Congress is in recess this week. The Senate will reconvene Monday, July 6th and the House will reconvene Tuesday, July 7th.
Next week the Senate Appropriations (Full) Committee will mark up the FY2010 Agriculture and Military Construction appropriations. The full committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions will continue its markup on Health Care Overhaul.
In the House, the full Appropriations Committee will mark up FY2010 Energy and Water, Financial Services, and Labor-HHS-Education.
Late Friday night, before the commencement of a July 4th District Work Period (a.k.a. recess), the House of Representatives approved the American Clean Energy and Security Act by a slim 219-212 vote margin. The legislation; sponsored by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, and Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming; is designed to reduce pollution that causes global warming while simultaneously reducing U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
According to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, major provisions of the 1000 page bill include:
From the higher education perspective, the absence of funding for research sufficient to meet the greenhouse gas emissions targets set in the bill is seen as a major shortcoming. Congressman Rush Holt (D-NJ) has been outspoken on this issue; “”I remain deeply concerned that this bill does not include the necessary research and development funding that is needed to reach the 80 percent reduction target set in H.R. 2454. We will not be able to meet this goal with today’s technologies, and as written the bill does not provide the billions of dollars a year that will be needed to develop them. This is not a small or parochial concern. If Americans and others around the world are to embrace a transformation in the way we use and produce energy, they must know that our effort includes the engine to drive the innovation for that transformation. Without a very robust research effort—many billions of dollars—the vision of transformation will be a mirage and the public will know it. I have been assured by Chairman Waxman, Chairman Markey, Speaker Pelosi, members of the Administration and members of the Senate that they understand this shortcoming and that they will work with me to increase the research funding to drive the innovation we need to transform the way we produce and use energy.”
The much talked about “Innovation Hubs,” now included in the bill, do not completely reflect the vision of “Innovation Hubs” that the Obama administration laid out in the FY 2010 budget request. The legislation has a strong emphasis on translational, near commercialization research, whereas, Chu’s “Hubs” are described as covering the spectrum of R&D from basic research to commercialization.
It is exptected that this legislation will face a much tougher time in the Senate, where a fillibuster can be used by a minority to effectively stop the legislation from moving forward. The Obama administration has articulated that it expects a vote in the Senate in the fall.
**The following press release was made available by the Department of Education on June 24th**
The Obama Administration today announced a shorter, simpler, and more user friendly Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) that will make it easier to apply for college financial aid. The changes—some of which are already in place while others will be phased in over the next few months—are designed to increase postsecondary enrollment, particularly among low- and middle-income students.
“President Obama has challenged the nation to once again have the highest percentage of college graduates in the world,” said Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education. “To do that, we need to make the college-going process easier and more convenient, and to send a clear message to young people as well as adults that college is within their reach. Simplifying the financial aid process is an important step toward reaching that goal.” Continue reading “Department of Education Revamps Student Aid Application Process”
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy & Water has advanced a spending bill for fiscal year 2010. The legislation funds the Department of Energy Office of Science at the President’s Budget Request of $4.94 billion. The legislation also adds $20 million for fusion energy sciences. At this point, information on the proposed Innovation Hubs and RE-ENERGYSE is unavailable. Two University of Washington projects were included in the bill:
Funding identified in the subcommittee bill does not guarantee project support, but is a critical step in the appropriations process.
Yesterday, the Senate Appropriations committee marked up the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) Appropriations bill and the Interior-Environment Appropriations bill. The CJS bill funds OSTP, NASA, NSF, NOAA, and NIST among others. Interior-Environment Appropriations bill funds the NEH, NEA, EPA Office of Science, and the US Geological Survey. Highlights of the two bills are provided below.
Summary: FY 2010 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Subcommittee Mark
2009 Enacted: $57.7 billion
President’s Request: $64.7 billion (including overseas contingencies)
Subcommittee Mark: $64.9 billion (including overseas contingencies)
The Subcommittee mark totals $64.9 billion in discretionary budget authority for fiscal year 2010, $7.27 billion above fiscal year 2009, excluding supplemental funding provided in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009.
Priorities for the bill include:
(1) Keeping America safe from terrorism and violent crime;
(2) Investing in America’s scientific infrastructure to create new technologies and new jobs; and
(3) Ensuring a timely and accurate 2010 Census Continue reading “Senate Advances CJS and Interior-Enviornment Appropriations Bills”