The Senate VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies FY 2002 Appropriations
bill is accompanied by a committee report. The report language is extensive
and offers great insight into the thinking of the people who control
the pocketbook. The House Appropriations Committee report, not yet available,
will provide similar guidance. This and future FYIs will quote selected
passages of interest to the physics community. The full committee report,
S Rpt. 107-143, may be accessed at http://thomas.loc.gov/
There is Senate report language in the section on the Office of Science
and Technology Policy that is of considerable interest regarding space
station research, federal funding for physics and other disciplines,
workforce issues, competitiveness, policy coordination, nanotechnology,
high field nuclear magnetic resonance instrumentation, oceanographic
research, and ITAR regulations. As a aid to readers, headings have been
inserted in the following report language:
SPACE STATION RESEARCH
"The Committee remains concerned about the impact NASA's latest
space station cost over-run will have on both NASA-supported research
programs and the research capabilities of the International Space
Station. The Committee believes the President's Science Advisor should
play a critical role in the decision-making and re-scoping process
the Administration is going through so that the International Space
Station does not fall short of becoming the world class research facility
it was always proposed to be."
FUNDING OF PHYSICS AND OTHER DISCIPLINES
"Similarly, the Committee believes the President's Science Advisor
should play an integral role in advising the President on the appropriate
balance among and between disciplines and agencies in the Federal
R&D portfolio. The Committee expects the Science Advisor will conduct
effective outreach to the science and engineering community and become
an active and influential advisor to the President on important public
policy issues grounded in science and technology.
"The Committee notes that the government share for R&D funding has
declined substantially over the last 15 years. According to a recent
report by the Council on Competitiveness, in real terms, the total
Federal contribution to the Nation's R&D portfolio dropped from 46
percent in 1985 to 27 percent in 1999. However, industry's dependence
on public R&D for innovation remains very high. Over 73 percent of
U.S. industry patents cite publicly funded science as the basis for
the invention. The Committee is concerned that further reductions
in public funding for science and engineering could result in a decrease
in the private sector's capacity to innovate.
"The Committee is similarly concerned with recent funding trends
for Federal R&D which have led to significant shifts within the balance
of the Nation's research portfolio. A recent report by the National
Academies' Board on Science, Technology, and Economic Policy concluded
that between 1993 and 1999 support for such fields as the geological
sciences, chemical, electrical, and mechanical engineering, chemistry
and physics are down by as much as 20 percent or more. The decline
in research funding has contributed to a decline in enrollment of
graduate students in these disciplines. These trends concern the Committee
because the affected fields generate knowledge and trained personnel
that are critically important for economic performance, national defense,
and the health and well being of our citizens. The Committee directs
the Office of Science and Technology Policy to assess the impact of
these reductions on these public policy objectives. Based on this
assessment, OSTP should develop an action plan to address these issues
in the fiscal year 2003 budget request."
WORKFORCE
"The Committee is also concerned about the adequacy of this Nation's
scientific and technical workforce, the Nation's dependency on foreign
workers to meet our own scientific and technical workforce needs,
and the efforts needed to boost the participation of women and minorities
in the science and engineering workforce.
"The Committee urges OSTP to work with the relevant agencies on
the development of policies and in the allocation of resources to
address these issues effectively."
POLICY COORDINATION
"The Committee reiterates its long standing interest in improving
coordination and cooperation among the various R&D agencies under
the auspices of OSTP and the National Science and Technology Council
(NSTC). The Committee expects the President's Science Advisor will
quickly re-invigorate the NSTC process by defining a key set of strategic
issues and establishing a small number of effectively led interagency
committees to move these issues through the policy and budget processes."
NANOTECHNOLOGY
"The Committee is strongly supportive of the interagency nanoscience
and technology initiative and urges OSTP and the interagency working
group to continue to refine and strengthen the emerging research,
education and training objectives. As a supplement to the fiscal year
2001 request, the Administration produced a nanotechnology management
and implementation plan. The report highlighted the key themes and
management objectives as well as the various agencies' roles and responsibilities.
The Committee directs OSTP and the National Science and Technology
Council's nanotechnology working group to update that report as a
supplement to the fiscal year 2003 budget request. The Committee is
particularly interested in the efforts to transfer nanotechnology
research results into applications and urges OSTP to ensure that the
fiscal year 2003 report address this issue in detail."
MAGNETIC RESONANCE INSTRUMENTATION
"For the past several years, the Committee has followed with interest
the progress that has been made in high field nuclear magnetic resonance
instrumentation and has requested OSTP to assess the future needs
in this field. At present, the greatest impediment in this area is
the lack of an available NMR with capabilities at 900Mz and higher.
Several companies and the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory
will soon test and possibly make available such an instrument. The
Committee encourages OSTP and other agencies interested in this new
technology to monitor the progress of these efforts closely. As these
instruments become operative and available to the research community,
it is expected that OSTP will move forward on an interagency initiative
that will allow U.S. scientists to take full advantage of these new
instruments. The Committee encourages novel linkages and collaborations
among leading academic institutions and national laboratories to respond
to these new opportunities."
OCEANOGRAPHY
"The Committee maintains significant interest in an integrated interagency
ocean observing system. Such a system would bring together Federal,
academic, State institutions, and industry into a coordinated system
for monitoring U.S. marine waters. A coordinated national approach,
linked effectively with similar programs in other nations, is an essential
prerequisite for effective use and management of the oceans. The nation
cannot realize the economic, social and security benefits of the oceans
in a responsible, sustainable manner without such a program. A number
of agencies including OSTP, NOAA, NSF, and the Office of Naval Research
have varying interests and responsibilities in this area. The Committee
directs OSTP, working through the National Science and Technology
Council and with the external oceans community, to develop an interagency
plan for the research, technology demonstration and ultimately, the
implementation of an ocean observing system and submit this report
to the Committee at the time the President's fiscal year 2003 budget
is released."
ITAR REGULATIONS
"In the conference report that accompanied the Fiscal Year 2001
Appropriations Act, the Committee directed OSTP to work with the National
Security Council, NASA, and the Department of State to issue a clarification
of the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) to ensure that
university collaborations and personnel exchanges are allowed to continue
as they had under the long-standing fundamental research exception
in the Export Administration Regulations. This clarification was to
be issued within 120 days of enactment of the fiscal year 2001 Act.
Regrettably this clarification has not yet been issued. The Committee
directs OSTP to complete the interagency consultation process and
issue this clarification immediately."
Richard M. Jones
Public Information Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
(301) 209-3095
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