The Key Players: Select Science-Related Congressional Committees (II)
Over the next five months, committees in the House and Senate will draft legislation of major importance to the physics and astronomy community. This FYI and FYI #70 provide a brief background on the two kinds of bills to watch, and list the key players in this process.
APPROPRIATIONS BILLS
Appropriations bills provide the money for a program or agency. They must be passed every year. In theory as well as practice, every federal department or agency must have an appropriations bill to provide its funding.
Appropriations committees are extremely powerful, since they control the federal purse strings. There are thirteen appropriations subcommittees in both the House and Senate. The chairmen of the House appropriations subcommittees are so powerful that they are often referred to as “the College of Cardinals.” Appropriations bills start in the House, usually with hearings that examine the president’s budget request. Appropriations bills are written by the subcommittee, approved by the full committee, and then sent to the floor where they may be modified. The process repeats itself in the Senate, followed by a conference to reconcile differences between the two bills. The final legislation will be voted on again by each chamber before it is sent to the president for approval or veto.
Appropriations bills must be passed by the start of the new fiscal year on October 1. Without passage, the department or agency shuts down unless a stopgap funding bill called a continuing resolution is passed.
Committees which draft physics and astronomy-related appropriations bills include:
SENATE VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE SD-131 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-7211 Chairman, Christopher S. Bond (R-Missouri) Ranking Democratic Member, Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Maryland) Jurisdiction: National Science Foundation, NASA
HOUSE VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE H-143 Capitol, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3241 Chairman, Jerry Lewis (R-California) Ranking Democratic Member, Louis Stokes (D-Ohio) Jurisdiction: National Science Foundation, NASA
SENATE ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE SD-131 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-7260 Chairman, Pete V. Domenici (R-New Mexico) Ranking Democratic Member, J. Bennett Johnston (D-Louisiana) Jurisdiction: Department of Energy HOUSE ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE 2362 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-3421 Chairman, John T. Myers (R-Indiana) Ranking Democratic Member, Tom Bevill (D-Alabama) Jurisdiction: Department of Energy
SENATE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE SD-122 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510 (202) 224-7255 Chairman, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) Ranking Democratic Member, Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) Jurisdiction: Department of Defense
HOUSE NATIONAL SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE H-148 Capitol Building, Washington, DC 20515 (202) 225-2847 Chairman, C.W. Bill Young (R-Florida) Ranking Democratic Member, John P. Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) Jurisdiction: Department of Defense
SENATE COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE S-146A Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. 20510 (202) 224-7277 Chairman, Phil Gramm (R-Texas) Ranking Democratic Member, Ernest F. Hollings (D-South Carolina) Jurisdiction: Department of Commerce (NIST)
HOUSE COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE AND JUDICIARY APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE H-309 Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-3351 Chairman, Harold Rogers (R-Kentucky) Ranking Democratic Member, Alan B. Mollohan (D-West Virginia) Jurisdiction: Department of Commerce (NIST)
FYIs #62 and 63 provide guidance on communicating with Members of Congress.
