House Appropriations Report Language: NIST Extramural Programs

Today and tomorrow the full House will debate H.R. 3814, the fiscal year 1996 funding bill for the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State. The House Appropriations Committee approved the bill on July 16. Accompanying the bill is a committee report which, while not having the force of law, provides the committee’s views and recommendations for the departments and agencies funded by H.R. 3814, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Below are selected quotations from the report (House Report 104-676) pertaining to NIST’s extramural partnership programs with industry (Industrial Technology Services); FYI #113 covers NIST’S in-house laboratory programs (Scientific and Technical Research and Services) and construction.

INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

“The Committee recommends $200,400,000 for the Industrial Technology Services appropriation of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This amount is $100,527,000 below the current appropriation available for fiscal year 1996, and is $249,600,000 below the budget request.

“Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program: The Committee has included $89,900,000 for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Program. The recommendation provides the following:"

Regional Programs $81,100,000
National Programs/Administration 8,800,000
TOTAL, MEP 89,900,000

“The recommendation provides the full amount requested for continuation of eligible existing centers, including the rollover costs of the remaining 15 Centers originally funded under the Technology Reinvestment Program under the Defense Department. The bill does not include proposed language allowing the Centers that have reached their statutory six-year time limitation to continue to be funded beyond their current six-year contract. The Committee believes such a change is more appropriately addressed through the authorization process. The Committee notes that reauthorization for the MEP program, which recently passed the House, did not include any changes to this statutory limitation.

“The Committee is aware that NIST is currently in the process of completing the final competition for new Centers, and encourages NIST to give special consideration to locating additional Centers in rural areas to ensure that such areas have access to these services.

“Advanced Technology Program: The Committee provides $110,500,000 for the Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The recommendation includes bill language prohibiting the use of any funds, including prior year carryover, from being used for new competitions. The recommendation provides sufficient funding to pay the continuation costs of awards previously made to small businesses which are least likely to have available private financing. The Committee notes that of the 280 ATP awards made to date, major U.S. corporations have been the beneficiary, in whole or part, of 51% of all awards. Some major corporations have benefited from as many as 18 awards. In light of its commitment to balance the federal budget, the Committee cannot justify the expenditure of scarce federal resources to provide grants to supplement the R&D budgets of major corporations which have the very best access to private sources of financing and are the ultimate beneficiaries of the successful commercialization of these projects.”