's laboratories to be privatized.
In past years, legislation introduced by a freshman senator would
not have been taken seriously, but this bill has presidential
politics stamped on it; Bob Dole and Phil Gramm are cosponsors of
the measure. In the House, Dick Chrysler (R-MI), also a freshman,
introduced a similar bill, even though the Kasich budget calls
for preserving NIST as a separate agency (WN 12 May 95).