This Week on Capitol Hill, March 15-19

Posted on March 15, 2010October 17, 2012

The House may take up the Senate-passed health care overhaul (HR 3590) bill this week as part of a two-step strategy to complete the legislation. The House schedule also includes:

a number of lands and government operations bills, including HR 1769, Washington rivers protection;
bills to simplify language in government documents;
to put Congressional Budget Office estimates in a separate section of the Congressional Record;
HR 4825, to require lawmakers to return unused allowances for deficit or debt reduction; and
HR 1586, FAA reauthorization..

The Senate considers HR 2847, a package of tax breaks and programs intended to create jobs. The chamber may clear the measure for the president’s signature this week. Later in the week, the Senate is likely to take up a bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration, with a long list of amendments pending.

Markups

House Budget marks up a draft reconciliation bill for a health care overhaul. House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cybersecurity, and Science and Technology marks up a draft bill to authorize science and technology programs.
Senate Judiciary marks up bills on consumer pricing agreements ( S 148 ), refugees’ residency status ( S 2960 ), immigrants’ right to return ( S 2974 ), medical bankruptcy ( S 1624 ) and hate crimes against the homeless ( S 1765 ); also votes on pending nominations. 10 a.m. Thursday, 226 Dirksen

Hearing Highlights

House Appropriations hearing on the fiscal 2011 budget, with White House budget director Peter R. Orszag and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner
House Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the Justice Department, with Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions hearing on reauthorizing the education act known as No Child Left Behind, with Education Secretary Arne Duncan
Senate Special Aging hearing on rising drug prices and Medicare Part D
House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the Education Department, with Secretary Arne Duncan
House Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee hearing on fiscal 2011 funding for the Interior Department, with Secretary Ken Salazar

Source: CQ Today Online News

This Week on Capitol Hill, March 1-5

Posted on March 2, 2010October 17, 2012

The Senate resumes consideration Monday of a bill that would extend several expiring tax provisions and may also extend unemployment and COBRA health care benefits, as well as Medicaid funding.

A relatively light week is planned in the House, with the main floor action being on a bill intended to reduce the use of physical restraint on students.

Source: CQ Today Online News

Arden Bement Leaving NSF

Posted on February 4, 2010October 17, 2012

Courtest of the National Science Foundation

February 4, 2010

ARLINGTON, VA – Arden L. Bement, the director of the National Science Foundation, has been named to lead Purdue University’s new Global Policy Research Institute (GPRI) in West Lafayette, Ind. Bement will begin his new post as the director of GPRI–which will draw on seven different science and research disciplines at Purdue–on June 1 this year.

Bement was appointed to his six-year term as director by President George W. Bush in November 2004. He served as acting director for 10 months prior to this. Under Bement, NSF has seen its budget move onto a doubling path, created a series of new science and engineering initiatives around innovation themes, increased its role in the international scientific policy arena and increased its commitment to core basic research areas. NSF is widely recognized as a key driver of science and innovation advances in the U.S. Continue reading “Arden Bement Leaving NSF”

FY11 NOAA Below the Surface

Posted on February 2, 2010October 17, 2012

Courtesy of the NOAA Research Staff

To Friends and Partners of NOAA Research:

The President has released the fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget request for federal agencies. For FY 2011, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requests a total appropriation of $5,554,458,000, an increase of $806,105,000 over the FY 2010 enacted level.

NOAA requests a total of $464,860,000 for the Office of Oceanic & Atmospheric Research, an increase of $15,715,000 over the FY 2010 enacted budget. OAR’s FY 2011 request seeks funding to: (1) sustain critical research activities in support of NOAA climate, weather, and ocean missions; (2) initiate new activities that address currently unmet gaps in the NOAA service missions; and (3) meet the information needs of our Nation’s environmental decision-makers. Continue reading “FY11 NOAA Below the Surface”

FY11 Budget Request Materials Available for Additional Agencies

Posted on February 2, 2010October 17, 2012

As noted in previous posts, the President’s Budget Request (PBR) for FY11 was released yesterday. Previous posts have captured budget information for federal agencies of particular importance to the University of Washington. This post captures budget request information for several agencies (Agriculture, NOAA, NASA, NIST, Defense, USGS, NEA, NEH, EPA, VA). Links to detailed agency budget request information are contained within the chart. The Office of Federal Relations will provide additional information and analysis as it becomes available. However, members of the UW community should feel free to contact our office with questions.

AGENCY/PROGRAM	FY10 FINAL	FY11 PBR	% CHANGE
Agriculture
Agriculture and Food Research Initiative	262.5	428.8	63.35
Hatch Act Funds	215.0	215.0	0.00
Smith Lever Funds 3(b) and 3(c)	297.5	297.5	0.00
Evans-Allen Program	48.5	48.5	0.00
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)	68.1	68.1	0.00
McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry	29.0	29.0	0.00

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)	4737.0	5550.0	17.16
NOAA, Sea Grant	63.0	62.5	-0.79
NOAA, Oceanic and Atmospheric Research	438.8	465.0	5.97

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
NASA, Science Mission Directorate	4469.0	5006.0	12.02
NASA, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate	501.0	1152.0	129.94

National Institute on Standards and Technology (NIST)
NIST, Technology Innovation Program (TIP)	69.9	79.9	14.31
NIST, Manufacturing Extension Program (MEP)	124.7	129.7	4.01

Department of Defense Basic Research (6.1)	1882.0	2000.0	6.27

United States Geological Survey (USGS)	1112.0	1133.0	1.89

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)	167.5	161.3	-3.70

National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH)	167.5	161.3	-3.70

EPA, Office of Science and Technology	846.0	847.0	0.12

Veternans Affairs (VA)
VA, Medical and Prosthetics Research Program	581.0	590.0	1.55
VA, Research Facilities