Additional Information on FY 1997 NSF Appropriation

FYI #137 listed various funding levels for FY 1997 NSF programs. Instructions in the conference report (104-812) provide additional information on specific policy recommendations, or changes to the Clinton Administration’s original request.

RESEARCH AND RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Congress reduced the administration’s original request by $40,000,000. The report language permits NSF to allocate individual program funding levels “in accordance with its internal procedures for resource allocation,” with subsequent review by Congress.

Also included was language on the payment of “tariff duties assessed on the Gemini [telescope] project” and on “the possible addition of a new Navy-owned, university-operated Class 1 Oceanographic Research Vessel to the academic fleet.”

MAJOR RESEARCH EQUIPMENT:

There is no mention of LIGO; GEMINI was addressed by the conferees as above.

EDUCATION AND HUMAN RESOURCES:

The report states:

“The conference agreement [legislation] includes the following reductions:

(1) $2,000,000 from grants for graduate fellowships; (2) $5,000,000 from grants for undergraduate curriculum development; and (3) $2,500,000 from K-12 curriculum and assessment development; and (4) $3,000,000 from research, evaluation and communication.”

The report requires NSF to seek congressional approval of final funding levels for these programs. The conference report also states:

“Funding for Informal Science is increased by $10,000,000 which will result in a total of $36,000,000 for this vitally important program. The conferees expect that these additional funds will be used to support and strengthen systematic reform efforts funded elsewhere in this account. In addition, the conferees request that the National Science Foundation report back to the Committees on Appropriations of the House and Senate on its plans for implementing this direction. Funding for EPSCoR is increased by $2,500,000 for a total of $38,410,000. The increase for EPSCoR is to be used for advanced computing, networking and joint projects.”