CONTENTS:
- FY18 Omnibus Funding Bill Signed by President Trump
- AAU FY18 Omnibus Summary, Priorities Table Available
- AAU President Praises Congress for Bipartisan FY18 Funding Bill
- Associations Thank Congressional Leaders for FY18 Funding Bill
- Associations Support Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, STRONGER Patents Act
FY18 OMNIBUS FUNDING BILL SIGNED BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
Though notably displeased, President Trump today signed into law the $1.3 trillion FY18 Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1625). "To prevent the omnibus situation from ever happening again," he said, "I'm calling on Congress to give me a line-item veto for all government spending bills." The Hill has more.
The omnibus provides an increase of $80 billion in defense spending and $63 billion for nondefense programs. AAU prepared a summary and updated funding tables to outline final FY18 funding levels for AAU priority higher education and research programs.
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman issued a statement yesterday praising the increased investment in NIH, NASA, and the Department of Energy's Office of Science. President Coleman also thanked members for providing clarification on the Dickey Amendment, which has long served as a de facto ban on federal gun violence research. AAU also thanked members of Congress via Twitter.
The Task Force on American Innovation, United for Medical Research, and the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, each of which AAU is a member, issued statements applauding the bipartisan funding bill.
ASSOCIATIONS THANK CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS FOR FY18 FUNDING BILL
AAU yesterday joined 38 other higher education groups in a thank you letter to House and Senate leaders for their efforts to pass the FY18 omnibus bill. The letter says, "Overall, the FY18 Consolidated Appropriations Act recognizes that our current and future strength as a country depends on an educated workforce that is on the leading edge of research and innovation. We appreciate the choices Congress has made to prioritize the student aid, scientific research and higher education programs overall."
ASSOCIATIONS SUPPORT MARRAKESH TREATY IMPLEMENTATION ACT, STRONGER PATENTS ACT
Today, AAU joined several other higher education groups in a statement urging Congress to approve legislation (S. 2559) that would provide print-disabled students access to printed materials. The bill, called the Marrakesh Treaty Implementation Act, would ratify and implement the Marrakesh Treaty to facilitate access to published works for persons who are blind, visually impaired, or otherwise print-disabled. The statement notes, "Our colleges and universities - among the nation's leading producers and consumers of copyrighted works - are committed to providing equitable access to information. But students, faculty, and staff who have print disabilities encounter significant, daily challenges in accessing required course materials and essential scholarly resources." AAU thanked bill sponsors today via Twitter.
AAU, along with APLU, the Association of University Technology Managers, and the Council on Governmental Relations on Tuesday released a statement in support of the STRONGER Patents Act (H.R. 5340). The joint statement says the bill would "effectively crack down on abuses of the U.S. patent system while taking steps to improve that system."
*AAU earlier this week signed on to a March for Science letter calling on Congress to clarify the Dickey Amendment. As noted, AAU President Coleman has since thanked Congress for providing much-needed clarification.
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