FY 2009 Omnibus Funding Bill: NIST

The FY 2009 budget for the National Institute of Standards and Technology would increase 8.4 percent, or $63.2 million in the FY 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that was released Monday following an agreement by House and Senate appropriators.

The House is continuing its debate on H.R. 1105, a $410 billion bill consisting of the nine appropriations bills that were not finished by October 1, 2008, the start of FY 2009. Passage of this bill is expected, although it is not certain it will be by March 6 when a resolution providing flat funding expires.

A hand-annotated copy of this bill, and its accompanying Joint Explanatory Statement are available here . Explanatory Statement language regarding NIST can be viewed in Division B - Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2009, which is found on pdf pages 12 through 14. A table with specific line item funding amounts can be viewed at pdf pages 341 and 342. (Important notes: consult the Explanatory Statement and not the bill text language, and use the pdf and not the typed page numbers.)

The following are the recommended levels of funding for various NIST programs in H.R. 1105, taken from the above cited table:

Total National Institute of Standards and Technology:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $755.9 million.
The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was $636.0 million.
The omnibus bill recommends $819.0 million. This is an increase of $63.2 million or 8.4 percent over FY 2008.

Scientific and Technical Research and Services:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $440.5 million.
The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was $535.0 million.
The omnibus bill recommends $472.0 million. This is an increase of $31.5 million or 7.1 percent.

Construction of Research Facilities:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $160.5 million.
The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was $99.0 million.
The omnibus bill recommends $172.0 million. This is an increase of $11.5 million or 7.2 percent.

Industrial Technology Services:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $154.8 million.
The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was $4.0 million.
The omnibus bill recommends $175.0 million. This is an increase of $20.2 million or 13.0 percent.

Industrial Technology Services consists of the following two programs, both of which the Bush Administration had sought to be terminated:

MANUFACTURING EXTENSION PARTNERSHIPS:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $89.6 million. The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was $2.0 million. The omnibus bill recommends $110.0 million. This is an increase of $20.4 million or 22.7 percent.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION PROGRAM:

The FY 2008 enacted budget was $65.2 million.
The Bush Administration’s FY 2009 request was zero.
The omnibus bill recommends $65.0 million. This is a decline of $200,000 or 0.3 percent.