House Science Committee Acts to Save NIST Laboratories

In both chambers of Congress, bills to dismantle the Department of Commerce are making the rounds (see FYI #125). The main bill in the House, H.R. 1756, sponsored by Rep. Dick Chrysler (R-MI), has been referred to 11 different committees, each of which has jurisdiction over some part of it. The House Science Committee, chaired by Robert Walker (R-PA), held a hearing on the proposal on September 12, and then on September 14 marked up the science- and technology-related portion of Chrysler’s bill.

In addition to abolishing the Commerce Department, the bill would attempt to sell NIST’s laboratories and those of NOAA’s Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research “to a private sector entity intending to perform substantially the same functions as were performed by the laboratories.” It also terminates NIST’s Advanced Technology Program (ATP) and Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP). Ranking Minority Member George Brown (D-CA) charged that “the idea of selling research laboratories, dissolving NOAA and so on borders on lunacy.”

At yesterday’s mark-up, Walker offered a substitute to the Chrysler bill that would transfer the NIST laboratories and NOAA Oceanic and Atmospheric Research into an independent agency entitled the United States Science and Technology Administration. The mark-up became contentious as Democratic members challenged the idea of eliminating the Commerce Department. Brown claimed that Walker was attempting “damage control” on the Chrysler bill, calling it “a bureaucratic form of the old game `Twister’ as the Chairman searched for a good place for NOAA and NIST to land.” Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) argued for the importance of maintaining a relationship between the science and technology functions and the trade and marketing functions.

During the mark-up, Rep. Boehlert (R-NY) offered an amendment that would retain authority for NIST’s MEP program. The amendment passed. However, a similar amendment offered by Rep. Jane Harmon (D-CA) to preserve the ATP, although supported by Republicans Connie Morella (R-MD) and Boehlert, did not pass. Morella, whose district houses one of the NIST laboratories, spoke out in support of the MEP and ATP. She succeeded in passing an amendment to eliminate a provision of the bill that limited future funding for any of the programs and agencies not terminated to 75 percent of that provided in fiscal year 1994.

Walker’s substitute was approved by his committee as amended, and will be combined with versions of the Chrysler bill produced by committees with jurisdiction over other areas. “Not only did we find a way to deal with our portion of H.R. 1756 in a manner which fulfills this Congress’ commitment to streamline government,” Walker stated, “but we were able to redefine the functions of agencies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology to be more in line with the goals of its organic act. In addition, this bill formally terminates the Advanced Technology Program, a corporate subsidy program that has grown too large and too costly for the taxpayers to bear.” However, not all the science committee members were happy about the outcome. “What we are left with,” Brown warned, “is legislation that is a complete disconnect from the extensive streamlining already undertaken by the Department of Commerce...and a bill that does more harm than good.”