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Category: Appropriations

House Continues CJS, House Science Cmte Passes FIRST

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Adjourning well after midnight last night, the House will consider its floor consideration of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill this morning. The House is expected to pass the measure late tonight. Thus far, the House has considered a number of amendments, and some of interest are below.

Passed Amendments:

  • An amendment, offered by Mr. Reichert (R-WA), to reduce funding for periodic census and programs by $110 million and to increase funding for community oriented policing services programs (hiring and rehiring of additional career law enforcement officers) by a similar amount.
  • An amendment, offered by Mr. Langevin (D-CT), to designate $5 million for a survey on the NIST cybersecurity framework for reducing cyber risks to critical infrastructure.
  •  An amendment, offered by Ms. Sinema (D-AZ), to reduce funding for Salaries and Expenses, General Administration in the Department of Justice by $1 million and to increase funding for Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution Programs (College Campuses) by a similar amount.

Failed Amendments:

  • An amendment, offered by Mr. McDermott (D-WA), to reduce funding for Periodic Censuses and Programs by $3 million and to increase funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the purpose of salmon propagation by a similar amount.
  • An amendment, offered by Mr. Holt (D-NJ), to transfer $37,450,000 within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the purpose of climate change research.

Amendments pending a vote:

An amendment, offered by Mr. Bridenstine (R-OK), to reduce funding for Periodic Censuses and Programs by $12 million and to increase funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the purpose of weather research by a similar amount.

 

Also last night, the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee (HSSTC) passed H.R. 4186, the “Frontiers in Innovation, Research, Science, and Technology Act of 2014 Act”. The controversial measure was marked up last week with final votes postponed until after Memorial Day. In straight party-line votes, the committee speedily made its way through all 15 amendments and ultimately passed the measure by a vote of 20-16.

The remaining votes on amendments also passed along party lines. Of note, Congressman Rohrabacher’s (R-CA) Amendment #28, which passed, would reduce funding for Social, Behavioral, and Economic research at the National Science Foundation by $50 million. Also, the committee approved Amendment #67 offered by Congressman Bridenstine (R-OK) that would repeal the National Technical Information Service.

House to Consider CJS

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The House of Representatives is expected to begin floor consideration of its version of the FY15 Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) Appropriations bill (H.R. 4660) tomorrow, May 28 at 2 p.m. On Thursday, May 29, the House will reconvene at noon and is expected to complete consideration of the CJS Appropriations bill that day.

The House will consider the bill under an open rule. It is unknown how many amendments will be considered because open rules do not require Members to publish amendments before they are offered on the floor.

Federal Relations will continue to track this legislation, and any amendments, as the bill is considered by the House.

House Passes Two Appropriations Bills and Looks Forward

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This week, the full House considered and passed the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs and Legislative Affairs bills on Wednesday and Thursday respectively.  Both measures are considered uncontroversial and passed by overwhelmingly.

It is unclear when the full House will take up the Commerce, Justice, and Science bill, which the House Appropriations Committee also unveiled and passed this week. Potential policy riders, including NASA’s involvement with Russia, could derail it.

The House is expected to unveil the Transportation, HUD Appropriations Bill next week, and rumors are that Homeland Security will follow soon after.

As these measures continue through the Appropriations process, the Office of Federal Relations will continue to monitor them and provide period updates on their progress.

House Appropriations Committee Releases Three Bills

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The House Appropriations Committee released three appropriations bills for FY 15, or a quarter of the annual appropriations measures, today. The bills released were: Legislative Affairs (HR 4487); Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (HR 4486); and Commerce, Justice and Science.

The bills are expected to marked up by the House Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The full House is expected to pass the Legislative Affairs and Military Construction and Veterans Affairs bills on Thursday.

The draft released today that would fund the Commerce Department, Justice Department and science agencies through fiscal 2015 and expand on recent increases for law enforcement and space exploration  is a $51.2 billion spending bill.

Overall, the measure represents a $398 million cut from current funding, even as it provides notable boosts in targeted areas.

The Justice Department, the biggest recipient of funds in the bill, would receive $27.8 billion, a $383 million increase from current funding, according to a committee overview. The Commerce Department would receive $8.4 billion, a $171 million boost.

NASA, the largest component of the science funding, would get $17.9 billion, an increase of $250 million from fiscal 2014. The National Science Foundation would get $7.4 billion in fiscal 2015, a $237 million increase compared to fiscal 2014.

To cut costs, the bill “eliminates several existing programs for a savings of over $250 million, and $469 million in unused prior-year funding is rescinded,” according to the committee overview.

Other points of interest:

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) – NASA is funded at $17.9 billion in the bill, which is $250 million above the 2014 enacted level. This funding includes: $5.2 billion for NASA Science programs – $42 million above the 2014 enacted level. This includes funding above the President’s request for planetary science to ensure the continuation of critical research and development programs.

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) – NIST is funded at $856 million in the bill, which is $5.8 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level and $44.2 million below the President’s request. Within this total, important core research activities are funded at $671 million to help advance U.S. competitiveness, innovation, and economic growth, and improve cyber security. The bill also includes $130 million for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program, which provides training and technical assistance to U.S. manufacturers in order to boost growth in this important sector of our economy.”

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – The legislation contains $5.3 billion for NOAA, virtually equal to the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. Within this total, National Weather Service operations and systems are funded above the President’s request, denying proposed cuts to hurricane forecasting and tsunami warning grants. The bill includes full funding for the Joint Polar Satellite System weather satellite program and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite to help maintain and improve weather forecasting to warn communities about potentially devastating natural disasters.”

National Science Foundation (NSF) – The legislation funds NSF at $7.4 billion, an increase of $237 million above the fiscal year 2014 enacted level. This funding is targeted to programs that foster innovation and U.S. economic competitiveness, including funding for research on advanced manufacturing, cybersecurity, neuroscience and STEM education.

As these measures continue through the Appropriations process, the Office of Federal Relations will continue to monitor them.

Appropriations Bills Set for House Floor Consideration Next Week

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House Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) announced today that the House will consider the first of its 12 appropriations bills for FY15 next week. The bills up for consideration are Military Construction-Veterans Affairs (H.R. 4486) and Legislative Branch (H.R. 4487).  The next appropriations bill in line is Commerce-Justice-Science, which is expected to be marked up in subcommittee on May 8.  Among the agencies funded by this legislation are the National Science Foundation and NASA.

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) has said he hopes the Committee can approve all 12 bills before the July Fourth recess.

The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to begin markup of its funding bills in late May and will begin with Military Construction-Veterans Affairs.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has allocated four weeks of Senate floor time in June and July to consider appropriations bills