Senate Appropriations Committee Set to Restore DOD University Research Funding

If all goes as scheduled, the full Senate Appropriations Committee will meet this afternoon to mark up H.R. 4650, the Defense Appropriations Bill for FY 1995. There is good news for the university community in the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee bill marked-up earlier this week. Under Senator Inouye’s (D-Hawaii) version of this bill, $821 million of the $900 million cut by the House in university research funding has been restored. This matter is, however, far from being settled.

As reported in FYIs #91 and 103, the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania), made a $900 million (50%) cut in the university research and development budget request in its version of H.R. 4650. Reports indicate this cut was due to a variety of reasons, ranging from tight budget constraints to attempts to reduce earmarking to concerns about waste and abuse.

Senator Inouye commented on the resulting outpouring of mail, saying that no other issue in the defense bill had resulted in so much correspondence. However, Inouye and Ranking Minority Member Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) expressed frustration with the current peer review system to award this money, which results in a large percentage of federal funding flowing to well-established universities.

The next step in this process, assuming that Senator Robert Byrd’s (D-West Virginia) full Appropriations Committee approves the subcommittee’s mark up, is for the bill to be voted on by the full Senate. Following Senate floor action, H.R. 4650 will then go to a conference committee to resolve differences in the two versions of the bill (see FYI #116.) Among these will be the $821 million difference in university research funding.

Conference committee action will be of paramount importance. Conferees will not be appointed until the full Senate votes. However, it is possible to make an educated guess about who will be the conferees. Playing a lead role will be Chairman Murtha. Washington sources report Murtha has received little mail about this matter, likely because all eyes have been focused on the Senate.

Chairman Murtha’s address is:

The Honorable John P. Murtha
Chairman
House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense
H-144 Capitol Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Chairman Murtha’s 12th district is in the Johnstown, Pennsylvania area.

Last year’s conference committee included the full House and Senate defense appropriations subcommittees. The House members, who can also be reached at the above address, are as follows:

Rep. Norman Dicks (D): 6th district; Tacoma, Bremerton, Washington area.

Rep. Charles Wilson (D): 2nd district; Lufkin, Texas area.

Rep. W.G. (Bill) Hefner (D): 8th district; Concord, Salisbury, and Rockingham, North Carolina area.

Rep. Martin Sabo (D): 5th district; Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Rep. Julian Dixon (D): 32nd district; Los Angeles, California.

Rep. Peter Visclosky (D): 1st district; Gary, Valparaiso, Indiana area.

Rep. George (Buddy) Darden (D): 7th district; Marietta, Carrollton, LaGrange, Georgia area.

Rep. David Obey (D): Rep. Obey is chairman of the full House Appropriations Committee, representing the 7th District in the Wausau, Wisconsin area.

Rep. Joseph McDade (R): Rep. McDade is the Ranking Minority Member of this subcommittee and the full committee, representing the 10th district in the Scranton, Williamsport, Pennsylvania area.

Rep. C.W. Bill Young (R): 10th district; St. Petersburg, Largo, Florida area.

Rep. Bill Bob Livingston (R): 10th district; Metairie, Hammond, Covington, Louisiana area.

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R): 40th district; Redlands, Barstow, California district. Also the Ranking Minority Member of the VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee.

Rep. Joe Skeen (R): 2nd district; Las Cruces, Roswell, New Mexico area.

Senators on the conference committee are likely to be:

The Honorable Daniel Inouye Chairman Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense SD-119 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510

His colleagues, whose can also be reached at this address, are:

Senator Ernest Hollings (D-South Carolina) Senator J. Bennett Johnston (D-Louisiana) (Chairman of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee) Senator Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) (Chairman of full Senate Appropriations Subcommittee) Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) Senator Jim Sasser (D-Tennessee) Senator Dennis DeConcini (D-Arizona) Senator Dale Bumpers (D-Arkansas) Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-New Jersey) Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) (Ranking Minority Member) Senator Alfonse D’Amato (R-New York) Senator Thad Cochran (R-Mississippi) Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania) Senator Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico) Senator Don Nickles (R-Oklahoma) Senator Phil Gramm (R-Texas) (Ranking Minority Member of VA, HUD, Independent Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee) Senator Christopher (Kit) Bond (R-Missouri) Senator Mark Hatfield (R-Oregon) (Ranking Republican Member of full Senate Appropriations Committee)

According to the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, a date has not been scheduled for conference committee action. Most action on conference committee reports is behind the scenes. Conferees are also influenced by their colleagues not on the committee who have been contacted by their own constituents. Conference committee action can occur quickly and with little advance notice.