"The appropriations express" is how a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) describes the Senate in May. If all goes as scheduled, appropriations bills funding the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, NASA, and the National Science Foundation will be written during the next five weeks. Now is the time to contact your representative and two senators about these funding bills for FY 2001.

The authorizing subcommittee in the Senate for much of the Department of Defense's R&D is the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities. Its jurisdiction includes DOD's RDT&E technology base. The comparable subcommittee for authorizing Defense R&D on the House side is the Armed Services Subcommittee on Military R&D. See http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfmfor the Web sites for all senators.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense is responsible for writing an appropriations bill that funds, among other programs, Department of Defense Research and Development. Below is the roster for this subcommittee for the 106th Congress. Included with each subcommittee member's name is a list of the higher education institutions in his or her district. Information on rosters and university/college listings comes from Congressional Quarterly. See http://www.house.gov/MemberWWW.htmlfor the Web sites of all representatives.