June 19, 2015

AAU Weekly Wrap-up, June 19, 2015

Newsletters

CONTENTS

BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, TAX ISSUES

House Subcommittee Approves FY16 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill
AAU Issues Statement on House FY16 Science Funding Bills
Senate Approves Defense Authorization Bill, Fails to Move Defense Appropriations
House and Senate Bills Would Level Fund NEH in FY16
House FY16 Agriculture Funding Bill Would Boost AFRI Support

BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, TAX ISSUES

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES FY16 LABOR-HHS-EDUCATION APPROPRIATIONS BILL

The House Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee on June 17 approved its FY16 funding bill; full committee markup is expected next week.

The subcommittee-passed bill provides $3.7 billion less in discretionary spending than the FY15 enacted level, with $2.8 billion of that cut from Department of Education programs. During the markup, Committee Democrats offered amendments to increase funding for a variety of education programs, but none were approved.

The bill would fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $31.2 billion, an increase of $1.1 billion over the FY15 level and $100 million over the Administration’s FY16 request. Increases would bolster targeted research in such areas as Alzheimer’s disease and antibiotic resistance, as well as in the Administration’s Brain Research through Application of Innovative Neuro-technologies (BRAIN) Initiative and the Precision Medicine Initiative.

For higher education, the maximum Pell Grant Award would grow to the scheduled amount of $5,915 through a combination of mandatory ($1,055) and discretionary ($4,860) spending, but $370 million would be cut from total funding of the program by reducing the amount of the anticipated program surplus. Funding for the TRIO and Gear Up college preparatory programs would be increased by $60 million and $21 million, respectively.

Among its policy provisions, the bill would prohibit the Department of Education from (1) moving forward with regulations that would establish a college ratings system; (2) setting new rules on teacher preparation; (3) defining either “gainful employment” or “credit hour;” and (4) stipulating how states must license higher education institutions.

AAU ISSUES STATEMENT ON HOUSE FY16 SCIENCE FUNDING BILLS

AAU on June 16 issued a statement expressing concern about the cuts in scientific research in three House FY16 appropriations bills: Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy and Water, and Defense. The statement references proposed cuts in the social and behavioral and geosciences at the National Science Foundation, cuts in earth sciences at NASA, cuts in biological and environmental research and in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at the Department of Energy, and cuts in basic research at the Department of Defense.

The statement urges Congress to maintain a strong commitment to science across all disciplines and expresses the hope “that Congress and the President will reach a budget agreement that addresses our nation’s long-term fiscal challenges and facilitates greater and sustained investments in scientific research.”

AAU ISSUES STATEMENT ON HOUSE FY16 SCIENCE FUNDING BILLS

SENATE APPROVES DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL, FAILS TO MOVE DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS

The Senate on June 18 approved its version of the FY16 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1376). The vote was 71 to 25. The measure will now be conferenced with the House version (H.R. 1735) of the bill, which that chamber passed on May 15. The White House has issued a veto threat against both bills (House, Senate).

The vote on the authorization bill was quickly followed by a vote to invoke cloture on the FY16 Defense appropriations bill, but that motion failed by a vote of 50-45, with 60 votes needed for approval. The appropriations bill includes an increase for 6.1 basic research of $39.7 million, or 1.7 percent, above the FY15 level. The 6.2 applied research account would receive $4.93 billion, an increase of $280 million, or six percent, above FY15. The 6.3 advanced technology development account would receive $5.58 billion, an increase of $251.6 million, or 4.7 percent, above FY15. In total, the measure provides $12.82 billion for science & technology (S&T), which is a $572 million, or 4.7-percent, increase above the FY15 funding level.

The Senate Defense appropriations bill, like the House bill, ignores the sequestration-level defense spending cap.

HOUSE AND SENATE BILLS WOULD LEVEL FUND NEH IN FY16

The House and Senate are on track to fund the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in FY16 at the Endowment’s FY15 level of $146 million.

That funding level was provided in both versions of the FY16 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies appropriations bill, which were marked up by the House Appropriations Committee on June 16 and by the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 18. Both bills would also level fund the National Endowment for the Arts at $146 million in FY16.

HOUSE FY16 AGRICULTURE FUNDING BILL WOULD BOOST AFRI FUNDING

The House Appropriations Committee released the FY16 Agriculture Appropriations bill on June 17. The measure would fund the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) at $335 million. This is a $10 million, or 3 percent, increase over the FY15 funding level for AFRI. The bill was passed by subcommittee on Thursday.