Recent Developments and Updates
OFFICE OF TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT ELIMINATED IN CONFERENCE: House and Senate conferees on July 27 agreed to a compromise version of H.R. 1854, the Legislative Branch Appropriations bill for fiscal year 1996. The conference report, H. Rept. 104-212, would terminate the OTA. (The House version of the bill would have provided $15 million for OTA and incorporated it with the Library of Congress’s Congressional Research Service, while the Senate version called for its termination. See FYIs #88, 104). The conference report now goes to the House and Senate floors for approval, but the whole bill must be considered on an up-or-down vote. It is unlikely that appropriations for the entire legislative branch will be derailed because of a single issue such as OTA. The House floor is scheduled to begin consideration of the conference report on August 4.
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE PASSES ENERGY AND WATER BILL: H.R. 1905, the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill for FY 1996, was approved by the full Senate Appropriations Committee on July 27. The Senate’s version of the bill would reduce funding for fusion energy research and high energy physics below even the House’s recommendation (see FYI #100 for the House’s actions.) Consideration of the bill has begun on the Senate floor. Further FYIs will contain selected portions of the Senate appropriations committee report, S. Rept. 104-120.
VA/HUD/INDEPENDENT AGENCIES FUNDING BILL PASSES HOUSE FLOOR: Last night, House members passed H.R. 2099, which makes appropriations for veterans, housing, and a number of independent agencies, including NSF and NASA. NSF programs survived with the House Appropriations Committee’s funding recommendations intact (see FYI #101 for details of the Committee’s recommendations.) The bill would reduce NSF’s budget by $200 million from the President’s request, to be taken from the Research and Related Activities Account. Reports indicate that NASA funding, too, remains close to what the House Appropriations Committee recommended (see FYI #102.) The bill would fully fund the space station and shuttle programs but reduce Mission to Planet Earth by over $300 million from the request. The Cassini mission to Saturn would receive its full request, while SOFIA would be partially funded and SIRTF would apparently not receive funding.
HOUSE SCIENCE COMMITTEE CONSIDERS NASA AUTHORIZATION: While the appropriations (funding) bill for NASA passed the House floor with a cut of more than $300 million for Mission to Planet Earth, members of the House Science Committee voted on July 25 in a NASA authorizing bill (H.R. 2043) to fund the program at a level nearer to the President’s request. The vote was on an amendment by Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) to shift $274 million to Mission to Planet Earth from other NASA programs. An amendment by ranking member George Brown (D-CA) to increase the total NASA budget failed. While the authorizing bill can only set spending ceilings and provide guidance to appropriators, Mission to Planet Earth can count both authorizers and appropriators among its supporters in the Senate.
HOUSE AND SENATE CALENDARS: The House is scheduled to begin its August recess at the end of this week; the Senate will remain in session an additional week.
