IP: FYI #109 - IT Hearing; George Brown Dies

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> The American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy News
> Number 109: July 16, 1999
>
> Information Technology Hearing; George Brown Dies
>
> "Information technology is truly the rising tide that lifts all
> boats."    Edward Lazowska, University of Washington
>
> A recent hearing demonstrated that the Administration and the
> House Science Committee are close to agreement on raising the
> priority of information technology (IT) research.  Both the White
> House and the committee have proposed initiatives to increase
> funding for R&D in this area.  
>
> In February, the President's Information Technology Advisory
> Committee (PITAC) released a report warning of the "urgent need
> to replenish the knowledge base" for IT, and recommending an
> enhanced federal research effort on fundamental R&D in the field. 
> President Clinton, in his FY 2000 budget request, highlighted IT
> as one of his Administration's highest R&D priorities (see FYI
> #9), with a proposal for $366 million in new funding.  
>
> On June 9, House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner
> (R-WI), with bipartisan support, introduced the Networking and
> Information Technology Research and Development Act (see FYI
> #98).  In support of the PITAC recommendations, the bill (H.R.
> 2086) would authorize increased funding for federal information
> technology research over five years.  The bill would approve
> $794.9 million in new funding for FY 2000, increasing to $1,053.6
> million in new money by FY 2004.  Over five years, the new funds
> would represent an increase of 92 percent over the base funding
> level of $548.5 million appropriated in FY 1999.  The
> authorization levels in Sensenbrenner's bill only address funding
> in agencies under his committee's jurisdiction: NSF, DOE, NASA,
> NIST, NOAA, and EPA.  Other agencies, such as DOD and NIH, also
> perform a large fraction of federal IT research.  Thus the FY
> 1999 funding level cited above does not represent the entire
> federal IT effort (which is close to $1.3 billion).  
>
> This discrepancy was raised at a July 14 hearing on H.R. 2086 by
> the House Science Basic Research Subcommittee, chaired by Nick
> Smith (R-MI).  Presidential science advisor Neal Lane testified
> to Administration concerns that the bill should address DOD and
> NIH also.  While recognizing the jurisdictional issues, Lane
> insisted that the efforts of these two agencies must be
> integrated into any national plan.  Lane found the bill
> "constructive and complementary" to the Administration's IT
> initiative, and believed the White House and the committee were
> "very close to agreement."  He raised the concern, however, that
> the bill "provides insufficient funding for DOE's programs in
> terascale computing."  When Smith and other committee members
> cited GAO reports claiming underutilization of DOE
> supercomputers, Lane said such high-performance computers were
> pushing the edge of technology, and did not come with fully
> developed operating systems and software.  DOE, he said, had a
> long-established reputation for developing and transferring
> programs for broad application in other agencies and other areas
> of science.
>
> Additional witnesses, representing industrial, academic, and
> state technology leaders, all strongly supported the legislation. 
> All agreed with PITAC's findings that federal support for IT in
> recent years has eroded, and shifted too far toward near-term
> mission-oriented R&D while long-term fundamental research was
> being neglected.  They concurred on the need for federal support
> of this type of research; Technology Network President and CEO
> Roberta Katz called it "a public good" that would benefit many
> industries and research in all scientific disciplines.  The panel
> also supported the designation of NSF as the lead agency,
> commending its management, emphasis on peer review, ability to
> foster interdisciplinary research, and freedom from mission-
> oriented pressures.  
>
> Chairman Smith asked whether the Administration would support the
> multi-year funding increases recommended in the bill.  Lane
> answered cautiously, saying that while the bottom line was
> constrained by the 1997 budget agreement, outyear (future)
> funding levels for specific programs and agencies were not
> specified.  He said he would "continue to argue for strong
> funding for this particular initiative."
>
> Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO) questioned NSF's intention to locate all
> the IT funding in its Computer and Information Sciences and
> Engineering Directorate.  Lane explained that the intent was for
> the money to be "together in one place," but the program would be
> multi-disciplinary, and the entire Foundation would be involved
> in the planning and dialogue.  "There is no question in my mind,"
> he declared, that math, chemistry, physics, education, and social
> sciences would all participate.  Edward Lazowska, Chair of the
> University of Washington's Department of Computer Science and
> Engineering, confirmed that currently, many NSF computer science
> research grants "go to investigators in other fields."
>
> The witnesses also had high praise for the bill's provision to
> make permanent the Research and Experimentation Tax Credit.  In
> his written statement Lazowska termed it "complementary in every
> way" to the federal investment in research.  In a related
> development, Sensenbrenner yesterday praised the House Ways and
> Means Committee's approval of legislation to extend the tax
> credit for five years.  Still, no bill will become law soon
> enough to prevent a lapse of the credit; it expired on June 30.
>
> GEORGE BROWN: It is with sorrow that AIP notes the death
> yesterday of Rep. George E. Brown Jr. (D-CA).  Brown, serving his
> 18th term in Congress, was Ranking Minority Member of the House
> Science Committee, and had served two terms as its Chairman when
> in the majority.  He was widely considered a friend and elder
> statesman for science.  Brown was 79.
>
> ###############
> Audrey T. Leath
> Public Information Division
> The American Institute of Physics
> fyi () aip org
> (301) 209-3094
> http://www.aip.org/enews/fyi/
> ##END##########