- President Biden Releases FY22 Discretionary Budget Proposal Outline; AAU Analysis Available
- “Strategic Competition Act of 2021” Introduced by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Leaders
- Education Department Announces Plans to Review DeVos-Era Title IX Amendments
- AAU, Associations Submit Comments on NIST’s Proposed Changes to Bayh-Dole Implementing Regulations
- ESC Requests at Least $7.7B for DOE Office of Science in FY22
- Upcoming Events
PRESIDENT BIDEN RELEASES FY22 DISCRETIONARY BUDGET PROPOSAL OUTLINE; AAU ANALYSIS AVAILABLE
Today the White House sent a letter to leaders of the House and Senate Budget and Appropriations Committees outlining President Joe Biden’s request for FY22 discretionary funding. The summary of Biden’s appropriations priorities includes investments in public health, the economy, the climate crisis, advancing equity, and restoring America’s global standing and confronting 21st century security challenges. Of the $1.52 trillion budget request for discretionary spending in FY22, the outline suggests a 15.9 percent increase in nondefense discretionary spending, including a 40 percent increase in education spending and an increase of 23 percent for health. The outline also proposes a 1.5 percent increase for defense discretionary spending. Overall, the budget represents an 8.4 percent increase over the current fiscal year.
The proposed budget also includes significant increases for federal research investments, including increases for: the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Energy Office of Science, NASA, and climate research across several federal agencies. It also proposes funding for the creation of two new federal research agencies -- ARPA-H on health research and ARPA-C on climate-related science -- modeled on the Department of Defense’s DARPA. The budget would also increase the maximum Pell Grant by $400 in FY22 and proposes making Pell Grants available to DACA recipients.
An AAU analysis of the proposal is available here; staff will update the document as they continue to review the outline’s provisions.
“STRATEGIC COMPETITION ACT OF 2021” INTRODUCED BY SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE LEADERS
The “Strategic Competition Act of 2021,” which aims to address issues involving China, was introduced yesterday by leaders of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Markup of the bill was expected next week but has since been postponed. The legislation will be considered in coordination with the Endless Frontier Act, which is expected to be reintroduced shortly. Of specific interest to universities is a pilot program contained in the bill that will expand the scope of Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States reviews of certain gifts and contracts between U.S. universities and Chinese entities. AAU is reviewing the legislation to assess its potential impacts and is engaging with committee staff.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES PLANS TO REVIEW DeVOS-ERA TITLE IX AMENDMENTS
Earlier this week, the Education Department announced its plans to review amendments made to Title IX regulations by former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos in May 2020. The announcement comes in response to an executive order issued in March by President Joe Biden directing the department to review the amendments. In a letter to students, educators, and other stakeholders, the department’s Office for Civil Rights said it will hold a hearing and solicit public comments on the rule. The office will also issue new guidance to schools to “provide additional clarity about how OCR interprets schools’ existing obligations under the 2020 amendments.” In the letter, the department also announced its intent to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking after its review.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS SUBMIT COMMENTS ON NIST’S PROPOSED CHANGES TO BAYH-DOLE IMPLEMENTING REGULATIONS
On Monday, AAU joined AAMC, ACE, APLU, and COGR to submit comments in response to the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s recent notice of proposed rulemaking on regulatory updates to the Bayh-Dole implementing regulations, 37 CFR 401 and 404. In the comments, the organizations express their concerns about proposed changes to march-in rights, the government use license, and manufacturing waivers, among other problematic portions of the proposed rulemaking. Other than those specific areas of concern, the organizations assert, the proposed changes will “enhance and strengthen the transfer of federally funded inventions.”
ESC REQUESTS AT LEAST $7.7B FOR DOE OFFICE OF SCIENCE IN FY22
The Energy Sciences Coalition, of which AAU is a member, on Monday sent a letter to Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee leaders in both chambers to request that they provide at least $7.7 billion for the Energy Department’s Office of Science in FY22. The letter notes that this funding “is needed to maintain a funding trajectory that ensures continued support for groundbreaking scientific discoveries, building and operating world-class scientific facilities, helping advance energy technologies needed for the nation to meet net-zero carbon emissions economy wide, developing industries of the future and emerging technologies, and maintaining the highly skilled science and technology workforce that is essential for the United States to compete globally.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
APRIL 27 COSSA 2021 SOCIAL SCIENCE ADVOCACY DAY; More information and registration here.
MAY 31 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD 2021 SPONSORSHIP DEADLINE; More information here.