Important Votes Coming Up
There are several important votes scheduled during the next two weeks in the House and Senate. Prospects for all of this legislation improve as constituent communications increase.
SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE: The full House Science Committee was scheduled to vote yesterday on H.R. 1655, the Department of Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Authorization Act of 1999. The committee ran out of time, and is now scheduled to take up this measure the week of May 17. This bill states “none of the funds authorized by this Act may be used for the construction of...the Spallation Neutron Source.” See FYI #79 for further information on this bill, and for guidance on communicating with committee members. At this late date, letters probably would arrive after the vote.
PROPOSED REVISION ON ACCESS TO DATA: A law enacted last year requires the Office of Management and Budget to promulgate new regulations on access to federally-funded research using the Freedom of Information Act. Many scientific organizations have expressed concerns about this legislation, and Rep. George Brown (D-CA) has introduced a bill to repeal it (see FYIs #18, 40.) An effort will be made during the week of May 17 to postpone implementation of this law. When the full House Appropriations Committee http://www.house.gov/appropriations/ meets to vote on the FY 2000 Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations bill, an amendment will be offered by Rep. James T. Walsh (R-NY) (chairman of the VA, HUD subcommittee) and Rep. David E. Price (D-NC). The Walsh-Price Amendment would effectively postpone the implementation of the OMB regulations (which are still in process) by one year. A study would be conducted during this time. This committee vote will be only the first step - but an important step - in much action that will occur in the next few months over these regulations. This vote is going to be an uphill climb. Any communication must be made by the close of Monday, May 17.
FY 2000 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT APPROPRIATIONS BILL: This is the big one for the Department of Energy’s science programs. The Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee is scheduled to get their version of this unnumbered bill out by the end of May. House appropriators seem more worried about spending caps than their Senate counterparts, so whatever figures the Senate bill sets for high energy physics, nuclear physics, basic energy sciences, and fusion may be the high numbers in negotiations this fall. Letters, if mailed in the next two or three days, will be important. See FYI #60 for the Senate subcommittee roster.
THE FEDERAL RESEARCH INVESTMENT ACT: Senate sponsors of this bill, S. 296, which would authorize a doubling of federal civilian R&D funding by FY 2010, are trying to get Senate floor time for a roll call vote on this bill before the end of the month. Supporters of the bill are trying to rack up an overwhelming Senate vote to build momentum as S. 296 moves to the House, where the outlook is highly uncertain. While Senate passage is almost assured (the Senate passed it last year, and Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) has just agreed to cosponsor the bill), it will not look good if there are not a large number of votes in the “yes” column when the Senate votes. Letters sent in the next few days will give this bill visibility.
