House Appropriations Committee Report: NSF
Today, the full House will vote on H.R. 2491, the VA, HUD and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill for fiscal year 1994. The bill was approved by the House Appropriations Committee on June 22, and is accompanied by a report spelling out the Committee’s recommendations on spending. This FYI provides selected information from the NSF portion of the report.
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION:
Current funding $2,733,548,000
Administration request 3,180,200,000
House committee bill 3,021,297,000
RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Current funding $1,859,000,000
Administration request 2,204,800,000
House committee bill 2,045,000,000
“The Committee recommends an appropriation of $2,045,000,000 for research and related activities in fiscal year 1994. This is a decrease of $159,800,000 below the budget request and an increase of $186,000,000 above 1993. The reduction may be taken at the agency’s discretion, subject to the normal reprogramming procedures.
“The Committee is concerned with the extraordinary variation in overhead costs among different academic institutions receiving federal research funding. Federal funding for indirect costs to institutions averages 46 percent of the direct expense of federal research. However, select institutions claim and are being compensated for indirect costs as high as 69.5 percent of the direct costs of federal research.
“The Committee believes these wide variations in the level of [in]direct costs requires further study to determine whether such variations are both reasonable and in the national interest; what factors contribute to such wide variations; and whether a standard formula might be developed to establish a maximum allowance for indirect costs.
“In this connection, the General Accounting Office is directed to undertake such an analysis and submit a report by February 1, 1994. The GAO should commence work on this study as soon as possible.”
ACADEMIC RESEARCH FACILITIES AND INSTRUMENTATION:
Current funding $50,000,000
Administration request 55,000,000
House committee bill 55,000,000
“This program is a consolidation of the previous academic research facility modernization activity and support of academic research instrumentation.
“In 1988, an NSF survey revealed that for every dollar spent for repair and renovation at universities and colleges, almost four dollars of required work was being deferred. These funds are designed to assist in modernizing and revitalizing the nation’s research facilities at institutions of higher education, and other entities, through capital investment. Also, the new academic research instrumentation component of this effort is designed to improve the research infrastructure by focusing on major instruments that are needed in all fields, but are normally too costly for existing NSF programs.”
EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES ACTIVITIES:
Current funding $487,500,000
Administration request 556,100,000
House committee bill 569,600,000
“The Committee recommends a total of $569,600,000 for science education and human resources activities in 1994. This is an increase of $13,500,000 above the budget request. The Committee directs that the increase be allocated as follows:
+$5,000,000 for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). This will provide a level of $29,420,000 for this activity in 1994. +$7,500,000 for advanced technology and education and outreach community college grants. This will provide a level of $12,500,000 for this activity in 1994. +$1,000,000 to the $2,000,000 requested for minority summer science camps.
“The remaining funds included in this account are to be allocated according to the priorities submitted in the 1994 request.”
Other report sections include: the United States Polar Research programs; Salaries and Expenses; the Critical Technologies Institute; the Office of Inspector General; and NSF Headquarters Relocation.
