The Senate Appropriations Committee agreed with the Bush Administration
and the House of Representatives and recommended full funding of the
18.6% requested increase in FY 2007 for the National Institute of Standards
and Technology's laboratory research program, and the termination of
the Advanced Technology Program.
Funding for the National Institute of Standards and Technology is contained
in the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Bill, which was written
by Subcommittee Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), Ranking Minority Member
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and their colleagues. H.R. 5672 was accompanied
by Senate Committee Report 109-280, which is available at http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app07.html.
Report language regarding NIST is comparatively brief; selections follow:
OVERALL FUNDING:
The Bush Administration's FY 2007 request of $581.3 million was 22.7%
or $170.7 million below current funding of $752.0 million. The Administration
sought to terminate the Advanced Technology Program, reduce funding
for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership, and, as is customary, did
not include funding for $137.3 million in congressional earmarked projects.
NIST's core research programs was one of three agency research budgets
in the American Competitiveness Initiative, for which an 18.6% increase
was sought.
The House Science, State, Justice appropriations bill, H.R. 5672, recommended
an overall reduction of 16.6% or $125.0 million to $627.0 million. This
amount included $6.4 million in earmarked projects.
The Senate's version of H.R. 5672 increased overall funding by 1.6%
or $12.0 million to $764.0 million, which included $123.0 million in
earmarked projects.
RESEARCH AND SERVICES:
Almost entirely the NIST laboratory research budget, the Administration
requested an 18.3% or $72.2 million increase in this budget, from $394.8
million to $467.0 million. Both the House and Senate bills fully fund
this request.
There is extensive House report language about this funding, selections
of which can be read at http://www.aip.org/fyi/2006/081.html.
Senate Committee Report 109-280 (see http://thomas.loc.gov/home/approp/app07.html)
provided program funding recommendations and included the following
language:
"Within funds provided for Scientific and Technical
Research and Services [STRS], $16,890,000 is provided for Innovations
in Measurement Science, $10,937,000 is provided for the postdoctoral
fellowship program, $6,791,000 is provided for computer support and
$12,191,000 is provided for business systems. Finally, additional
funds of $9,450,000 are available for transfer to the working capital
fund for equipment and other purposes related to the STRS account."
INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES:
There are two major programs within this budget: the Hollings Manufacturing
Extension Program and the Advanced Technology Program.
The Administration, as it has done before, requested termination of
the Advanced Technology Program, which now receives $79.0 million (and
$140.4 million in FY 2005.) The House had agreed previously to eliminate
ATP, but the Senate had resisted. That is not true in this budget cycle,
the Senate report stating: "The Committee will allow for the
phase out of activities for ATP. No funds are provided in fiscal year
2007 for ATP, and the Committee believes that sufficient funds were
provided as part of fiscal year 2006 under this title to cover all necessary
close out costs associated with ATP." This language differs
greatly from that in last year's Senate report, which stated: "The
ATP program is critical to ensuring that U.S. industries capture market
share in the facing of growing global competition, particularly in the
fields of science and technology" (see http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/104.html
.) Last year there was an amendment offered on the Senate floor to delete
ATP funding; 68 senators voted against eliminating this funding. It
would appear that the current year is the program's last year, with
President Bush, the House of Representatives, and Senate appropriators
aligned against continued funding of the program.
The Manufacturing Extension Partnership program budget would have been
cut by 55.8% or $58.4 million, from $104.7 million to $46.3 million
under the Administration's request. The House bill recommends a 12.1%
or $12.7 million reduction to $92.0 million. The Senate bill provides
an increase of $1.2% or $1.3 million to $106.0 million. The committee
report language states:
"The Committee recommends an appropriation of $106,000,000
to fund MEP centers. MEP supports a network of locally run centers
that provide technical advice and consultative services to small manufacturing
companies in all 50 States and Puerto Rico. Many of these firms lack
the technical knowledge and experience to implement cutting edge technologies
and cost saving processes, which places them at risk from foreign
competition. Since its inception, MEP has consistently been the program
that small manufacturers could look to for assistance. Whether it
is assisting with quality standards, or providing strategic planning,
MEP has delivered the services needed by small manufacturers.
"Based on a sampling of clients surveyed in fiscal year
2005, MEP clients indicated that the assistance they received resulted
in increased sales of $1,500,000,000; retained sales of $4,530,000,000;
cost savings of $721,000,000; and the creation and retention of 43,624
jobs. These economic impacts justify the recommended funding level
for the MEP."
CONSTRUCTION OF RESEARCH FACILITIES:
The Administration requested $68.0 million for projects at NIST's Maryland
and Colorado facilities. The House bill and Senate committee provided
this amount; Senate appropriators added another $123.0 million for earmarked
projects.
Richard M. Jones
Media and Government Relations Division
American Institute of Physics
fyi@aip.org
301-209-3095
Enlarge text
Shrink text
Print
E-mail
Digg this
Del.icio.us
Furl