Developments in Science Funding Bills; Physics Authorization Bill

DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL:

In a change from the anticipated schedule, the Senate is now considering H.R. 4650, the FY 1995 Defense Appropriations Bill. Conferees have not been officially appointed in either the House or Senate. See FYIs #103 and 117 for further information on this bill as it relates to university research funding.

ENERGY APPROPRIATIONS BILL:

The House adopted the conference report yesterday on H.R. 4506, the FY 1995 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. The legislation now moves on to the Senate for a final vote before being sent to the President. Conference reports are not subject to changes by amendment; only an “up or down” vote is allowed. See FYI #125 for final funding levels and report language.

NSF/NASA APPROPRIATIONS BILL: There is speculation that House and Senate conferees will meet next Tuesday, August 16, on H.R. 4624, the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill. The Senate appointed the entire VA/HUD appropriations subcommittee as conferees, as well as Senators Byrd and Hatfield. Latest information indicates that the House has not named its conferees, but they are also expected to be the entire VA/HUD subcommittee. See FYI #11 for the committee rosters. The main telephone number for both the House and Senate is 202-224-3121. See FYIs 106, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113 and 119 for further information on this bill.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATIONS BILL:

Recent information indicates that the House has not yet named its conferees for H.R. 4603, the Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Bill. Senate conferees have been named: Hollings (D-SC), Byrd (D-WV), Inouye (D-HI), Bumpers (D-AR), Lautenberg (D-NJ), Sasser (D-TN), Kerrey (D-NE), Domenici (R-NM), Stevens (R-AK), Hatfield (R-OR), McConnell (R-KY), Cochran (R-MS), and Gramm (R-TX). See FYI #115 for further information on this bill.

HR 4908: HYDROGEN, FUSION, AND HIGH ENERGY AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS RESEARCH ACT OF 1994.

There is speculation that the House may vote on this legislation today or tomorrow. Two additional notes about H.R. 4908:

Fusion energy research is funded by the Energy Supply Research and Development Activities budget, separate from the General Science and Research Activities budget which funds high energy physics and nuclear physics research. H.R. 4908 now contains an annual cap of $3,302,170,000 on “the total amount authorized to be appropriated for Energy Supply Research and Development Activities.” This cap would remain unchanged for FY 1995 through FY 1998. The DOE appropriations bill just approved by the House and now pending in the Senate provides $3,314,548,000 for Energy Supply Research and Development for FY 1995.

The effect of this provision, already in H.R. 4908, is to place a ceiling on what Congress can appropriate through FY 1998 at a level below the FY 1995 appropriation. The Walker Amendment discussed in FYI #123 would also subject the General Science and Research Activities budget to this cap at a new combined level of $4,291,201,000, which is approximately $10 million less than that now in the DOE appropriations bill. It also covers FY 1995 through FY 1999. The difference between the existing and amended cap levels would be the maximum amount of money which could be appropriated for General Science Activities. Other “cap” amendments may be offered on the House floor. Any provision in the House bill could be modified or dropped by the Senate or by a House-Senate conference. This is all quite complicated as it involves what were once two different bills for two different DOE activities, at least two different spending caps, and the interplay between authorization bills and appropriations bills.

Turning to something less complicated: to clarify the Program Goals in H.R. 4908 for the fusion program, the following selection is quoted: “The goals of the Fusion Energy Research Program are to demonstrate by the year 2010 the practicability of commercial electric power production and to lead to commercial production of fusion energy by the year 2040.”

Future FYIs will provide further information on H.R. 4908 following its passage by the House.