Skip to content
News and updates

Author: jnurse

This Week on the Hill

Posted on
April 27-May 1
The newest member of the House, Scott Murphy, D-NY, is expected to be sworn in early in the week.
This Week in the House
Under suspension of the rules:
H Con Res 99 — Early educator wages
H Res 335 — National Volunteer Week
H Res 344 — NCAA women’s basketball
HR 1747 — Great Lakes icebreaker
H Res 340, H Res 341 — Victims of shootings
H Res 342 — Vietnamese Refugees Day
H Res 76 — Natural disasters
H Res 109 — Crime Victims’ Rights Week
H Con Res 104 — Sexual assault prevention
Subject to a rule:
HR 1913 — Hate crimes
HR 627 — Credit card regulations
S Con Res 13 — Fiscal 2010 budget resolution conference report (tentative)
This Week in the Senate
Roll call votes expected.
Weekly policy lunches: 12:30-2:15 p.m.
S 386 —Financial fraud
Nomination — Kathleen Sebelius for HHS secretary
S Con Res 13 — Fiscal 2010 budget resolution conference report
Committee Markups and Hearings Scheduled for Tuesday
House Financial Services marks up legislation to overhaul consumer mortgage practices (HR 1728)
Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs votes on pending nominations for Housing and Urban Development, the Export-Import Bank and the Treasury.  
House Judiciary marks up legislation on financial fraud (HR 1748), false claims (HR 1788), cigarette trafficking (HR 1676), war profiteering (HR 1667) and witness security and protection (HR 1741). 
House Rules considers rules for floor debate for legislation to provide federal assistance to American Indian tribes (HR 1913) and credit card regulations (HR 627).
Senate Energy and Natural Resources hearing on draft legislation to boost funding for clean energy and energy efficiency technologies.
Committee Markups and Hearing Scheduled for Wednesday
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions votes on nominations.
House Science and Technology marks up a draft bill on networking and IT research and development; bills on international science and technology cooperation (HR 1736); and math and science education (HR 1709)
House Natural Resources marks up bills on state secrets (S 417), consumer credit (S 257), the free flow of information (S 488) and assistance to victims of domestic and sexual violence (S 327).
Schedule Listing is from the Congressional Quarterly.

CGS Releases Report on Broadening Participation in Graduate Education

Posted on

On April 23rd, the Council on Graduate Schools (CGS) released its latest report Broadening Participation in Graduate Education at a legislative forum featuring Senator Kay Hagan (D-NC) and Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA).

CGS Overview: The U.S. system of higher education is arguably the best in the world, but there is a leak in the pipeline. Even as our nation is becoming increasingly diverse, some groups remain highly underrepresented in graduate schools, particularly in science and engineering.

This report highlights programs that have had success in enhancing diversity and inclusiveness in graduate education, and offers policy recommendations aimed at identifying and cultivating talent wherever it exists, with particular emphasis on developing domestic talent from traditionally underrepresented groups.

CGS Executive Summary

NOAA Releases Research Update

Posted on

The research update below was recently released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To Friends and Partners of NOAA Research:

There are several news items we would like to share with you today.

FY 2009 APPROPRIATIONS SUMMARY

On March 11, the President signed the FY 2009 omnibus spending bill into law. The final bill provides a total of $4.37B for NOAA, an increase of $457M or 10% over the FY 2008 appropriation. It includes $408M for the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), which is $10.6M above the FY 2008 enacted amount. Attached is an updated table that shows the FY 2009 appropriations for OAR.

NOAA has submitted its spend plan for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 to Congress. The Act provides $830M for NOAA, including a $170M increase in Procurement, Acquisitions, and Construction (PAC) for High Performance Computing (HPC) for Climate Modeling and Data. NOAA plans to procure and utilize two computing systems in separate locations that will improve the accuracy of seasonal climate and global climate change assessments. The two HPC sites will be selected by a competitive process and create jobs in manufacturing, construction, and software engineering.

NOAA press release on the ARRA spend plan

The FY 2010 President’s budget request will be released in early May. We will send an e-mail with FY 2010 budget information at that time. Continue reading “NOAA Releases Research Update”

Sebelius Nomination Draws Fire but Advances

Posted on

The nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to head the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee yesterday, leaving only a vote of the full Senate. What was once expected to be a rather comfortable confirmation has evolved into a rather partisan debate over President Obama’s intentions in reforming the U.S. health insurance system. Conservatives on the panel sought assurances — which they did not receive — from Governor Sebelius that HHS would not seek a plan that limited consumer choice of doctor, hospital, or coverage options. Despite the reservations expressed by some members, the Senate Finance Committee approved the nomination on a largely party line 15-8 vote. Consideration of the nomination by the full Senate could take place later this week.

AAU and the Department of Energy Seek ARPA-E Nominations

Posted on

The Association of American Universities (AAU) is asking its member campuses to recommend individuals to serve as temporary personnel to help organize the new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).  The Department of Energy (DoE) is looking for individuals with the knowledge and expertise to help it organize the new agency.  These individuals would serve as temporary program managers and provide additional program support (for both 6-to-12-month and three-year terms of service).  AAU has already collected and forwarded to DoE several resumes from its member campuses, but would appreciate receiving additional nominations.

Resumes and questions can be sent to Jonathan Nurse, UW Assistant Director of Federal Relations, who will forward UW recommendations to AAU as a set.

To establish ARPA-E, Congress provided DoE with $400 million in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and $15 million in the FY09 omnibus appropriations bill.  ARPA-E was originally authorized in the America COMPETES Act (P.L. 110-69) in 2007, but it received no funding in FY07 or FY08.  

The Department of Energy hopes to staff the agency quickly with highly qualified faculty members and others who can help the agency become established and begin to fund research proposals.  Recovery Act funds must be obligated within the next two years.