IP: NSFAppropriations

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

>
>FYI
>The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
>Number 119:August 6, 1999
>
>House Appropriations Committee Passes VA/HUD Funding Bill: NSF 
>
>The House Appropriations Committee on July 30 approved the VA/HUD
>appropriations bill for FY 2000, four days after the VA/HUD
>subcommittee marked it up.  As reported in FYI #116, the
>subcommittee had to make reductions to many programs in order to
>remain within the constraints imposed by the budget caps.  The
>subcommittee's actions included funding NSF at just below the FY
>1999 level.  The full Appropriations Committee passed the bill
>with NSF funding levels unchanged.  The bill (H.R. 2684) will not
>go to the House floor until Congress returns from its recess in
>September.
>
>The bill would provide a total of $3,646.8 million for NSF, a
>reduction of 0.7 percent from current year funding of $3,671.2
>million and 7.0 percent below the request of $3,921.5 million. 
>Research and Related Activities (R&RA) would increase by 0.3
>percent over the FY 1999 level, to $2,778.5 million.  This is 7.5
>percent less than requested.  Major Research Equipment would be
>reduced nearly 40 percent from current funding, while Education
>and Human Resources would remain virtually flat.
>           
>RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES: The committee would provide
>$2,778.5 million for R&RA in FY 2000.  Within this account, the
>following amounts are recommended for specific programs:  $735.0
>million for Mathematical and Physical Sciences; $473.0 million
>for Geosciences; $391.0 million for Biological Sciences; $369.0
>million for Engineering; $312.7 million for Computer and
>Information Science and Engineering; $138.0 million for Social,
>Behavioral and Economic Sciences; $183.0 million for the U.S.
>Polar Research Programs; $62.6 million for U.S. Antarctic
>Logistical Support Activities; and $114.2 million for Integrative
>Activities.  
>
>Within Computer and Information Science and Engineering, the
>committee would provide $35.0 million for the President's new
>Information Technology Initiative.  The report states, "Budget
>constraints make it impossible for the Committee to provide the.
>. . full budget request for this new initiative without adversely
>disrupting funding in all other program areas.  Nevertheless, the
>Committee believes $35,000,000 is a significant down-payment
>towards what it expects will be a long-term, comprehensive
>research program in this important field of computing and
>information technologies."  The committee would also provide
>$35.0 million for the new Biocomplexity Initiative, $50.0 million
>for Major Research Instrumentation, $25.0 million for Science and
>Technology Centers, and $4.2 million for the Science and
>Technology Policy Institute.  It would provide no FY 2000 funding
>for NSF's Opportunity Fund.
>
>MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT: Major Research Equipment (MRE) would be
>cut by 37.2 percent from current funding and 33.5 percent from
>the request, to $56.5 million. Within MRE, the committee would
>provide funding equal to the budget requests for the Millimeter
>Array ($8.0 million), the Large Hadron Collider ($15.9 million),
>continued construction of the new South Pole Station ($5.4
>million), Polar support aircraft upgrades ($12.0 million) and
>Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation ($7.7 million).  An
>amount of $7.5 million would enable production to begin on a
>High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental
>Research.  While providing $35.0 million under R&RA for the
>Information Technology Initiative, the committee "is not prepared
>at this time to commit resources to the construction of a single
>site, five teraflop computing facility as requested in the budget
>submission.  The Committee has taken this action, without
>prejudice, due to budget constraints and other, higher priority
>pressures on available financial resources.  The Committee
>expects to consider this request in future year budget
>submissions..."
>
>EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES: Education and Human Resources
>would see a reduction of 0.3 percent from current funding and 2.7
>percent from the request, to $660.0 million.  The committee's
>recommendation includes $114.2 million for Educational System
>Reform; $48.4 million for EPSCoR; $193.5 million for Elementary,
>Secondary and Informal Education; $103.5 million for
>Undergraduate Education; $69.7 million for Graduate Education;
>$73.7 million for Human Resource Development; and $57.0 million
>for Research, Evaluation and Communication.  The Committee
>states, "The Foundation's Education and Human Resources
>activities are designed to encourage the entrance of talented
>students into science and technology careers, to improve the
>undergraduate science and engineering education environment, to
>assist in providing all pre-college students with a level of
>education in mathematics, science, and technology that reflects
>the needs of the nation and is the highest quality attained
>anywhere in the world, and extend greater research opportunities
>to underrepresented segments of the scientific and engineering
>communities."  
>House floor consideration of the VA/HUD bill was originally
>planned for this week, but has been delayed until after the
>August recess due to the death of the father of Rep. Alan
>Mollohan (D-WV), Ranking Minority Member of the VA/HUD
>Appropriations Subcommittee. 
>
>###############
>Audrey T. Leath
>Public Information Division
>The American Institute of Physics
>fyi@aip.org
>(301) 209-3094
>http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/
>##END##########