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This may be of interest to US Paleontologists > >>From PAzriel@kosmos.agu.org Thu May 2 15:36:34 1996 >--------------------------------------------------------- >ASLA 96-11: Omnibus Science Bill Scheduled For House >Vote: Action Needed. >--------------------------------------------------------- > >This is an ACTION ASLA. > >Sources: AGU Staff > Federal agency information > FYI: American Institute of Physics Science Policy News Bulletin > > >Next week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on the >Omnibus Civilian Science Authorization Act of 1996. This bill is >designated H.R. 3322 and authorizes Fiscal Year 1997 funding for >several science agencies. > >ASLA subscribers should inform their representatives whether or not to >support this legislation by calling their offices, or by sending a fax >or e-mail. Since time is short, a letter may not reach representatives >before the vote. A call can be made to the local office or the >Washington office. The local office will relay your opinion to the >Washington office before the vote. > >Authorization legislation gives permission to spend money on a program, >but does not actually provide the money. Funds for these programs are >provided by the appropriations committees. Authorizing legislation >provides guidelines for appropriations committees, but the guidance is >not always followed. > >Normally, separate authorizing legislation is provided for each agency. >But in 1995 and again this year, Science Committee Chairman Robert >Walker (R-PA) has grouped the authorizing legislation for several >programs under his committee's purview into a single omnibus package. > >At a meeting on April 24 that one observer described as "one of the >nastiest Science Committee meetings" she had ever seen, the committee's >Republicans and Democrats voted on how $19.7 billion should be spent in >Fiscal Year 1997, beginning on October 1, 1996. > >The National Science Foundation received an authorization of $3,250 >million. This is $75 million below the administration's request of >$3,325 million. Current year funding is $3,220 million. The committee >voted to reauthorize the Academic Research Infrastructure program for >$100 million, although NSF wants to terminate it. The Education >authorization would provide $600 million. $619 million was requested. >Current spending is $599 million. Research and Related Activities >spending would be authorized at $2,340 million, $2,472 million was >requested, and current spending is $2,314 million. > >In addition, the committee voted to authorize an amount for the NSF >Salaries and Expenses account that is $7 million less than this year's >level. NSF says that this is likely to lead to "major disruptions in the >operation and management of the Foundation." > >The bill also limits to six the number of scientific directorates that >the Foundation may have, thus requiring a reduction of one directorate. >In addition, the committee voted to change the name of the Foundation to >the National Science and Engineering Foundation and to change the name >of the board to the National Science and Engineering Board. > >For NASA, the committee decided to use cuts in funding for Mission to >Planet Earth to pay for increases in other areas of the agency. The >authorization for the space science account was increased by $310 million >over the administration's request, which Chairman Walker said, "when >aggregated with Life and Microgravity Research, achieves the number one >recommendation of the Augustine Commission - a 20 percent share of the >NASA budget" for space science. A committee chart showed that the >authorization bill's levels for NASA Space Science and NASA Life and >Microgravity Research total $2,665.9 million. The administration's >request was $2,355.8 million, and current spending is $2,521.1 million. >The committee would offset this increase by cutting $373.7 million from >the Mission to Planet Earth Program. Cuts would be made in the PM-1 and >Chem platforms and EOSDIS. Interestingly, the next day, NASA >Administrator Daniel Golden testified before the House VA/HUD >Appropriations Subcommittee. He argued for full funding for Mission to >Planet Earth and said that space science should not receive additional >funding as NASA was still in the process of determining where that program >should be cut and efficiencies undertaken to save money! His written >testimony states that although the space budget declines, the level of >activity does not. The decline is due to the winding down of several >programs, including AXAF and Cassini. > >NOAA will experience a significant reduction in its budget under the House >Science Committee's plan. The administration's request for FY 97 was >$2,108.9 million. The committee's bill authorizes $1,794.9 million. The >FY 96 appropriation is $1,930.5 million. A similar pattern of a lower >authorization for FY 97 than the amount appropriated for FY 96 emerges when >individual programs are examined with the apparent exception of the >National Weather Service (NWS). But even there, the picture of the >committee's intent is not clear. The administration's request for NWS for >FY 97 is $670.7 million. The committee authorized $625.9 million. $606 >million was appropriated for FY 96. However, part of this amount is a >complete authorization for the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing >System (AWIPS) program for the next three fiscal years. The committee did >not give instructions as to how the money was to be apportioned to each of >the fiscal years. Ocean and Atmospheric Research would receive $232.5 >million under the administration request. The committee authorized $210.6 >million. $225.9 million was appropriated for FY 96. The administration >requested $189.5 million for the National Ocean Service in FY 97. The >committee approved $113.7 million. The FY 96 appropriation is $174.7 >million. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information >Service would receive $531.8 million in FY 97 under the administration's >request. The committee authorized $460.3 million. The service's FY 96 >appropriation is $471.5 million. Please note that the amounts for the >individual programs listed above do not add up to the NOAA overall budget >figures because there are other programs included in the NOAA numbers that >have not been itemized here. > >It is doubtful that this bill will become law. Even if the House passes >the bill as expected, the Senate is not likely to act on it, as was the >case for a similar bill last year. > >However, it is IMPORTANT for scientists to contact their Representatives >to express an opinion about the authorization bill before the vote takes >place. This bill gives an indication of where funding for science is >headed in the future. If scientists do not make the effort now to >express an opinion about the science funding policy that is developing, >then representatives will believe they are on the right track because >their constituents are not telling them anything different. > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------- >ASLA 96-11: AGU Science Legislative Alert (ASLA) >David W. Thomas, AGU Public and Government Relations Manager >A KOSMOS service for AGU members. >E-mail address: asla@kosmos.agu.org >--------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >----- End Included Message -----
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