IP: R&D Doubling Bill

[cis.upenn.edu <farber () cis upenn edu>]

FYI
The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
Number 99: June 29, 1998


Progress on Efforts to Increase Federal R&D Investment


The effort to promote doubling of federal civilian research
funding got a boost on June 25, when Senators Bill Frist (R-TN)
and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) introduced a new bill, the Federal
Research Investment Act (S. 2217.)  A June 24 floor amendment to
the Senate defense authorization bill would also promote an
increase in defense R&D funding.


Eight months after 106 scientific and engineering societies
joined forces to urge the federal government to double its
investment in research over ten years, the initiative continues
to move forward.  Last October, concurrent with the statement by
the more-than-100 societies, Senators Phil Gramm (R-TX) and
Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) introduced S. 1305 to authorize this
increase for civilian R&D (see FYI #129, 1997.)  


Now the science community has been asked for its assistance once
more.  The Frist bill, slightly modified from the Gramm bill, has
the strong backing of Gramm and the other cosponsors of S. 1305. 
Because of Frist's position as chairman of the Commerce
Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Space, his bill is
thought to have a better chance of passage.  At the June 25 press
conference for the bill, Frist called on professional societies
and the science community to spread the word and encourage
support for his legislation.  He was flanked by Senators Gramm,
Lieberman, and Conrad Burns (R-MT), who all lauded the bill, as
did former APS President - and science advisor to President Bush
- D. Allan Bromley, Rutgers President Francis Lawrence, and Joan
Shields, Chairman of the American Chemical Society's Board of
Directors.  


Frist's legislation would authorize an annual increase for non-defense R&D of 5.5 percent (or 2.5 percent each year 
above an
assumed inflation rate of 3.0 percent.)  If the appropriators are
guided by this when they dole out funding, it would effectively
result in a doubling of the federal civilian R&D investment over
approximately 12 years, instead of the 10 years called for in
Gramm's bill.  This is felt by many to be a more realistic
timetable with a better likelihood of acceptance by the full
Senate.


In another departure from the Gramm bill, Frist's legislation
sets out policy guidelines for prioritizing research programs,
assessing performance, and terminating programs which are
unsuccessful.  It requires the President, as part of his annual
budget request to Congress, to submit a detailed summary of all
federal R&D programs.  It also directs the Administration to
commission the National Academy of Sciences to undertake a study
of how to evaluate research programs.  


Frist's bill encompasses the non-defense R&D programs of the
following departments and agencies: the National Institutes of
Health, the National Science Foundation, NIST, NASA, NOAA, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, EPA, the Smithsonian
Institution, and the Departments of Energy, Agriculture,
Transportation, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and Education. 
Currently, the cosponsors of the bill include Frist, Rockefeller,
Gramm, Lieberman, Burns, Pete Domenici (R-NM), Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), and John Breaux (D-LA).  Frist was hopeful that he 
could get
a majority of Senators to sign onto S. 2217, but did not know
when he might schedule a mark-up of the bill.


A similar attempt to ensure strong federal support for R&D has
been made for defense funding as well.  On June 24, the Senate
approved an amendment to the defense authorization bill (S.
2057), directing the Secretary of Defense to plan for annual
increases to DOD science and technology funding of at least 2.0
percent above inflation for the fiscal years 2000 through 2008. 
This would affect DOD's basic and applied research and advanced
technology development (6.1, 6.2, and 6.3) categories.  The
amendment was sponsored by Senators Bingaman, Lieberman, Frist,
Rick Santorum (R-PA), Carl Levin (D-MI), and Senate Majority
Leader Trent Lott (R-MS).


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Audrey T. Leath
Public Information Division
The American Institute of Physics
fyi () aip org
(301) 209-3094
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