House and Senate Conferees Named for VA/HUD Appropriations Bill

Both the House and the Senate have now named their conferees for H.R. 2158, the VA/HUD/Independent Agencies Appropriations bill for FY 1998. As with the rest of the appropriations bills, conferees need to meet on this bill and reconcile their differences so it can be passed by both houses and signed by the President before the beginning of the new fiscal year on October 1.

There are a number of items to be resolved in conference. For NSF, the House would provide $120 million more than the request; the Senate would give only $10 million above the request. The House would increase Research and Related Activities by $23 million over the request; the Senate again would increase it by only $10 million. The House would also provide more than requested for Education and Human Resources, and Major Research Equipment, while the Senate would fund these accounts at the requested levels. The House would increase funding for NASA by $148 million over the request, increasing human space flight by $100 million, while providing the requested levels for space science and Mission to Planet Earth. The Senate would fund human space flight, space science, and Mission to Planet Earth at the requested levels. An amendment on the Senate floor, to cut NASA’s mission support by $100 million to increase HUD and FEMA programs, makes the Senate recommendation for NASA come in $100 million below the request.

In addition to overall funding totals, issues to be reconciled include full up-front funding for NSF’s South Pole Station upgrade (the House would provide multi-year funding; the Senate would not), and the House’s recommendation to give the NASA Administrator authority to transfer up to $150 million from Science, Aeronautics and Technology and Mission Support to keep space station construction on schedule, which the Senate was silent on.

The following Members of Congress will take part in the VA/HUD conference:

SENATE CONFEREES: (named July 22)

Republicans:
Christopher Bond (Missouri), Subcommittee Chairman
Ted Stevens (Alaska),Full Appropriations Committee Chairman
Thad Cochran (Mississippi), Member of Full Committee
Conrad Burns (Montana)
Richard Shelby (Alabama)
Ben Nighthorse Campbell (Colorado)
Larry Craig (Idaho)

Democrats:
Barbara Mikulski (Maryland), Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member
Robert Byrd (West Virginia), Full Committee Ranking Minority Member
Patrick Leahy (Vermont)
Frank Lautenberg (New Jersey)
Tom Harkin (Iowa)
Barbara Boxer (California)

HOUSE CONFEREES (named September 3)

Republicans:
Jerry Lewis (California), Subcommittee Chairman
Robert Livingston (Louisiana), Full Appropriations Committee Chairman
Tom DeLay (Texas)
James Walsh (New York)
David Hobson (Ohio)
Joe Knollenberg (Michigan)
Rodney Frelinghuysen (New Jersey)
Mark Neumann (Wisconsin)
Roger Wicker (Mississippi)
Democrats:
Louis Stokes (Ohio), Subcommittee Ranking Minority Member
David Obey (Wisconsin), Full Committee Ranking Minority Member
Alan Mollohan (West Virginia)
Marcy Kaptur (Ohio)
Carrie Meek (Florida)
David Price (North Carolina)

Correspondence to Senators should be addressed as follows: The Honorable ______, U.S. Senate, Washington, D.C. 20510.
Correspondence to Representatives should be addressed: The Honorable ______, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, D.C. 20515.

Write soon so your letter is received in time to have an impact. All correspondence should cite bill number H.R. 2158. FYI #69 provides guidelines for writing to a Member of Congress.