Legislative Update

This is the status of some of the legislation we have been following:

TAX BILL: As reported in FYI #85 , there are several provisions in the House-passed tax bill of interest to the research community. Most observers following these provisions see House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Archer (R), who represents a district in Houston, Texas, as a key figure in the upcoming House-Senate conference. Congress wants to settle this bill before the end of the month when it leaves on its summer recess. The current schedule calls for most issues in the tax bill to be resolved by the end of next week. Those needing more attention are to be settled by the end of the month.

APPROPRIATIONS BILLS:Congress must make substantial progress on the thirteen appropriations bills if they are to be ready by the start of FY 1998 on October 1. House leaders want to complete their versions of these bills by August 1. Here is where several key bills stand:

COMMERCE, JUSTICE, STATE APPROPRIATIONS: The House subcommittee completed work on its version of this bill yesterday. The Advanced Technology Program would receive $185 million, which is $40 million below current year funding, and $90 million less than the request. Nevertheless, this is much more than what subcommittee chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) once threatened he would provide - zero. The Senate subcommittee starts work on this bill today. Committee report language on ATP will be of great interest.

DEFENSE/NATIONAL SECURITY APPROPRIATIONS: The full Senate Appropriations Committee marked up its bill yesterday. This bill is $3.2 billion more than the $246.9 billion the administration requested. The committee is adding money for two additional wide-body cargo jets, a national defense missile system, facilities maintenance, a carrier, a destroyer, and breast cancer research. The full Senate considers this bill next week. House appropriators have not completed work on their version of this legislation.

ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS: The Senate Appropriations Committee also marked up this bill yesterday. The committee reportedly did not include full up-front (multi year) funding for the National Ignition Facility. The House Appropriations Committee is marking up its version of the bill today.

VA, HUD, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS: The House Appropriations Committee has sent its bill to the floor for consideration next week. It is known that funding levels for the National Science Foundation did not change from the subcommittee’s recommendations (see FYI #80 .) The committee voted to request that NSF examine the feasibility of a national institute on the environment. The Senate committee marks up its bill next week.

Details for these bills will appear in reports issued by each committee. Report language, while not having the force of law, can give strong guidance to departments and agencies about specific programs. This report language can be modified by a conference committee made up of members from each appropriations subcommittee.

FYI will provide this information as it becomes available.