Senate Report Language on NSF: Education and Human Resources

Accompanying the Senate version of H.R. 4624, the VA/HUD appropriations bill, is a report providing the Senate Appropriations Committee’s views and recommendations. A section of the report on the National Science Foundation outlines subcommittee chairwoman Barbara Mikulski’s (D-MD) and her colleagues’ views on funding for Education and Human Resources. Final funding levels and report language will be decided upon by a conference committee comprised of Members of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

“The Foundation’s education and human resources appropriation includes funds to encourage the entrance of talented students into science and technology careers; improve the undergraduate science and engineering education environment; assist in providing all K-12 students with a level of education in mathematics, science, and technology that reflects the needs of the Nation; and extend greater research opportunities to underrepresented segments of the scientific and engineering communities.”

“The Committee recommends an appropriation of $605,974,000 for education and human resources activities. This is $36,374,000 above the fiscal year 1994 level, and $20,000,000 above the budget request and the House allowance.”

The Committee recommends the following changes to the budget request:

+$9,000,000 for the advanced technological education activity;

+$4,000,000 for the Graduate Traineeship Program. “The objective of this program is to provide support for doctoral programs in strategically important areas. The Committee expects that these funds will be used to support a new class of graduate trainees in fiscal year 1995;"

+$1,000,000 for informal science education. “These funds will provide the first increase in this program since fiscal year 1993;"

+$1,000,000 to implement a pilot project “to establish an interactive telecommunications system among tribally controlled community colleges;"

+$3,000,000 for EPSCoR [the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research]; and

+$2,000,000 to establish a competitive, merit-based program to support the efforts of the States to develop electronic libraries.”

In addition, the report directs the Foundation, within available funds, “to initiate pilot efforts in math and science education to enhance the performance of minority students, beginning at the daycare level and continuing through high school, including teacher training and involving parents and communities.”