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S.Rept. 105-216, NSF Section of the Senate VA/HUD
Committee Report, FY 1999
National Science Foundation
For the National Science Foundation, the Committee
recommendation totals $3,644,150,000, an increase
of $215,150,000 above the 1998 level. The Committee
views NSF as an investment in the future and this
funding is intended to reaffirm the strong and longstanding
support of this Committee to scientific research and
education.
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$3,429,000,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$3,773,000,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$3,644,150,000 |
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The National Science Foundation was established as
an independent agency by the National Science Foundation
Act of 1950 (Public Law 81 507) and is authorized
to support basic and applied research, science and
technology policy research, and science and engineering
education programs to promote the progress of science
and engineering in the United States. The Foundation
supports fundamental and applied research in all major
scientific and engineering disciplines, through grants,
contracts, and other forms of assistance, such as
cooperative agreements, awarded to more than 2,000
colleges and universities, and to nonprofit organizations
and other research organizations in all parts of the
United States. The Foundation also supports major
national and international programs and research facilities.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends $3,644,150,000 for the National
Science Foundation for fiscal year 1999. This amount
is $215,150,000 more than the 1998 level and $128,850,000
less than the budget request.
Research and Related Activities
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$2,545,700,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$2,846,800,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$2,725,000,000 |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The research and related activities appropriation addresses
Foundation goals to enable the United States to uphold
world leadership in all aspects of science and engineering,
and to promote the discovery, integration, dissemination,
and employment of new knowledge in service to society.
Research activities will contribute to the achievement
of these goals through expansion of the knowledge
base; integration of research and education; stimulation
of knowledge transfer among academia and the public
and private sectors; and bringing the perspectives
of many disciplines to bear on complex problems important
to the Nation.
The Foundation's discipline-oriented research programs
are: biological sciences; computer and information
science and engineering; engineering; geosciences;
mathematical and physical sciences; and social, behavioral
and economic sciences. Also included are U.S. polar
research programs, U.S. antarctic logistical support
activities, and the Critical Technologies Institute.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $2,725,000,000
for research and related activities. This amount is
$179,300,000 above the fiscal year 1998 level and
$121,800,000 less than the budget request. While the
Committee strongly supports the goals of the National
Science Foundation and recognizes the importance that
the Foundation places in the primary initiatives of
knowledge and distributed intelligence [KDI], life
and Earth's environment [LEE], and educating for the
future [EFF], the Committee remains concerned over
the National Science Foundation's failure to provide
a budget justification for fiscal year 1999 that meets
the requirements of the Government Performance and
Results Act. It is important that all initiatives
and programs of NSF be identified with specific funding
as well as quantifiable goals and milestones. The
Committee expects NSF's fiscalyear 2000 budget to
establish quantifiable goals and milestones and, absent
compliance, the Committee may have to consider appropriating
program specific funding.
The Committee directs NSF to submit a plan to the Committee
by December 1, 1998, detailing a schedule, and all
needed activities and associated costs (including
where the costs will be paid from) for resolving all
year 2000 computer problems within the agency. No
operating plan will be approved unless this plan has
been submitted. The Committee also directs NSF, in
conjunction with the Office of Science and Technology
Policy, to report to the Committee no later than June
30, 1999, on the extent to which the year 2000 computer
problem will impact universities and technological
efforts in the United States as well as an assessment
on the impact on science, technology, and research
throughout the world.
The Committee is aware of the report on the national
plant genome initiative produced by the administration's
Interagency Working Group [IWG] on Plant Genomes and
commends the administration for its strong support
of the plant genome initiative [PGI] funded by Congress
in fiscal year 1998. The goals of this ambitious new
program are to advance our understanding of the structure,
organization, and function of the genomes of economically
significant plants to improve the useful properties
of plants that are important to humanity. The challenges
of ensuring an economically and environmentally sustainable
source of food and fiber for a population which is
expected to double in the next 30 years can only be
achieved by breakthrough advances in science. Scientists
believe that the solutions to these challenges can
be met through the application of plant-based technologies
resulting in the manipulation of the DNA of plants.
In particular, the IWG reports that: ``* * * the revitalization
of rural America will come from a more robust agricultural
sector; reduction in greenhouse gasses can be achieved
from the production of plant biofuels for energy;
chemically contaminated sites can be rehabilitated
economically using selected plants; and worldwide
malnutrition can be greatly reduced through the development
of higher yielding and more nutritious crops that
can be grown on marginal soil.''
Currently, the United States is the world's leader
in biotechnology which many believe will mark the
third technological revolution. For fiscal year 1998,
the PGI has attracted 67 proposals from 121 separate
institutions requesting a total of $348,000,000. The
Committee has included an additional $10,000,000 to
the budget request to help meet this pressing need.
As discussed in last year's report, the Committee expects
NSF to contract with the National Academy of Public
Administration to review the procedure and criteria
for merit review, now that the new criteria has been
in place for a year. This study should review the
overall merit review process in the agency, as well
as examine how the changes in the merit review criteria
have affected the different types of research that
NSF supports.
The Committee also is concerned about how NSF funds
are distributed to universities and colleges, as well
as to various areas of the country. A recent NSF survey
of Federal R&D; expenditures based on data collected
through fiscal year 1996 indicated that the top 50
recipients of university-based research received about
60 percent of all available Federal research dollars
(some $8,300,000,000 out of $13,800,000,000). In addition,
a number of these top 50 schools received an additional
$4,300,000,000 because they manage large federally
funded research and development centers for various
Federal agencies. Consequently, the Committee urges
the Foundation to broaden the scope of its research
support for colleges and universities.
In addition, the Committee also recognizes the need
for the agency to foster initiatives between university
centers of excellence and U.S. manufacturers to promote
work force training to increase the pool of trained
personnel for careers in information technology companies.
Such an effort by the agency could bolster worker
productivity and improve U.S. global competitiveness
in this critical economic activity. The Committee,
therefore, urges the agency, as part of its KDI initiative,
to support proposals addressing the demonstrated personnel
needs of information technology firms for expanded
education and training at three university-based centers.
The Committee directs the agency to focus its support
on universities and colleges that do not normally
fall within the top 100 of NSF's survey of universities
and colleges receiving Federal research support to
overcome any bias toward more established institutions.
The Committee has provided $6,000,000 to support this
initiative.
The National Science Foundation [NSF] established the
Science and Technology Centers [STC] Program in 1987
to fund important basic research and education activities
and to encourage technology transfer and innovative
approaches within an interdisciplinary framework.
The Committee has been a strong supporter of these
kinds of efforts and encourages NSF to move forward
with the STC Program. In that light, the Committee
is particularly interested in using the STC model
to support innovative interdisciplinary research and
training efforts in applied molecular biology. With
its close ties to the biotechnology industry three
new STC's in this area would be entirely consistent
with the program's objectives. The Committee, therefore,
directs NSF to develop a new research program for
the establishment of three multi-investigator centers
in the area of applied molecular biology. The development
of such centers shall be targeted to universities
and colleges that do not normally fall within the
top 100 of NSF's survey of universities and colleges
receiving Federal research support to overcome bias
toward more established institutions. The centers
should facilitate the preparation of a new generation
of trained scientists at younger institutions. Further,
the institutions must demonstrate evidence of interdisciplinary
efforts in the molecular biosciences and have a history
of laboratory-based training of researchers for the
biotechnology industry. The Committee is providing
$12,000,000 to support this initiative.
The Committee has provided an additional $24,000,000
to the budget request for arctic logistics within
the U.S. Arctic Research Program. These additional
funds are to be used to provide logistical support
for the research activities funded by polar programs
and other NSF arctic research and education activities.
The Committee intends that the recommendations of
the U.S. Arctic Research Commission in Logistics Recommendations
for Improved U.S. Arctic Research Capability (July
1997) and the 1987 report of the National Science
Board's Committee on the Role of the NSF in Polar
Regions (NSB 87 128) will serve as guideposts for
the investment of these funds, subject to the merit
review process.
The Committee is particularly interested in seeing
that some of these additional resources support current
international collaborations in arctic research related
to global climate change as well as addressing distance
learning issues unique to the arctic environment.
The Committee directs NSF to submit a strategic plan
to the Committee on the proposed structure for the
use of these logistical funds by November 15, 1998.
The Committee is a strong supporter of NSF's participation
in the Next Generation Internet [NGI] Program and
recognizes the importance of equal access to the NGI
for researchers and educators from all areas of the
country. The Committee is well aware that some States,
such as Hawaii and Alaska, face unique challenges
in getting access to high-performance telecommunication
networks and urges NSF to continue to work closely
with universities from these States and with other
Federal agencies, to address this access problem.
The Committee strongly encourages NSF and the other
relevant agencies involved in high-speed networking
to provide all appropriate support that will assist
these and other States and their institutions of higher
education to gain access to the developing national
research network testbed. The Committee directs NSF
to submit a strategic plan on ways to address this
access and cost issue to the Committee by January
25, 1999.
The Committee received the report requested in last
year's appropriation from the Foundation in April
1998 on the establishment of a National Institute
on the Environment. The Committee concurs with the
Foundation's view that environmental research is an
important area that should be strengthened. The Committee
believes that this objective can be accomplished without
the creation of an additional bureaucratic structure.
The Committee looks forward to forthcoming proposals
from the OSTP, NSF, and the National Science and Technology
Council concerning a national science and technology
strategy for the environment, which was recommended
in the NSF's April report to the Committee.
The Committee understands that NSF is reorganizing
its behavioral and social science research programs
to accelerate the impressive advances that are occurring
in these areas. The Committee applauds this reorganization
as a sign of NSF's expanding commitment to these areas
and reiterates its belief that basic research in the
behavioral sciences is central to understanding and
addressing many national concerns. The Committee also
is pleased to note the publication of ``Basic Research
in Psychological Science'', a human capital initiative
report on the achievements in many areas of psychological
research such as visual and auditory perception, memory
and learning, decisionmaking, social and culture-based
behaviors, and human development. The Committee encourages
NSF to use this report in establishing behavioral
and social science research priorities.
The Committee directs NSF to support through a competitive
process an additional LTER site, for the study of
a pristine, inland, mountain wilderness area. Preferences
should be given to sites with established research
facilities operated by an accredited university or
nonprofit organization. The size and location of the
site should be conducive to providing baseline information
on wilderness environments.
Major Research Equipment
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$109,000,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$94,000,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$94,000,000 |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The major research equipment activity will support
the construction and procurement of unique national
research platforms and major research equipment. Projects
supported by this appropriation will push the boundaries
of technological design and will offer significant
expansion of opportunities, often in new directions,
for the science and engineering community.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $94,000,000
for major research equipment. This amount is $15,000,000
less than the fiscal year 1998 level and the same
as the budget request. The Committee has provided
the request for the continued work on modernizing
the South Pole Station. In January 1998, the Committee
sent a CODEL, led by Senator Stevens, chairman of
the Appropriations Committee, to review first hand
the role of NSF in the Antarctic and the Foundation's
plans for the rebuilding of the South Pole Station
as well as other upgrades necessary to preserve U.S.
presence and the U.S. leadership in science research
in the Antarctic. The Committee found that the construction
of a new South Pole Station is needed. The Committee
also found that NSF's investment in the Antarctic
as a unique research laboratory is responsible, important,
and useful.
Nevertheless, the Committee remains concerned about
the management of the costs of this undertaking in
such a harsh and unforgiving environment. One particular
concern relates to the fact that the overall civilian
logistics support contract for all U.S. Antarctic
Program activities will be the subject of a recompetition
just as construction of the new station begins. Therefore,
the Committee directs NSF to submit a report by February
1999, detailing its plans for construction cost containment
of the new station and how this process will be managed
should a new contractor be selected for overall logistics
support activities.
The Committee also has provided the request for the
large hadron collider and second year funding for
the millimeter array radio telescope.
The Committee does not provide funding for the Polar
Cap Observatory at this time.
Education and Human Resources
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$632,500,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$683,000,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$683,000,000 |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Education and human resources activities provide a
comprehensive set of programs across all levels of
education in science, mathematics, and technology.
At the precollege level, the appropriation provides
for new instructional material and techniques, and
enrichment activities for teachers and students. Undergraduate
initiatives support curriculum improvement, facility
enhancement, and advanced technological education.
Graduate level support is directed primarily to research
fellowships and traineeships. Emphasis is given to
systemic reform through components that address urban,
rural, and statewide efforts in precollege education,
and programs which seek to broaden the participation
of States and regions in science and engineering.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $683,000,000
for education and human resources. This amount is
$50,500,000 more than the fiscal year 1998 level and
the same as the budget request. Since 1965, NSF has
been involved in international comparisons of student
math and science performance. Despite a significant
Federal investment and commitment, for 30 years U.S.
students have been near or at the bottom of performance.
The recent TIMMS study again tells us that our Nation's
12th graders are not doing as well in math and science
as our international competitors. The Committee is
concerned greatly by this study, and requests NSF
to develop a strategic plan to address this shortcoming.
An initial preplan review should be provided to the
Committee by June 15, 1999.
In addition, for a number of years--spurred on by
a National Science Board report in the late 1980's
and this Committee--NSF has invested on a number of
fronts to improve math and science education at the
undergraduate level. Instead of the expected progress,
the Carnegie Foundation recently issued a report that
was critical of the job our research universities
are doing in undergraduate education. The Committee
expects NSF to develop a strategic plan to address
the existing shortcomings in our Nation's undergraduate
programs, with an initial preplan review due by July
15, 1999.
Moreover, the Committee strongly supports the Experimental
Program to Stimulate Competitive Research [EPSCoR]
as a way to stimulate R&D; competitiveness in universities
in States which receive relatively little Federal
R&D funds. The Committee directs NSF to increase
EPSCoR by an additional $10,000,000. The Committee
also strongly supports the next generation Internet
initiative, and continues to emphasize the importance
of providing equal access to the Internet for students,
teachers, and researchers throughout the Nation, including
rural areas.
The Committee provided $6,000,000 last year to begin
a new program targeted at the undergraduate level
at historically black colleges and universities. NSF
formally issued a request for proposals in April 1998
and the first set of awards are expected to be made
by the end of fiscal year 1998. The Committee believes
this effort will help attract and retain minority
scholars into science and engineering and in that
light, it is again providing additional funds to augment
this effort. The Committee, therefore, is providing
$6,000,000 for grants to historically black colleges
and universities under the under represented population
undergraduate reform [UPUR] initiative begun last
year in House Report 105 297. These funds are to be
matched by an additional $2,000,000 in funds from
the research account for a total $8,000,000 program
level in fiscal year 1999. The Foundation is further
directed, beginning in fiscal year 2000, to incorporate
this program into its annual budget submissions.
The Committee is providing $46,000,000 for informal
science education [ISE] in fiscal year 1999, an increase
of $10,000,000. The ISE program acts as a catalyst
for educating people of all ages and walks of life
in family-friendly, informal settings--at museums,
on public television, in aquaria and zoos, and in
science and technology centers around the country.
With considerable local matching dollars, ISE-supported
exhibits and programming help extend the Foundation's
research and education missions by exposing large
segments of the public to the value of research and
discovery.
Salaries and Expenses
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$136,950,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$144,000,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$136,950,000 |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The salaries and expenses appropriation provides for
the operation, management, and direction of all Foundation
programs and activities and includes necessary funds
to develop and coordinate NSF programs.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation
of $136,950,000 for salaries and expenses. This amount
is the same as the fiscal year 1998 level and is $7,050,000
less than the amount in the budget request. The Committee
believes these are adequate funds since most NSF funds
are distributed and managed outside the agencies.
Office of Inspector General
| Appropriations,
1998 |
$4,850,000 |
| Budget estimate, 1999 |
$5,200,000 |
| Committee recommendation |
$5,200,000 |
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
The Office of Inspector General appropriation provides
audit and investigation functions to identify and
correct deficiencies which could create potential
instances of fraud, waste, or mismanagement.
COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION
The Committee recommends an appropriation of $5,200,000
for the Office of Inspector General in fiscal year
1999. This amount is $350,000 more than the fiscal
year 1998 level and the same as the budget request.
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