On Tuesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved an FY 2005
VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations bill that would increase
the budget for the National Science Foundation by 3.0% next year. Under
this bill, S. 2825, the foundation's budget would increase from $5,577.9
million to $5,744.7 million, which was what the Bush Administration
requested. The House version of this bill recommended a cut of 2.0%
in NSF's budget to $5,467.0 million (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2004/099.html
).
Senate Report 108-353 accompanies this bill and provides the recommendations
of the Senate appropriators. Selections from this report, as well as
the funding levels, follow:
GENERAL DESCRIPTION, COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION:
"The Committee continues to be supportive of the efforts achieved
in the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 (Public
Law 107-368) and the pursuit of a doubling path for NSF funding. However,
due to funding constraints, the Committee is not able to provide such
funding at this time, but will continue to pursue these efforts in the
future.
"The Committee notes that productivity growth, powered by new
knowledge and technological innovation, makes the economic benefits
of a comprehensive, fundamental research and education enterprise abundantly
clear. New products, processes, entire new industries, and the employment
opportunities that result, depend upon rapid advances in research and
their equally rapid movement into the marketplace. In today's global
economy, continued progress in science and engineering and the transfer
of the knowledge developed is vital if the United States is to maintain
its competitiveness. NSF is at the leading edge of the research and
discoveries that will create the jobs and technologies of the future."
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES:
The current budget is $4,251.4 million. The Administration requested
$4,452.0 million. The Senate bill provides an increase of 3.6%, or $150.9
million, to $4,402.3 million over this year. The House bill would cut
the current budget by 2.3% or $99.6 million to $4,151.8 million.
Senate appropriators provided the Administration's requested increases
in Engineering: +1.9%; Geosciences: +2.2%; and Polar Research Programs:
+2.8%. The Senate bill would increase Mathematical and Physical Sciences
funding by 2.8%, or $31.6 million; the Administration requested a 2.2%
increase.
The committee's report contains guidance on programs "to assist
minorities, and women and schools that have not received significant
Federal support," plant genome research, Information Technology
Research, infrastructure needs at smaller institutions, NSF's role in
international science leadership, arctic research, human and social
dynamics, and new S&T centers; see http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app05.html
. Regarding the nanotechnology research program and radio astronomy,
the report recommended the following:
"NSF has been the lead agency for the National Nanotechnology
Initiative, and will continue to provide critical and fundamental understanding
to this emerging technology. The Committee fully supports the funding
level requested for nanotechnology within the fiscal year 2005 budget
request. The Committee believes that the recommended level of funding
will allow the Foundation to continue to be the leader for this initiative
in a field that is still in its beginning stages. In the past, novel
technologies have suffered because of misconceptions of the public.
This has led to mistrust and confusion over the benefits that such research
can provide. NSF is encouraged to make sure such difficulties are minimized
so that this technology can continue to provide the potential breakthroughs
needed by materials research and health researchers."
"The Committee is concerned that NSF continues to underfund
the operations for radio astronomy. The operations, maintenance, and
development of new instrumentation at the Very Large Array, the Very
Long Baseline Array, and the Green Bank Telescope, allows these world-class
facilities to provide valuable research into the origins of the universe.
The Committee provides the National Radio Astronomy Observatories $55,000,000
for annual operations."
MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION:
The current budget is $155.0 million. The Administration requested
$213.3 million. The Senate bill would cut the current budget by 15.9%,
or $24.6 million, to $130.4 million. The House bill would increase this
budget to $208.2 million, an increase of 34.3%. Selections from the
report follow:
"The Committee has provided $49,670,000 for the Atacama Large
Millimeter Array [ALMA] [the same as the House], $47,350,000
for EarthScope [the same as the House], and $33,400,000 [the
House provided $30.0 million] for the IceCube Neutrino Observatory.
Due to budgetary constraints, no funding is provided for new starts
within this account for fiscal year 2005.
"The Committee has received the results of the National Academy
of Sciences work on developing a set of criteria that can be used to
rank and prioritize the Foundation's large research facilities. The
Committee commends the Academy for its work and expects this report
will lead to a priority-setting process that is transparent, fair, and
rational. The Committee expects NSF, the National Science Board and
the Academy to work together to ensure that the recommendations of the
Academy are fully implemented for the fiscal year 2006 budget submission.
"Consistent with the implementation of the recommendations
from the National Research Council's January 14, 2004 report on Setting
Priorities for Large Research Facility Projects Supported by the National
Science Foundation, the Committee urges NSF to consider the inclusion
of funding in its fiscal year 2006 budget request to begin construction
of a new research vessel to replace the R/V Alpha Helix."
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES:
The current budget is $939.0 million. The Administration requested
$771.4 million. The Senate bill would reduce the budget by 1.0%, or
$9.8 million, to $929.2 million. The House bill would cut the current
budget by 10.2% or $96.0 million to $843.0 million.
The committee's report discusses EPSCoR (stating that it is "deeply
disappointed by the administration's lack of support" for the program),
the tech talent program, Advanced Technology Education program, support
for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, tribal colleges program,
and informal science education program. The complete language may be
viewed at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app05.html
. See http://www.aip.org/fyi/2004/126.html
for the language rejecting the Administration's request to transfer
NSF's Math and Science Partnership program. In addition, the report
states:
"The Committee recognizes and is supportive of the request
by the administration for an additional 500 fellowships within the Foundation's
graduate research education programs. The request will allow for 5,550
fellowships to be funded at $30,000 per award. The Committee believes
that this funding will allow NSF to attract more of the best and brightest
students into the science, mathematics, engineering, and technology
fields. The Committee also urges NSF to work towards increasing the
number of women, minorities, and other underrepresented groups within
these programs to the greatest extent possible.
"Without prejudice, and reflecting the difficult funding constraints
within which the Committee has been given to operate, the Committee
has chosen to provide no funding for the new Workforce for the 21st
Century program at NSF."
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