House Appropriations Report Language: NIST Laboratory 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 in-house laboratory programs (Scientific and Technical Research and Services) and construction; FYI #114 will contain quotations from the report language pertaining to NIST’s extramural partnership programs with industry (Industrial Technology Services.)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY

“The Committee recommends a total of $468,400,000 for the appropriations accounts under the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for fiscal year 1997. This amount is a reduction of $357,584,000 from the budget request, and is a decrease of $151,174,000 below the amounts appropriated for fiscal year 1996. A description of each account and the Committee recommendation follows:"

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL RESEARCH AND SERVICES

“The Committee has provided $268,000,000 for the Scientific and Technical Research and Services (core programs) appropriation of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. This amount is a reduction of $2,744,000 from the budget request and an increase of $9,330,000 above the fiscal year 1996 appropriation. The amounts provided for this account reflect the Committee’s continuing commitment to providing resources for basic research programs that benefit the nation’s industries. The Committee notes that, in an era of declining budgets, the core programs of NIST have received significant support, and are one of the few programs in the Department to receive an increase over the current fiscal year.

“The following is a breakdown of the amounts provided under this account by activity, reflecting the priorities included in the budget request and in the House-passed Omnibus Civilian Science Authorization (H.R. 3322). This distribution should be used as the basis for any proposed reprogramming of funds:"

Electronics and Electrical Engineering $37,100,000
Manufacturing Engineering 18,500,000
Chemical Science and Technology 32,000,000
Physics 27,000,000
Material Sciences and Engineering 52,000,000
Building and Fire Research 12,000,000
Applied Mathematics & Scientific Computing 41,500,000
Technology Assistance 18,000,000
Baldrige Quality Awards 2,900,000
Research Support 27,000,000
TOTAL, STRS 268,000,000

“The Committee remains concerned about the rapid growth of overseas personnel from non-foreign affairs agencies. The Committee continues the directive included in last year’s report disapproving of the placement of any additional NIST personnel overseas.

“Quality Program. - The Committee has provided $2,900,000 for the base NIST Quality Program, which includes the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The Committee fully endorses the continuation of the basic Baldrige award program, but has not provided funds to support any new programs.”

CONSTRUCTION OF RESEARCH FACILITIES

“The Committee does not recommend any new funding under this account for construction of NIST facilities. This amount is a decrease of $59,977,000 below the amount appropriated for the current fiscal year, and is $105,240,000 below the budget request.

“Last September, at a time when Congress was considering a rescission of $152,933,000 in this account, NIST obligated $51,600,000 in balances in this account. The Committee discovered these funds were obligated for long-term design and construction management activities for work that may not begin for several years, if at all. A review by the Department’s Inspector General determined that $31,800,000 of these funds were obligated in violation of federal government contracting regulations and were of questionable programmatic value. The Committee does not find acceptable the obligation of funds for projects that have not yet been given final approval by the Congress, and in a manner which violated federal government contracting regulations.

“The Committee understands that the Department, in response to the Inspector General’s findings, has now determined that at least $20,000,000 of the $31,800,000 originally considered obligated are not, in fact, obligated and will carry over into fiscal year 1997 and be available for expenditure for other purposes. Therefore, the Committee has provided no additional funding for this appropriation. The Committee expects NIST to utilize the $20,000,000 in unobligated funds to meet NIST’s high-priority facilities maintenance projects.

“In addition, the Committee is concerned that NIST has failed to realistically prioritize its short and long-term facilities needs to reflect budgetary realities, although directed to do so in the fiscal year 1996 House report. While supportive of efforts to address the technical obsolescence of NIST facilities, the Committee believes a reassessment is necessary in light of reduced program and staffing levels and overall fiscal constraints. Thus, the Committee has provided no funding for new construction projects. The Committee is deferring action on additional major construction projects for NIST, pending a re-evaluation by NIST of its long-term facilities needs.

“This program supports all NIST activities by providing the facilities necessary to carry out the NIST mission. The Institute has proposed a multiyear effort to construct advanced technology laboratories and to renovate NIST’s current buildings and laboratory facilities in compliance with more stringent science and engineering program requirements.”